| Well, after reading through this I have to say that I'm kind of disappointed to not see much mention of Tascam.
I was recently in the market for such a device and did a LOT of research on the topic.
I ultimately decided that the Tascam FW-1082 is by FAR the best bang for your buck. It runs about $550-$600 so it's right in the ballpark of the Firestudio/Motu 8-Pre/Focurite Saffire/etc. ... The beauty of this one as opposed to the others: It's a freakin' DAW controller!
So, you can spend the same amount for a rack-mount unit and get 8 inputs, and that's all, OR you can have 8 ins (10 when you add in the digitals), 8 faders (which you can just slide the bank over to edit up to 32), analog style EQ and Pan knobs, just about anything you need to keep your hand off that evil mouse.
The only drawbacks I've come across:
1. There's only 4 mic pres, so make sure you have some preamps in your rack somewhere.
2. It doesn't have the outputs that your Firepod had, so hardware routing becomes a bit difficult.
I'll also mention that in my research I found nothing but spectacular reviews on this unit from many reliable sources. These reviews were written when the product first came out and cost a grand, and they still said it was the best product for the money.
And now I've stated my defense for Tascam. I mean come on guys, they've been around forever.
One more thing before I go: You did say you're using a PC. MOTU is a Mac-Based company. So unless you're ready to drop some cash on a Mac (which I highly recommend at some point), I wouldn't waste your time looking into them.
Good luck,
-Michael |