[ddots-l] Re: Good news regarding inexpensive interfaces

  • From: "Darren" <darren@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2011 13:33:56 -0000

Hi Bryan.

I've had one of these for a couple of years and the only problems I ever had
were of my own doing when I installed the wrong drivers for Windows 7.

Simple to use and sounds great.

Cheers
Darren

-----Original Message-----
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Bryan Smart
Sent: 02 January 2011 13:22
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ddots-l] Good news regarding inexpensive interfaces

--_000_D496F0BD62B5F4419AD933D43E94643605AA88DDMAILR019maillan_
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Among the gloom and doom of inaccessible interfaces, I've had a recent good=
find for those on a budget.

Cakewalk UA-25EX

This is basically a Roland-built interface. Has been out for a while, but I=
must have just missed it. I have an Edirol FA66, and it looks very similar=
, if you've seen that one before. It is also quite similar in construction =
and appearance to the older Firebox, though with higher quality controls.

The most important things about it are that it uses a USB interface, so is =
widely compatible, has stable drivers in both ASIO and WDM mode, is fairly =
inexpensive (well under $200), and is 100% accessible. There are lots of ph=
ysical controls, but, for everything else, the control panel software uses =
standard Windows controls that should all read perfectly with any screen re=
ader (tested with Jaws, NVDA, and Narrator).

There are a few drawbacks. It is a simple 2 in, 2 out interface, but, for p=
eople recording at home on a budget, that won't be a big deal. It can recor=
d at 96Khz, but there are some limitations. You can work without limitation=
s at 48Khz or 44Khz at up to 24-bit, though, which will be fine for most pe=
ople.

Assuming that those aren't a deal breaker for you, this is what you get:


=B7         Solid all-metal construction

=B7         Two front-panel combo jacks (1/4" line level, =BC" High-Z instr=
ument input, or XLR mic with phantom power).

=B7         Digital in/out (optical)

=B7         Hardware monitoring of the inputs, controlled with a simple fro=
nt-panel knob.

=B7         A simple limiter/compressor for the inputs, controlled with a m=
ode slide switch and an amount knob.

=B7         A ground lift switch, to remove hum that might be picked up fro=
m your laptop's power supply

=B7         Operates in a simple driver mode (class compliant), or in an ad=
vanced mode (ASIO direct monitoring and other features, but requires UA-25E=
X drivers)

=B7         Simple MIDI (in/out)

=B7         Physical controls for adjusting the gain of the individual inpu=
ts, selecting mono/stereo mode for the two inputs, selecting between analog=
or digital inputs, adjusting the limiter/compressor mode and amount, adjus=
ting the direct monitor gain, ground lift on/off, selecting the sample rate=
, selecting the driver mode, phantom power on/off, and others.

It has drivers for XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac, including 32 and 64-bit. =
In Windows 7 64-bit, I got stable performance out of it with 4Ms latency. T=
hat isn't bad for a USB interface. Sound quality is really good.

The limiter/compressor is a nice feature, also. Particularly for novice use=
rs, it is a really nice safety to keep you from accidentally clipping if yo=
u aren't an expert in setting good levels. In limiter mode, the input signa=
l is smoothed out to prevent clipping, and the front-panel knob adjusts the=
threshold. There are two compression modes that, when on, cause the front-=
panel threshold knob to apply gain reduction and makeup gain at the same ti=
me. A fairly fast attack and slow release are preset, so this is intended t=
o help smooth out input levels, rather than for squishing dynamic range. Us=
ed lightly, I could imagine this being a big help to a vocalist for getting=
a quicky track recorded. Of course, you can switch this off.

The whole thing, preamps included, is USB bus-powered, and the case is extr=
emely rugged (you could toss it around, drop it, sit on it, and it wouldn't=
break). Several places are selling it for around $170 right now. That's a =
really good bargain, I think, given the construction quality, stability, fe=
atures, and out-of-the-box accessibility.

By the way, my recent accessibility testing of interface after interface ha=
s been brought to you by Dancing Dots. If you think that you might like to =
get one of these, please consider supporting this sort of testing by gettin=
g one from DD. You can send an enquiry to admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:admi=
n@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, or call 610-783-6692 during normal business hours.

