Alesis io26 and io14 Interfaces

[LMO]

I think that's the right move. I didn't realize before that you were dealing with Alesis in Europe. In the US email support has not been as good as phone support, so you may not have any good options.

However, given your lack of success with tech support there, does it make sense to continue with the same brand? While waiting for my third iO26 to arrive I ran across a good deal on a used PreSonus unit. Before making an offer I contacted PreSonus tech support, and I was impressed with the response (and with the warranty/repair policies), so I went ahead and bought the PreSonus.

Perhaps it is worth taking the time, after your hangover is gone, to check out local tech support before buying something else...

[gdommett]

I know this is a bit of an old question, but has Anyone got one of these Alesis IO14/26 to work at least semi-reliably with any laptop with an Intel GM965 chipset ?

 

I'd appreciate a reply if anyone has.

If possible, also have a look on the device manager, and post what is sharing an IRQ with the firewire card.

[CarpathiART]

Why is it that many people have had to change so many times to a new IO unit? is it because reliability? I´ve now thinking about moving to a PRESONUS firepod after I´ve sent this unit back.. I really don´t have the patience to wait for a new IO"& unit to arrive and possibly face the same issues that I have with this one.

And as a question on the problem I had with my HDD and IO26.. everytime the HDD started it´s task the IO26 muted for a moment.. same thing happened if I opened a web browser.. I´m not gonna have internet access in my laptop after I get everything running but on the other hand it really shouldn´t have these effects on the system either. So would this be a thing I should be facing with other products as well?

[LMO]

Keep in mind that in a forum like this you will often hear from those having issues with a product, but seldom from those who are not. Despite having gotten two defective units in a row, I've not seen anything that indicates the failure rate for the Alesis products is any better or worse than for the PreSonus.

 

For that reason I suggest giving weight to the quality of the support and to the terms of the warranty.

 

As to your second question, when you say the iO26 muted for a moment, do you mean that the input to the application you are using is muted temporarily? Generally this type of issue is related to available RAM and buffer configurations.

[CarpathiART]

When ever I play for an example, Winamp, the audio pauses everytime the system goes through something.. I really can´t figure this out.. also just got my headphones from our project studio in our rehersal space and seems I get a lot of hizz in my headphones.. and the other headphone out just gives me output on the other side..

 

I´ve tried all the available drivers for the unit and reinstalled them over and over.. nothing seems to work. I´m really leaning towards the thought that this one right here is just somehow broken. As least that what I hope so..

 

And should the unit run on firewire power alone? Because mine will not power up without the AC adapter..

[LMO]

If Winamp audio is pausing, it seems that you have a basic issue. It may be that you have too little system RAM for what your are trying to do, or that the system is just underpowered. If you bring up task manager, what does the CPU utilization look like?

[CarpathiART]

How do you mean? I´m running a Finnish Windows so I think you could be a bit more specific on what you wish to know.. since I´m not really sure what you´re after.. could it have some effect on the powering department that I´ve replaced the factory installed 5400RPM HDD with a 7200RPM?

[CarpathiART]

I know the imae is crappy but I there´s one way you maybe see something you were after.. at that time when I was just running Firefox and Winamp, the audio just kept cutting off all the time.

[CarpathiART]

So I´ve now tried pretty much everything.. Tried cutting down the other PCI devices on the same IRQ with firewire but it didn´t help. I´m going to return the product because there clearly is something wrong.

 

Tomorrow I´m gonna go and buy a Texas Insturments chipset ExpressCard. I´ve read a lot of stories how TI based Firewires have solved a lot of problems.. any way, no matter which way I go with the Unit itself I´m pretty sure this is a good buy. To make things more stable in the future.

[MrGreenGenes42]

I just purchased the io26 and set up the drivers on a fresh installation of Windows XP Pro SP2. They installed fine, but when I went into the Sound and Devices screen, the Alesis would only show up in the MIDI field under the Audio tab. The other fields in the Audio tab only said no playback/recording device found. The same thing in the Voice tab. I know that the Alesis was being seen though, because when I open up the HDM, and have a microphone hooked up to an input the HDM will see the sound coming in through the mic, the orange light on the interface was also lit and I could change between the sample rates just fine from the control panel and they would be reflected on the device itself. I tried with Windows Vista and got the same results.

