Jump to content

Alesis io26 and io14 Interfaces


Anderton

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1.6k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I have a 1ghz G4 Powerbook with the latest Mac OS 10.4.?

I have 768Mb RAM. I really should have a gigabyte of RAM, but everything works ok.

Roger, if I remember well, I believe you use your io/26 with a PowerBook, don't you? And I suppose you're running Tiger? Also, how much RAM do you have?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Two questions!

 

1)

Slightly off topic - but can anyone recommend a nice travel case for the IO|26 that would fit the PSU and maybe a few other bits and bobs? - I have a significant amount of mobile recording coming up and no nice "pouch" for it yet.

 

2) Back on topic, has anyone else successfully used the IO|26 with WDM under XP? - I want to use it alongside my Tascam US-428 with Sonar 4 PE but have had to retreat to using it as the sole audio interface using ASIO as I couldn't get playback without pops and clicks in Sonar (the same recording would play cleanly in Cubase LE) when using WDM.

 

My setup is a Dell XPS M170 laptop with an external Prestigio L190T LCD screen - XP SP2 (media), 2GB RAM, 2.66 GHz Pentium M - recording to an external USB2 disk.

 

Using ASIO I can get perfect recordings in both the supplied Cubase LE and Sonar 4 PE - but with WDM cannot playback in Sonar without the pops and clicks (if I record some audio, export it and playback say with Sound Forge or Cubase LE it plays fine). Either way I'm getting random system hangs since installing the drivers - always happening when I'm doing something that involves media of some sort - say opening a PDF manual with Sonar open - or forgetting to close Sonar and opening WinAMP is a guaranteed killer!

 

I can get by just fine using my Tascam as the controller and the Alesis as the only audio interface - but it's handy having those extra audio inputs available on the Tascam and being able to flick between the audio outputs to hear differences.

 

Cheers,

 

Fergus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Same here. My version of Cubase Le does 8 mono tracks. What version do you have? The current one is 1.0.10. The guys at Alesis product support sent me the latest.



I tried the version that came with the Multimix Firewire16 Mixer, and I did not like it, so I did not installed the one that came with the ioI26 :)

So if is 8 mono racks is good, sorry for the mixed up:thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Patience...I think it's important to cover what the thing does first before we start doing the listening tests, because if it doesn't have particular features people want, they're not going to care about how it sounds. Besides, I didn't take all those pictures for nothing
:)

 

So Anderton when you gonna let us know how this thing sounds then? Also I think you mentioned you've used the EMU 1820m before, can you A/B with that as these 2 interfaces have simular claims and bang for buc..although I know the 1820m is discontinued now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
So Anderton when you gonna let us know how this thing sounds then? Also I think you mentioned you've used the EMU 1820m before, can you A/B with that as these 2 interfaces have simular claims and bang for buc..although I know the 1820m is discontinued now.



I will indeed be comparing it with the 1820m and some others. Unfortunately, after visting my mother, I was scheduled to return home on Friday...when that big snow storm hit the east coast, and my flight was canceled. I was stranded in Newark NJ, and due to problems getting re-booked, I didn't get home until late Monday night. Yesterday I had to deal with various deadlines I missed because of not getting home, and I'll finally be able to get back to the Pro Reviews this evening. Sorry, but things don't always work out as expected! Jeez, at least I could have gotten stranded in Maui or something :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I will indeed be comparing it with the 1820m and some others.

 

 

Craig, do you think you could do like this person did and record a short sample from a high quality source into the various interfaces you've done reviews on so we can judge for ourselves the quality of the A/D sections? I found this invaluable in helping me decide (at least with that comparison --> spoiler ) that I much preferred the Konnekt 24d over the Fireface 400.

 

I know that it's a lot of extra work, but I think it would save you quite a bit of typing in answer to the inevitable "But how does it sound?"

