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My Firepod seems to have died last night (new interface suggestions).

7K views 59 replies 15 participants last post by  Drew 
#1 ·
I know, I know, not like I ever use the thing, right? I had been doing a bit of recording the other day, and was looking forward to doing some more today, but when I logged onto my computer this morning I noticed that the front panel light was dark - no blue to signify it was connected, or red to signify that it wasn't. Power switch is still on, it's still plugged in, and the power strip it's plugged into is the one powering the rest of my computer, which is (clearly) running just fine.

Do I have an 8-input paperweight on my hands, or do you guys have any suggestions?
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
What's the turnaround time like, Mike?

Chris - ITE Power Supply
Model: U150200AA4
Input: 120VAC 60hz 0.4A
Output: 15VAC 2000mA
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
And I guess as a secondary question, I'm wondering if maybe I should just consider upgrading the fucking thing, especially if it's a lengthy process to have it repaired.

I was always pretty happy with my old M-Audio interface, barring the number of inputs - anyone have any experience with this?

Buy M-Audio ProFire 2626 | Audio Interfaces & Convertors | Audio Interfaces | Musician's Friend

Also, Chris, you use one of these, right?

Buy MOTU 8pre 16x12 FireWire Audio Interface | Audio Interfaces & Convertors | Audio Interfaces | Musician's Friend
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
I'm actually fairly happy with my recorded tone these days, but better quality preamps (not that the Firepods aren't pretty good) do seem to make a pretty big difference.

I'm thinking of just sucking it up and grabbing something else by the end of today, then trying to get the Firepod repaired and selling it or giving it to my dad to work with. I'm leaning towards that M-Audio simply because the Firewire 410 I used to own was really pretty solid. Anyone have any experience with something else comparably priced I should look at instead?
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Ok, so the consensus is spending more for something with better pres would be a waste of time unless I'm prepared to drop a LOT of cash?

depending on how much you want to spend, I'm very VERY satisfied with my tc impact twin
That's about what a Firepod goes for, and the fact it doesn't have 8 pres is kind of a dealbreaker.

EDIT - though, what worries me is this is the second relatively major issue I've had with the thing in 2-3 years, and one channel of my BlueTube pre seems to have gone all staticy on me, too. Is durability/reliability kind of a concern with Presonus stuff?
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
...and, having done some more reading around here, seems there's a lot of dissatisfaction with M-Audio drivers.

So, the Firestudio Project can be daisy-chained with a Firepod, right? And it's had a preamp upgrade since the Firepod... Maybe I should just grab one of those, get the FP fixed, and then I'd have access to 16 tracks at a time, down the road... :shrug:
 
Discussion starter · #28 ·
I have one of those in a box in my basement...
Hell, you're not looking to sell it by chance? It might be out of my budget, but it's probably better than a Firestudio Project. :lol:

I said this in the other thread, and I'll say it here again. RME. Great shit. Either a FF400, or the new Babyface, which is a little cheaper but still a lot of awesome.
...and that is WAY out of my budget. :lol: I'm having a hard enough time justifying $5-600 right now, much less double that, and the babyface evidently doesn't have enough ins for drums unless you hook it up to an ADAT pre of sorts.
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
I will be selling this and a bunch of other stuff I don't use (HDR24|96, DataSync, Rack Tuners, etc), but it's actually the 2408 Mk II, so it doesn't have preamps.... so probably not too good for your uses. I used it so that I could run soft synths from a second machine, but I'm doing it all in protools now.
Ah, yeah, that probably wouldn't work. Damn, oh well. :yesway:
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
Ended up grabbing a M-Audio ProFire 2626 a few minutes ago from the local GC (sorry Chris!), where they were selling them for $599 vs $699 everywhere else. Near as I can tell, reviews on the Octane pres are split between "on par with anything else in this range" and "these things fucking rule," and they have a fair bit more gain than the Presonus. I'm a little iffy on Presonus reliability after this the second issue I've had with the Firepod, and my old Firewire410 was a great little unit that's still in service for an uncle of mine these days. Besides, it's matte black, which is pimp as fuck. So, for an extra $100, hopefully it's a pretty solid upgrade.

