Members bobo0172 Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 Im new here in this is my first post so forgive me if i overstep,, Im in need for a new firewire interface and besides the konnekt 8 and the alesis io26, the Satellite seems like a hell of a deal. Since im more into synthesizers and samples im not to much in need for preamps and sophisticated prelistening/talkback sort of functions, so will these features interfere with the legibility and workflow of the interface?? I also got some other questions - Is the signal flow of the ins on the firewire interface (not on the dock) stuck to the the amp staging and preamps?? Or is it possible to use the ins without the preamps? -When using the inserts, is it as easy as just pluggin in the insert on a mixing console? Or is extensive routing needed in the daw and controler software to get the sound on the right channels? - can the controle room outs be used as separate line ouputs (5,6-7,8)? Ore are they fixed as main outputs.. - Anderton,, can you please post some pictures of the controler software of the satellite?? thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobo0172 Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 anyone??? bumpie bumpie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sausagetime Posted August 13, 2007 Members Share Posted August 13, 2007 Awright...I read this whole friggin thread. I learned that it sounds good, the 400f (whatever that is) sucks (3 pages of that) , theres anomalous whines, crosstalk and hissings and if you drop it on your foot it'll probably break all your toes. So, bottom line. I'm buying a macbook this week and I'm looking for a $200 dollar fw interface. Since this was originally $400, thats got to account for something. What else is there at 200 bucks.....the presonus Inspire? So, am I good to get this or is it an orphan product already? And what about these new driver they promised a year or so ago. Did they get latency down to 64 samples or less? Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobo0172 Posted August 13, 2007 Members Share Posted August 13, 2007 echo audiofire 2 and 4 are also very affordable and prolly good sounding.At least the audiofire 12 sounds just as good as RME stuff according to some guys at gearslutz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobo0172 Posted August 13, 2007 Members Share Posted August 13, 2007 Anyway,,, since this topic is already dead, and mackie didnt update a driver in months and the price has dropped again, ill stay away from the satellite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintagevibes Posted August 24, 2007 Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 I just got the Onyx Satellite and I'm very happy with it. Easy to install drivers, excellent sound and I now have an interface for my laptop. No "whine" or weirdness. The issue of no simultaneous direct input with DAW signal is being addressed with a firmware update. The MAC firmware update is already on the web and I'm waiting for the Windows version. I'm moving from a Roland VM3100 pro/RPC-1 setup because I am downsizing my studio from one that can record bands to a composer's workspace. The Onyx Satellite is perfect - wires go out the back making a neater desk and it has a smaller footprint. With good preamps, talkback and surround capabilities I'm set. I did need more inputs for my MIDI hardware so I bought an ART PowerMIXIII 3-channel mixer for $75. Anyone want to buy the Roland mixer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MacBradley Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Anyone know why the price of this unit has gone from $400 down to $200 in a little over a year. I would really like to get it because I'm just looking to mic guitars and vocals into Sonar and direct in Bass, but this price drop has me worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintagevibes Posted September 25, 2007 Members Share Posted September 25, 2007 I have to say that I missed one important aspect of this unit that is really a show stopper. It has no direct monitoring while listening to tracks on the DAW!!! So if you have a singer/acoustic guitarist performing and he wants to listen to his voice in the phones there will be a delay that will through off his timing!!! Now, Mackie has a firmware update that fixes this but the loader app is only available for MAC and people have been waiting months for a PC version and Mackie says they still have no release date for it. My opinion of Mackie has changed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted September 25, 2007 Members Share Posted September 25, 2007 Im new here in this is my first post so forgive me if i overstep,,Im in need for a new firewire interface and besides the konnekt 8 and the alesis io26, the Satellite seems like a hell of a deal. Since im more into synthesizers and samples im not to much in need for preamps and sophisticated prelistening/talkback sort of functions, so will these features interfere with the legibility and workflow of the interface?? If you have no need for the mic preamps and extended feature list of the Satellite, I would go with the Echo Audiofire2. It might not seem like you're getting as much, but the headphone out can double as another stereo output if your software allows for it, and it's totally worth it for Echo's solid drivers and great support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintagevibes Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 If you have no need for the mic preamps and extended feature list of the Satellite, I would go with the Echo Audiofire2. It might not seem like you're getting as much, but the headphone out can double as another stereo output if your software allows for it, and it's totally worth it for Echo's solid drivers and great support. Actually I'm pretty sure that Echo wrote the Satellite drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted September 28, 2007 Members Share Posted September 28, 2007 If so, great. The drivers for their own hardware are excellent. I've seen maybe two or three people ever complain about Echo Audio cards. I've had the Indigo for awhile, first one was defective, Echo customer support were friendly and quick to get me a replacement. Worked great ever since, they even sent me another audio cable and driver disk when I sent the original unit back to them in the box with just the card. I never get a good feeling when a soundcard has both low-cost, and comes with tons of software bonuses. Usually means, hey, the audio interface sucks, but look at all the great freebies we gave you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pillimees Posted October 29, 2007 Members Share Posted October 29, 2007 Is there any way to bus-power the Satellite from a PC laptop? My HP NX6125 has both Cardbus (I and II) and Expresscard/54 slots, so I guess what I'm looking for is a Firewire controller into either of those slots. It has to be able to bus-power without an external adapter, though - otherwise I'd just be swapping the Satellite's mains adapter for the card's. Is there anything like that out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintagevibes Posted November 9, 2007 Members Share Posted November 9, 2007 Mackie just posted the firmware update for the PC. I installed it and it worked like a charm. Now I am happy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MacBradley Posted November 9, 2007 Members Share Posted November 9, 2007 Mackie just posted the firmware update for the PC. I installed it and it worked like a charm. Now I am happy again. Great