Motu 828mkII vs. M-Audio Firewire 410 Which one to choose?

  • Thread starter Thread starter VladVice
  • Start date Start date
V

VladVice

Guest
Hello!

I am still thinking about which audio interface I want to get.....

I came down to 2 choices....

Motu 828mkII and the M-Audio Firewire 410

I use an MPC 2000XL and Roland XV3080. I will use a PC and I am thinking of using Cubase


I keep hearing great things about the Motu 828mkII no complaints at all.

I was told that M-audio's are not pro enough......


there is a price issue.... in Canada the quotes that I got for each is $1075.00 for the Motu 828mkII and the M-audio firewire 410 is $520

now....

1. is there really a difference in the end results in terms of quality of sounds?

2. which one is more reliable.... I do not want to get the feeling that it was the wrong purchase cause it keeps getting deffects...

I am just wondering is it worth it saving up for the Motu 828 mkII or just get the m-audio firewire 410 cause there is a difference in the prices...

I am just looking to get very good recording quality.... pro sound.

thanks

Vlad
 
Please don't double post.

https://www.futureproducers.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=72905

anyway to answer part of your question... Future Music magazine did a whole comparison (last month or the months before) of loads of sound cards including the 828 & 410. Try find a copy of the magazine.

OK:

1. is there really a difference in the end results in terms of quality of sounds?

Basically YES. The 828 is better made in every way and will give better results because it's better machine. Just how noticable these differences are though and how much it's worth to have the better of the two... only you can be the judge.

2. which one is more reliable.... I do not want to get the feeling that it was the wrong purchase cause it keeps getting deffects...

I've never heard any mechanical complaints against either unit. The 828 though is very solid & a true "Pro" piece of gear that should last forever. You may have to check how exactly these two units will work in terms of compatabiltiy with your PC set up though.


If you really want a great pro quality interface then the 828 wins on just about everything except price. There are however other units that produce just as good sonic results for less money, depending on what you require in terms of inputs & outputs etc. If you're after quality then i'd strongly suggest that you check out the RME soundcards unless you're restricted to Firewire & USB devices.

:)

MM
 
messyman!

thanks for replying

I had to double a little cause I was not getting any replies...


what do I need.....

2 outputs at the same time is good. a midi input out put as well...maybe 1 microphone input as well.

I am not restricted to USB or Firewire... what ever audio interface I would use I would get the proper port for it.

and yes I am looking for quality cause I do not want to have a product and someone feels that the quality is not up to par....

so what else can you tell me about the RME?

thanks

Vlad
 
I will be honest. I own a Firewire 410 and I love it. The difference between the 828 and the 410 is not quality REGARDLESS of what people say..the difference is in the number of ins and outs. The limitations of only recording 2 mono/1 stereo track(s) at a time can actually be a good thing. For me at least. I like the multiple outputs of the 410. I can run out my monitors one one set of outs, and I can run out another set of outs for sampling back into my hardware. When I record one stereo or two mono tracks at a time to build up my song, as annoying as a kick and snare or a stereo string part recording alone can be, it gives me a chance to listen to it and moake notes about what frequencies need to be eq'd or paned, or what effects to use. I make these notes and then when I am ready to put together a mix, I got half the work done. I record kick, snare first, then the rest of the hi hats and drum parts, then bass, then something else, and so on and so forth and I can hear it as I build it up. Making those notes and getting things acomplished that way. As fast as dumping more than that at once and then begin mixing is great, how much faster is it when you know in advance (mostly) how you need to mix the track once you start the mix. Building up the recording the way I do...albeit becasue I have to, saves time in other areas like knowing what settings have to be set without getting the recording in there in one or two passings and then start soloing tracks anyway to hear what needs to be done. Get what I mean? The 410 has great preamps, great sound quality, and ZERO latency. I track in Sonar 3 Producers Edition in case you were wondering.
 
i own the 410 and it works flawless. and m-audio's new 1814 will be big competition against the motu's 828.
 
Runn said:
i own the 410 and it works flawless. and m-audio's new 1814 will be big competition against the motu's 828.
Click to expand...

I was looking at that too. :) I couldn't find in the specs if it could record all the inputs at the same time. I figured that you could use the 4 one the 410 at once...but that wasn't the case. Which I understand why now, but you know. So can it record all at once you think? If so, I may get it and daisy chain the 410 and the 1814 via firewire.
 
yeah, you can definitely record all inputs at once. at least all 8 of the 1/4" inputs(as far as i know). check out the musikmesse video at sonicstate.com and they show the piece front and back. i think its gonna be available in the states by the end of this month(according to ams and musiciansfriend).
also check out the foriegn sites from m-audio (de) where they show screen shots of the interface software. dude, it looks sweet!
 
thanks guys!

my conclusion is that

the Motu 828 mkII is better

if everything else is up too par you will get better results with the 828mkII but marginal....

but does marginal means that you can hear the difference. and does marginal means that it is difference with professional results and non-professional results...

I still do not know which one,.....

$520 cdn + taxes for the M-audio 410 firewire

or $1075 + taxes for the Motu 828mkII


Vlad
 
VladVice said:
thanks guys!



but does marginal means that you can hear the difference. and does marginal means that it is difference with professional results and non-professional results...


Vlad
Click to expand...

Soundwise? Not at all. No difference. Both can handle 24 bits and what not. I like the preamps on the M Audio alot better than Motu as well. Like I said, the only difference is in the time it takes to track out your beats. Hoestly though, I'd wait and see about the Firewire 1814. If Runn is right, I think that it'll blow out the Motu and it's going to cost less than the Motu as well. :)
 
I have the 828 mk2 and my close friend has the 410. The 410 has a build quality similar to the 828 mk1 which I find to be lacking. The 828 build quality is MUCH better. I do not think there is much difference in the sound.

The big difference to me is the drivers. We are both working on Mac OSX and the 410 drivers with Cubase have problems with skipping, glitching and crashing. The 828 mk2 drivers work flawlessly. This may be better under WinXP. By reputation though, the RME cards perform the best under windows.

If you are not limited to firewire/usb interfaces and working with WinXP, choose the RME.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top