M-Audio ProFire 2626 Firewire Audio Interface
No longer available at zZounds
Give your at-home studio room to grow with this interface, which features 192 kHz digital sampling and 26 x 26 routing.
Overview
You've got it: the burning passion that's inside all true recording engineers. And you demand an interface that sounds amazing, handles a high number of inputs, and will grow with your studio setup. With up to 26 x 26 routing, digital sampling rates of up to 192 kHz, and compatibility with the industry-standard Pro Tools M-Powered, the M-Audio ProFire 2626 will meet and exceed all your recording needs. It's the spark that'll ignite your engineering career.
If you're building a serious project studio, you're going to need a serious interface at the core of your operation. The M-Audio ProFire 2626 gives you the flexibility, scalability, and fidelity to get your studio started off right, and keep you recording well into the future. read less
High-Fidelity Digital Recording Right Out Of The Box
Without any additional gear--save mics and your computer setup, of course--the M-Audio ProFire 2626 is capable of producing incredible-sounding recordings. Eight front-mounted gain knobs control the eight Octane microphone preamps with XLR connections and true phantom power for studio microphones, as well as a 75dB gain range, super-low noise floor, and crystal clear sound. The preamps even sport -20dB input pads for recording guitar stacks, drums, and other hot sources. These preamps feed an impressive analog-to-digital conversion section which boasts JetPLL jitter-reduction technology for error-free tracking. The ProFire 2626 is capable of sampling rates of up to 192kHz (CDs are at 44.1kHz), so you'll really be able to hear the clarity of those Octane preamps. . . as well as every detail of your performances.Digital Routing And Mixing For Flexibility
The M-Audio ProFire 2626 boasts internal DSP-powered mixing and routing capabilities. What does that mean for you?… read more For starters, it means instant control over monitor routing and input source assignments without having to deal with the hassle of a patchbay, or even touching chords at all. The easy-to-use software lets you reroute and mix inside the ProFire, and without taxing your computer's CPU. This allows you to make full use of the unit's eight built-in analog outputs. Instantly switch between four different monitor pairs, or--by making the assignable master volume knob control all eight outs--use the M-Audio ProFire 2626 for up to 7.1 surround mixing. The huge number of analog outputs matched with digital routing make this FireWire mixing interface a truly "Pro" piece of gear.Expandable Ins And Outs For Growing Your Studio
You'll have eight in and eight out right our of the box with the M-Audio ProFire 2626, but that's just the beginning. If you plan on scaling your studio up, this the perfect interface for you, as it provides a wealth of digital I/O options for hooking up external gear. Two sets of ADAT 8 x 8 I/O and a 2 x 2 S/PDIF interface equals a total of 18 x 18 channels of digital routing. And with the M-Audio ProFire's Word Clock output, all your peripheral digital gear can benefit from the ultra-stable active JetPLL jitter elimination technology.If you're building a serious project studio, you're going to need a serious interface at the core of your operation. The M-Audio ProFire 2626 gives you the flexibility, scalability, and fidelity to get your studio started off right, and keep you recording well into the future. read less
Specs
Up to 24-bit/192kHz for high-definition audio
Eight analog inputs sourced from:
- eight XLR mic inputs with phantom power
- eight 1/4 in. TRS balanced line inputs
- two 1/4 in. TS instrument inputs
Optical I/O in the form of:
- 2 x 2 S/PDIF (on optical port B) or
- 16 x 16 ADAT (8 x 8 in S/MUX II mode, 4 x 4 in S/MUX IV mode)
2 x 2 coaxial S/PDIF (via included breakout cable)
Eight 1/4 in. TRS balanced line outputs
Two 1/4 in. TRS headphone outputs
1 x 1 MIDI I/O (via included breakout cable)
Word clock I/O (via included breakout cable)
Eight preamps with award-winning Octane technology
User-assignable master volume knob
Flexible onboard DSP mixer:
- Select from any of the 26 hardware inputs and 26 software returns as sources for its 18 input channels
- Create up to eight stereo mixes
Standalone eight mic pre/eight-channel A/D-D/A converter
JetPLL jitter elimination technology
Sync options include internal clock, ADAT optical, S/PDIF and word clock
Compatible with most popular DAWs
Pro Tools M-Powered compatible*
**Compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 with downloadable update. 96kHz and 18 x 18 I/O maximum with Pro Tools M-Powered.
Minimum System Requirements (PC)
Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista* (32-bit)
Pentium 4
1.6GHz, 512MB RAM (1GB RAM with Windows Vista)
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
Recommended System Specifications
Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista (32-bit)
Pentium 4
2GHz, 1GB RAM
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
Minimum System Requirements (Mac)
Mac OS X 10.4.10
Macintosh G4*
1GHz, 512MB RAM
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
G4 accelerator cards not supported/G5 required for sample rates above 96kHz.
Recommended System Specifications
Mac OS X 10.4.10
Macintosh G5
2GHz, 1GB RAM
M-Audio recommends that you check your software's minimum system requirements, as they may be higher.
