What do you think of this interface?

I am looking to buy a new audio interface and saw this one,
 
http://www.samash.com/p/R16%20Recorder%20Interface%20Control%20Surface_-49954783
 
it has 8 xlr inputs and 2 outputs, can be used with or without a computer...
i know zoom priducts can be quite cheesy sounding but does anyone have any experience with it or any of the othe zoom recording hardware?
 
or if anyone knows of an interface for around the same price with as many mic inputs as this one, let me know.
thank you!

oxrabidus


I am looking to buy a new audio interface and saw this one,
 
http://www.samash.com/p/R16%20Recorder%20Interface%20Control%20Surface_-49954783
 
it has 8 xlr inputs and 2 outputs, can be used with or without a computer...
i know zoom priducts can be quite cheesy sounding but does anyone have any experience with it or any of the othe zoom recording hardware?
 
or if anyone knows of an interface for around the same price with as many mic inputs as this one, let me know.
thank you!

As an interface for Sonar I would be worried about driver support, Zoom is not one of the know good vendors for driver support in Windows.  It comes with Cubase LE and I'll be it barley works with that.

or if anyone knows of an interface for around the same price with as many mic inputs as this one, let me know. thank you!

 
It's a USB unit...
I'd opt for one of the Edirol USB units... or if you have the funds... the RME Fireface UC (which is the only USB audio interface that offers the round-trip latency on par with the best PCI/e units).
 
IMO, Edirol (Roland) makes the best low-cost USB audio interfaces.
 
FWIW, I'd choose an audio interface that's a proven rock-solid performer.

Any "blowout" pricing at big box music stores raises red flags for me. 

There is saftey in numbers.  If you don't see a lot of people in the forum using a product there is usually a good reason why.

I agree with Jim about the Edirol product line.  Jim knows his stuff.  I bought my Frontier Dakota card from him many, many years ago and (unfortunately for him) it's still a rock solid unit with great drivers and I haven't needed to upgrade it.

if i had the money id definately go for the rme on jim said... but i dont have 1400 bucks...
im actually thinking about the ua-101... its got 10 actuall inputs... as opposed to 2 inputs, 1 stereo pair etc etc... i could record my band with that right? 
and im gonna build a desktop here soon and didnt know anything about the soundcards you can actually install in a computer or if they were better or worse than external audio cards...
thanks

the 6 1/4 inputs on the back of the ua-101, can i plug in dynamic microphones into them? or will i still need preamps for them?
thanks

what are some good mic preamps? that arent really expensive, i saw a pr8 8 channel preamp at sam ash for $180...
thanks

do the 6 inputs in the back have preamps?  or would i need to get external preamps?
thanks

I was just going to add for Mod Bod's sake, that R16 has always been $399 everywhere since it first came out. That "Blowout Pricing" is that ol' fake marketing thing businesses do to make it look like a screaming deal. That unit has never cost more than $399 anywhere.

My ZOOM G2.1u works as an audio interface but as mentioned the ZOOM drivers pale in comparison to say my Echo drivers, so with the ZOOM stuff I have about double the latency.

I'd really like to see a unit like this though work. It's a great idea to combine all those functions.....portable recorder, control surface, and audio interface.

i looked for a TI firewire card but it seems liketheyre not made anymore? where can i find one new for sale?

 
FWIW, You can find TI chipset Firewire controllers online or locally (if you have a computer super-store nearby).  ie:  Our local Microcenter has both PCI and PCIe TI chipset Firewire controllers in stock.  Look for Firewire controllers... then look on the PCB for a (smaller) chip that has the TI logo.  Some will even specifically mention TI (Texas Instruments) on the package.

If low round-trip latency is important to you... run the other direction. 
The other Tascam USB units only go down to a 128-sample ASIO buffer size.
I'd expect this to be similar.
 
FWIW, If you want a trouble-free DAW, choose a proven rock-solid performer for your audio interface.
Going with a cheap unproven unit is literally rolling the dice.

If you are just doing overdubs w/ occational band recordings, you could get one of the cheaper 2 or 4 i/o units w/ ADAT.  I've heard good things about the behringer 8x ADAT w/ preamps which would give you 10 inputs.

The new TC Impact Twin has 2 preamps, 2 lines, ADAT and SPidf.  I know some had problems w/ the previous TC drivers but the latest have sorted most of that out.  It is FW, but if you are building a new computer that should work for a good while.

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