news, thanks for posting! I forgot what the fefatures would be, but I remember reading about it and knowing I needed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris666 Posted November 12, 2007 Members Share Posted November 12, 2007 Wow, this is a very long thread, especially for someone like me who isn't very firm in English. I also got the Onyx Satellite 6 weeks ago. But I have a huge problem with the Hi-Z Instrument input: Whenever I use it together with the AC-Adapter there's a 50HZ HUM on it. When powered via Firewire the hum is gone. I've been at an electrician with the AC Adapter, who told me, that it has 18,6 Volt instead of the 12 Volt written on the adapter (I am located in Germany, so maybe other numbers like in the US). So I exchanged my Satellite for two times now - but each piece has got the same problem. Can anyone help me? Is this a known problem? Can anything be done to solve it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pillimees Posted November 13, 2007 Members Share Posted November 13, 2007 Great news, thanks for posting! I forgot what the fefatures would be, but I remember reading about it and knowing I needed it! You can read the release notes on the download page. Re my question above, I've learned that the CardBus and ExpressCard slots don't provide enough power, so Firewire bus power via those interfaces is out of the question. Damn shame, really... Also, I noticed something nifty a while back with my Satellite, that I don't think is mentioned in the manual or this review. The control room A/B switch is both latching and momentary. Press it down about halfway past the first click, and it'll latch. Press it again and it'll return up. But press it down completely, and it acts as a momentary switch, returning when you release it. Sorry if it's been mentioned before, but I just discovered it myself, and thought it was a neat feature to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuiltySparc Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 quick question, i'm looking at picking this product up and i've only seen where people are recording their guitars/basses/etc direct. Could i plug my JCM head into it or would that cause problems? i suppose i could mic the cab, but i'd rather use the line out on the head. Thanks! edit: after looking at the hookup diagram in the online manual, there isnt a picture of a guitar amp, lol. Is there a similary priced product (amp head -> interface -> computer/DAW) that will do this for me or should i just go with mic'ing the cab? And after doing a little more internet sluething it seems this might be one of those pandora's box questions (how do i make my recording sound good?). I'm not opposed to mic'ing if thats going to give the best sound, but at present i live in an apartment. So you can guess how much my neighbors love me and the 100w JCM...i can only imagine how much their love would grow if i started spending several hours a day recording... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintagevibes Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 quick question,i'm looking at picking this product up and i've only seen where people are recording their guitars/basses/etc direct.Could i plug my JCM head into it or would that cause problems? i suppose i could mic the cab, but i'd rather use the line out on the head.Thanks!edit: after looking at the hookup diagram in the online manual, there isnt a picture of a guitar amp, lol. Is there a similary priced product (amp head -> interface -> computer/DAW) that will do this for me or should i just go with mic'ing the cab? And after doing a little more internet sluething it seems this might be one of those pandora's box questions (how do i make my recording sound good?). I'm not opposed to mic'ing if thats going to give the best sound, but at present i live in an apartment.So you can guess how much my neighbors love me and the 100w JCM...i can only imagine how much their love would grow if i started spending several hours a day recording... You can plug the LINE OUT from any amp into the LINE IN on the Satellite. (you won't see a picture of a guitar amp on any of these devices). Make sure you DON'T PLUG THE SPEAKER OUT INTO THE SATELLITE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuiltySparc Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 You can plug the LINE OUT from any amp into the LINE IN on the Satellite. (you won't see a picture of a guitar amp on any of these devices). Make sure you DON'T PLUG THE SPEAKER OUT INTO THE SATELLITE. Great, thanks! I think the terms in the manual were what was throwing me off. I'm not very familiar with terms like balanced vs. unbalanced line level input signals. When the manual says TRS cable, is that any old instrument cable?Oh, and ya, i dont think i would have tried the speaker out. Something tells me that little box wouldnt handel 100w of mashall fury very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuiltySparc Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 so upon further review it seems the out on the back of my JCM is a male XLR jack. I guess i would just plug that into the mic input on the satellite then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pillimees Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 No. The mic input goes through the mic preamp, but a line level signal might be too hot for that. Get a female XLR - male 1/4" cable and run it into the line input. A balanced signal is one where you're sending both the original signal and its phase-reversed copy down the same cable. At the receiving end the copy is reversed again and merged with the original signal, thus cancelling out any noise picked up on the way. This is basically the same way humbuckers work (except the signals are in parallel, not in series). To do this, you need a stereo cable. This has three contacts (TRS = tip, ring, sleeve) instead of the two on regular instrument cables - one for the original signal, one for the phase-reversed copy and one for ground. An unbalanced signal is just the original signal, without the phase-reversed copy. That's what you get when you use any old instrument cable. If your amp has an XLR jack, the signal is probably balanced. But I believe the Mackie's line inputs accept both balanced and unbalanced signals, so you're fine either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuiltySparc Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 ah ok, that clears up the gear confusion. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miko deckert Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 i have bought a laptop with vista and a onyx satallite but if i plug the firiwire cable in my laptop, the laptop doesn't see the satallite and i can't install the software. is that because of vista? or should i instal XP on my laptop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuiltySparc Posted December 1, 2007 Members Share Posted December 1, 2007 i have bought a laptop with vista and a onyx satallite but if i plug the firiwire cable in my laptop, the laptop doesn't see the satallite and i can't install the software. is that because of vista? or should i instal XP on my laptop? my understanding is it only works with XP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miko deckert Posted December 2, 2007 Members Share Posted December 2, 2007 after some playing with the onyx, i figured out a way to work with it on windows vista, so people: IT WORKS ON VISTA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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