M-Audio Firewire 1814
I've been using an M-Audio Delta 44 on my desktop PC for several years. I've never had any problems with it and I think it's a great system. I just got this Firewire 1814 box and so far I'd rate it "O.K." After a few days of use, the things I've noticed while using it with an Asus M6-based laptop are the following...
- I love the design of the box and the way it looks. I haven't seen anything that looks cooler or more robust. People who don't know what it is are impressed with it. The front panel buttons and knobs have a really nice, sturdy feel.
- Unfortunately, the audio connections don't feel solid. There's a little play in the jacks when you plug stuff in, kind of like you're pushing on something that's soldered onto a circuit board.. doesn't bode well for the longevity of this device.
- Questionable stability of drivers. I should disclaim this statement because I've not yet tested it with most of the software I use to determine if I have a driver problem or an application problem. However, while using
Virtual DJ during a club session and a wedding, I had some serious issues. I hung XP a couple of times while the audio continued to play in what sounded kinda like a 1-beat loop. Had to reboot during prime time. (Extremely glad I had my CDs on backup.) There were other random issues during setup, such as in/output channels not showing up or disappearing in the DJ program. To M-Audio's credit, this device is brand spanking new and in my experience they are really good about fixing their drivers. We won't really know what's up with this till the air clears.
- Not a problem with the interface per se, but I thought I should tell anyone who plans to use this device while mobile — your laptop must have a 6-pin firewire connection (duh) and if it only has a 4-pin, you cannot just stick a 6-pin firewire pc card in the slot and expect to get bus power. If anyone knows of a special card that does this, please say so. The whole reason I bought this interface was so I could work on music anywhere. If I can't figure something out quick, it's going back to the store and I'll have to deal with something less cool that uses USB.
