tc konnekt 24D interface - my first impressions

Hey, if you’re still shopping for an audio interface, & haven’t decided yet, you might want to check out this under-rated, under-estimated little box.

Always daring to be different, I thought I’d try the ‘tc electronic konnekt 24D’.
Some guys have been asking about it, so I thought I’d find out for sure.

For comparison, my current local prices are:

Edirol UA-25 - 239
Edirol UA-101 - 475
Edirol FA-101 - 390
Focusrite Saffire LE - 248
Presonus Firebox - 335
tc electronic konnekt 8 - 299
tc electronic konnekt 24D - 499
Motu 828 Mkiii - 820
RME FF 400 - 1299
M-Audio Stuff - Not Sure


I own the UA-25; & have tried the Saff. LE, the Pres. Firebox & the Motu 828Mkiii.

I’m not the kind to try something and instantly boast about it the very next day, but so far, my first impressions of this thing are excellent, and had me thinking about it all the next day. I had other things to be thinking about, such as the work I was supposed to be doing, and yet I kept drifting back to this unit from the night before.

That’s when I know something really has my attention.

So I felt compelled to right up & post this, seeing so many posts about interface choices & questions.

Now I’m not some new kid, just fresh out of high school, struggling to keep a boner down over my new excitement here.
It would be a stretch to call me easily excitable.

In fact, I’m almost 47 and have bought ton’s of stuff over the years.

For instance, I’m about to purchase my 14th keyboard, starting in 1977, with a monophonic ARP II. I think it was an Odysey. Quickly followed by ‘The Wurlitzer’ to sit it on.

But this item, the tc konnekt 24D, might just be the best kept secret around, especially at the $500 price point.

In a world of increasing superficiality, where the norm is now ‘lot’s of hype, very little substance’, you gotta love a company that says & does very little promotion, and just let’s the product speak for itself.
That always gains my respect. Seems some of the best products come from companies & individuals who sometimes prefer to just keep their mouths shut.

I should say that I’m in no way affiliated with this company, nor do I work in any type of music store, so there are no commissions or benefits whatsoever to ‘encourage’ this review. I’m not selling anything.

I simply want others who are just about to buy an interface, and have spent the last few months shopping for one, like I have, to consider what I have to say about the following audio interface, after just one trial session.
Hopefully they will avoid buyer’s remorse, and will benefit from the added choice of yet another interface option .
– (like we really needed yet another interface option to mix it up with, huh?)

But this late comer just might sit at the top of the list at $500 & under.
Even higher than $500.

I got interested in this unit after reading Craig Anderton’s review at length on Harmony Central.
What’s cool there, is that a guy named Mike Martin interacts with Craig & other actual users about this unit, and he’s from ‘tc electronics product support’.
He happened to be following Craig Anderton’s review, and decided to chime in as it went along.
He takes the comments & questions, from Craig & current & future users, checks them out, and then chimes back in with the answers – who knew!?!

Direct Product Support input during the review process to answer product inquiries -
- now ya gotta like that!!!


OK, so here we go. (Check below to see what stuff I’m using.)

First off, this unit comes with built in DSP, which is one of the things that makes the Motu group attractive.

Also comes with Cubase LE, if that matters to you.
BUT it also comes with a very interesting plug-in that some might just love, called ‘Assimilator’

In short, let’s say you have recorded a number of acoustic guitar tracks at different times, on different tracks or projects, different DAWs, even on different platforms, and you happen to like the particular frequency curve of one guitar track.
You then wish you could match the freq. of all the other acoustic guitar tracks you have recorded everywhere else to that one, say for consistency across an album or CD you’re putting together.
Or maybe you just want your ac guitar tracks to all sound similar in freq. as a reference point, like a favorite piano sound.

While that’s what this Assimilator plug in will do.
It will ‘learn’ the freq. curve of ANY track, and then you can apply that freq. curve to any track you want - guitar, vocal and even in the mastering stage.

Maybe you have the perfect EQ mix setting of your best vocal track ever, and with a bit of FX, you know it would be just right to use, from this point on.
You can use this ‘Assimilator’ plug in to do that across the board, across platforms, across various DAWs. On every vocal track you’ve ever done, especially if the same mic was used.

Or how about a lead guitar or synth sound that you want to set up as a default sound to start with from song to song?

Now just think about the amount of TIME & NUMBER of mouse clicks this could save!

It’s estimated that this plug in, together with the onboard DSP’s are worth $1000 retail.
If so, then that would make the tc 24D worth $1500.00.

(Oh well, so much for my 'In short” huh?)

Anyway this unit, the 24D, can also be used ‘stand alone’, including the DSPs.
Four of them can also be daisy chained together.

Out of the box, this unit is heavy – this is no light piece of plastic.

It is the same height as the Edirol UA-25, twice the depth, and one & a half times the width.
For those who are familiar with the Yamaha P-200, it fits perfectly on the flat top of that piano. It has thin rubber feet, and is solid.

