M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R

[cloroxmartini]

My previous posts were about the Presonus unit and not being able to get it to work right with Cubase LE and it just plain had issues as a sound card.

Presonus Firestudio Project and Cubase LE4

Well, I returned the Presonus Firestudio Project a couple of weeks ago and got this new M-Audio Fastrack Ultra 8R unit to use with Protools M-Powered 7.4, loaded on the same PC that the Presonus and Cubase was installed on.

A patch was downloaded for 7.4 due to the 8R being so new. The patch didn't work right, so we uninstalled Protools, reinstalled it, loaded the patch.

After all that, the 8R with Protools works like a charm. The preamps work fine. The best part is that it's a plug-in-and-record-the-music kind of thing without all the hassle we had with the Presonus and Cubase, and to be fair, the Presonus was probably defective.

Toyed with getting the M-Audio Profire 2626 firewire version, but the 8R can be had for $400, where the firewire version is $600. And the 8R is USB 2.0, which has a higher data rate transfer than the 2626. Plus not all PC's have the firewire port.

Got a couple songs recorded within half an hour of getting the thing up and running. So a pleasurable experience.

[brandondrury]

That's GREAT that you got it working!

The best part is that it's a plug-in-and-record-the-music kind of thing without all the hassle we had with the Presonus and Cubase, and to be fair, the Presonus was probably defective.

This stuff is so random. There are so many factors that only audio interface driver coders understand that it makes it difficult to know why certain combinations make X work. There are obviously tons of happy Cubase / Presonus users so it's not like everything they make is junk. It appears that all recording software / audo interfaces have trouble some times.

The bottom line is you've got a rig that works. Great! It's time to get busy making noise!

Brandon

[cloroxmartini]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

That's GREAT that you got it working!


This stuff is so random. There are so many factors that only audio interface driver coders understand that it makes it difficult to know why certain combinations make X work. There are obviously tons of happy Cubase / Presonus users so it's not like everything they make is junk. It appears that all recording software / audo interfaces have trouble some times.

The bottom line is you've got a rig that works. Great! It's time to get busy making noise!

Brandon

couldn't agree with you more (well, maybe i could). just one of those things.

[Stevie Mc]

hello clorox, on the verge of buying the fast track ultra myself. looks like a good set up. just wondering about the recording software. did you but that separate on the internet? or can you download it anywhere for free? i live in ireland and although my local music shop has the interface, it does not carry any software. just wondering how to get it. get back if you can, cheers, stevie

[cloroxmartini]

Originally Posted by Stevie Mc

hello clorox, on the verge of buying the fast track ultra myself. looks like a good set up. just wondering about the recording software. did you but that separate on the internet? or can you download it anywhere for free? i live in ireland and although my local music shop has the interface, it does not carry any software. just wondering how to get it. get back if you can, cheers, stevie

use this product...

REAPER | About

reaper interfaces very nicely with the ultra unit and it's only $50 US for single home use after trying it out. i like it.

the ableton 6 lite that comes with the ultra is junk. don't even bother.

[mad scientific]

Originally Posted by Stevie Mc

hello clorox, on the verge of buying the fast track ultra myself. looks like a good set up. just wondering about the recording software. did you but that separate on the internet? or can you download it anywhere for free? i live in ireland and although my local music shop has the interface, it does not carry any software. just wondering how to get it. get back if you can, cheers, stevie

Buy M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 Bundle online at GigaSonic.com

[cloroxmartini]

Originally Posted by mad scientific

Buy M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 Bundle online at GigaSonic.com

Already had 7.4 before I purchased the 8R. Fortunately I found an M-Audio certified E-bay store and got the product for $380 out the door (using my Ebay coupon). And the guy was 15 mintues away, so I picked it up personally and saved on shipping costs.

I still like Reaper better.

[mad scientific]

that was for my man steve in ireland. i wanted that fast track sooo bad. i ended up keeping my cubase AI and getting the tascam.. not sure how i feel. if i have itunes going, and open up another application with music, there's slight fuzzines and pops. never happened with my toneport 2. hopefully i wont have these issues with 8 drum mics. we'll see on monday.

[Stevie Mc]

got the wee lady up and running, dead excited. tried ableton out.what a pile of shite. for some reason i can't listen back to the tracks through my ultra, only through the computer and ableton. what i am hearing live as i am playing and monitoring through the ultra is really nice and crisp and clear (you can't half tell i'm dying for a beer). but when i play it back through the computer it sounds awful. so i am thinking i defo need better software. does cubase work with the ultra cos if not i might have to give reaper a try. they are saying £140 which is the equivalent of $280 for reaper. can this be right?

[brandondrury]

does cubase work with the ultra cos if not i might have to give reaper a try.

Once set up properly, Cubase should work just fine with your audio interface.

Brandon