Profire 2626

eoin5

I'm looking at getting a decent interface for doing demos and I came across the M-Audio Profire 2626. I've read one review which rated it highly and on paper it sounds very good but is there anyone who has used one or has had heard any more reports on it?

PaulBrewer

eoin5 wrote: »

I'm looking at getting a decent interface for doing demos and I came across the M-Audio Profire 2626. I've read one review which rated it highly and on paper it sounds very good but is there anyone who has used one or has had heard any more reports on it?

I think that ole curmudgeon StudioRat was having trouble with his re. drivers. PM him.

studiorat

eoin5 wrote: »

I'm looking at getting a decent interface for doing demos and I came across the M-Audio Profire 2626. I've read one review which rated it highly and on paper it sounds very good but is there anyone who has used one or has had heard any more reports on it?

Yup! Just got one! It's the business. 26 inputs into Pro Tools you can't go wrong for less than a grand including the program. Good solid feel about it too. I reckon it's a hit! A right bqstard to install for me though.

It seems like something you could have for a good long time and won't need to upgrade immediately. 8 analog inputs to start with and 16 adat inputs so you can modify your set up as time passes. The mic pre's aren't really outstanding but they are perfectly fine for tracking a few demos through.

If you aren't using pro tools you could look the RME fireface 800. Better mic amps I believe. Not sure about the digi in though.

What other gear are you using with it?

studiorat

PaulBrewer wrote: »

I think that ole curmudgeon StudioRat was having trouble with his re. drivers. PM him.

Paul "up with people" Brewer might have one in the shop!!

trackmixstudio

I would suggest you "bite the bullet" and pay the extra for an RME fireface800. I had one for 2 years and it was rock solid and sounded fantastic. I changed to an RME digiface to get the extra ADAT in/out that I needed. M-audio drivers are very problematic in my experience. I have a profire lightbridge for protools (M-Powered) compatibility and it is a POS!. It needs to have its own pci firewire card to work and even then it is hit and miss.

The fireface is generally regarded as the best/most stable firewire interface.
RME are top drawer when it comes to getting updates out really fast for os updates. Their leopard osx driver was ready even before leopard was released so it worked straight away. Digidesign only released their leopard driver a couple of weeks ago!

I am talking about mac here but the same applies to their windoze drivers.
There was a review in sound on sound and the guy liked it so much he bought it!
BTW it is called the fireface 800 but will work fine on a normal firewire (400) port.

eoin5

Ok, a fair bit to go on there

I've got a cheap toshiba lappy running xp which I dont mind upgrading if its going to make sense.

The protools compatibility is an issue alright, I'd love to learn to use it properly. The other issue is mobility and simplicity, the rme only has 4 mic pres and I dont plan on using a desk or hooking more mic pres up (well, not for starters anyways) so for recording ze drumz I'm doing to need at least 8 to be happy.

I'm using cubase, adobe audition and reaper at the moment but I've no great loyalty to anything so the more avenues I leave open the better.

So my plan is to get rigged up with a good interface, a bunch of mics, record a few demos with the band and then see where I go from there. Anything I've done before has been with a really flakey setup so I'm starting with something solid this time.

Do ye think I'll have issues running a profire 2626 on a 1.4GHz 1Gig lappy with a PCMCIA firewire card?

studiorat

There's quite comprehensive compatibility documents on the M-Audio and Digi site. A bit of time there will tell you if your system will work or not...

I'm not being smart but it's not much cop recording the drums on their own, a bass gtr and a guide vocal will take 3!!!
I'd think about less inputs and book a studio to do drums, or else just demo them with 4 mic's. Recording drums is one situation where going in somewhere will really make your life easier and get your music recorded quicker and better. €400 cash for a day in a half decent studio, 3 or 4 tracks down, €100 quid a man for a four piece band sorted!!!

You're talking at least €4,000 or so there, with mic's, stands, monitors, leads blah blah blah. I've done whole albums for that...

I'll usually book somewhere else to track the whole band and bring it back to a smaller studio to finish...

teamdresch

trackmixstudio wrote: »

M-audio drivers are very problematic in my experience. I have a profire lightbridge for protools (M-Powered) compatibility and it is a POS!.

No such issues here with the lightbridge, it's running great for me on an XP box - uses the built in firewire no problem.
Seems they had trouble with the early drivers for it but that's now sorted.
A great way to get PT happening if you don't want to use any M-Audio/Digi converters.

dav nagle

studiorat wrote: »

There's quite comprehensive compatibility documents on the M-Audio and Digi site. A bit of time there will tell you if your system will work or not...

I'm not being smart but it's not much cop recording the drums on their own, a bass gtr and a guide vocal will take 3!!!
I'd think about less inputs and book a studio to do drums, or else just demo them with 4 mic's. Recording drums is one situation where going in somewhere will really make your life easier and get your music recorded quicker and better. €400 cash for a day in a half decent studio, 3 or 4 tracks down, €100 quid a man for a four piece band sorted!!!

You're talking at least €4,000 or so there, with mic's, stands, monitors, leads blah blah blah. I've done whole albums for that...

I'll usually book somewhere else to track the whole band and bring it back to a smaller studio to finish...

As a matter of interest how much would it cost to rent a (session drummer and kit and a session bass player for 1 day) + 1 extra day in the studio for guitar and vox + 1 days mix?)

Total = 3 days
How much for the lot?

eoin5

Thanks for the input lads. Just out of interest what are people hooking up with the profire lightbridge?

teamdresch

I've got it hooked up to a Lynx Auora 16.

eoin5

Hmm the profire lightbridge has got me thinking, I like the modularity of it. Spoiled for choice I am

nillox

Im looking to get the profire 2626 soon enough aswell. want to upgrade from my fp10. the fp10 is good but i want adat and to be able to use pro tools asell.

i miss pro tools, havnt used it in ages.

PaulBrewer

eoin5 wrote: »

Hmm the profire lightbridge has got me thinking, I like the modularity of it. Spoiled for choice I am

I have a customer who's using one.

He's a live guy and records his gigs from the direct out on the FOH console to Alesis HD24.

He then bounces the whole heap into the Lightbridge and continues projects in Protools.