Eight analog inputs sourced from:
- eight XLR mic inputs with phantom power
- eight 1/4 in. TRS balanced line inputs
- two 1/4 in. TS instrument inputs
Optical I/O in the form of:
- 2 x 2 S/PDIF (on optical port B) or
- 16 x 16 ADAT (8 x 8 in S/MUX II mode, 4 x 4 in S/MUX IV mode)
2 x 2 coaxial S/PDIF (via included breakout cable)
Eight 1/4 in. TRS balanced line outputs
Two 1/4 in. TRS headphone outputs
1 x 1 MIDI I/O (via included breakout cable)
Word clock I/O (via included breakout cable)
Eight preamps with award-winning Octane technology
User-assignable master volume knob
Flexible onboard DSP mixer:
- Select from any of the 26 hardware inputs and 26 software returns as sources for its 18 input channels
- Create up to eight stereo mixes
Standalone eight mic pre/eight-channel A/D-D/A converter
JetPLL jitter elimination technology
Sync options include internal clock, ADAT optical, S/PDIF and word clock
Compatible with most popular DAWs
Pro Tools M-Powered compatible*
**Compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 with downloadable update. 96kHz and 18 x 18 I/O maximum with Pro Tools M-Powered.
Minimum System Requirements (PC)
Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista* (32-bit)
Pentium 4
1.6GHz, 512MB RAM (1GB RAM with Windows Vista)
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
Recommended System Specifications
Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista (32-bit)
Pentium 4
2GHz, 1GB RAM
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
Minimum System Requirements (Mac)
Mac OS X 10.4.10
Macintosh G4*
1GHz, 512MB RAM
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port
G4 accelerator cards not supported/G5 required for sample rates above 96kHz.
Recommended System Specifications
Mac OS X 10.4.10
Macintosh G5
2GHz, 1GB RAM
M-Audio recommends that you check your software's minimum system requirements, as they may be higher.
Reviews
Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
(41 ratings)
Submitted August 13, 2008 by a customer from gmail.com
"I'm BALLIN with my 2626..."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I would give it a ten but there is always room for more improvement as technology gets better...
Sound
I really like the sound out of this bad boy. The noise floor is very low compared to similar 8 mic/line firewire interfaces. In fact it even does well with ribbon microphones which I could not have done with my alesis 26.
Features
The only thing I don't like about it is that phantom power is not assignable to each channel. Instead they do it in groups of four. By the way it doesn't matter if you have phantom power on for dynamic mic so you are not hurting anything. But to use my ribbon mics along with other condenser mics you have to sometimes put the inputs in an illogical order. Not a big deal just adds about two minutes to the recording process when you are assigning inputs in your recording program.
Ease of Use
It is really easy to set up. When my friends metal band is practicing I can setup, record there new song, pack up, and bounce a rough mix in 30 minutes. (no lie it has been done) It is really portable.
Quality
I hate myself for it but I dropped it 4-5 feet onto a warehouse floor and you could not tell. Just a little paint chip on one of the corners. All the knobs feel pretty good and could only be better if they were completely metal.
Value
Straight up for the money this is it!!! If you are considering the other… read more m-audio fast track with 8 pres I would get this one unless your home studio doesn't need to be expanded in the long run.
Manufacturer Support
Sometimes they get busy at the end of the day, but no more than 20 mins in my experience to talk to someone. Today I called up and was syncing the 2626 with the motu 8 pre and M-Audio walked me through it. Although I would definitely just get two 2626's because they are more easily synced.
The Wow Factor
Unless DigiDesign makes their HD systems the same price, this is what I would get. it looks and sounds really professional.
Musical Background:
Striving Audio Engineer
Musical Style:
Punk, Grindcore, Death Metal, Acoustic, dance, and Hip-Hop read less
Sound
I really like the sound out of this bad boy. The noise floor is very low compared to similar 8 mic/line firewire interfaces. In fact it even does well with ribbon microphones which I could not have done with my alesis 26.
Features
The only thing I don't like about it is that phantom power is not assignable to each channel. Instead they do it in groups of four. By the way it doesn't matter if you have phantom power on for dynamic mic so you are not hurting anything. But to use my ribbon mics along with other condenser mics you have to sometimes put the inputs in an illogical order. Not a big deal just adds about two minutes to the recording process when you are assigning inputs in your recording program.
Ease of Use
It is really easy to set up. When my friends metal band is practicing I can setup, record there new song, pack up, and bounce a rough mix in 30 minutes. (no lie it has been done) It is really portable.
Quality
I hate myself for it but I dropped it 4-5 feet onto a warehouse floor and you could not tell. Just a little paint chip on one of the corners. All the knobs feel pretty good and could only be better if they were completely metal.
Value
Straight up for the money this is it!!! If you are considering the other… read more m-audio fast track with 8 pres I would get this one unless your home studio doesn't need to be expanded in the long run.
Manufacturer Support
Sometimes they get busy at the end of the day, but no more than 20 mins in my experience to talk to someone. Today I called up and was syncing the 2626 with the motu 8 pre and M-Audio walked me through it. Although I would definitely just get two 2626's because they are more easily synced.
The Wow Factor
Unless DigiDesign makes their HD systems the same price, this is what I would get. it looks and sounds really professional.
Musical Background:
Striving Audio Engineer
Musical Style:
Punk, Grindcore, Death Metal, Acoustic, dance, and Hip-Hop read less
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