I then tried setting it up with a second computer running XP Pro SP2, which gave me only slightly better results, the Alesis showed up as the default device under all the fields in the Audio and Voice tabs, but when I'd attempt to use it with Reaper, it kept giving me errors saying something about how the audio could not be started and to rerun configuration. I was able to get a small part of the demo that Reaper had, to play through the io26, but after a couple seconds the sound would stop and give me that error again. I went back and checked the Audio and voice tabs and the Alesis was no longer listed under anything other than MIDI again.

I've attempted this on both computers and operating systems with the latest versions of the drivers from the website, and the drivers from the disc that came with the io26. Otherwise, I am at a total loss of what to do here. My only thought right now is going for a new firewire card and cable, or trying all the older drivers on Alesis' site. I'm awaiting Alesis' response from the email I sent them through their site, but any help I can get here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[locust tree]

I just purchased the io26 and set up the drivers on a fresh installation of Windows XP Pro SP2. They installed fine, but when I went into the Sound and Devices screen, the Alesis would only show up in the MIDI field under the Audio tab. The other fields in the Audio tab only said no playback/recording device found. The same thing in the Voice tab. I know that the Alesis was being seen though, because when I open up the HDM, and have a microphone hooked up to an input the HDM will see the sound coming in through the mic, the orange light on the interface was also lit and I could change between the sample rates just fine from the control panel and they would be reflected on the device itself. I tried with Windows Vista and got the same results. I then tried setting it up with a second computer running XP Pro SP2, which gave me only slightly better results, the Alesis showed up as the default device under all the fields in the Audio and Voice tabs, but when I'd attempt to use it with Reaper, it kept giving me errors saying something about how the audio could not be started and to rerun configuration. I was able to get a small part of the demo that Reaper had, to play through the io26, but after a couple seconds the sound would stop and give me that error again. I went back and checked the Audio and voice tabs and the Alesis was no longer listed under anything other than MIDI again. I've attempted this on both computers and operating systems with the latest versions of the drivers from the website, and the drivers from the disc that came with the io26. Otherwise, I am at a total loss of what to do here. My only thought right now is going for a new firewire card and cable, or trying all the older drivers on Alesis' site. I'm awaiting Alesis' response from the email I sent them through their site, but any help I can get here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

when i had a similar problem (windows not "seeing" it as an available audio device) the solution was to check off "enable system sounds" in the alesis control panel. Usually if you fire up "sound and audio devices" after that in your windows control panel, it will magically appear in all those dropdown menus. tell me if this helps or not.

[locust tree]

Just wondering, has anyone had any luck using these guys with the old Alesis Blackface ADATs? I know it's a 16 bit signal going into a 24 bit interface... probably a long shot... but i figured I'd ask.

[joseplezep]

Hi there.

I'm just a noob in computer recording but I've decided to invest and I've found Alesis IO 26 for 309 euros in thomann. I think it's a good deal and for what I've read this is a good interface but I have three doubts:

Doesn't this unit have XLR inputs? If it is so, don't you loose audio quality in the XLR-jack conversion?

Can you use the IO 26 as a mixer and send composite signal to a tube hi-fi amp, for instance?

Are there similar interfaces (6 or 8 line/mic inputs) around this price range?

thanks in advanced

Do you think there is any similar interface around this price range?

Thanks in advanced

[joseplezep]

Pd: do you know where I can find any audio samples of music recorded with the interface?

[orbm1]

Hi there. I'm just a noob in computer recording but I've decided to invest and I've found Alesis IO 26 for 309 euros in thomann. I think it's a good deal and for what I've read this is a good interface but I have three doubts: Doesn't this unit have XLR inputs? If it is so, don't you loose audio quality in the XLR-jack conversion? Can you use the IO 26 as a mixer and send composite signal to a tube hi-fi amp, for instance? Are there similar interfaces (6 or 8 line/mic inputs) around this price range? thanks in advanced Do you think there is any similar interface around this price range? Thanks in advanced

Answers:

1) the connectors this unit have are dual, whcih means, to the same input you can hook a xlr o 1/4 cable...
2) the unit has 8 independent outputs, and you can rout your inputs and outputs anyway you want....
3)not really sure, presonus....maybe???
research your local stores (i.e guitarcenter, samash, etc)

Omar

[tim_w]

I've just bought a second-hand iO14 on eBay. It seems to be working fine with my existing set-up (intel Macbook running Garageband), in as much as it is recognised by the computer, and Garageband, and can be used to record things going into analog inserts 1 & 2. Driver and firmware are the latest Mac versions. My problem is that the signal going in is very weak, and the gain controls make no difference.

