PreSonus AudioBox USB 2x2 USB Recording Interface Review

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(More customer reviews)Brand New Review for Nov 2010:
I recommend this only if: 1) you are not recording a guitar with high output pickups through the instrument-in, because it will clip even with the gain turned all the way down on the AudioBox, 2) you are not using an SM57 or some other dynamic mic that requires more than 35dB of gain, otherwise it will be too quiet, and 3) your headphones have an impedance above 100 ohms, otherwise the USB-powered Audiobox can't keep up with the current draw and will have no bass in the headphone monitoring out.
If you meet those conditions, then this is a great, affordable, stable recording interface. On my Mac it's plug-n-play, both on my older G4 powerbook with Tiger and newer 2010 Mac Mini with Snow Leopard. On the Mac, no separate software or drivers are needed. The construction of the AudioBox is very good. All metal box, and metal knobs. The blue metal looks great.
The mic preamps sound pretty darn good, crystal clear if you're using a condenser mic. For recording vocals on condensers, this interface is great. If you're on an old system, however, recording direct guitar and running it through a virtual amp simulation will give you latency problems. Not as much on Core 2 Duo systems and above. Be advised that the zero-latency monitoring is for a clean signal going in, not the processed sound from your software plugin, thus you can't do zero-latency distorted guitar recording that way unless you listen to yourself play clean while recording.
Now officially this does not have line-level recording ability. So you can't take the headphone output from a walkman, guitar amp, or mp3 player into this. But actually that does work as long as you carefully keep the line signal volume low and plug it into the instrument jack on the AudioBox. I've done this and it records just fine. But if the line volume gets turned up too high, you risk burning out the chip inside the AudioBox, since it wasn't engineered with safety mechanisms for that, thus Presonus says it doesn't do line-in.
It gets 4 stars for what it does well, and minus 1 star because of the caveats / exceptions listed at the beginning. As with all gear buying, my honest recommendation is to save up and get something 1.5X the cost of what you thought you could afford. If I could do it all over again, I would get an Echo Audiofire 4, Focusrite Saffire Pro 14, or Apogee Duet and call it a day. But, my Audiobox has served me well for over two years now, made some great clear recordings, right up until I got new headphones with too low impedance and the bass dropped out.

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Behringer UCG102 Guitar-to-USB Interface Review

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(More customer reviews)I have not had the problems other posters have had. The ASIO driver that comes with the ucg102 works well with the guitar combo filters. (yes the website does exist to get one of the guitar combos to unlock forever). If you have problems with the device first read this section of the readme file of the driver:
3. IMPORTANT NOTES:
-------------------
-> Driver will be installed ONLY on USB port where your hardware is connected while installation!
-> After installation ALL other audio drivers are blocked on this USB port!
-> For using different drivers: Connect your USB audio hardware to a different USB port.
-> Alternative drivers which work fine with the named hardware products:
Win XP only:ASIO2KS (from the BEHRINGER U-CONTROL Download page)
Win XP + Vista: ASIO4ALL (see providers homepage)
This being said I am able to get this device to work with Audacity(one of the programs that comes with the device) just by plugging into another USB port. Also I have used the ASIO4ALL driver which eliminates the need to unplug the devices when switch between Audacity and the guitar combo application.

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Whether you're a guitar ace, novice home recording buff or a jack-of-all trades songwriter in need of a souped-up guitar presence, the UCG102 is the accessory for you. For an incredibly low price, you can bridge your favorite axe to your home computer while applying a virtual treasure trove of vintage gear and killer multitracking software.

Old School Meets Cutting Edge The UCG102 is a USB interface that, like a guitar amp, receives signal from your guitar via a 1/4-inch input jack. A built-in USB cable then sends signal directly to your computer, where the amazing included software package simulates guitar amps and stomp boxes, in addition to tracking your latest masterpiece. It has a 1/4-inch headphone jack and PHONES volume dial so you can monitor your performance as you record, a CLIP LED to tell you when your signal is too hot, and a HI/LO level selector.
Plug Right In The UCG102 works directly with your PC or Mac computer (ultra-low latency ASIO driver for PC audio optimization included). Since it's powered via the USB bus, no additional power supply is needed, saving you valuable power supply real estate.
Native Instruments Guitar Combos The UCG102 comes packaged with Native Instruments' "Guitar Combos" software that models guitar amps and stomp boxes. Take your pick from "Plexi Combo," "Twang Combo," or "AC Box Combo" for stunningly real amplifier tones. Guitar Combo's variable-speed file playback function for MP3, WAV, AIFF audio files is perfect for easy learning and practicing, and tuner and metronome functions are also included.
Native Instruments also extends special offers to all registered Guitar Combos users, making it more affordable than ever to take advantage of their award-winning GUITAR RIG software packages.
energyXT2.5 You also get energyXT2.5 Compact BEHRINGER Edition, an easy-to-use multitracking software. This amazing DAW (digital audio workstation) makes it easy to manipulate your audio and MIDI files, turning song ideas into stunning CD or web-ready recordings. energyXT includes its own multi-FX processor, built-in synthesizers and a drum machine, both of which can be accessed directly via an external controller (such as our UMA25S or UMX25) or programmed in step-write mode.
What's in the Box Behringer UCG102, Software CD, User's Manual

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Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 Firewire Audio Interface, (SAFFIRE PRO 24) Review

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(More customer reviews)After 6 years with a Presonus Firebox, I decided to change. Before the firebox I used the original MBox from digidesign. The pres in that unit sounded great. I did not realize that until I switched to the Presonus. Although the preamps were acceptable, it didn't have that extra something the Focusrite pres delivered. The Saffire 24 brings back that fantastic sound I was missing. Great input options and software that is easy to grasp. I will probably stick with Focusrite for a long time. This unit is quiet and rock solid.

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The Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 is the latest in Focusrite's new generation of FireWire audio interfaces.As with all Focusrite interfaces, Saffire PRO 24 is the best sounding interface in its class, attentively designed with recording musicians and the modern home studio in mind. With Saffire PRO 24, sonic integrity reigns supreme. The two Focusrite pre-amps ensure low noise and distortion, while quality digital conversion and JetPLL jitter elimination technology ensure pristine audio quality as your audio flows between analog and digital domains. Alongside the two Focusrite pre-amps are a host of I/O options; two additional analog inputs, six analog outputs, ADAT inputs, stereo SPDIF I/O and 2 virtual ‘loopback' inputs for routing digital audio between software applications - ideal for capturing online audio. Front panel 5-LED metering for each analog input offers detailed viewing of levels. Saffire Mix Control, the zero-latency 18 x 8 DSP Mixer/Router software provided with Saffire PRO 24, sets a new standard at this price point for audio interface control. It features flexible output routing and monitoring, as well as intuitive one-click set-up solutions designed to help you track, monitor and mix as quickly as possible. Saffire PRO 24 also comes with all the additional tools needed to start making music straight away. These include the latest version of the Focusrite Plug-in Suite, providing a significant upgrade from your standard sequencer effects. The suite includes Compression, Reverb, Gating and EQ VST/AU plug-ins.Focusrite's established Xcite+ bundle is also included. Focusrite's Saffire PRO 24 is designed to capture every subtle nuance of your recordings, dropped seamlessly and effortlessly into the digital domain, leaving you free to enjoy the freedom of a creative modern music making experience.

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