 

- Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I just recieved the io14. Very easy to setup and was able to hear sound and input sound with in 5 minutes. Haven't tried recording yet, though I have installed cubase LE. When I plug in my headphones (AKG M80's) there is a bit of noise, but then the line is clean. I am also using this interface to evaluate sound while I'm editing video in Final Cut Pro Studio and Soundtrack Live. I ran into the problem where when I open Soundtrack and then try and listen to the audio in Final Cut, the audio disappears. Reopening Final Cut solved the problem, and I haven't messed with it more, but this is a potentially annoying problem. Anyone have any ideas why it happened or is this similar to the sound blip people mentioned when opening more then one program at once?

Thanks,
Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I will indeed be comparing it with the 1820m and some others. Unfortunately, after visting my mother, I was scheduled to return home on Friday...when that big snow storm hit the east coast, and my flight was canceled. I was stranded in Newark NJ, and due to problems getting re-booked, I didn't get home until late Monday night. Yesterday I had to deal with various deadlines I missed because of not getting home, and I'll finally be able to get back to the Pro Reviews this evening. Sorry, but things don't always work out as expected! Jeez, at least I could have gotten stranded in Maui or something
:)

 

Ok sorry to pressure, just thought you'd forgot about this thread! good to have you back I look forward to your posts.

 

I'm new here by the way, but I actually started a thread over at gearslutz on the io26 as I was supprised no one was reveiwing it. So when some one from here (maybe ViLo) posted the link to this in Gearslutz and I saw your methodic approach to reviewing kit, I was impressed.

 

I'm not really looking to buy this (at least not at the mo) but want to hear how the quality stands up to their claims.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I am really stoked to see that Craig Anderton is reviewing this potential little nugget. Hopefully the A/D D/A conversion will prove to be excellent (not just good) for this price range. I like the blurb about the jitter-free technology, but then again talk is talk and specs are specs.

Also must say that I am super glad to see that it will be compared to the EMU 1820m, since that is what I have been using for the last 4 years. Love it, but always looking at other pastures.

Thanks!
Will

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm new here by the way, but I actually started a thread over at gearslutz on the io26 as I was supprised no one was reveiwing it. So when some one from here (maybe ViLo) posted the link to this in Gearslutz and I saw your methodic approach to reviewing kit, I was impressed.




:thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I own the I|O2 model for basic home recording.

I'm pretty happy with it, also noticed how greatly is was built. Good preamps, no hiss or noise. I only have 2 complaints actually.

- ASIO drivers are bad, they bring in too much latency and several recording programs don't recognize them. I had to tweak text parameters for Cubase to accept it. I finally switched back to good old ASIO4ALL.

- MIDI input has glitches. I use it with a master keyboard to trigger soft synths. It locks up quite often. My keyboard and cables work fine with other synths.

I'd appreciate if you could test these parts on the bigger brothers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

FYI- Alesis statement

I emailed Craig about this and he suggested I pass this on you guys.

We are aware that their is a driver issue that causes a small audio glitch sound when opening certain applications on Mac Intel computers (Safari, iTunes) with the IO 14 and 26. We are currently looking into this issue and will address it with a driver update in the near future. Audio applications such as Cubase LE and other DAW programs appear to function ok when used in a normal manner with just one application opened at a time.

Thanks,

Jim Norman
Alesis Product Manager

I just recieved the io14. Very easy to setup and was able to hear sound and input sound with in 5 minutes. Haven't tried recording yet, though I have installed cubase LE. When I plug in my headphones (AKG M80's) there is a bit of noise, but then the line is clean. I am also using this interface to evaluate sound while I'm editing video in Final Cut Pro Studio and Soundtrack Live. I ran into the problem where when I open Soundtrack and then try and listen to the audio in Final Cut, the audio disappears. Reopening Final Cut solved the problem, and I haven't messed with it more, but this is a potentially annoying problem. Anyone have any ideas why it happened or is this similar to the sound blip people mentioned when opening more then one program at once?


