The FireWire 18/14 is an 18-in/14-out FireWire audio/MIDI interface - includes 8 channels of ADAT Lightpipe I/O, stereo S/PDIF I/O and an 8-input, 4-output analog I/O section. Complete with two channels of mic/instrument preamps on Neutrik combo connectors, the FireWire 18/14 is perfect for project studios that want to go all digital. The ADAT Lightpipe I/O allows you to bring ADAT tracks into your software studio, and connect directly with other digital gear such as digital mixers or M-Audio's Octane preamp.

Flexible Routing and a Host of I/O Options

Other features of the FireWire 18/14 include flexible internal mixing with an assignable rotary encoder and software-controlled mixing of hardware and software I/O. The S/PDIF digital I/O supports Stereo, PCM, AC-3 and DTS for surround sound, and there's 192kHz capability on 2 inputs and all four analog outputs. A front-panel momentary switch for DJ-style headphone auditioning between two assignable sources makes the FireWire 18/14 ideal for live use, too! A 1 x 1 MIDI interface allows connection of a MIDI synth or other device plus control of the FireWire 18/14 via an external device. A bonus is the two stereo headphone outputs on the front panel.

Features

• 18-in/14-out FireWire Audio/MIDI Interface w/ ADAT Lightpipe I/O
• 8 x 4 24-bit/96kHz analog I/O (1/4" TS) or 2 x 4 24-bit/192kHz analog I/O
• 8 x 8 ADAT Lightpipe I/O with S/MUX support for 4-channel 96kHz operation
• Digital S/PDIF (optical/coaxial) I/O w/ 2-channel PCM
• Digital out supports pass-through of AC-3/DTS surround-encoded content
• Dual mic/instrument preamps (Neutrik XLR/ 1/4" TS) with input level controls, 20dB pad, phantom power and signal LEDs
• Dual stereo headphone outputs with individual level controls (1/4" TRS)
• Flexible software-controlled mixing of hardware and software I/O
• Aux sends on all channels; aux out assign allows dedicated headphone mixes and sends to external fx
• User-assignable front-panel level control (output, input, software return, aux send)
• Near zero-latency hardware direct monitoring
• Low-latency ASIO software direct monitoring
• Momentary switch for A/B cueing 2 software-assignable headphone sources or ASIO
• Monitoring on/off
• 1 x 1 16-channel MIDI I/O
• Word clock I/O (BNC) for sync with external devices
• Power on/off switch with indicator LED
• Powered via FireWire bus* or included DC power adapter
• 2 convenient high-bandwidth FireWire ports
• Rugged steel construction
• * requires 6-pin FireWire connection

Specifications

• A/D Res: 24-bit/96kHz
• Analog Inputs: 8 (2 mic/inst Neutrik combo, 6 line 1/4" TS
• Analog Outputs: 4 1/4' TS
• Digital Inputs: 8-channel ADAT Lightpipe, Stereo S/PDIF (optical/coax)
• Digital Outputs: 8-channel ADAT Lightpipe, Stereo S/PDIF (optical/coax)
• Firewire: Yes (w/ 2 FireWire ports)
• MIDI I/O: 1 x 1 interface
• Monitor Outs: 4 1/4" TS analog outs plus 2 headphone outs
• Phantom Power: Yes
• Platform: Mac OS X; Windows
• Samp. Rate: 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96kHz
• USB: No

System Requirements

PC

• Pentium 3 – 800MHz or higher (may be higher for laptops)
• 256MB RAM; DirectX 9.0b or higher
• Windows XP (SP1); Windows 2000 (SP4) or higher (Windows 98, 98SE, Me or NT not supported)

Mac

• G3** 800MHz or G4 733MHz or higher (may be higher for laptops)
• OS 9.2.2 or greater w/ 256MB RAM;
• OS 10.2.8 w/ 256BM RAM; OS 10.3 or greater w/ 512MB RAM

** G3/G4 accelerator cards not supported; native FireWire ports required

audioMIDI.com Review (Doug Edge)