Firewire 410 users...

Danny Futuro · Post by **Danny Futuro** » Wed May 17, 2006 6:58 pm

What are the things you DISLIKE the most about this unit? I was thinking about getting one but I want to see how BAD it can be before I really dive in and get it.

quandry · Post by **quandry** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:10 pm

if you search much here about it, you will not buy it. if you use a mac, the drivers suck. if you want to record four channels of analog audio at once, forget it--it can only do two at once and should be called "210"--the other two ins are spdif--thanks

I know I've read that it just doesn't jive with some pc firewire card manufacturers. it seems a little wierd to me to pay for 10 outputs (who needs 10 outputs) but only have 2 inputs? also the mic pres don't sound so good, and the latency is not so good. that said, some people like theirs, but I tried to help a friend set up a mac with one and we ended up sending it back to get an Alesis Multimix fw 8, and it was way better in terms of latency, mic pres, and having 8 inputs, not two.

Danny Futuro · Post by **Danny Futuro** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:18 pm

TBH I really dont need the plethora of inputs. I like to record from friend's hardware synths and samplers and then loop/maniuplate the recording in Live. I want to send midi sequencer data to a synth and then record that back into ableton. I'd also like to occassionally gig with it. i really only need 2 outputs to send to the DJ mixer at whatever gig I do...

maybe firewire isnt something I need? Somone clue me in here.

quandry · Post by **quandry** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:28 pm

firewire is good, its just that most mac users have had bad experiences with the 410. there are plenty of good firewire interfaces out there though, and they are certainly better than usb, and more interchangable with various laptops and desktops that pci or pcmcia soundcards.

Danny Futuro · Post by **Danny Futuro** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:31 pm

quandry wrote:firewire is good, its just that most mac users have had bad experiences with the 410. there are plenty of good firewire interfaces out there though, and they are certainly better than usb, and more interchangable with various laptops and desktops that pci or pcmcia soundcards.

heard anything about the FW audiophile? Or are M-audio cards all pains-in-the-ass?

I'm on a budget and I'm not finidng many firewire cards for under the $450 price point.

quandry · Post by **quandry** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:38 pm

Danny Futuro wrote:
quandry wrote:firewire is good, its just that most mac users have had bad experiences with the 410. there are plenty of good firewire interfaces out there though, and they are certainly better than usb, and more interchangable with various laptops and desktops that pci or pcmcia soundcards.
heard anything about the FW audiophile? Or are M-audio cards all pains-in-the-ass?

I'm on a budget and I'm not finidng many firewire cards for under the $450 price point.

Alesis Multimix fw 8, presonus inspire, ...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/categor ... ice&so=asc

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:57 pm

I have one. I think it's ok, i've had a bit of trouble with the plug connectors (sometimes I had push them a little bit for the plugs to sit correctly).

As for drivers, no probs, I have even unplugged the card with live running and replugged it and it eventually came to life again. It's true, I don't think you'll get ultra low latencies but at 512 samples I think it works just fine.

The sound is good, probably not excellent. Same for the pre's.

It has 10 outs because it is aimed at having a lot of outputs for live usage (connected to an external mixer) as far as I know.

Overall good value for the money.

/. · Post by /. » Wed May 17, 2006 8:05 pm

i like firewire 410.it sounds pretty clean.

sonsofthehounds · Post by **sonsofthehounds** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:34 pm

scratch the 410 if you have a mac, it'll eat up all your processing power....

motu or rme are the tops on macs

motu can be cheap second hand.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Thu May 18, 2006 9:01 am

I was using a 410 on OSX with Live. For audio and softsynths it was OK, albeit with a lot of latency. However, i had nightmares with it when trying to sync any external MIDI stuff.

So today i bought myself a MOTU Ultralite. tested out on my Powerbook in the shop, sounded great and MIDI was as it should be (got it for a great price too).

I've always resisted the temptation to slag off M Audio but after my recent MIDI fiascos, I certainly won't be touching them again.

Right, that's 2 posts in 2 minutes on different parts of the Forum about my new baby. I'll shut up now.

frisbeedisk · Post by **frisbeedisk** » Thu May 18, 2006 9:34 am

Yeah crap to the 410....the firewire aint that good has issues with pcmcia cards, the sound bumps in and out sometimes and this aint good infront of a crowd, i can tell you..i would save some pennies go for something a lil better...future proof yourself...

freshdrumma · Post by **freshdrumma** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:17 am

clip the audio i record from sparse to often depending from the day!!!!!!!!!

CWoodOne · Post by **CWoodOne** » Thu May 18, 2006 3:25 pm

The Firewire 410 is a piece of junk, seconded by the Focusrite Saffire, which is not only a piece of junk, but a HORRIBLE piece of junk. Go with Motu, RME, even a Lexicon, IMHO.

macca · Post by **macca** » Thu May 18, 2006 5:34 pm

Ive had no prbs with my 410....its pretty versatile... seems that most pc users like it and most mac guys hate it....

jesQuick · Post by **jesQuick** » Thu May 18, 2006 6:51 pm

Just have to point out, again, that the one 410 I had worked like a charm... Alot of latency tho but no problems... And Im on Mac...

Now got me the Audiophile 192 (pci). Its cheap, sounds great and very low latency... So IMHO not all m-audio products suck...(some do however

)

But still, you pretty much get what you pay for...

Cheers