Which One? MOTU 896mk3 vs M-Audio ProFire 2626 vs M-Audio ProjectMix I/O

R

ryevick

New member
I'm about to get an interface and am looking at these three units. I am getting this for a personal home studio where I want to set up my instruments to be plugged in and ready to record whenever I want... once I plug them into the interface they're staying plugged and all I want to have to do is que a track and go. I will list my main interface gear below. I will be buying a new desktop pc later just for the studio.

I want to be able to run dedicated connections for stereo tracks for my bass, my guitar, 2 midi controller keyboards - both plugged in at the same time, recorded separately of course (midi), v-drums (midi I would guess is the best way to record them and maybe even replace sounds in the DAW), a couple vocal mic tracks and maybe an extra stereo mic for hand percussion. (I think that's it... maybe). So what is that? 4 analog line inputs, 4 xlr inputs, and 3 midi (not sure how to do the midi inputs)? With these lines in place all the time I could record small jam sessions as well... and if I'm not able to run ALL the inputs together at the same time it's not a huge deal.


The current music gear I have that has interfacing potential:
Yamaha KX8 Midi Controller
Alesis Q49 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller
Fender Cyber Twin SE Guitar Amp
Boss GT-10B Bass Processor
Roland V-Drums TD-9

I will may be using Cubase.

These are the ones that have caught my eye, I know the ProjectMix doesn't do HD like the other two but it's still nice.
MOTU 896mk3
M-Audio ProFire 2626
M-Audio ProjectMix I/O

Suggestions? Comments?
 
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I (purely as personal preference) would tend to stay away from M-Audio gear. There is nothing particularly passionate (not as if they smashed one of my guitars or ran over my dog) about this. That said nothing in my limited experience with Profire 2626 suggests that it would not perform the tasks you outline.

Project Mix street price seems to have dropped a bit . .. making it somewhat more attractive. But 'flying faders' are still only 10-bit which leaves you open to 'zipper' noise (sort of) . . . and its a more 'complicated' assembly . . . M-Audio gear has better half-life the fewer moving parts included (this is true of pretty much any gear but I have 'old-school' live A&H board, ugly as hell, but whose 'moving' parts might well out live me) Not entirely sure what you mean by 'HD' but theoretically the 24/96 supported by ProjectMix should be 'HD' enough for majority of home/project studio's . . . (that of course is also personal opinion though backed up by a couple of decades experience)

I started using the MOTU 896 with first version and still own and use with some regularity the MKII variation. As much as I hated (hate) scrambling around plugging and unplugging cables I have never set up my home/project studio's in quite the way you describe (leaving everything more or less hardwired all the time) . . . When I first started doing home/project studios it seemed like a good idea, just never ended up being practical for me. So can't really address that. What I can say is the MOTU gear has been rock solid dependable in both studio and live situations. I've owned a bunch of their gear going back well over a decade and while I could say every piece was entirely without issue (and while I will admit that my experience with support seems to be a bit different then the norm) my experience with MOTU tech serve has always been positive. When something needed to be corrected it was. A couple of times when I thought I had a problem with their hrd/firm/sftwr but was mistaken their explanations were lucid and timely. At this point I would not hesitate to buy another bit of MOTU gear if it filled a needed niche

good luck
 
Thanks for your reply, HD audio is considered to be 24-bit/192khz, ProjectMix (and most other control surfaces with faders) only do 96khz. I may have the opportunity to do some HD work in the future and would like to have the gear for it if needed... but I do love the idea of having faders at my fingertips... and they don't have to be automated. I've seen video clips of some of these automated faders and I can easily hear what you're talking about... very noisy in my opinion. I would actually prefer manual faders just for that reason (I figured this out after I made this post). I mean I could spend $1000 on a MOTU 896 mk3 and another $1000-$1200 on a Mackie MCU Pro but geez I'd rather not haha. I guess I want the best of both worlds with a small price tag ;)
 
