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Indeed, the lack of input monitoring on the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software is just mean-spirited, there’s no reason not to have it. It’s just been disabled to encourage an upgrade, but five minutes of this and the only thing you’re encouraged to do is abandon Pro Tools and give something else a try, like GarageBand. It’s a shame really, as the effects – including a Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 guitar amp plug-in – really hit the spot.
You also get the Structure Essential plug-in from Digidesign’s Advanced Instrument Research group. This features 64 virtual instruments, and a virtual keyboard to test them out but, unlike GarageBand, you can’t play using the Qwerty keys. A MIDI controller offers the best way to play the on-board synths. Many new controllers utilise USB and just about any decent keyboard made in the last 25 years will have MIDI, but you’ll need a MIDI interface to link it up to a computer.
Convenient and compatible, but sonically challenged
In many ways, Pro Tools reflects the way that signal routing is achieved on more conventional hardware mixing consoles, so it would be worth learning this version if it wasn’t so annoying. Indeed, just about every time you want to do something clever, you’re faced with a menu icon that spells upgrade. Yet, as such, this isn’t an upgradeable product. There are no discounts on moving to higher level Pro Tools products. This is entry-level and there are no sweeteners.
Verdict
Portable, with guitar, line and mic inputs the FastTrack hardware alone is appealing but, in use, the reality is very different. The mic input is noisy, the mode switch thumps loudly and the software shortcomings make taken-for-granted tasks cumbersome. While the Pro Tools Recording Studio is unashamedly entry-level, the real shame is how it disappoints in crucial areas. ®
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M-Audio Pro Tools Recording Studio
COMMENTS
M-Audio
I've been looking at this package as a cheap way to get a friend onto Pro Tools so we can exchange demos. It's worth mentioning that the Fast Track 2 is now available, which fixes some of the flaws of the Fast Track and also adds phantom power. It still includes Pro Tools M-Powered Essential and still retails for £79:
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrack.html
I've been using an M-Audio FireWire 410 for nearly 5 years now, with Pro Tools M-Powered, and I can barely say a bad word about it. The mic preamps are impressively clean for the price range, the routing options are flexible and the whole thing is wrapped in a sturdy metal case that's stood up to its fair share of knocks.
The 410 cost me around £250, so for £79 you can hardly expect the Fast Track reviewed here to live up to the same standards. I also use an M-Audio MIDI controller which is pretty shit though, and I had a shitty pair of M-Audio monitors for a while. However, it's not fair to say all M-Audio gear is shit.
Thumbs down, becaise the thumbs up still has jaggy edges.
The "cubase killer" lurches on...
M's firewire interfaces work well for me on the PC side... but then you have to deal with problems inherent with doing audio on the PC. Also, you really want to check M's web site for updated drivers...they seem to ship with drivers that aren't quite finished, but work fine with updates.
As for "Pro" Tools... meh. The only reason to deal with their arrogance is because you're paid to. Since I'm paying for the tools I get to choose who I deal with. Cubase was good back in its day, Logic was good until Apple took it away. These days it's Ableton. There are a *lot* of options, and Digidesign's bad attitude doesn't even make the A list.
Are you *really* sure the review unit didn't just have an earthing fault?
The bit about the levels of noise on the disconnected mic input just doesn't sound right. I mean, could they really have been so daft as to think that all you need for a mic input is to use an XLR socket, but not actually known to use a balanced-line input configuration with it? Since they've got a follow-up model that does phantom power, they must have used a balanced configuration there (or everything would be on fire), so they must know what one is.
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