New Product: M-Audio Fast Track Ultra
Feb 11, 2008 8:02 PM Asher Fulero (Writer)
Once
again M-Audio raises the bar for mobile recording interfaces, this time by
tying together the slightly faster-than-FireWire USB 2.0 protocol with
dedicated DSP cores inside the hot new Fast Track Ultra ($449.95;
www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackUltra-main.html) 8-by-8 audio/MIDI
interface. Offering complete 24-bit/96 kHz operation simultaneously on all of
its six analog inputs and six analog outputs—and on the stereo S/PDIF
connections—the real "ultra" element is the powerful MX Core software
mixer, which uses the hardware's eight DSP chips to offer near-zero latency and
a deeply flexible routing matrix with a 16-by-8 mixer. That makes it easy to
create multiple setups for all sorts of uses, including sending to the two
stereo headphone outputs (each with dedicated volume knobs). And helping it
earn the Fast Track name, the DSP chips also offer onboard reverb and delay
programs for use on the headphone outputs, so you never have to choose between
making processing power available or tracking dry. The four mic preamps on the
front panel borrow M-Audio's Octane technology for low noise and high gain, and
come complete with 48V phantom power and a redesigned pull-out gain knob that
activates a 20 dB pad. Fast Track Ultra is bus-powered via USB 2.0 and PC/Mac
compatible for all ASIO and Core Audio-compliant applications.
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