Presonus Firepod- your opinions?

[Exocaster]

I'm curious who here has used the Firepod and what their experiences have been?

How are the pres? I've heard they're clean and clear; decent budget pres. What do they compare to, sound-wise?

How's the A/D conversion? Decent, considering, or a tone killer?

Is there a main L/R out I can run directly to a power amp or powered monitors?

Have there been any issues with the Firepod and Mac OS X? Does it play nicely with Digital Performer?

Thanks!

 

[LydonB]

I got a Firepod for Christmas and I'm pleased with it. There are main L/R outs that you can run directly to powered monitors. I don't know of any issues with the Firepod and OS X. And it does play nicely with Digital Performer. I haven't had any problems with it on my Powerbook with DP 4.6.

 

[deathtotaliban]

I have had my firepod since last summer and have never had any problems with it. Its awesome for the money. The pre's are really nice and have a lot of headroom. I run my monitors of the hp4 headphone amp that came free with it (bx5a's) and it works really nice. I use a PC but am upgrading to a mac this spring so i too was wondering if anyone had any info running it on a powerbook g4 15". Its a great buy overall.

Jordan

 

[LydonB]

I don't know how much info you need about running it on a Powerbook. It runs...that is how everything is with a Mac . By the way, you can get a brand new Intel based laptop. It is called the MacBook Pro and it is replacing the Powerbook (I think...correct me if I am wrong). It is evidently 4 times faster than the G4 Powerbook was. They just came out today and don't ship until February.

 

[Disconnekt]

I'm curious who here has used the Firepod and what their experiences have been?

How are the pres? I've heard they're clean and clear; decent budget pres. What do they compare to, sound-wise?

How's the A/D conversion? Decent, considering, or a tone killer?

Is there a main L/R out I can run directly to a power amp or powered monitors?

Have there been any issues with the Firepod and Mac OS X? Does it play nicely with Digital Performer?

Thanks!

I've had one for about 6 months now and I love the damn thing. Works great for drum tracking if you're not using too many mics, and if you are, buy another one (or two), since you can daisy chain for up to 24 analog inputs simultaneously.

The pres are not quite as nice-sounding as my Mbox, but they're very clean and true... they don't really color the sound at all. The A/D, however, blows the Mbox out of the water, plus it goes up to 96 kHz.

The Main outs have a volume control on the front, so using active monitors is easy, and I haven't had any problems with it and OSX... in fact, it's much more versatile than the Mbox when it comes to CoreAudio integration.

 

[ApolloSpeed]

I SOOOO wish I could afford a Firepod.

But I'm stuck with my cheap.99 Delta1010LT and DMP3 pre

 

[cornerarea]

Too bad Firepod doesn't have an ADAT I/O. Then it would be perfect, at least for my needs.

 

[Exocaster]

I've had one for about 6 months now and I love the damn thing. Works great for drum tracking if you're not using too many mics, and if you are, buy another one (or two), since you can daisy chain for up to 24 analog inputs simultaneously.

The pres are not quite as nice-sounding as my Mbox, but they're very clean and true... they don't really color the sound at all. The A/D, however, blows the Mbox out of the water, plus it goes up to 96 kHz.

The Main outs have a volume control on the front, so using active monitors is easy, and I haven't had any problems with it and OSX... in fact, it's much more versatile than the Mbox when it comes to CoreAudio integration.

Very cool. Thanks especially for the Mbox comparison- I've had one for a couple years now, so I'm pretty used to the sound. I do like the pres for some applications; they're much nicer than the pres on my Mackie board, at least to my ears. The A/D on the Mbox isn't so hot, so I'm glad to hear that's an improvement. Those pres in the Mbox would do better with better converters!

A question: If I wasn't able to afford a second Firepod, could I run my Mbox at the same time for a couple more inputs for drum tracking?

Thanks!

 

[Disconnekt]

Those pres in the Mbox would do better with better converters!

Man, you're not kidding. Have you ever done an A/B comparison monitoring straight off the preamps, and then monitoring from Pro Tools? Stuff like that isn't supposed to be audible to inexperienced ears, but when I first got my Mbox, my ears were VERY inexperienced, and even I could tell that the converters were absolutely mangling the nice, organic sound of the Focusrite preamps. Spending extra to put the nice pres in the interface isn't worth shit if the converters can't preserve the sound.

A question: If I wasn't able to afford a second Firepod, could I run my Mbox at the same time for a couple more inputs for drum tracking?

Thanks!

I think most DAWs don't like to work with more than one interface at a time, and I know this is definitely the case with Cubase LE (which comes with the Firepod). Then again, I've only used things besides Pro Tools and Cubase LE briefly, and the hardware was already configured when I got to them, so I couldn't say for sure.

The Firepod DOES have a SPDIF input, though, so if you have a stereo preamp with a digital (coaxial) output, you can plug that in for 2 more channels. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the original Mbox won't patch straight through from the analog inputs to the digital outputs without software open. If your computer is beastly, you might be able to run Pro Tools and Cubase simultaneously to activate the SPDIF output on the Mbox, but you'd be getting at least 256 samples more latency on the Mbox's inputs than on the Firepod's inputs (and probably more than that... I'm not sure how much latency is inherent in Pro Tools above and beyond the adjustable hardware buffer).

