M-Audio Microtrack 24/96

[cdog]

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...2496-main.html

This little box looks really cool, I'm definitely going to get one. Its only $400.

I think an Apogee MiniMe, the Microtrack + 2GB CF Card, and a nice stereo mic or matched pair (SF12 or KM184s) will make a killer 2 channel location rig I can fit in my backpack.

I bet you could just go with the Microtrack and a Rode NT4 and get good results.

I hate toting a laptop around, DATs suck, so this is perfect - totally solid state, reliable, I'm ordering one now - I'll let you guys know what I think and post some clips.

[matucha]

well... the latest m-audio usb-firewire range sounds awful compared to the old plain audiophile pci... I'm not sure what converters uses this little box, but if it is anything near their current mobile stuff..........


... you really need minime to make it usefull

[uosdwis]

I would love it if SOMEONE made a stripped down, pro-level device of this nature. No crappy mic-pre's and stuff like that, just a simple recording device with digital i/o and and possibly a headphone jack for monitoring. There isn't a market for this?

This little thing is something I might buy anyway, because it's kinda cheap and still very useful with external pre's + A/D.

[santacore]

I pre-ordered one a few weeks ago and await it's arrival. Together with my mini-me I'm hoping to have a nice mobile 24/96 setup. We will see.

[edwinhurwitz]

How about just a s/pdif in 24 bit 88.2khz pcmcia card? It seems like such a simple thing. then I could go straight into a laptop with a Grace Lunatec V3. Until then, this seems like a good interim choice.

Edwin

[uosdwis]

Devices for laptops have been around a while, although often with more features than you need. Kind of what you suggest already exists, and it's pretty cheap. Works on PDA's too (it's actually a CompactFlash card). It's $199. Check it out:

http://www.core-sound.com/pdaudio-cf.html

I'd get this except I don't want to use a PDA, too fiddly. The MicroTrack gets cheaper, too.

[edwinhurwitz]

Thanks for the tip! Unfortunately, Len and his friends have yet to make his solution Mac friendly. These days I use either an MBox or M Audio Firewire Audiophile and that works OK. It's just more to lug around.


Edwin

[santacore]

Yep, that's why I went with it. Sometimes having a laptop attached to you is very hard to deal with. When gathering sound effects portability is critical.

I recently had to record ambiences at an active prison. I had a nice setup with a laptop as the recorder. By recording right into Pro Tools I thought I was slick. After 5 minutes I ditched the whole rig and opted for a crappy mini-disc setup(which I thankfully brought). Way easier to deal with. The sound quality suffered but if I didn't use the mini-disc I would have not came back with much of anything. Lesson learned.

[jgourd]

I almost bought one of those little thing a few weeks ago. I ended up getting the Fostex FR-2 instead.

[jacobo3d]

Question for Microtrack owners... any comments about your experience with it?
I'm thinking about getting one, but I'd like to hear some owners opinions...

Thanks!


*EDIT*: for Microtrack and Mini-Me owners, I'm interested in your experience with both together. Thanks!

[Dr Bob]

I have been testing out the Microtrack for a couple of weeks now. I am a university music professor so I record in a lot of venues around the facility. Some very serious recording, some informal. All the work described below was at 24/44.1.

1. Microtrack with its supplied stereo mic: About like you would expect. It's usefulness is limited to recording an example of a student's playing for a lesson or something. Handy, not good. Think mini disk. . .

2. Other mics into the Microtrack pre's and a/d: I have tried it with Neumann KM 130's, Schoeps CMC 6 bodies and CMC 5 bodies with various capsules, and a pair of AKG 414's. It really doesn't work well. I read on other forums that the phantom power was not actually 48 V but somewhat lower. I measured my own unit at 29.6 V. Do these mics "work" with less than 48 V? (Schoeps CMC 6's are spec'd at either 48 or 12, i.e. P or T power.) Well yes, but no, not really. For instance the Schoep's circuitry is looking for either about 48 volts or about 12 volts, but really underpeforms with something in the middle. None of these otherwise fine mics preforms well with this combination. Transient response seems especially lacking. So. . .

3. Repeated a test yesterday with Schoeps in M/S using Deneke Decode battery operated phantom units on a classical ensemble, still using the Microtrak pres and converters. (I record in this hall a lot so I know what this sounds like with top quality pre's and A to D.) Now we're talking. Its useable. It sounds like the less than expensive pre's and converters that it actually is, but at least the good qualities of the mics become apparent. But it's all running on batteries and it's useful for a rehearsal recording where its important that people be able to hear into the ensemble. Handy. Clear enough for that sort of work.

