Lexicon Omega Studio USB

[project000]

HI all
I registered a few days ago because i got from this site lots of good informations.
im writing from england and since apparently line 6 is not so good (even tho i bought a few months ago spider 3 amp which is not bad) i would like to know if "Lexicon Omega Studio USB" is actually ok for home recording in a laptop which uses the rubbish windows vista. i have the program called guitar rig which i havent installed yet but hopefully is cool.

Does anyone ever heard of this interface?

 

[dintymoore]

About 3 years ago I helped a friend get a basic home recording setup going, and he bought a Lexicon Omega. I was super-impressed with it. I liked the overall sound, the Lexicon Pantheon reverb sounded real good and I liked the fact that they had inserts after the built in mic pre's so you could put a compressor in the path.

That was 3 years ago, and I don't see that product being mentioned much nowadays, so it could be that it isn't the best choice. At the same time, good sound is good sound and if you could get one for cheap it might be good.

The only thing I didn't like about was that it has an odd setup for monitoring when you're recording - there's one knob on the front that sets the ratio between the tracks and what you're recording, and I found that a bit awkward, but not that bad.

One went for $36 and another for $60:
http://completed.shop.ebay.com/i.ht...ln=1&_nkw=Lexicon+Omega&LH_Complete=1&guest=1

On a funny note, it comes with Cubase LE. When the thing was put out, Apple was going through the OS 10.3 mess that ended up at OS 10.4.11, and Lexicon was making disk after disk of their software with Cubase LE on it to catch up. It took us about 4 disks from the factory to get it to work. That Cubase LE works on any machine, and at first Lexicon required you fax them your receipt but after the first few replacement CD's it was sort of out of control and anyone who phoned them would get a free Cubase LE delivered by UPS. You could have phoned them and got one for free, and at the same time Musician's Friend was selling the program for $100.

 

[project000]

About 3 years ago I helped a friend get a basic home recording setup going, and he bought a Lexicon Omega. I was super-impressed with it. I liked the overall sound, the Lexicon Pantheon reverb sounded real good and I liked the fact that they had inserts after the built in mic pre's so you could put a compressor in the path.

That was 3 years ago, and I don't see that product being mentioned much nowadays, so it could be that it isn't the best choice. At the same time, good sound is good sound and if you could get one for cheap it might be good.

The only thing I didn't like about was that it has an odd setup for monitoring when you're recording - there's one knob on the front that sets the ratio between the tracks and what you're recording, and I found that a bit awkward, but not that bad.

One went for $36 and another for $60:
http://completed.shop.ebay.com/i.ht...ln=1&_nkw=Lexicon+Omega&LH_Complete=1&guest=1

On a funny note, it comes with Cubase LE. When the thing was put out, Apple was going through the OS 10.3 mess that ended up at OS 10.4.11, and Lexicon was making disk after disk of their software with Cubase LE on it to catch up. It took us about 4 disks from the factory to get it to work. That Cubase LE works on any machine, and at first Lexicon required you fax them your receipt but after the first few replacement CD's it was sort of out of control and anyone who phoned them would get a free Cubase LE delivered by UPS. You could have phoned them and got one for free, and at the same time Musician's Friend was selling the program for $100.

Here in U.K. is about £120...the line 6 pod Studio UX2 is around £130..do you think that i can get something else which is more reliable and tested for around the same money?
and another thing, this interfaces are plugged in straight to the laptop so the amp is not used right? obviously exept the line 6 thing

 

[dintymoore]

Here in U.K. is about £120...the line 6 pod Studio UX2 is around £130..do you think that i can get something else which is more reliable and tested for around the same money?
and another thing, this interfaces are plugged in straight to the laptop so the amp is not used right? obviously exept the line 6 thing

There's a zillion of these things that have come out since the Lexicon, try search for "USB interface" on this site. I haven't heard anybody here talk about the Lexicon here so I'd assume that there's better newer stuff.

You plug these things into a laptop and then your guitar or a mic into that and you're ready to record. Lots of people prefer the sound of guitars thru amps mic'd though.

I think the Lexicon needs ac power so that makes it less portable than a buss powered unit.

 

[project000]

There's a zillion of these things that have come out since the Lexicon, try search for "USB interface" on this site. I haven't heard anybody here talk about the Lexicon here so I'd assume that there's better newer stuff.

You plug these things into a laptop and then your guitar or a mic into that and you're ready to record. Lots of people prefer the sound of guitars thru amps mic'd though.

I think the Lexicon needs ac power so that makes it less portable than a buss powered unit.

Ok i will look around. Thanks for the help

 

[TeyshaBlue]

The Omega is still for sale...I see it at $179 US @ Sweetwater.

It's a decent value for the price...you get 6x4 functionality for under $200. That aint bad. It does have a build issue tho. If you get one, be aware that the ribbon connector from the front panel to the main board passes across an output transistor which gets quite hot. This in turn can heat up the cable causing it to either distort the socket where it connects, or the insulation will let go on the ribbon itself causing a short. The fix is very easy and it may have been addressed by Lexicon by now. Other than that, it seems to get solid reviews.

 

[BrentDomann]

The Omega is still for sale...I see it at $179 US @ Sweetwater.

It's a decent value for the price...you get 6x4 functionality for under $200. That aint bad. It does have a build issue tho. If you get one, be aware that the ribbon connector from the front panel to the main board passes across an output transistor which gets quite hot. This in turn can heat up the cable causing it to either distort the socket where it connects, or the insulation will let go on the ribbon itself causing a short. The fix is very easy and it may have been addressed by Lexicon by now. Other than that, it seems to get solid reviews.

Lexicon has not addressed the issue publicly. As far as I could find out on the Lexicon forum, people are still complaining. Those under warranty get it fixed for free. Those out of warranty get a $70 repair charge.

I have one of these Omegas, and it's a nice unit other than the overheating. It runs on AC power, but has nice preamps and gives phantom power to the XLRs. It's also got a MIDI interface and good monitoring options. There is some latency, but that could be any part of my machine or even my DAW.

I did my own fix on the overheating issue. The temperature management on those output transistors that is super-cheesy. Some guys get little aftermarket heat sinks an stick them on to the minimal heat-sink-things that are there. The ribbon cable itself is quite long for the size of the case, so I just wrapped it in electrical tape and pushed it aside to run along the opposite side of the inside of the case from the transistors it normally lays against. It hasn't been a problem since.

If you're budget is limited, it's not a bad option. You might look into the new small Tascam units, though. Before I fixed my Omega I was looking at one of those as a replacement. Fewer channels, but no reported reliability issues that I could find.