Anybody tried M-Audio FastTrack or MobilePre?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stanley
  • Start date Start date
S

Stanley

New member
Hi guys,

I am new to this forum.

I was looking to buy AudioPhile 2496 soundcard, but the seller told me that it does not have a built-in mic preamp, so, I need to invest on AudioBuddy (which I dont want to do because of the expense that might be involved). He told me about the external USB interfaces like FastTrack and MobilePre from M-Audio which he claimed WERE AS GOOD AS AUDIOPHILE 2496. He said FT has 1 mic preamp while MobilePre has 2. Somewhere on the web, I saw that MobilePre has 48v Phantom power too. But, I am not very confident of the SOUND QUALITY on these 2 cards. So, I am scared to get one of these compared to the tested audiophile.


So, can anybody check these cards out and give me your feedbacks??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
- Stanley Lyndon
 
I do not own either of the usb units, but I have read much criticism of the mobilepre that the preamp portion is poor. The Audio Buddy, on the other hand, was one of my first preamps and worked out quite well... You can pick one up on eBay for well under $100, possibly under $50. That is dirt cheap for a preamp! I'd go 2496 plus the Audio Buddy over either of your other two options.
 
What would happen if I just plug-in the mic to the MIC-IN of audiophile 2496 without using a pre-amp? I would get no sound input at all?

I plan to buy akg-880 or 770 or 660. Thanks.
 
You're gonna need a preamp. I don't think there is a "mic in" to that soundcard. Yes, there's a "mic in" to Soundblasters and the like, but you never want to use them for recording anything even halfway serious.

The thing is, you can make some pretty nice recordings pretty cheaply... but you are gonna have to spend a couple hundred bucks to get even entry-level quality. By that I mean...

At least one mic, for vocals. Rather than the AKGs you mentioned, I'd look at an SM57, a Studio Projects B1 or an MXL V67. (80-100)

A soundcard (around 100)

A preamp (the Audio Buddy is around 50 I think.)

You'll need a pair of headphones, to track vocals.

And you'll need some way of listening to your tracks, so you can mix them. Powered monitors start around $275 a pair. But you can use stereo speakers if you can't afford monitors yet.

I think that's the absolute minimum, not counting instruments, cables, etc.
 
I've had the audiobuddy for about 6 months now and I'm happy with it. One word of caution is that for some reason it sucks for recording drums. acoustic guitar, bass, vocals, keys.. it's all of acceptable quality considering its price.
 
Fab4ever,

Instead of a mic and a pre-amp, I plan to get SAMSON C01U which connects to the computer via USB so no pre-amp needed! $80

Then, an audiophile 2496 $80
Then, a AKG K66 HPs $30
Then eKeys 37 $50 max

Currently JBL Pro speakers as monitors.

Your opinion?
 
Stanley said:
Instead of a mic and a pre-amp, I plan to get SAMSON C01U which connects to the computer via USB so no pre-amp needed! $80

Then, an audiophile 2496 $80
Then, a AKG K66 HPs $30
Then eKeys 37 $50 max

Currently JBL Pro speakers as monitors.

Your opinion?
Click to expand...

I've never heard that mic, but Samson mics, in general, don't have a great reputation, even among the cheap stuff. Also, get a mic with an XLR connection. Sure, USB seems like a good thought, but you really limit your options with that mic. You'll never be able to connect it to anything but a USB port. Not to a mixer. Not to a preamp. Nothing but a stinking USB port! :D

Seriously, dude, I've been where you are and bought plenty of cheap stuff (I have a studio full of it, actually). Fab4ever gave you great advice about the bare minimum setup you could really make acceptable recordings with. Heck, even the ART Tube MP preamp ($50) plus the MXL 990 mic ($60) would be better than that Samson.
 
Scrubs,

Thanks for your reply.

But, the Samson C01U is based on C01, which (as far as I have researched) seems to have okay quality (better than shure sm-57/58 atleast http://www.harmony-central.com/Recording/Data/Samson/C01-01.html&e=747), but, has a noise level of 23 dB compared to StudioProjects' B1 which has a noise level of 12 dB. But, would this be a main concern? Would it not possible to decrease this level by shielding or through software EQing or stuff?

But, right now, I just require a starter mic. When I buy a mixer or pre-amp, I will then buy B1 or Marshall. But, now, I get this for $80 while any other condenser will require me to get a mic-pre amp too which will make the cost atleast $100 more than this, which I think is not necessary now. What do you say?
 
Stanley said:
Scrubs,

Thanks for your reply.

But, the Samson C01U is based on C01, which (as far as I have researched) seems to have okay quality (better than shure sm-57/58 atleast http://www.harmony-central.com/Recording/Data/Samson/C01-01.html&e=747), but, has a noise level of 23 dB compared to StudioProjects' B1 which has a noise level of 12 dB. But, would this be a main concern? Would it not possible to decrease this level by shielding or through software EQing or stuff?

