M-Audio Octane

Box Contents:

- Octane
- Manual
- Complimentary copy of TapeOp!
- 18VAC Power module

Introduction And Features

The M-Audio Octane is a 8 channel pre-amp offering 1/4" balanced line level inputs plus 2 independent unbalanced instrument inputs on the front panel, and XLR type microphone connections for each channel. The audio is 24bit with selectable sampling rates of 44k and 48k. The Octane has eight 1/4" Preamp Outputs and an ADAT TOSlink lightpipe out which can readily shuttle eight channels of audio to your favorite DAW. 48V Phantom power is also available, switchable as two banks of four channels. The back of the unit also has Wordclock I/O. The unit is 2RU's high and should fit to any standard 19" equipment rack, four mounting holes allow for the Octane to be secured in.

Each channel has an easily accessible 20db pad switch, a handy feature to control unusually hot signals. Also on the front panel there are push button switches on the even channels that are used for reversing the phase of the input signal. The Octane's front LED indicators are basic, but enough to give you a quick read on each channels signal. The resolution ratio between the signal and LED strength is good, with indication enough to back off the pots before going out of a particular sweet spot level or clipping the channel. The blue power LED is plenty bright to see in any light or
equipment enclosure.

The Octane boasts a feature called M-S Matrix. This feature, which operates on channels 7 and 8, is an alternative to standard X-Y stereo miking techniques. M-S or Mid-side miking is touted to improve stereo imaging and improves mono compatibility. More on this feature in the testing section.

Setup

Unpacking from the box was straightforward, the unit is relatively lightweight and can be mounted in a rack quickly and easily by one person. With the exception of the 2 Instrument inputs on the front of the unit, all inputs and outputs are located on the back of the unit so some preplanning before installing in the rack is required. However, the inclusion of the two front panel instrument jacks and a lightpipe connection means you can be up and running in short order as this reviewer discovered.

The manual is sparse, but does include some helpful information on integrating the Octane into your existing digital audio workstation environment, mainly covering proper level settings.

How Does It Sound?

My test setup consisted of the following mics:

- Studio Project C1 Condenser
- M-Audio Luna
- AKG C 414 B-ULS
- V-Tech Dynamic
- Shure SM57 and SM58 Dynamics
- Rode NT3 Condenser

The approach to the testing was two-fold. I used the standard 1/4" outputs into a M-Audio Delta 1010LT card for the first run through. The second run through was straight from the lightpipe output to the Mac G5 optical input. The input mix was a straight test of the mics, plus a few instruments into the front panel jacks.

The first run with multiple mics straight into the Delta was as expected. The Octane handled condenser and dynamic mics with equal accuracy and range. I have only a few pre-amps in my studio, but the Octane really made my mics come alive in many new ways. The signals were clean, perceivable distortion of any kind was nonexistent. From my perspective, it even brought new life to a high-end microphone such as the AKG. It's a snap to plug right into the front panel instrument jacks. I mounted the Octane in my mixing table with several rackmount bays across the front. It was nice to be able to grab my guitar and plug right into the Octane from there, and get good sounding results going straight into the box.

The second way I was able to use the Octane was in conjunction with my Firewire 1814. I hooked the lightpipe to my trusty Firewire 1814 and got some great recordings of every one of my mics. Serendipitously, using the 1814 showed how great a mobile team the Octane and 1814 are. I was able to port that setup out for a field recording using several mics at simultaneously to capture a nature setting. The Octane is large, so I wouldn't always recommend this avenue to record your favorite park but it's clear that M-Audio is designing these boxes with interaction in mind.

Generally speaking the Octane sounds great. The M-S Matrix feature is a particularly fun feature and even a novice such as myself with stereo miking techniques can get some excellent close mic results with anything from drums to acoustic guitars. A great pre-amp can bring new character to even the most marginal of gear and I was impressed by the Octane on this front as well. My low-end V-Tech mic has never sounded better and the Octane made me feel free to use it in a variety of new tasks.

One nitpick is that you really do have to crank the gain knob all the way around to get the signal hot enough for some things. I think the knob could have a deeper resolution, but there are design reasons for this I'm sure.

A Note On Tech Support

M-Audio tech support is great. However, I made the mistake of emailing them over the holidays and the response was understandably a bit slower than normal. However, once contact was made via phone, the tech support was forthright and helpful.

Conclusion

M-Audio does it once again, marrying low cost with high quality products. The price point on this box alone makes it worthy of a look, but the quality should make it a serious contender in any purchasing plans for pre-amps. It is difficult to find many faults with a simple unit like a pre-amp, and the sound quality is all that matters. The Octane delivers on that front.

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