Aardvark Q10

  • Thread starter Thread starter whosyourdaddy00
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whosyourdaddy00

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ok we've been throwin' this one around for a good 3 months now and what it came down to is the Yamaha O1X, Tascam 1884, Digidesign's 002, or go with components, we'd like to have 8 audio i/o's and 4 midi i/o's, and a control surface......and i think we're pretty much settled on the component route, i just ordered the new MOTU 5x5 USB midi interface so midi in's and outs are no longer an issue....we found the Aardvark Q10 and really really liked the features it has, and it's more or less half the price of the others in this group...what i'm wondering about is the quality of the converters, pre's, and overall electronics of it. i do understand that it is definately not a top of the line audio interface but man as far as flexibility, it's lookin' good to us.....basically we're running Sonar *soon to be 3 §;o)* through a crappy gamers audio interface with a break-out box (Game Theatre) and will soon need to be able to record 8 tracks simultaniously. we do alotta sequencing (drums and keys), mixed with audio from guitars and bass...we're gonna buy a house in 8 months and plan on running a small personal/demo studio using two rooms....ok i'm gonna shuddup now, but would appreciate anyone with experience or knowledge on the Q10 (or Aardvark in general)

thanx in advance

wyd
 
The converters on the Q10 are much better than the price would indicate. I recently started using an SM7 with it, and can confirm the general consensus that the preamps on this are neutral. It offers two modes for the preamps: high-gain that goes up to 75db and low-gain that goes up to 55db to accomodate wide range of mics. Inputs 1-4 provide phantom power and inputs 7 and 8 can be used as DIs for electric guitars and bass.

Now, the noise floor on it is a bit high, around -75db w/o anything plugged into it, but quite honestly it hasn't bothered me and the recordings that I make with it sound much clearer than the Terratec card I used to have which had a noise floor of around -95-92db. The best way I can describe the change from the Terratec to the Aardvark is as if a vail was pulled off of audio when recording with Aardvark, everything sounded much more focused and clearer and the stereo image was vastly improved.

The only thing I'd suggest you look out for is the motherboard, as it seems to be a bit more finiky than other stuff. I used to have a mobo based on the newer VIA chipset and I was having all kinds of issues. I changed it to a mobo based on the nVidia chipset and haven't had any isseus since. I'd suggest you check with Aardvark tech support before deciding on a mobo. They are very helpful and respond in a timely manner.
 
Our studio is primarily based on two q-10's. We have been using them for about a year now with Cubae SX and love them to death. Best bang for the buck and then some! The preamps are great, nice and clean and transparent, we have compared to the pres to boards we have worked with such as mackies and soundcrafts and find the aardvarks vastly superior. Very flexable units with tons of in and out features, good ad/da converters and a convienient rack mount package make them a winner in my books. Check out our website at www.2020audio.com
 
Bad link Aloha!!!

At least I can't get to it. I get a Domain hosting page called EasySpace...
 
yeah, me either....anywayz thanx for the positive feedback, i think that just sealed our fate.

peace

wyd
 
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