Thanks,

Eric

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

FYI- Alesis statement


I emailed Craig about this and he suggested I pass this on you guys.


We are aware that their is a driver issue that causes a small audio glitch sound when opening certain applications on Mac Intel computers (Safari, iTunes) with the IO 14 and 26. We are currently looking into this issue and will address it with a driver update in the near future. Audio applications such as Cubase LE and other DAW programs appear to function ok when used in a normal manner with just one application opened at a time.


Thanks,


Jim Norman

Alesis Product Manager

 

 

Always great to hear product manufacturers recognizing the issues that creep up, and only expose themselves when the product gets widely used. Seriously, this is good practice.

 

It's also much better than the original response that was posted on page 2 of this thread:

 

"I'll take a look into this over here though it sounds like what is being

experienced is 'normal'. When starting up another program, this is taking

away system resources that are needed to process the audio and would cause dropouts until the program is closed or the audio is started again.

 

Best Regards,

Justin Baro"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Comparison time. Comparative testing is always a bit difficult to make sure the test conditions are equal, so I stuck a Shure SM58 in front of an ADAM A7 speaker, fixed the mic in place so it wouldn’t move, then played a CD through the speakers. (I chose a DJ mix CD, Monika Kruse’s “On the Nippon Road,” because it has a good balance of deep bass and sparkling highs). I then recorded through the Mackie Onyx Satellite, E-Mu 0404 USB AudioPod, and Alesis io26, recording about a minute of Track 2. I started off with the mic input levels up all the way.

The first thing I noticed was that the 0404 mic pre had by far the most gain, the io26 the least amount, and the Satellite somewhere in between (see picture). In fact, I had to trim the 0404 gain a bit to avoid overloading the input. You can see that the Alesis peaked at about –18.5dB, the Satellite at –8.5dB, and the 0404 at –2.0dB. I should point out, though, that the mic was about a foot away from the speaker, and I wasn’t listening at a particularly high level. As noted earlier, when just singing into the io26, I was able to drive the input into the red with all but the softest vocals. So, I don’t think it’s correct to think of the Alesis as “low gain” so much as it is to think of the 0404 as high gain, and eminently suited to picking up low-level sounds.

But this does confirm my initial thoughts that the mic pres in the io26 are not super-high gain, and you’d need additional preamplification if you wanted to bring, say, room mics up to a high level.

Okay, time for listening tests…but first, I need to normalize these suckers so we’re working from an even playing field, then do some critical listening. I’ll be back shortly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Comparison time. Comparative testing is always a bit difficult...



Craig, can you also make a side comment on the io26 pre's as compared to your recent experience with the Konnekt 24D pre's? Subjective is good enough for me. I'm interested in which ones you'd prefer to use if you had only the two to choose from before tracking.

Lie to me if you have to. :)

Thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Always great to hear product manufacturers recognizing the issues that creep up, and only expose themselves when the product gets widely used. Seriously, this is good practice.


It's also much better than the
original
response that was posted on page 2 of
thread...

 

 

Well, I wouldn't be too hard on them. I presume that Alesis just isolated the problem, as Jim Norman emailed me only yesterday. People are always going to make guesses as to what the problem is until they find out for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I own the I|O2 model for basic home recording.

I'm pretty happy with it, also noticed how greatly is was built. Good preamps, no hiss or noise. I only have 2 complaints actually.

- ASIO drivers are bad, they bring in too much latency and several recording programs don't recognize them. I had to tweak text parameters for Cubase to accept it. I finally switched back to good old ASIO4ALL.

- MIDI input has glitches. I use it with a master keyboard to trigger soft synths. It locks up quite often. My keyboard and cables work fine with other synths.

I'd appreciate if you could test these parts on the bigger brothers.

