Mackie Onyx 1620/1640 vs Presonus Firestudio

[dmt]

I have been eying these interfaced for some time. I would really like to have a setup similar to the Onyx, meaning a physical mixer (instead of one only on the computer) and an firewire interface for bringing 8 or more tracks to the computer all at once.

I like the Firestudio, and have read good things about it, but aside from the control console, (which is only for one channel at a time) there is no way to control the software without a mouse. I would have to use some other type of mixer that has seperate outputs for each channel. not sure how viable that is.

I like that the onyx is a real mixer, and it can be used as a interface.

Anyone use the Onxy 1620 or 1640? I'd prolly go for the 1620 since its cheaper. The firewire card is an extra 400 bux, but it'd be worth it i think...

Thoughts? Comments? Help?

 

[diek]

I really like the 1640 Onyx Firewire interface. The A/D's are AKM and have a very clear sound. Unfortunately, the mixer section of the Onyx does not affect the firewire signal, nor will it control your DAW. Once the signal enters the XLR input it passes through the onyx preamp and the gain control and is then routed to the firewire. That's pre EQ, AUX, and FADER. They really don't advertise that, but that's the way it is. I've heard there are Mods that can be done to the Onyx that will allow for post EQ and Fader with the Firewire, but I haven't bothered because the EQ is OK and not recording quality IMO. Though, the A/D is very nice and I'm comparing this to an Apogee AD-16X.

 

[dmt]

well that sucks ass. what a pain. how complicated are the mods? where can i find out more about that?

 

[Strategy500]

As far as I know, you need a control surface of somekind to control your DAW. A standard mixer won't control the software. The Mackie Control Universal is a good unit that works well with virtually any popular DAW. It comes with overlays to match the functions of your software. And lets you control up to 8 tracks at once (if I remember correctly). There are others of course, cheaper and more expensive. But for the firestudio, IMO PreSonus makse decent gear, and should be comparable to the Mackie stuff. And if I'm not mistaken, you can connect more than one firestudio together if you need more tracks. With the amout of gear that is available, you shouldn't have any problem finding something that works for you.

 

[dmt]

Basically I would like to have something tactile that I can control the software with.