Bryan


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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vli=
nk=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>Among the gloom =
and doom of inaccessible interfaces, I&#8217;ve had a recent good find for =
those on a budget.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>=
<p class=3DMsoNormal>Cakewalk UA-25EX<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o=
:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>This is basically a Roland-built in=
terface. Has been out for a while, but I must have just missed it. I have a=
n Edirol FA66, and it looks very similar, if you&#8217;ve seen that one bef=
ore. It is also quite similar in construction and appearance to the older F=
irebox, though with higher quality controls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNo=
rmal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>The most important things 
rmal>ab=
out it are that it uses a USB interface, so is widely compatible, has stabl=
e drivers in both ASIO and WDM mode, is fairly inexpensive (well under $200=
), and is 100% accessible. There are lots of physical controls, but, for ev=
erything else, the control panel software uses standard Windows controls th=
at should all read perfectly with any screen reader (tested with Jaws, NVDA=
, and Narrator).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p=
 class=3DMsoNormal>There are a few drawbacks. It is a simple 2 in, 2 out in=
terface, but, for people recording at home on a budget, that won&#8217;t be=
a big deal. It can record at 96Khz, but there are some limitations. You ca=
n work without limitations at 48Khz or 44Khz at up to 24-bit, though, which=
will be fine for most people.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbs=
p;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Assuming that those aren&#8217;t a deal br=
eaker for you, this is what you get:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:=
p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParagraph 
p>style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;m=
so-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style=3D'font-family:Sym=
bol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times Ne=
w Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></=
span><![endif]>Solid all-metal construction<o:p></o:p></p><p 
span>class=3DMsoLis=
tParagraph style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supp=
ortLists]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore=
'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><![endif]>Two front-panel comb=
o jacks (1/4&#8221; line level, =BC&#8221; High-Z instrument input, or XLR =
mic with phantom power).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D=
'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span sty=
le=3D'font-family:Symbol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D=
'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&n=
bsp; </span></span></span><![endif]>Digital in/out (optical)<o:p></o:p></p>=
<p class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 =
lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbol'><span style=
=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;=
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><![endif]>H=
ardware monitoring of the inputs, controlled with a simple front-panel knob=
.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso=
-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbo=
l'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New =
Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></sp=
an><![endif]>A simple limiter/compressor for the inputs, controlled with 
an>a =
mode slide switch and an amount knob.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParag=
raph style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLis=
ts]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<=
span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><![endif]>A ground lift switch, to r=
emove hum that might be picked up from your laptop&#8217;s power supply<o:p=
></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParagraph 
>style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list=
:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbol'><s=
pan style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman=
"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!=
[endif]>Operates in a simple driver mode (class compliant), or in an advanc=
ed mode (ASIO direct monitoring and other features, but requires UA-25EX dr=
ivers)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D'text-indent:-.25i=
n;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style=3D'font-family:=
Symbol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times=
New Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span=
></span><![endif]>Simple MIDI (in/out)<o:p></o:p></p><p 
>class=3DMsoListPara=
graph style=3D'text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLi=
sts]><span style=3D'font-family:Symbol'><span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>=B7=
<span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><![endif]>Physical controls for adj=
usting the gain of the individual inputs, selecting mono/stereo mode for th=
e two inputs, selecting between analog or digital inputs, adjusting the lim=
iter/compressor mode and amount, adjusting the direct monitor gain, ground =
lift on/off, selecting the sample rate, selecting the driver mode, phantom =
power on/off, and others.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o=
:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>It has drivers for XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Ma=
c, including 32 and 64-bit. In Windows 7 64-bit, I got stable performance o=
ut of it with 4Ms latency. That isn&#8217;t bad for a USB interface. Sound =
quality is really good.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p=
></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>The limiter/compressor is a nice feature, 
>also. P=
articularly for novice users, it is a really nice safety to keep you from a=
ccidentally clipping if you aren&#8217;t an expert in setting good levels. =
In limiter mode, the input signal is smoothed out to prevent clipping, and =
the front-panel knob adjusts the threshold. There are two compression modes=
that, when on, cause the front-panel threshold knob to apply gain reductio=
n and makeup gain at the same time. A fairly fast attack and slow release a=
re preset, so this is intended to help smooth out input levels, rather than=
for squishing dynamic range. Used lightly, I could imagine this being a bi=
g help to a vocalist for getting a quicky track recorded. Of course, you ca=
n switch this off.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>=
<p class=3DMsoNormal>The whole thing, preamps included, is USB bus-powered,=
and the case is extremely rugged (you could toss it around, drop it, sit o=
n it, and it wouldn&#8217;t break). Several places are selling it for aroun=
d $170 right now. That&#8217;s a really good bargain, I think, given the co=
nstruction quality, stability, features, and out-of-the-box accessibility.<=
o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNorma=
l>By the way, my recent accessibility testing of interface after 
l>interface =
has been brought to you by Dancing Dots. If you think that you might like t=
o get one of these, please consider supporting this sort of testing by gett=
ing one from DD. You can send an enquiry to <a href=3D"mailto:admin@dancing=
dots.com">admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</a>, or call 610-783-6692 during normal bus=
iness hours.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p cla=
ss=3DMsoNormal>Bryan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></=
p></div></body></html>=

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