 

 

I assume you're talking about Windows? I'm testing on the Mac for now, and will move over to Windows later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Craig, can you also make a side comment on the io26 pre's as compared to your recent experience with the Konnekt 24D pre's? Subjective is good enough for me. I'm interested in which ones you'd prefer to use if you had only the two to choose from before tracking.


Lie to me if you have to.
:)

 

The Konnekt 24D is installed on my Windows machine (so is the Emu 1820), so see above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Craig, do you think you could do like
and record a short sample from a high quality source into the various interfaces you've done reviews on so we can judge for ourselves the quality of the A/D sections?

 

 

Yes and no. The problem is that the current maximum attachment size for sound files with this forum software is 400k. That's not a very long sample, but I'll try saving some of my files at 320kbps in mono. I'm not sure if you'll be able to hear subtle differences, but we'll find out soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I just did some MP3 excerpts at 320kbps, and while they're not as detailed as I'd like, they do get the point across. Listen for yourself; here are my impressions, based on hearing the original AIF files.

 

E-Mu 0404: Less apparent high end than the others by a hair. However, what you can't hear is that the 0404 preamps are exceptionally quiet, and capable of much higher gain.

 

Mackie Onyx Satellite: These have that crystalline Onyx high end which some people call "clear and transparent" while others think it's "brittle and harsh." Vive la difference, as they say. It also seems like the bass might be a little tighter, but not quite as prominent as the other two. I like these preamps a lot.

 

Alesis io26: These preamps are brighter than the E-Mu 0404, but with a somewhat different high end character compared to the Onyx. What's interesting is how well they stack up compared to both the 0404 and the Onyx given that you're getting 8 preamps in the package instead of two.

 

However, it's important to note that none of these preamps have the option to match the input impedance to the mic. As a result, any differences could be due to interactions with the mic and the input stage, not any inherent issues with the circuitry. We'll see what happens with a condenser mic and going in direct.

 

The results help support my contention that these days, there are really only four types of preamps: Crappy consumer stuff, lower middle class "hit the price point" pres, upper middle class (I would put the ones I tested in this category), and designed preamps like the ADL 600 and other tube/rack/etc. gear. Fact is, there's no excuse not to make a decent-sounding preamp these days, so your evaluations will probably be based more on subjective criteria. For example, when recording a really bright acoustic guitar, you might find the 0404 a much better match than the Onyx, which is brighter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

First up, to all those who wonder “Why do you test with an SM58, anyway? Isn’t that kinda low rent?” Well, it’s a sound that has been burned into my brain, so any deviation from that norm is something I really tend to notice.

Anyway, moving on…here’s the same test, but with an Audio-Technica AT3035 condenser mic. This also gave me a chance to check out the phantom power thang.

As I suspected, the differences are far less pronounced than with the dynamic. I would still say that the Onyx preamps sound just a bit tighter; listen carefully to the attacks of the synth bass, they’re more defined than with the other two preamps. However, any brightness differential between the Alesis and Emu 0404 USB has disappeared, so I think we may indeed by dealing with slightly different input impedances that, in the previous test, interacted differently with the SM58.

Overall, I feel the differences are very slight; listen for yourself - what do you think? Also, I’m not quite sure what to make of the more defined pick attack of the Onyx (I don’t think I’m imagining things), although I do remember Mackie being very proud of the “linear phase” design of the Onyx preamps.

Any by the way, in case you’re thinking “Well the MP3 covers up any subtle differences,” that’s true to some extent but even listening to the full-bandwidth AIF files, you’ll hear about the same differences as you’ll hear with the MP3s (if any). In my opinion, any differences among these preamps in terms of sound quality tend to be quantitative rather than qualitative, aside from the extremely low noise of the E-Mu preamps. Bottom line: It's clear to my ears that Alesis did not scrimp on preamp quality to meet the low price point of the io26.

(By the way, the Emu 0404 is NOT the PCI-based 0404, but the new USB 0404 that just came out. It is a newer design than the PCI cards, and interfaces to the computer via USB 2.0.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...