M-Audio FireWire 410

I use Logic Pro 8, Reason 4 and Pro Tools and I must say that this interface did more than surprise me. My machine is a dual 2.0 processor PowerMac G5 on 3 gigs of RAM and I have never had any problems with it at all. I also have a Roland XV3080 connected to it and it doesn't have any problems. I use my Blue Blueberry mic with my focusrite twin track pro pre-amp connected with my ART PRO VLA II with no issues.

feature wise for my setup is more than ok. It has enough outs and in's for me. Its an more than ok interface for what I do. I also has bot styles of fire wire cables which is a good thing!

Never had any static with the device recording vocals through it. I think a lot of it depends on the cheapness of cables a person is using

It's a nice size to fit in my backpack when traveling so no issues here.

Before anything else KNOW THIS:

It may not work with anything but a FIREWIRE using a Texas Instruments Chip.

I.e.-- I had it plugged into my old Pentium 4 computer, with Windows XP into a Via Firewire PCI card and it worked fine. Then I built a new computer, with the same operating system cloned, and the same Firewire Card and it would not work- made horrendous static and pops and clicks upon recording and playback. IT DROVE ME CRAZY TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.

I replaced cords, spent hours and hours going over the system, drivers- you name it. FINALLY, I replaced the Via card with a BELKIN FIREWIRE PCI CARD- that has a TI chip as opposed to a VIA chip found on many Firewire cards--- THAT solved the problem, and it again works perfect.

If you hunt online long enough, and on M-Audio's support pages, you MAY eventually be led to this little bit of information. The Firewire 410 does not seem to like VIA Firewire chips and cards-- I was just lucky with my old machine. Same Via 1394 card, different machine, zip, nothing, headaches. BEWARE.

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Well, it takes some getting used to-- not the easiest thing to figure out at first, but after a short while, it is easy to use.

It is NOT hot-swapable-- never plug this thing in while your computer is on-- you can wreck your firewire port/card as well as the unit.

I've done it-- but fortunately have escaped damage.

Compared to it's #1 rival, the Presonus Firepod-- the software is better, the connections are better, overall a better product. Soundwise, they are indistiguishable, and anyone who tells you different is hallucinating.

M-Audio has made installation easier-- but its still not instant plug and play- you'll have to reboot, and if the thing loses it's connection you'll have to likely uninstall and re-install. Yes, I've used other gear much easier to get working from scratch.

It does everything you need an interface to do. Enough ins and outs, optical and coax digital, lots of knobs. Just fine--

Um, its an interface. It allows pristine digital recording, what else.

Well, it can be touchy at times, but if you don't change things on your machine- it's fine.

Good enough, but not steller. Just going through the online help wasn't like, amazing help. It took a long time to troubleshoot my problem.

Now that I swapped my Via Firewire PCI card for a Belkin PCI, it works perfectly again. I like this interface a lot, now that I've solved that problem, and would not hesitate to recommend over any other small under $300 interface. Get cheaper on Ebay-- I bought mine used, and may actually get another for another location in my studio.

I bought this item last year and never give me any problems. Is a desktop but you can take it very easy, is not big. It has 2 inputs XLR/plug and 10 outputs (too many for me), 8 direct outputs for mix, monitor speakers and sorround output. I use an old computer not very powerfull, Win Xp, 512 MB ram, HD 150 GB, Athlon XP 2.0 (1.667 MHZ). The thing has many lights, for audio sending, pitch, preamp, etc. SPDIF connection, headphones with volume control, etc.

Is connected to the computer via Firewire (both types), it comes with both cables, the classic Firewire/IEEE-1394 and the small one. I only used the Firewire/IEEE-1394, is more stable. I never had any problems with stability.

I like the Preamps, the sound is very good, I use a classic mic Shure SM 57 with it and everything sounds greate. Midi In/Out, SPDIF, 10 total outputs for mixer, monitors, etc.

Is powered by the Firewire connectivity, and doesn't need the AC power, but the option is on. I never used, not with the SM 57 or condenser AT2020 which needs phantom power (also included in the Firewire 410). I proved with the AC and without it, and the sound didn't change, so I never used anymore (the AC connection).

2 x 8 24-bit/96kHz analog I/O; 192kHz stereo out
8 line outs to mixer or direct surround output
requency response: 20Hz-40kHz +/-1db
signal-to-noise ratio: -107dB (typical, A-weighted)
dynamic range: 108dB (A-weighted)
sample rates: 32kHz to 192kHz (192kHz on line outputs 1 & 2 only)
44.1kHz, 48kHz and 96kHz (S/PDIF I/O)
operating level: -10dB, unbalanced
size/weight: 9-1/4??? X 7??? X 1-7/8???; 2.9 lbs.

