If you are on a tight budget, ESI's new PCI audio and MIDI interface gives you more ins and outs for less money. But how does it stack up sound-wise against its pricier competitors?
Firewire Audio & MIDI Interface / Control Surface [Mac/PC]
Joining the growing market for one-box devices that combine audio and MIDI interfacing with control-surface functionality, Tascam's latest Firewire unit might be all you need for multitrack recording and mixing.
Completing Behringer's B-Control family, the BCA2000 combines audio and MIDI interfacing with routing/mixing features, and preamps — and all for under £200.
Echo's range of computer hardware has always been popular with musicians, and the company have now launched the third generation of their Layla and Gina multi-channel audio and MIDI interfaces.
Yamaha's list of mLAN products continues to grow, and their rackmounting i88X offers high-quality mic preamps, analogue, digital and MIDI I/O in a 1U rack unit.
Until recently, the benefits of the high-bandwidth IEEE 1394 interface were available only to musicians on a relatively generous budget, but now M Audio are making Firewire peripherals available at new low prices to PC and Mac users.
Firewire Interface, Digital Mixer & Control Surface
Yamaha's 01X is a digital mixer, hardware controller, audio and MIDI interface that promises an unprecedented level of integration with PC/Mac computer-based DAWs. But can this one silver box really do it all?
The FW1884 is more than just a well-specified Firewire audio and MIDI interface: it also offers detailed control over almost every MIDI + Audio sequencer thanks to its motorised faders, rotary controls, transport buttons and more.
The baby of Tascam's US range of interfaces dispenses with its big brothers' control faders, but does boast stereo audio I/O with phantom power supplied over USB, as well as MIDI I/O.
Edirol are best known for their desktop music products, but they're heading into the professional arena with the DA2496, a high-quality eight-channel audio interface with a PCI card and breakout box.
Musicians using Mac and PC sequencers often complain about loose MIDI timing. Martin Walker checks out an interface from Steinberg which should solve this problem — at least for users of their sequencing software...