But, right now, I just require a starter mic. When I buy a mixer or pre-amp, I will then buy B1 or Marshall. But, now, I get this for $80 while any other condenser will require me to get a mic-pre amp too which will make the cost atleast $100 more than this, which I think is not necessary now. What do you say?
Click to expand...

Like I said, I've not actually heard the Samson mic, but the C01 only gets a 7.6/10 at harmony central and a 7.2/10 at ZzSounds. Now, I wouldn't base my decision solely on that, but it does suggest a very average sounding mic. And, yes, mic self noise could be a significant factor, particularly with acoustic music. Noise reduction software (which costs a significant amount of money for well designed software) can do some stuff, but it will alter the sound of your recording.

What I can tell you is that a Shure SM57 or 58 is an incredibly well built mic that will last you a lifetime. They may not sound the best on everything, but you will always find a use for them down the road. The Studio Projects B1 and MXL V67g mics are well regarded as budget condensers.

That being said, I tend to gravitate to condenser mics for recording vocals and acoustic instruments. As such, I still would recommend the MXL 990 (which I do own and am impressed by it's sound for a $60 mic) and a preamp such as the ART($50) or Audio Buddy($80) over the Samson. $110 for the cheaper of those options is not that much more than the Samson. You have to make the decision, however, and live with the end result. If budget is your primary concern, I'm sure the Samson will allow you to record until you can afford something better. Heck, my first recordings were with a $10 mic an a boombox! They sounded terrible, but I was making music.

Good luck. :)
 
I think I'm also going to get one of the Samson usb mics, just to see if I'm going to stick with recording

Anyways, I've seen reviews from magazines such as sound on sound,etc. and they have rated the Samson CO1 very highly. The only problem for many of the reviews was that it was slightly nosier than mics in the same price range.

I have a question too: How come some sites say it is ready to be bought while others say it is not released yet? :confused:
 
So, right now, my options are: Going for Samson C01U for $80 or, getting StudioProjects B1 and Behringer UB802 for $120. I am not able to decide :(
 
Last edited:
Please, for you own good. STAY AWAY from the Behringer stuff. I made that mistake and bought a Behringer preamp (40 bucks for 1 channel) and it is now by far the weakest link in my chain. The behringer mixer that you mention has a lot of things you don't need, like too many channels and a EQ per channel. The quality of these are really, really poor. A very big no-no.

If you really wanna go budget, buy the Art Tube MP and Studio Projects B1 or an MXL 990. That would come down to the bare minimum. Really, don't go the Samsom USB mic way. You will regret it. A preamp is not just a pain-in-the-ass-but-I-gotta-have-one thing. It colors your sounds, it is a vital part of your sound. If you buy anything that has a preamp as "part of the whole", like a cheap M-audio interface or the usb mic, they will pretty much always suck.

Also, a preamp is always needed when recording with a mic (even the usb mic has a preamp inside). Think about it: a condensor mic with a preamp and a usb interface for 80 bucks. There has to be some kind of crappiness hidden in there somewhere. Really mate, buy the Art Tube MP and the cheapest condensor you can find or an SM57 if that's all you can spend.
 
Halion said:
Really mate, buy the Art Tube MP and the cheapest condensor you can find or an SM57 if that's all you can spend.
Click to expand...

You mean, with SM57, I can directly plug into the LINE-IN of audiophile 2496 without getting a pre-amp?
 
What if I wait for BLUE to release SNOWBALL? The initial price is $140, but they are sure to come down isn't it?

And, BLUE (if I am not wrong), is a better company than Studio Projects right? So, instead of getting SP-B1 ($80) and Audio Buddy ($70), wouldn't I be better off to wait for this?
 
Technically, you need 2 things for a condensor mic (phantom power and something to boost the level) and only 1 thing for a dynamic mic (level boost). You could plug an SM57 into your computer and it will pick up the signal, but the signal will be so low that you will have to boost the signal after it has been digitalized, which is a bad thing. Think of it this way:
Lets say you record at 16 bits. You try to record a soft guitar part which is only 1 tenth of the max input level. That leaves you with less than 2 bits of digital audio. Very, very bad. That's basicly why we still use preamps today, and you will need to boost the signal of any microphone to a decent level before you should send it to your computer.

So to answer your question quickly: yes you "can", no it will not give decent results.

About the blue snowball, sure, perhaps. But just remember that no matter what, you need these 3 things: mic, preamp, DA convertor. It's just a matter of buying an all-in-one device, like the snowball or seperate things, and then it just comes down to what I said before: they have to get the cheapness from something, and that will most likely be the preamp.
 
I've owned a mobilepre...it's pretty cool.

just don't overload the power on your usb hub....you'll fry your mobilepre along with your hub if you connect your hub to an 18v adapter instead of a 6v one :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top