I never used it without computer, so I really don't know if you can use it without it. I think the AC power will be for that ocation.

For my use on my homestudio is perfect, if you don't need many inputs, this is a greate harward for create music, also is an excelent external card audio. I've heard that some people had some problems with the Midi port, I never used so far so I can't tell, but everything else I can say with no problem that it's a wonderfull machine.

This device is very easy to install and to use - the latest drivers are rock solid (12/2005) on my ASUS Board with VIA Firewire chipset.

The FW410 incorporates everything a solo-homerecording-musician could want. 2 Mic preamps, 2 headphone outputs, enough line-outputs to connect several monitors and 2 line-inputs. This device is definitely not build for those who want to record 3 or more singers / instruments at the same time, but for me it's just what I need (cause I'm only recording vocals and guitar).
The mixer is very easy to use and has a lot of routing options.

Never had a problem with the FW410 - no pops, no clicks, no shutdowns - it just works and it does its job better than the Presonus Firebox which I tested in comparison to the FW410.
Its housing is made out of plastic but feels solid and pro. Only the knobs for gain, level control and headphone-volume feel a bit "unprofessional". But overall, this thing looks good and feels good and doesn't run hot, even after days. In comparison: the Presonus Firebox ran very hot after less than an hour - I don't like "burning" devices on my desk.

M-Audio support is one of the best I know. Emails get responded in half a day, phone support is also good.

This device is the best in its price class - period. The preamps are very neutral and noise-free in combination with a good condenser microphone (in fact they produce less noise than the Firebox preamps, which I was very disappointed of due to the positive reviews, the Firebox received). The overall sound of the FW410 is upper homerecording level and the handling / stability is exemplary.
I can say nothing but good about M-Audio and the Firewire 410.

Previous review claims unit does not work.
The symptoms described are not problems with the 410, but problems with the hard drive(s) on his system, or he has not turned off his wireless network access while recording/playback.

The 410 works fine if you make sure your firewire card has the correct chipset and you make sure your hard drives are defragmented and are set to DMA mode. Also I needed to disable wireless network connection.

Sometimes Windows downgrades hard drives to PIO mode (slowest), doesn't notify you, and doesn't give any obvious way to set them back to DMA mode (the "use DMA if possible" setting won't do it, uninstalling the IDE channel won't do it).

If your system board is Intel, there is an Intel Application Accelerator program that will set all drives independently to the fastest modes they support. This is the only way I could solve the problem described by the previous reviewer.

Installation was extremely simple. Using the mixer interface is also easy. Choosing

Features are perfect for a unit this size, with the only drawback being unbalanced analog ins and outs (except inputs 1 and 3).

Sound quality is very good. You get what you pay for.

Once I figured out the problems were with the hard drives and not the 410, I realized that it has worked flawlessly.
So far I think I could use it live without a backup.

The solution I used to get the hard drives working is not documented anywhere on the M-Audio site. Frustrating, but not exactly their fault. Maybe they never encountered this problem and no one has mentioned it to them.
I never contacted M-Audio because I couldn't figure out how to word the question to them. The 410 always seemed to be working properly (and was) and I suspected the noises were from something else (which they were).

Oh well. I fixed my system, realized there was never a problem with the 410, and am happy with the unit.
I would not hesitate to get this unit again, although I will upgrade to the MOTU Ultralite at some point for the balanced I/O and stand-alone mixer capabilities.
The M-Audio 1814 looks good, but I cannot stand the little converter cables for getting MIDI jacks.

Fairly easy to get going.
Manual was missing from box, which was sealed.
Drivers available from the net.

I was testing the signal through a Shure SM57.
My PC is an IBM 1000Mhz - 384 RAM. The minimum required by M-audio is 500 Mhz - 128 RAM.
Software in test: Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro
Sound quality sucks: the unit pops and farts during playback, no matter what.
I tested with a normal Cd: still farting
I tested it with another PC (dual core + 1gb Ram): still farting during playback
Mic preampS: weak and blurry

No. I had to return it right way. Careful! Online stores are not happy wiyth returns on soundcards.
Don't waste your money on M-audio: Its no good any longer

Customer support tells you to do the same moves on and on....
Increase buffer, set the IN OUT memory blah, blah.....
Tried it all; farts and farst and farts is all I got to hear.
When unpacking the unit some of the knobs got stuck to the protecting plastic, instead of staying attached to the unit...that says a lot about the quality.
No comparison with my Delta 66 + omni studio bundle. That kicks ass, but is the old M-.audio, before Digidesign cut costs and decrease overall quality.
I bought a MOTU instead: much more expensive. But at least I wont waste time figuring why things dont go as they should.
300 dollars may be cheap for a soundcard, but VERY expensive for a farting machine.

