Firebox vs Echo Indigo I/O with Mackie Mixer

[Ken7]

In my continuing newbie research for setting up my home studio, I am looking at two options in no particular order. A Laptop will be used.

First Option:

I have a Mackie 1402VLZpro mixer that I have used in the past for some live gigs and have also used it to record a few songs making use of the preamps that come with the mixer.

My first option is to get the Echo Indigo I/O card, add the Mackie mixer along with Sonar recording software and I'm off to a start with a solid mixer with good preamps and a sound card with very good converters and clear audio!

Is this educated assumption correct about the Mackie preamps?

Plus I figure that I get a really nice sound card for the laptop audio even if and when I grow into something bigger I can still use the Indigo card.


Second Option:

Get the Presonus Firebox because it is solid, sounds very good, and is very stable and works well with Sonar.


Notes:

I have a Dell 9300 Inspiron laptop, 2.13 Ghz Pent M, 1 GB Ram, 7200 rpm HD.

I am also looking at getting the laptop out into live performance using Sonar’s internal Soft Syths to play backing tracks and of course, doing home recording.

I do not need many inputs, as it will be just my wife and myself tracking.

Which way would you approach a small home studio where I will be learning and can grow when the time comes?

Which option sounds best to you?

Thanks for your time.

 

[cawhite12]

Choice depends on how many inputs you are going to need in the short run. If you only need the 2-channel in, then I would go with the Indigo since you already have the Mackie board, if you need 4-analog ins, then you might go Firebox.

You might want to give up on the dream of keeping your indigo around when you do finally get into a "bigger" setup. I tried to run the Indigo in the same system as the Firepod (Not Simultaneously, but both installed in the same computer), and that was not a happy situation at all. Whichever piece was installed second became the one that worked, and the first one would have syncing and pop click issues. The indigo is a great card though, but so is the Firebox. Choices, hmmm.....

 

[Ken7]

Choice depends on how many inputs you are going to need in the short run. If you only need the 2-channel in, then I would go with the Indigo since you already have the Mackie board, if you need 4-analog ins, then you might go Firebox.

You might want to give up on the dream of keeping your indigo around when you do finally get into a "bigger" setup. I tried to run the Indigo in the same system as the Firepod (Not Simultaneously, but both installed in the same computer), and that was not a happy situation at all. Whichever piece was installed second became the one that worked, and the first one would have syncing and pop click issues. The indigo is a great card though, but so is the Firebox. Choices, hmmm.....

Could you compare the sound quality of the Indigio vs the Firebox (Pod)?

I'm not quite sure if the MAckie Pre's will be as good as the Firebox Pre's...But since I can't A/B them, I'm not sure.

Thanks

 

[cawhite12]

The sound quality difference between the two will not be overwhelmingly noticeable. If I had to choose preamps, I would probably go with the Firebox's pres. As far as signal conversion, not sure - Echo has always had a good reputation for that. Look at it this way: With the Firebox, you've got something that can stay balanced the whole time, and it has more IO and expandibility, but it costs more than double what the Echo Indigo costs. As I said before, totally depends on what you need to get done now. If you can swing the money now, I would get a Firebox probably, because you could still use your mackie and have 4 analog ins with preamps instead of just two. That would also give you 2 different pres (though they probably sound very similar) to choose from. Plus you get the SPDIF and MIDI with the Firebox, that you don't get with the IO.