Does M-Ultra Track R8 need a preamp?

A

A.D.Ryan

New member
Hey guys! This is the review I found for M-Audio Ultra Track 8R: I`m not sure I understand... This interface already has 8 preamps??? That means that I don`t need to go out and buy a preamp, right?

Designed for comprehensive studio work, the Fast Track® Ultra 8R audio/MIDI interface delivers 8 x 8 I/O, high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, MX Core™ DSP mixing/effects and eight preamps with award-winning Octane™ technology. Record drum kits and full bands on all eight inputs simultaneously—with superior 24-bit/96kHz fidelity. The on-board MX Core DSP mixer processes eight hardware inputs and eight software returns to the eight hardware outputs, expanding the total I/O to an impressive 16 x 8 configuration and delivering flexible routing and monitoring with delay and reverb. With reliable, low-latency M-Audio drivers and compatibility with most major recording software, the Fast Track Ultra 8R puts the core of your powerful project studio in a single rack-mount unit.

Cheers
 
Hey A.D. I'm not real sure but I think it's 4 XLR and 4 TRS
I also listen to your works just a few hours ago NICE Romanian stuff.



:cool:
 
It does say that it has the preamps included... But the sound is really bad. I can barely hear my voice.
hehe, do you really mean it? Or you`re just making fun of me? As I said... it was 12 years ago, so that stuff is really old... I call them Oldy and Moldy:) The bloodhound gang cover was just for fun.
 
I didn`t buy a preamp. I just plugged my shure at the back of the interface in mike line input ( I have 8 and I used the first input) then I opened the reapered, armed a track, and spoke into the mike. But, as I said, the sound is very bad.
 
And thank you for listening to my songs. I think I ca do a lot better than that:) I have a couple of songs I`m really happy with,so if you don`t like those ones, I might get depressed:)) haha I have at leas 10 songs with lyrics waiting for me to figure out how to use the reaper...
my dream is to make a living out of writing songs. peoply who manage to make living out of something they like doing, are the happiest in the world.
 
Designed for comprehensive studio work, the Fast Track® Ultra 8R audio/MIDI interface delivers 8 x 8 I/O, high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, MX Core™ DSP mixing/effects and eight preamps....

If it really has 8 preamps... it`s coolio
 
moresound said:
Well.....to bad.
Did you see my post about your old songs?



:cool:
Click to expand...

Yes:) This was my reply:)
It does say that it has the preamps included... But the sound is really bad. I can barely hear my voice.
hehe, do you really mean it? Or you`re just making fun of me? As I said... it was 12 years ago, so that stuff is really old... I call them Oldy and Moldy The bloodhound gang cover was just for fun.
 
Unless your used to a superior external mic pre, the pre-amps intalled in the M-audio fast track ultra 8r should sound very nice???????? M-Audio uses the "octane" preamps in that interface...........the same preamps that are in their external mic pre........the M-audio octane.

Is your Fast Track new or used????

try a different input and see how it sounds.......if they all sound like garbage then your pre's might be jacked up???

Which sure mic are you using,,,,,,,,,SM57, SM58, PG58, SM7B??????

Ive never really heard of anyone with complaints as to Octane the mic pres unless they are used to like Avalon or the like external mic preamps....hmm idk.......
 
Keith, thanks bro! It sound nice now. I figured it out. A couple of wrong settings. I`m using MS 58 . For some reason... I can`t use the condenser... Rode NT2a. I switched the phantom power on.. Still nothing! The shure only works when plugged in the Inst input at the front. If I plugged it at the back in the 8 ,ike line inputs, it doesn`t work!!! Can`t figure it out.
 
Those 1/4" inputs are called "mic/line" for a reason. There's a switch or a dial to change them from one to the other. It sounds like you are plugging the dynamic into an input that is configured for line input. For starters, change the mic cable to XLR to XLR and plug it into one of the other XLR inputs. And don't despair- You are now starting one of the most hairy trial-and-error parts of the learning curve- gain staging. Next, check with M-Audio USA and see if you can download the user's manual *in English*-Richie
 
Thanks Richie. The Shure works very well plugged at the front! Yeha, I was guessing it was supposed to go at the back. I`ll be experimenting a lot with this interface but with everybody`s help it`s starting to pay off. I`m excited I managed to record vocals and guitar and now I`m playing with the effects:)
 
OK, as far as I understand it, the only inputs on the front are 2 1/4" high-z instrument inputs. The 8 big jacks on the back are XLR/1/4" combination jacks. I think if you plug a 1/4" plug into the combi-jack, it configures for line input automatically. If you plug an XLR into it, it reads it as a mic input. So- you want to use XLR to XLR with both mics. The instrument inputs are for electric guitars, bass, or an acoustic with a pickup. Plugging a bass into those may work rather well, but in most cases, recording guitars should involve microphones. Line level inputs are used to connect line level outputs, such as from an external preamp. On the back, you would use TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) plugs, which look like stereo plugs. This is for what is called "balanced" connections. On the high-z instrument inputs, you would use a standard TS (tip-sleeve) cable, namely an instrument cable. Instrument outputs are usually unbalanced, and they are not line level. I think you are still using the wrong cable, and plugging the mic into the wrong place. In general, expect it to take 6 months before you understand half of what that box can do. When you start to discover its limitations, you're getting there.-Richie
 
XLR XLR at the back. I got it Richie. I`ll try it tomorrow, see if it works. Now... my wife`s back haha. I`m not allowed to. Ok, now you know who the boss is in my family:) Thanks again!
 
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