Dont buy this., Read rewiews if you find any.
I hate writing reviews. I write this one coz I could not find anything about this piece of crap before I bought it.
And because any musician on a budget sweating for his cash should be aware of how unreliable this POS is.
300 dollars is not peanuts, an there are plenty of alternatives that deliver a good sound. My advice. Hope it helps! Good luck aspiring rockstars!

Although the physical quality of the product was great, I had problems with the drivers. For a while the 410 recorded fine but then Cubase seemed to loose sync with the box. When I created a new project everything worked fine but then I noticed after saving it a few times the project would make the sound card stop responding. I played with this for a while and just gave up and returned it. Personnally I think that it was just the firewire connection that was flacky and not the card itself. If you are tempted to buy this, make sure you can return it in case your computer's firewire isn't up to the challenge.

Feature set is also pretty good. Mic preamp has 66db of gain which is exactly what you need for those ribbon mics. Has a pad and twin headphone jacks as well.

I don't have a "pro" setup but as far as i could tell the card sounded great when it worked with my AT3035 mic. No complaints here.

Feature set is great but the firewire side is just not reliable. I'm sure my problems weren't 100% the 410's fault but M-Audio shouldn't be selling these things if its not willing to support and diagnose problems that arise. I would have been much happier with the product if it had some log file that just said "Firewire card failure" or "IRQ failure". Instead I wasted a lot of time failing to diagnose what was wrong.

They responded to my initial email with a generic "IRQ conflict" answer. I sent them my system information which clearly indicated that the firewire connection was not sharing a connection and I never got a replay after that. They just gave up on me.

Feature set is good. Like I said, I don't know if my problems were specific to this card or firewire in general. However, I tried it on two machines and they both had the same problem. I ended up returning mine and am now waiting for a gina 3d in the mail. The product is great when it works, if you are feeling lucky than give it a go.

just install the drivers (like any other windows device) and it works with every audio software, from Winamp to Reason (and now also ProTools), in DirectX or ASIO.

Everything you need from an object like this.
Maybe additional Inputs channels, but there is a superior model for only 200 euros of difference.

Maybe if you would own a recording studio I would need better gears, but for my entertainament (on Windows!!!) the Firewire 410 (with 2 M-Audio Studiophile monitors) is the more than you need.

But I think that with this hardware you could easily produce with very good results, your first CD as a musician. And maybe then you could buy something more expensive

well... if it stops working, I would buy it again, maybe the Firewire 1814 with more inputs!

Driver upgrades are easy to get. No idea if I need more support...

The best I could get for that price (remember i said I use it with 2 studiophile m-audio monitor (paid 300 euros)?) and that is really enough for the most percentage of musicians.

I find the FireWire 410 to be very easy.
I use it with a Powerbook G4 running Logic, and it's great! I use it for both recording and live performance.
I love how it's bus powered.

As far as a manual goes, I never read it and never needed to.

I wish I could run both the line & mic inputs simultaneously, but I guess I need to step up to a more expensive interface to get more than 2 inputs at a time.

I like the multi-out, as live, I run stereo to the board as well as mono to a monitor.

I also like the 2 headphone jacks.

The sound is great

It kind of sucks that you can't hot-plug it... but other than that it's excellent. I've never had a glitch with it.

I do gig with it sans backup.

I've not dealt with the company...

I would definitely replace if lost or stolen. I love it, and will still hang on to it when I step up to a larger interface (as a backup for gigs).

I would reco buying one!

Very easy to use. However, the software routing panel is a bit confusing at the beginning.

I am using it in a laptop Dell 3.06Mhz, XP, 512Mb and I can't get less that 256Kb ASIO buffer size by using Logic 5 with only some audio tracks and few plugins..

Sound quality is good, but not perfect. Side by side with a PCI Echo Gina24 for example, which it happens to own, I would say that the..Gina sound much better - more depth and better stereo image @ 44.1/24Bit.

The general feel around the hardware contruction of this device its probably under question. Rear TRS connectors feels weak when plug-unplugging cables, so as the front Mic/Line pre-amps. I wpuld guess that these would be the first thing to go down..However the knobs for adjusting volumes in the front of the unit have a nice robust feel.

Lately I have a serious audio problem in which during playback, after a while something is playing, the output is getting severely distorted without being able to find an obvious reason for that. Not sure yet though, if this a fault of 410.

General feel..I wouldn't trust to go live with this unit.

Average..

Trying to fix some probs by email didnt worked out.

I am buying another card and definetaly not an M-Audio one..