One thing that I didn’t like about the Foc. Saffire LE is the fact that any time I had to plug or unplug something, I had to grab the thing with the other hand, to prevent it from tipping over, or dragging along.
Not this thing! You can plug & unplug with one hand - this thing is staying put.

OK, so I ran both in ASIO and WDM with no troubles at all.
Switching between the 2 a few times, with no powering down, no un-plug, no turn-off or anything, just the normal Sonar close & reopen. Same thing with switching sample rates.

In ASIO, all 24 input options showed up from the 24D, when choosing an audio track input in Sonar.
The specs say 14/14. I assume that means 14in/14out simultaneously.

I had read a post where someone had said their 24D got so hot, ‘they could fry an egg on it’.
I also read horror stories on the tc electronics forums, about driver issues.

Neither problem here though.

First, the drivers installed lick-a-de split! No issues at all, and installed in under a minute total.

Then as usual, you connect the unit. It does come with a power supply, but I didn’t need it, just using the 6 pin FireWire cable. The included cable is the 6 foot long silver braided one, that sells for $30 at most stores near me.
(One thing I liked right away was the fact that the FireWire cable fit very snug, as opposed to other interfaces, where it seemed like it could fall out, especially as time went by. Not this one! It’s in there to stay. Perfect!)

Then, when I updated my driver to the one off their web site, it tells you it will uninstall the existing one, then does that in a matter of seconds.
(No annoying registration prompting, BTW.)

Again, zero issues, ultra-fast driver install. Ready to go in just a few minutes!

On the tc forums, there are a lot of posts about early driver issues.
But another post said “Whatever ‘tc electronics’ did to fix their drivers worked”, and he’d be right! At least in my case. Only my Edirol UA-25 drivers installed that fast & trouble free.

I did have driver issues with Motu’s 828mkiii, and Presonus’s Firebox, but absolutely none with this tc 24D.

Another thing I like is that there is an on/off switch that’s very easy to reach at the top right back of the unit (when facing you).
Nice to have the option, if you want to work at your computer on something else, and don’t want the unit on all that time. No unplug or disable, just turn it off.

When connected to FW, there is a little blue light on the top left of the front panel. Also, 3 led’s, yellow -30db, green -10db, & red O/L for clip, on each of the 2 front combo jacks, that I didn’t even know were there until I needed them.

As far as heat goes, not only did this unit not get hot, I’m not sure I’d even say it got warm, quelling any concerns of over-heating.
In all fairness though, I did not stress test this unit yet, but I think that post about ‘cooking an egg on it’ must have just been a defective unit. After all, this is a fairly new product. 1 year old, I think.

So the very first thing that mattered to me was to record a signal from my DBX 376 PreAmp/Compressor/EQ/De-Esser thru S/PDIF coaxial.
This, to know I could keep free all other inputs on the 24D, for other stuff.

No problem with external digital lock, just a few mouse clicks.

And a good, clean, strong signal with S/PDIF that was easy to record instantly in Sonar. Just what I’d hoped it would be like. Adat Optical I/O too.

Next, I really wanted to check out what many seem to talk about most.

The Preamps:

So I unplugged my mic cable from the DBX 376, & plugged the XLR cable directly into the left pre of the 24D, and when I pressed the 48v Phantom button, that’s when I noticed the 2 of the 3 level indicators blink just once.
(yellow, & green)

What I liked right away is that there is a 2-3 second delay when switching the 48v on/off, and then a fade in (or out). No abrupt thump.
Just enough time to reach over & turn the volume knob down, if you wish.

So just using a Neumann TLM 103, & the 24D, I had lot’s (& I mean LOT’S) of signal.

Ton’s of snot in fact!!

With the gain dial up just halfway, 50%, or 12 o’clock, there was more than enough volume.
And same at the headphone jack. Lot’s & lot’s of volume!

I’ll bet there’s twice the amplitude that I think I’ll ever need. Certainly a much higher/louder signal than I ever plan to record with.

So ‘half-mast’, is plenty.

I remember one audio interface post I read that had to have the gain up all the way, and it still didn’t seem enough for him. Can’t remember the make, or model, but I’m sure it wasn’t this thing!

Again, FW only, no power supply. Unit barely warm, running 5 or 6 vocal tracks by now.

This is not what I’ve read and/or experienced with other interfaces.

And clean? Very clean! And very honest sound. Not colored or lacking in any way.
First descriptive thought that came to mind was ‘full-bodied sound’, like describing a type of wine.

The highs were crisp & clear, without any need for a de-esser; the lows were not boomy or anything ‘too much or too little’; and the mids were strong, and again, full. No wimpy sound here.
If anything, I will end up turning the mids down on my vocal.
I’m always in favor of turning stuff down, if for no other reason than to decrease any noise. And that brings me my next point.

Noise.
Except…………..I couldn’t find any!
No noise! None.