For example, playing my electric guitar alone, into insert 1 (set to guitar), the signal never goes above -60dB (first green LED). This is regardless of volume level on the guitar, or whether the signal is amplified pre-iO using a pedal.

Next I tried putting my guitar through my 50W guitar amp, and running a line-out into insert 1, again set to guitar. This time the signal will go up to -6bD (yellow LED) but again this is regardless of what the gain is set at. The gain makes no difference.

Output seems to work fine, headphones 1 & 2 work ok and the volume controls for these are working normally.
I've tried playing around with the settings on the Alesis HDM, but this makes no difference. Master volume is set to max and can be reduced using the knob on the iO, the mix blend knob also works normally.

I've read elsewhere that some users find the gain on the iO14/26 'low' but presumably the gain control should do something? I don't think that the iO is acting as a pre-amp at all. I haven't had a chance to try XLR inputs yet, but as I was mainly going to use it to record guitar and bass I'm more concerned, at present, about the 1/4 jack inputs.

FWIW, the previous owner has been very helpful and said that he used it with both a laptop and a desktop PC running windows XP, with an Alesis Andromeda, two mics and a guitar (via a POD unit), all with no problems.

I'd be most grateful for any advice - it's entirely possible I'm doing something wrong, as I'm new to all this technology. Maybe I should have stuck with my iMic!

cheers,

Tim

[dug dog]

Tim:

Don't plug your guitar into the insert jack. The XLR jack is a combi dealie that also accepts your 1/4 inch guitar cable.

[joseplezep]

Forgot to mention:
My computers are quite old and they have no fireware port of their own. One of them (PC)has an Audigy 2 zs audio card which has a fireware port. Could I plug it there?
Would that have any negative implications?
thnx

[tim_w]

Tim: Don't plug your guitar into the insert jack. The XLR jack is a combi dealie that also accepts your 1/4 inch guitar cable.

 

 

Problem solved! I should have used the hidden inputs! Thanks for your help.

 

(I just notice Omar basically said as much in the post above mine. I feel a bit silly now!)

[CyrNoodles]

Hi there,
I'm french, so please excuse my poor English, I try as best as I can !

So, I've bought an Alesis iO|26, and for a couple of hours I'm trying to install it. I've read the Quik start manual and the Reference one. I installed drivers from installation CD, then - when a pop-up asked me to plug the device - I attached device to the computer, but nothing happened. Well, in fact, the middle led and other ones lit, and the middle one stayed lit.

You know, I own a sound card, M-Audio Revolution 5.1. I thought there was some conflict between those, so I uninstalled drivers and unpluged M-Audio, cleaned Reg, etc... re-installed Alesis drivers from the CD AND from the website, rebooted, etc..., but nothing !
After many tries, and research on the Net, I've decided to ask you some solution... .

My configuration :
- Intel® Core2 Duo CPU E4500 @ 2.20GHz
- MotherBoard AB9 QuadGT(Intel965+ICH8)
- 2.00Go RAM
- Windows XP - SP3

---
I read something about writting any F.A.Q about this device, may be it is not a bad idea !

Hoping someone has an idea for my issues.

[Untone]

Hi,

I recently snagged an io14 despite all of the problems I've been reading about here..

Before I got it sent an email to Rob Griffith at Alesis..he sent me a stack of attachments that made instsallation clear and simple..latest drivers, guides, etc. I found this guy to be responsive and very helpful. The tech guy who helped me further down the road was great too.."mike".

Initially I did have intemittent clicking, popping and dropouts...the unit also reset itslef a couple of times out of the blue..my confidence was starting to sink a bit.

Made a call to Alesis and spoke with "Mike"..he said to play with the buffer and, more importantly, and he stressed this point...to use the power adapter/wall wart. He said that the optimal setup is to plug the machine into the wall and into firewire and then boot the computer...something about the computer recognizing the unit more solidly when it's plugged in before booting.

I was using the powered Firewire on my Mac G5 dual 2.0, 8 gigs RAM...

Switching to external power seemed to make all the difference. I haven't had an issue since..fingers crossed.

I like this unit...preamps seem fine and monitoring direct from the io14 is great...This box just seemed like it had everything I needed..high imp inputs, insert jacks, four pre amps, phantom power, 2 headphone slots, direct monitoring etc. plus Cubase Le 4. I paid $157.00 for an open box on PSSL (pro sound and stage lighting).

Now that I've gotten this thing running propery I feel like I stole it...feature packed gizmo and it sounds great, robust even.

Anyhow, thought I'd report in that things are good after a week of trying to sort out the clicking and popping issue.