 

[dreamcatcher]

I'm thinking of getting the MOTU 826mkII. Just need another two months to save for it. Any comparison?

 

[Disconnekt]

I'm thinking of getting the MOTU 826mkII. Just need another two months to save for it. Any comparison?

One of my friends has one of those, and I've played around with it quite a bit. It has a lot more capabilities and features than the Firepod, but I can't really compare how it sounds, since they both sound fine to me.

One thing it lacks is preamps (only 2 on the 828), but if you have outboard pres you like, and especially if you have an 8-channel pre with ADAT out, I'd say the 828 is a better choice than the Firepod. Overall (mic/instrument/line/SPDIF/ADAT), the 828 has 20 discrete inputs to the Firepod's 10. The onboard monitor mixing and internal patching capabilities are awesome and give you a lot of flexibility that the Firepod can't offer.

I guess what it comes down to is how much money you have to spend (the 828 is more expensive), and how many preamps you need on the interface.

 

[cornerarea]

Closest competitors for MOTU 828mk2 are M-audio's FW1814 which is a bit cheaper than the MOTU, and RME's Fireface, which is a few hundred more expensive.

Are there any other rivals? Let's say that the price of the Fireface would be the limit, and the interface must have an ADAT I/O and at least 8 analog inputs (of which at least 2 mic pre's, preferably more).

 

[davormen]

Well, there's always the E-MU 1820m... exactly what you (said you) need... 8 inputs, 2 preamps (very decent, better than any cheap board pre), ADAT in/out... never heard the firepod, but the converters in this thing are sweet... should be equal to or better than the firepod... cheaper, too... amazing routing options... I'm very happy with mine...

EDIT: scrolled up and saw it's for a Mac... so no go... sorry for not reading more carefully before posting...

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Can't beat the Fireface... At least nobody did yet.

 

[Exocaster]

Man, you're not kidding. Have you ever done an A/B comparison monitoring straight off the preamps, and then monitoring from Pro Tools? Stuff like that isn't supposed to be audible to inexperienced ears, but when I first got my Mbox, my ears were VERY inexperienced, and even I could tell that the converters were absolutely mangling the nice, organic sound of the Focusrite preamps. Spending extra to put the nice pres in the interface isn't worth shit if the converters can't preserve the sound.

Every time I track. It's one of the small joys of the Mbox that I get to hear a nice fat tone in the phones or through the monitors, play it back and hear my bottom end disappear. I still like the pres better than my Mackie desk, and that's after the A/D has its way with them.

I think most DAWs don't like to work with more than one interface at a time, and I know this is definitely the case with Cubase LE (which comes with the Firepod). Then again, I've only used things besides Pro Tools and Cubase LE briefly, and the hardware was already configured when I got to them, so I couldn't say for sure.

I have Digital Performer and PT. I'll see if DP could do it. I've used Cubase in the past (5.0... it's been a while.)

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the original Mbox won't patch straight through from the analog inputs to the digital outputs without software open. If your computer is beastly, you might be able to run Pro Tools and Cubase simultaneously to activate the SPDIF output on the Mbox

Well, I know I can run Photoshop and Pro Tools at the same time, having accidentally opened Photoshop with PT running in the past. I haven't used 'em like that, though- I'm sure it would kill the performance something fierce. I have the ram to do it, in theory, but I doubt my poor old 'puter could keep up.

Here's a thought... I could run the analog outs from the Mbox to a piece of outboard gear with SPDIF out (I'm thinking my TC Electronic M-One XL... since it's for drum tracking, I could get some compression from there if I needed it.) and into the Firepod. Would that bypass the Mbox's A/D in favor of the (almost certainly superior) A/D of the outboard gear?

 

[Disconnekt]

Here's a thought... I could run the analog outs from the Mbox to a piece of outboard gear with SPDIF out (I'm thinking my TC Electronic M-One XL... since it's for drum tracking, I could get some compression from there if I needed it.) and into the Firepod. Would that bypass the Mbox's A/D in favor of the (almost certainly superior) A/D of the outboard gear?

Yeah, that should work if you can bypass the effects and all on the M-One. You can monitor straight off the Mbox's preamps using the analog outputs without running PT. The A/D conversion on the M-One may have a different latency than the Firepod's, but if it's noticeable and causes phasing issues, you can always move those tracks around a bit in Cubase, PT, or DP to compensate.

 

[silverwulf]

Can't beat the Fireface... At least nobody did yet.

Would you say that the RME Fireface is better than the MOTU HD192? I'm curious as to which you guys think is better overall, and which has better A/D D/A?

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Mmmm, I don't think these two devices have much in common actually... not even the price.

 

[silverwulf]

Mmmm, I don't think these two devices have much in common actually... not even the price.

Maybe I'm way off base then and thinking of a different unit from MOTU? I thought they had similar offerings that were nearly identical in price, or nor more than a few hundred dollars difference.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Ha you must be refering to the MOTU 828mk2 then I've never owned one, and I know that they are a great value (ask James), but when I had to decide which one to buy, the very high quality of the RME pre's, it's amazing converters, and the fact that it has 56 I/Os where enough to convince me. But anyway, you can't go wrong with either of those.