4. I have used it twice with the Apogee Mini-me, once with a Jeklin disk and KM 130's on classical piano, and once recording an opera performance again with the Schoeps M/S set up (which I decode later in my DAW). I guess all the Microtrack is doing is stuffing the data onto the card and doing some file handling and housekeeping. The Microtrack sync's up to the Apogee incoming S/PDIF without issues. To me it sounds just like any other recording I make through the MiniMe: great clarity and detail, nice uncolored reproduction. I expect the same would pertain with a Lunatec, but I have not tried that.

My criticism of the unit is in it's apparent build quality. I just don't know how well it will hold up. Seems kind of flimsy to me. I'll keep people posted if I have issues down the road.

Will I continue to use it? Probably. Is it signficiantly more convenient than tracking with a laptop and MiniMe directly by usb? Not really, but it is more discrete if you need to be actually in a hall with the performers during a performance.

[cdog]

I'm happy with it so far. Built like a toy, but a really cool expensive toy

With the MiniMe, its amazing.

0 noise.


less than 0.

[funkateer]

Check this out:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...SP-GIGATRACKER

I recently got one. So far so good. Waterproof box with tiny mic preamp feeding an Archos GMINI's line in.

[smarsland]

I am going to pass on this device for now. I was all excited about it but I'm thinking why spend $399 on something that probably won't last more than a couple of years?

Thanks for all of the info. This is OFF my x-mas list as of right now.

I have not used my Mini-Me direct USB yet... can anyone help me do that as far as drivers and software? I have only used it to bypass the converters in the MBox.

I don't care what software I use to record, as long as I can drag it into PTLE for editing, since that's what I'm used to.

s

[aeroc]

battery time is low and the phantom power is weak. that being said.. i love this thing. paired with an nt4, this thing rocks. it's small and light. i just got a portable 48v power module to put in the shoulder bag with all the other gear. i wish they would have made a beefier batt and gotten the phantom up to par, but for $330 + $50 for a 1gig card.. can't complain.

[smarsland]

Where did you get that deal?

s

[feyshay]

Originally Posted by smarsland

I have not used my Mini-Me direct USB yet... can anyone help me do that as far as drivers and software? I have only used it to bypass the converters in the MBox.


s

I don't understand your question. You download the drivers from www.apogeedigital.com. There are instructions for the download so that you can't mess up. Easy. Then select the device in the audio preferences of your DAW program. Remember, you can only get 48kHz sampling rate. No problem for me, but some like 98. Future firewire should allow greater sampling rate transfer.

[santacore]

I had high hopes for this box but have been let down. I finally got around to sending mine in for what I hope will be an exchange. I never got the thing to work with any other card but the 56mb that came with it. Very frustrating. Plus, the battery life was squirly as was the lock up's and freezes. It did sound great the couple of times I got it going but what a pain. When talking to someone in customer service they couldn't believe I had so many problems. They claim they haven't had many issues or returns. I guess they don't read any of the message boards. We'll see what happens when I get the unit back.

[aeroc]

Originally Posted by smarsland

Where did you get that deal?

s

ebay.. and.. ebay.

[bove]

Here's a pretty good price on a M-Audio MICROTRACK 24/96
$354 (including shipping) www.guygraphics.com

I bought one of these from them. Very nice customer service too!


I am a freelance musician, and I use the Microtrack as a portable unit to record practice sessions, rehearsals, live concerts (unobtrusively), etc... Easy to use, and sounds good enough for these purposes. I also bought some cheap small mics from giant squid audio, as an upgrade from the included mic.

[altinenti]

Hi Guys!
I read in this thread of good experiences synching the Microtrack with an external audio interface. I have been looking at this kind of operation myself, but I'm having trouble.
I have an RME Fireface 400 and a Microtrack and I'm not able to use it in this way: when I try to record with the Fireface in Stand-alone operation mode connected through the S/Pdif output to the Microtrack, the Microtrack freezes.
It's kind of wierd, as (almost) everytime I try this, though with the Fireface connected to the computer through firewire, it works and the Microtrack records ok without freezing. (Though, yesterday I was trying things out even with the fireface connected to the computer and when changing some parameters on the Fireface settings the Microtrack couldn't record again, it started locking up!)

Somebody told me this should be a sync problem, but I tried different settings on the Fireface (Master, autosync, various options) and the problem happens again. BTW I also tried recording like this but through the optical output into a Korg Hard Disc recorder and it worked fine (though I'm interested in making it work with the Microtrack)

Any ideas that might help? I'd be tremendously thankful!

[edwinhurwitz]

I've never heard of this problem. Any sync'ing that needs to be done should be automatic when you choose s/pdif in on the MT. Make sure that any sample rate settings agree. Make sure you have the most recent firmware.

I have been doing this for quite a while with no problems.

Edwin

[altinenti]

Thanks!
I just solved it yesterday, it was a firmware problem! with the new one it worked right away!