I was trying to ‘catch’ the noise floor in between my vocal phrases, and I couldn’t. No hiss, no buzz,…nothing.

In fact, I had to record ‘nothing’, - me sitting there perfectly silent without singing - just to listen for the noise floor.
Normally, with my DBX 376, I’m hearing stuff, not including all the room & background noises.

With this unit, I could ONLY hear the room & background noises. Otherwise it was literally dead silent!
And I know for sure that there was no noise gate being used anywhere along the signal path. Very impressive, boys!

I could not believe that my mic was up as high a I’ll ever want it to be,
(a full, robust input signal for Sonar), with the gain up only halfway…and yet no noise.

Ton’s of volume! Clean, clear, crisp noise free volume!

I can’t imagine how good an acoustic guitar is going to sound.

I can’t imagine what my Ricky 4003, splitting the signal into separate bass & treble parts using the optional ‘Rick-o-Sound’ box, plugged into both L & R Preamps on the 24D will sound like.

“Oh Mama, I think I’ve fallin’ in love!!!”

“Oh Fireglo Rickenbacker 4003, still in virgin (mint condition) as the day I brought you home way back in 1996, will you marry me???” Schwingg!!! Ha ha ha!

(OK, maybe I AM having trouble keeping a boner down after all…but I digress.)

Ok – honeymoon’s over – but, Oh how sweet it is!!

Back to the 24D - 2 headphone outs, one muting, one non-muting.

Lot’s of headphone volume!
Too much, even.
Probably just right to split between 2 phones.

Well, that’s more than plenty of info for now.
(Is it possible that I’m long winded? – no way!)

So, if you can muster up the half large, and especially if you can try this unit for 30 days like I am, I think you might really like it’s sound, features, build quality & included DSP’s, & Assimilator Plug in @ just $500.
At twice the Focus Saffire Le price, this appears to offer much more, exponentially. Easily offers way more than double!

I wouldn’t even bother with the Konnekt 8, as there are no DSPs or Assimilator, and there’s 2 less outs.
In fact, you’re sure to have buyer’s remorse if you do buy the konnekt 8, and later find out all you missed out on with the 24D, for just $200 more.

Oh, and there’s even a large Guitar/Bass tuner onboard with presets for Guitars/Bass: 4 string, 5 string, 6, etc. How cool is that?

Myself, I’m definitely taking the whole 30 days to really dive deep into this thing, as so far I’m extremely impressed, especially when compared to other interfaces I’ve tried.

If my DBX 376 happened to crap out tonight, I got ‘no worries now’.
I’d keep this 24D for sure then, as an instant replacement.
Good chance the DBX may just play ‘second fiddle’ to the clean, quiet tc konnekt 24D anyway.

And don’t be discouraged by the troubles on the tc forums. They seem to be resolved by now.
I was almost turned off as fast as I was turned on by what I read there, until the music store guy said 3 of them tried & really liked the 24D. Sounded like they kept them.

So, unless something goes wrong, or craps out, or has terrible latency or something, I see myself keeping the 24D, and even abandoning my beloved DBX 376, and using the 24D directly, for optimal signal strength & clarity.

Not to mention it’s own onboard 4 band
EQ/De-Esser/Compressor/Limiter/Reverb, which, I have a feeling, are going to kick some ass!

Something tells me, I’ll be impressed even further.

Go to their Web Site. www.tcelectronic.com

And find Craig Anderton’s review on Harmony Central.

Check it out!

Jimusic

Sonar 7.0.2 Studio
Win XP
Sonar Dedicated Computer (strong, clean, fast & very quiet)
AMD Athlon x64 Dual Core
4 Gigs Ram (Actually 3.25 Gigs)

ADS PYRO PCI 64R2 - 3 port FireWire Card
–Works perfect! - Thanks for the tip Jim Roseberry!

Neumann TLM 103 mic
Roland RD700 GX Piano
Korg DW 8000 Synth,
Korg EX 8000 Module
Korg O5R/W Module
Rapture, Minimoog & Dim. Pro VSTs
Schecter PT Custom & Ibanez Electric Guitars
Ricky 4003 Bass/Rick-o-Sound Splitter
Virtual Drums & TD - 6 Brain

ORIGINAL: jimusic


I got interested in this unit after reading Craig Anderton’s review at length on Harmony Central.
What’s cool there, is that a guy named Mike Martin interacts with Craig & other actual users about this unit, and he’s from ‘tc electronics product support’.

Not anymore. Mike left TC a while ago.

I am considering getting a Konnekt Live. But I've heard alot of alarms. And now this Dice-II chipset comment. It' been almost three months. Is the Konnekt still working for you?

A begrudging thankyou for this review, I'm desperately trying to keep my hand out of my wallet over one of the Konnect 48s which look lovely (and a great instant drop in replacement for my DS's) but the call keeps getting louder!

Cheers
Child