Replacing ''M-Audio Fast Track MKII'' with ''Behringer U-Phoria UM2''

[blotterfrt]

M-Audio Fast Track MKII


Behringer U-Phoria UM2

I lost my M-Audio Fast Track MKII on the road while gigging, and it was the best audio interface for its price I had come across over the years, I bought it new for only $80 back in the day.

I went online and to many shops to get a new Fast Track, but it turns out that the good old Fast Track MKII is nowhere to be found, I found one on Amazon but almost double-priced, the used ones are also ridiculously expensive.

So I found the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 which has a solid price, even cheaper than the Fast Track I had. Getting a new Behringer UM2 would cost almost one-third or even one-fourth a new Fast Track.

I am just wondering whether Behringer UM2 would give me the exact tone and sound as Fast Track MKII used to give me? Does anybody have any experience?

Behringer UM2 is completely identical to Fast Track in terms of specifications, both are 24-bit 48KHz. But Behringer is only 40 bucks while Fast Track was about 80 bucks back in its day.. Is something fishy here?

I don't want to spend the money on Behringer to only bring it home and realize it's no better than the recorder app on my Android (and believe the recorder app on my Android is fantastic for demos). I really want to go for the Behringer UM2 if it as good as the old MKII in terms of sound and tone. I am recording prog rock, metal, and jazz; NOT pop/hip-hip/rap, so you get the picture. I have many layers and HEAVILY distorted instruments, and harsh vocals, etc. Sometimes I have three different distortion pedals and two different reverb pedals connected to my electric guitar, and that output used to go DIRECTLY to my Fast Track MKII (WITHOUT any microphones -- just DIRECTLY to the instrument/guitar line of M-Audio Fast Track) and Fast Track MKII was doing a good job for its price capturing the sound, tone, warmth, solidness of the sound, etc.

 

[ecc83]

I must confess I have always regarded that Fast track model as a "bit of a toy" and, unfairly perhaps, never recommended it. The Fast Track PRO on the other hand was an excellent, well featured AI and I had one for years and it now still serves my son in France on an Dell XP laptop.

However, seeing the FT and Behringer on the same page for the first time I am struck at the similarity! Bellringers are of course well known for this but even tho' the outward appearance might be the same I wou,d not trust the internals to be so?

For instance, did the M-A come with its own drivers, hopefully ASIO? If it did that could be a problem because, AFAIK Berry kit just uses generic USB audio drivers and the latency is not good.

The "sound" of the little FT interface was probably down to a less than stellar instrument (aka "high Z) input. Maybe had lower than the "magic" one meg' Z and/or limited headroom. No matter, YOU liked it!

My usual reccy for a whale ***t budget AI is the Alesis i02 (there is/was an M-A clone of that, just as good but that seems to have gorn) If you can stretch the budget to the equivalent of £100 the Steinberg UR22 is the best of the budgets IMHO. DON'T be sucked into the PR machine of the cheap Focusrites!

Thought occurs, what OS are you using? If a jump to W10 is likely in the next few months do not get an "old " AI or you could find it won't work. Similarly people like Behringer are likely to jump ship and be little help. Steinberg, M-A, Alesis and others I would expect to keep drivers up to date.

Dave.

---------- Update ----------

Aw...***T! It's broke again!

Dave.