Not that I ever record anything, but I'll post some thoughts after I dick with it a bit. For now, though, off to work on my sunburn while "working remote" in my back yard! :woohoo:
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
I don't think so, but I'd rather work in Reaper anyway. :yesway:
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
Just fired it up. Possibly placebo effect, possibly just that I haven't heard anything through my speakers in 48 hours, but my first impression waseven just playing stuff back everything sounded quieter and cleaner.
 
Discussion starter · #36 ·
Woohoo! You da man. I hope I semi-partly-possibly helped influence your decision? :D

My favourite feature is the -20dB attentuator that gets activated when you pull the dial out. Makes me feel like god.

You should have no problems with it. The only issue I have with it is that audio tends to distort after a few hours use but i put that down to the fact that there isn't a supported driver for running Windows on a Mac.

Enjoy!
:holy:

Haha, as long as I don't run into that problem - I've logged an hour or two with it so far with no problems.

It was an interface I was initially interested in - I really dug my old Firewire 410 for what it was - but the biggest factor in the end was the fact GC was selling it for $599 when everyone else had it at $699. $600 is right about what I thought I could swing without undue hardship, and at $700 it'd have been a full 50% more expensive than the Presonus Firestudio Project.

I haven't really gotten to play with the preamps yet, but they're supposed to be rather nice, so I'll be anxious to give them a try.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
Yeah, I'm mostly joking - at the very least, I haven't managed to induce issues yet, and I'm, ahem, not prone to marathon 8-hour recording sessions, exactly. :lol:
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
Not firewire, and it's a bit, well, big for my bedroom studio. :lol:
 
Discussion starter · #42 ·
Drew, I know you just got yourself an interface, but I just saw THIS.
Sweeeeeeeeeet! Is it Firewire? If so, I'm sold! I can just put it where my bed is, because true genius never needs to sleep! :woohoo:

Man, I wish I had that kind of a budget...
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
:lol: Don't worry man, we're just fucking around. :D
 
Discussion starter · #47 ·
Well, fuck that shit. What kind of junk are you trying to push on me anyway, Matt? :noway:
 
Discussion starter · #49 ·
why the usb-phobia in the first place?
It's totally arbitrary. :yesway:

(seriously, I'm a litle fuzzy on the exact arguments, but my understanding is Firewire is superior for two reasons. One, it offers faster transfer speeds/more data at once than USB, and two, USB relies partly on your CPU whereas Firewire does not, so the CPU drain will be lower)

(three, "Firewire" just sounds badass, while USB sounds kinda geeky. :D)
 
Discussion starter · #53 ·
Drew,

Sorry to bump this back up, but how are you liking the M-Audio? The two firewire inputs on my Firepod that I've had 5 years now finally broke so it will not link to my computer anymore. I'm trying to decide if its worth sending the unit back to the company to get fixed or if I should just upgrade myself.
I was wondering why this got bumped. :lol:

I haven't really gotten to play with the preamps on the interface much yet, but my initial impression is pretty damned positive. I've just done some acoustic stuff on them, and they seem to sound great - I've read a few reviews that suggest they might be a hair on the darker-than-quite-perfectly-neutral side, and initially I'll say I don't think I'd disagree with that assessment, but as far as I'm concerned that's not a bad thing. They sound great to my ears, are dead quiet, and seem to have a ton of usable gain (though the taper is definitely focused towards the very end of the knob's range, it seems, where suddenly it gets louder fast.)

I can't say I've compared it to either the new FP10/FPStudio's pre's or really much of anything else in the price range, but in the limited amount of playing I've gotten do to I'm really happy with the sounds I'm getting.
 
Discussion starter · #60 ·
:lol: Check the dates, Angel - this was back in June. I'm now the happy owner of a M-Audio Profire2626.

The Firepod is a great unit, and I'll probably repair it and either hold onto it as a back up or sell it or give it to my dad or something. I got several good years of service out of it, it's quiet, clean, and affordable, especially if you got yours used.
 
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