 The Mark of the Unicorn 828 Firewire audio interface does just what it says -- transfers audio to your computer via the Firewire port. The "828" part of the name refers to the 8 inputs (6 TRS, 2 XLR), 2 main outs, and 8 other output channels on the device. The 2 XLR inputs have mic preamps and +48v phantom power for recording a condenser mic.
I heard rave reviews about the 828, and since my Mac had Firewire and I was in need of a solid audio interface, I bought one. Setting it up was a breeze. I installed the drivers, plugged my keyboard into the 3-4 inputs on the back of the device, and plugged the Firewire cable into my Mac. Within five minutes, I was recording music with the AudioDesk program that shipped with the device. The microphone worked just as well when I plugged it into the channel 1 XLR input. The mic preamp gave me a useable level right away. Getting started with the MOTU 828 couldn't be any easier.
The sound quality from the 828 is good, but not phenomenal. After using the device for a few months, I could tell the original signal was losing a bit of clarity when passing through the interface. It's almost an indiscernible difference, but after recording for long periods of time, I could tell the sound wasn't flawless. That being said, the sound quality from this device is better than many other interfaces out there, and the 44.1 KHz sampling rate is probably the biggest reason for the difference I noticed.
There are separate gain controls for channels 1 and 2, and for the channel pairs 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. There is also a monitor volume knob and a master volume knob on the front of the device. All the knobs have a nice, tight feel to them, allowing the user to control the sound levels accurately. The monitor knob is critical for mixing the current input with what is playing through the device. It works well, but could use a bit higher level, especially when monitoring with headphones. The headphone jack is a 1/4" output, conveniently located on the left side of the front of the interface.
There are also LEDs on the front of the interface that show input and output activity. They are nice to have, but the lights bleed into the other LED windows making it hard to tell exactly which signal is active. Level meters for each channel would be even better, but I guess you can typically check those with the audio software. After all, the MOTU 828 is not a stand alone mixer. You need to have it hooked up to a computer for it to function at all. It would be nice to be able to play my keyboard through some speakers using the interface without needing to turn my computer on.
I have used Audio Desk, Digital Performer 3.1, Cubase SX 1.0, and Logic Pro 7 with MOTU 828 and they all work great. The universal compatibility of the device is one of its biggest strengths. The device did crash on me a few times under Mac OS 9.2, but it is pretty stable when used with Mac OS 10.2 or later.
Since I just record keyboards and vocals with the 828, I only use half the inputs, which means it's a bit more hardware than I need. But the fact is that it does the job well, and is a quality device. I just don't understand the magical reviews it received from others. |
|
|
|
