M-Audio ProFire 610/410

[npulsipher]

I tried posting this on the "so much gear" board but didn't get much response so I'm trying again here.

Hey everyone! I've just recently entered the world of recording technology, but i'm hooked already. I'm trying to start up a mobile studio so I can record recital and concerts around campus and the surrounding area.
The only problem is my interface is a Line 6 Tone Port UX2. IMO it was great for starting out and figuring out how everything works. It's cheap. But now I'm realizing how terrible the pre-amps are for anything other than guitar and just half decent for vocals. But other than that things sound terrible.
So I've been looking at the M-audio 410 or 610 and wondering how those do. I'm a trumpet player so I'm particularly concerned about how they do with brass, but I'd like it to do well all around. Are their pre-amps as good as M-Audio claims to be?
I'm also looking a good pair of mics that i could use in an XY setup. Suggestions? PS I am in college so the kinder they are to the wallet the better.

[npulsipher]

anybody?

[aleatoric]

hi npulsipher,

welcome to gear slutz!

i think you are making a wise chose upgrading from your line 6 tone port.

as far as the m-audio units you mentioned i think either would be a nice change and provide you with more flexibility. however, i would strongly recommend that you go for the 610. the pre's on the 410/1814 are pretty lousy. the 610 pre's are much better and are very similar to the octane and dmp3 pre-amps from m-audio which are both known to be incredibly clean and transparent for the price tag. also the converters in the 610 are upgraded and are an improvement over the older m-audio units. i guess bottom line is that you can make some really nice recordings with a profire 610.

now, regarding mics, i would recommend a matched pair of oktava mk-012's, great mics for the price.

hope this helps!

[fifthcircle]

I haven't used the 610 (although in a couple weeks I will be). However, I have used the 410 a lot and I really don't like it at all.

The line inputs on it sounded like they were missing a leg- the sound was horrible- thin and nasty. The line in on the combo jacks on the front sounded much better. The other big problem is that I have never heard a box that clips less gracefully than this. A clip results in full spectrum, 0dBFS noise. There were also issues with it dropping out of record using PT M Powered on some systems.

I would hope that MAudio has fixed those issues with the 610.

--Ben

[skiltrip]

+1 for getting the 610, and also for NOT getting the 410.

The 610 is a significant step up from the 410 in preamp and converter quality. the ProFire 610 (or more likely it's big brother, the 2626) and on my upgrade list for this year.

[npulsipher]

nice. thanks everyone!

[mathieujm]

Originally Posted by npulsipher

nice. thanks everyone!

An important point for recital recordings : the 610 only have 53db of gain so I think it would be important to get a pair of mics with high output. The best one in the mid-price range is the Beyer MC930 (30mv/pa) instead of 10mv/pa for the MK012, so 9,5 db more ! and there is a pad to record your trumpet.

JMM

[npulsipher]

Originally Posted by mathieujm

An important point for recital recordings : the 610 only have 53db of gain so I think it would be important to get a pair of mics with high output. The best one in the mid-price range is the Beyer MC930 (30mv/pa) instead of 10mv/pa for the MK012, so 9,5 db more ! and there is a pad to record your trumpet.

JMM

The MC930s take 52v from phantom power right? The 610 is only puts out 48v. Is there a way around this?
I kind of like the idea of the MK012s too since they come in matched pairs and are significantly more affordable.

[mathieujm]

Originally Posted by npulsipher

The MC930s take 52v from phantom power right? The 610 is only puts out 48v. Is there a way around this?
I kind of like the idea of the MK012s too since they come in matched pairs and are significantly more affordable.

??? MC930 work from 11v to 52v, so 48v will be just ok, but 30 v should be also ok as some interfaces have only that...
But yes, a pair of Oktava is cheaper than a pair of MC930. I was just referring to their low output level beside the MC930 and that could be a problem with an interface with only 53db of gain.

JMM

[npulsipher]

Gottcha. yeah I'm still a noob and have no idea what I'm talking about

[Spec]

had problemsd with the 410 from day-one:

(i) the drivers under XP are flakey. mine regularly drop out: "no device found" etc. many times a re-boot will not fix the issue so i have to re-install. i would say this can happen three four times a month. often one session after another then fine for three weeks. v.odd.

my flatmate also had the 410 on XP and he had exactly the same driver drop-out issues

(ii) i did not do much recording with the 410 so cannot commernt on the AD but if its anything like the DA conversion it is ordinary to say the least. i would describe the DA converters as brittle, thin and harsh. even moving to the rme fireface (which no-one really buys for the DA ) was a MASSIVE improvement.

(iii) customer support and new driver production - pathetic. as i mentioned elsewhere i tried to give this card away to someone with a laptop that came bundled with vista 64. the vista 64 beta drivers (do not hold your breath waiting for the non-beta to be released) just will not install. i tried some of the B.S. suggestions on the m-audio forums (just leave it on for a few hours and it will update hahahaha)

so i have posted polite request for some other suggestions. a week later and several bumps not a squeek from m-audio.

my experience of the 410 makes me v. reluctant to go with anything by m-audio in the future. to me the 410 is just the next step up from creative: hobby card.

spek

maybe getting the black lion mod for thje 410 would improve its sounds?... but my feeling is better to save the money and go the next step which for a pc person would be rme ff400-800 or mac user maybe the metric halo

[Sugarnutz]

Get the 610, totally different animal than previous M-audio offerings. I have the 2626 which is the big brother to the 610 and it works great, no driver issues at all on XP SP2. M-audio finally got these 2 right and at a price it would be a crime to pass up, or just plain stupid for what you get.