As the title of the thread states... ProFire 2626 vs FireStudio 2626. I am looking to buy a high-endinterface soon and have been reading a lot of reviews on the potential units that I may buy.
One obvious advantage to the profire would be Pro Tools... Although I have read that the pres on the firestudio are amazing. Others say that the profire's pres are really good too.. but I wanted to get everyones opinion before I made a decision.
Right now I use Cubase 5 for editing. I've never used Pro Tools.. and obviously the DAW is only as good as the user who is using it, but is Pro Tools really that much better than Cubase? If so, how is the learning curve?
I've also read good things about RME.. but these units seem really expensive compared to the other two I just listed.
Opinions, insight, comments... whatever it be is welcome.
Comments
I am more than satisfied w/ the quality. The RME FF800 is a big-
I am more than satisfied w/ the quality. The RME FF800 is a big-boy toy.
Therefore, it's taking me a little bit of time to learn all the ins and outs of what it can do.
I bring this up, so that those that know better may correct or affirm it:
As I understand it, one of the of the biggest benefits of RME is their A/D and D/A converters.
You'd have to really spend to get a unit that offers better, and spend even more to get the preamps and I/O that the FF800 offers.
From what I've been able to hear myself so far, the preamps are also better than the FS26/26. Not sure that they're significantly better given the significant price range, but when you add in the other features, I consider the RME unit one of my best all-time buys.
The Fireface 800 is excellent. Its actually hard to believe they
The Fireface 800 is excellent. Its actually hard to believe they are able to make such an excellent product for that price. I have two of them and echo soapfloats. Its amazing how many people have these really and I never hear a bad thing about them. There are higher quality converters but they cost a lot more for a bit better each step beyond the FF800's.
Cubase 5 is just fine. Depending on your purposes, as good or be
Cubase 5 is just fine. Depending on your purposes, as good or better than PT.
A DAW is a DAW, and you have to consider the fact that you're already familiar w/ Cubase, and won't face learning new software.
I recently upgraded from the FS2626 to the RME FF800.
While I can't speak to your budget or needs, it was well worth the extra cost to me.
I'm still learning it and the TotalMix software, but am so far thrilled w/ its stability.
No dropouts, no glitches, no clocking issues. Lock, stock, and barrel - every time.
Still, the FS2626 is a nice unit for the price. I disagree that its preamps are special, but they're clean and quality. While I've had my issues with Presonus regarding stability, reliability, and compatibility, they perform as advertised for the most part.
If you go that route, I recommend adding the optional MSR. It's a REALLY handy unit.