I use an M-Audio Project Mix. It is a solid control surface. You can really tell that the amount of time put into development for the control surface far outweighs that of the interface portion. There are claims that the interface is the exact same circuit as the FireWire 1814.. What a lazy move on their part. Read up on the Pmix preamps and such.. everything you read is true. (about how bad they are). I use all external gear going into the line inputs, and even then I like to use my Presonus Digimax hooked up via ADAT for the more important tracks. Avoid the Preamps at all costs, and get a decent ADAT pre/converter and the Pmix isn't a bad piece of gear for the prices you can get them at now. I paid like $750 for mine two years ago and I thought that was a steal! I thought about selling it recently to upgrade my interface and I decided I would keep it for the control surface alone because they were going for so damn cheap!
 
Are the pres that bad?!? I do need to read up on them. I would hope they could handle everything but the vocals. I was planning on getting an additional pre... maybe the ART DMPA II 2 Channel Mic Pre w Digital Out for vocals and such I just don't want to invest a whole lot... I was going to spend about $1000 for my interface and now that seems like it's doubling really quick. The Motu and Mackie combo I mentioned above may be a better way to go... still debating. The Art pre is about $350/400 plus $1000 for the PMix... still debating.
 
I typed a big long post in response to you a few days ago and it looks like it never got through. :(

I think that the pres on it are "usable". I'd say that the quality is based on your expectations. When I first got my Pmix (and had no idea what I was doing..) I thought it was the end all be all.. like I would never have to get something better in 1000 years.

Everytime I got a new preamp I A/B them and felt that the external stuff was better. I used the Pmix pres less and less. The Seventh Circle pres, the old SoundCraft console, and the Presonus Digimax pres all are much better than it. The SoundCraft had more character, the Presonus stuff was crystal clear, and the Seventh Circle stuff is just a whole different ballpark, Wheras the Pmix pres were a little hazy, harsh, etc in comparison, but still "usable" if it's all you had.

The pres also run a little hot. It can be hard to get a -10 or -18 dB, even when turning them all the way down.. especially on drums! Then you are either distorting the preamp, or pushing a signal too hot into your converter. Either one usually doesn't turn out amazing.

All of this said.. It's not a bad unit. Don't buy it new, you can get them on eBay for less than half price! Like $400-500 ;) That's why I am keeping mine whether I upgrade or not, The control surface alone is worth more than the crazy low prices they are going for!
 
I got your post... I read it and appreciated it ;) ... and continued reading post from others... I have not yet meet the person who when I read something they say will make me stop all further inquiries... I research A LOT before I buy anything... I had the chance at a new ProjectMix bundled with Pro-Tools M-Powered USB 8.03 for $750 and bought it... it seemed like a decent deal... I have started another thread since then shown here on ways to enhance the PMix... What's A Good Way To Enhance The M-Audio ProjectMix? - Home Recording Forum
 
profire

I have owned a bunch of interfaces over the years, and have found a considerable step up in M-Audio's game when it comes to the Profire 2626. The converters and mic-pre's are actually REALLY good. And it's a solid performer. If I were choosing between the MOTO and the 2626, I'd save a few bucks and go with the 2626. If you're looking for quality - their both great - you may pay extra for the MOTU's bling. Also, IMO the Project Mix is a decent interface, but not on par with the other two.
 
samth3mancgp said:
I use an M-Audio Project Mix. It is a solid control surface. You can really tell that the amount of time put into development for the control surface far outweighs that of the interface portion. There are claims that the interface is the exact same circuit as the FireWire 1814.. What a lazy move on their part. Read up on the Pmix preamps and such.. everything you read is true. (about how bad they are).
Click to expand...

I don't find the FW1814's pres to be all that bad, really. They're not my lowest noise pres, but they aren't at all bad. That said, I love my MOTU gear and wouldn't trade it for all the M-Audio gear in the world. I've had much fewer driver problems with the MOTU gear.
 
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