Ab Work Outs: Creative Professional E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface - Sound card - 24-bit - 192 kHz - 117 dB SNR - stereo

Creative Professional E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface - Sound card - 24-bit - 192 kHz - 117 dB SNR - stereo - Hi-Speed USB

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a Creative Soundblaster Pro in a box with two VERY clean high-quality mic preamps. SP/DIF digital audio ins/outs in both coaxial (RCA) and optical cable versions, MIDI in/out, 1/4 inch L/R monitor outs plus a 1/8 inch stereo out, 1/4 inch headphone out, and of course a USB output to the computer. The mic/line inputs are Nutrik 3-way XLR/Balanced/Unbalanced 1/4 inch so you can hook anything up to them. There is 48v Phantom power that is on or off BOTH mic inputs at the same time (so you can't use one powered XLR condenser mic and one 1/4 inch dynamic at the same time - well, there must be some limitations for the price). Each preamp has a segmented LED meter w/clip indicator and selectable soft limiting. The mic inputs, main monitor output, and headphone output have true analog knobs for level control, while the digital "direct monitor" output has an "endless" digital knob. Direct monitoring can be switched between the main outs and the SP/DIF outs, or switched off. SP/DIF can be switched between coaxial (RCA) and optical. ALL is not roses, though: the unit requires a floor-wart adapter even when you don't use phantom power. Some important operations can only be done using the software control panel, such as switching soft limiting on/off, switching MIDI sync between internal and external clocks, and setting sampling rates (which go as high 192kHz and 24-bits on the PC, but only 96kHz on the Mac). Another problem is the drivers. While they work fine with my version of Reason 4, they are unstable with Record + Reason (might be due to my system being 64-bit Windows 7). However the freely downloadable ASIO4All driver [...] works perfectly with this product - so use the E-Mu driver when you can, and use ASIO4All when you can't. Construction is solid but is plastic, so I'd set it up in a convenient spot and leave it there. It's very pretty - I purchased the white version because the front panel printing is easier to read. A great feature here is the unit can be used stand-alone with no computer - it's a self-contained moderate-to-high end Soundblaster with its own premaps - you can plug anything into it and listen via the monitor outs or headphones. The sound is very good - as I said the preamps are very good quality and the unit doesn't add any noise or much "color" to the signal. It comes with a bunch of software that's worth the price in itself: A "Light" version of Cubase, Ableton Live, E-Mu's virtual Proteus synth plugin, and more. I use Propellerheads' Reason and Record software and it works great with them, with the exception of the driver pickiness mentioned above when using Record. A very good unit worth twice the price.

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Product Description:
E-MU's new 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface in White delivers an unparalleled level of audio performance to your Mac or PC with premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters, pristine XTC mic/line/hi-Z preamps, ultra-low jitter clock and rock-solid stability. From its plug-and-play functionality and hands-on ergonomic design to professional features and signal-to-noise specs that are simply unmatched by any other USB interface on the market, the 0404 USB will forever change your expectations of USB audio. The 0404 USB also ships with the E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle that includes E-MU's Proteus VX, as well as software by Cakewalk, Steinberg, Ableton, IK Multimedia, and many more - everything you need to create, record, edit and master your music.

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