Cubase is my next challenge, it's always the software learning curve for me. I came from Garageband using an M-audio mobile pre USB..that seems like kids play next to Cubase.

[Jazz Ad]

Been using the IO|14 for several months.

Despite a few issues like a phones output getting stuck on left channel from time to time, unit resetting randomly and hum on one of the channels sometimes, it's an overall good unit and everything was solved.

Now, almost 2 years since release and there still isn't a driver for vista 64 or linux ? I don't understand this.

[locust tree]

Well, I wanted to be optimistic but I still think the unit is too buggy to be usable in pro situations. Maybe that was asking too much of a 400 dollar unit. But the fact is, my rig has the TI firewire chipset on the mobo. I run windows XP. I have used the DPC latency checker, and although my baseline readings were still plenty low enough, I disabled the network card and was able to get my latency down another 100 or so points. I have rolled back to the January drivers for use with Sonar 8, as advised by other sonar users here. For the most part it's smoothed out some of the major issues but here are the things I still find unacceptable:

1) Unit will occasionally decide that it's time to turn off and reboot. This is rare, but can sometimes cause driver conflicts upon reboot, which require a system restart. No real rhyme or reason to this one... still haven't gotten to the bottom of it.

2) Very occasional choppy playback. It's not uncommon for this to happen after a big edit has been made. I press play and the audio sounds choppy. Cracking open the Alesis control panel, and then closing it, often fixes the problem without even so much as a latency adjustment. It's like it jogs the driver's memory or something. I have no clue. It looks really unprofessional when it happens during a session.

3) Say I have some tracks record-armed in Sonar and I'm watching the readings on their meters. Then let's say I'd like to open the HDM mixer to get a direct mix for my players. Often upon opening the HDM applet, Sonar "forgets" the interface and all meters in Sonar drop to zero. It can sometimes be fixed by fiddling with things like disarming the track and then re-arming, or selecting a different input and then going back to the old one... pretty arbitrary things. My guess is some kind of driver conflict that's brought about by the HDM app.

4) As much as I hate to say it, I really must admit that the occasional dropout is there, often during sessions when the CPU's are reading out a cool and steady 10% or less. They have become somewhat more scarce with the Jan. driver rollback but there nonetheless.

All these things add up to make the whole affair just feel very unstable. It's worth noting that this same rig ran with rock solid stability on my old interface, a Line 6 Gold bundle DI using MME drivers (:eek:yikes!!!). Nary a dropout or click or pop. So i KNOW this isn't an issue of program stability. I'm more or less ready to sell this guy since I'm convinced it was just a bit too good to be true.

[orbm1]

Well,

I am sad to hear that only complaints in this thread, so here is my 2 cents.

I have been a happy IO/26 user since 2007.

I have used it in a windows xp sp2 laptop....in a windows xp sp3 desktop, and currently in macbook previous gen, and a mac pro.

I have had just 2 issues with it, that were solved by following the recommended procedure.

1. the playback was chopped, increased buffer size and problem solved (buffer size is lower in the apple computers)

2. the unit will act up, restart, or shut off, with blinking red lights on the first 4 channels..... I plugged it directly with the supplied power adaptor and have not had an issue since.

I have recorded great songs with this unit, well worth the money I spent on it...
of course we can not compare to an apogee ensemble, but being only 20% of the price of an apogee ensemble, you can not complain...

Sometimes the problems are user realted more than unit related.....before buying my mac pro, I bought a dell with xp, and I only had problems with the audio, buffers, restarting, etc.... something with an interface that I was using without a problem in other computers....so the problem was the actual components of the computer, not the interface....

BUT, I could have easily blamed the interface....


In conclusion, It is a great unit, customer service is decent, and serves the purpose of another interfaces with a fraction of the cost!

Can any other happy user write their 2 cents, so we can even this out!

Thanks

Omar

[dug dog]

Omar:

You've summed things up nicely. I am another very satisfied user of the io26 for about a year now.

User forums can be a bit disheartening when you are researching a product and I think it's important to remember that, often, the people who are having problems actually represent a minority of owners. People who are using a product with success are not as likely to bother posting on a product forum.

I'm running Sonar 7PE on a dual core intel machine with 2Gigs of ram and XP. While I cannot say that my system runs completely glitch free (it does not), it is important to note (as Omar did) that it's sometimes very difficult to determine what part of the system is causing problems. I don't know if I have some bad plug-ins, bad RAM, a bad motherboard........ The list of possibilities is long. At any rate, my system has never failed me during a recording session.