Emu 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface

Premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters. XTC Class-A ultra-low noise Mic/Line/Hi-Z pre-amplifiers. Ultra-low latency.

Item: EMU0404

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Emu 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

34 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

 

7 People wrote reviews

Read all Emu 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Compare it to the others and you'll see"

Feature:
Feature packed. Wish they included the DSP FX like in the PCI version but this is way easier to use and has pres, headphone and is USB2 so I won't take any points off.

Quality:
Solid build and looks good.

Value:
After using it, it definitely feels like a steal.

Desirability:
Had to have it after having the PCI version which i'll keep for the effects.

Sound:
Top notch specs and you can hear it.

Ease of Use:
Lots of knobs, that's the way to do it.

Support:
EMU support is great. Never used their official support but they are on many forums helping and answering questions which is something you don't see everyday.

Overall:
Would buy this again without hesitation.

Submitted: 12/22/2006

Style of Music: A little bit of everything


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* * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

"High quality but not in every way!"

Feature:
You have zero latency monitoring. This is it's main value along with the low noise AD and DA converters. It does work very well with powerfull computers. My 2008 PC dual core notebook, has some stutters when playing or recording but most of the time the stutter is not in the recorded file, it's just a playback problem. However, use a powerfull PC! It helps a lot. XLR in is nice to have, even the line jacks are balanced if you want to. S/PDIF is there but I have not used it yet. It seems S/PDIF out is not always available! Phantom power, which works. Has MIDI in and out but never tested it yet. The guitar input is crap. This is no real Hi-Z input! It should be done with a switch because you really need to change the impedance of the input for guitars. Emu claims it can be done with the stageless potmeters but forget it. Even with a phantom powered DI box, guitars still don't sound great. No high frequencies... You have sample frequencies up to 192kHz but not with Mac and S/PDIF also stops at 96kHz. This does not matter, it's over the top. For normal music stuff I use 48kHz at 24 bit. You can go to 32 bit. You can't do field recordings because it needs EXTERNAL 5 volt power. You could make a battery thing, but that won't last long because I feel a bit of heat which means quite some power use.

Quality:
I love-hate it. As said the converters and inputs are very high quality without any noise. If you hear noise, it's your gear. The adjustment of the recordings however, is very problematic. The knobs are too rough and the inputs too sensitive for distortion. The LED meters are far too rough, use your PC. I'm a very precise person, so don't think it's me. The guitar option is total crap. No real Hi-Z The house is made of flimsy plastic with flimsy knobs, but if you do not let your childeren operate it, it will last. The soft clipping option does NOT work. It's creates instant Jimi Hendrix distortion. I don't understand how it's design could have left the lab like this. The little knobs to lift ground level are also b*llsh*t. When I had a groundloop noise, those switches just turned the sound into maximum power 60Hz humm.

Value:
200 euro is too much regarding the flaws it has. It would be worth 400 euro's if the distortion and the guitarport were fixed! And I would have payed for that!

Desirability:
I had a good nerdy appeal to it, but it does not completely do what is says. It's a photo model with false teeth and a wig.

Sound:
This device records in a scientific way. There is no coloring to the sound. Most devices sound a lot warmer than the Emu 0404, so dont't be surprised by that. It's not a bad thing to have a raw recording without any character. You do have to warm it up yourself if you like such sounds. Allmost no noise, I never found devices without such a low noise level. The sound is fantastic with mikes, but the device is EXTREMELY difficult to adjust when you want to prevent distortion. Especially with line and guitar recording. The potmeters are connected to electronics that mess with the value. Over a certain point, amplification is boosted beyond control, no matter how carefull you turn the knobs. Good headphone port quality. Never heard clearer playback of recordings, and I work at a TV station where they use pro stuff.

Ease of Use:
You must know a thing or two about the system menu of your PC configuration screen and how to adjust sound cards. If not, you'll need a nerd. The software is outdated but still very useable. Cubase LE works fine but you really need to read a lot about it. Wake the card up in the VST section and connect it to channels on the timeline or mixer. It took me one day to find that out but I'm no musician at all. The Amplitube software did not work but they gave me a free new product which works fine. It's not that great but good enough for what I payed for the entire set. I never tested the other software, that comes with it. Proteus looks like something nice but it's only a guess.

Support:
The support reacts within the day but they can't do anything about the stupid design flaws anymore ofcourse.

Overall:
There is no good USB audio device. Believe me. All others have loads of noise and considerably worse microphone inputs. The Emu is the only one without these sound problems and it is the only one with zero latency. Tascam has no zero latency and clicks with guitars, Line6 devices have bad mike inputs, Edirol stutters all the time etc. etc. I'll have to live with the impossible recordlevel knobs and I'll have to build or buy a decent guitar input, with real impedance adjustment. Even a DI box did not give me what I wanted.

Submitted: 4/5/2009

Style of Music: All kinds of recordings and styles


8 of 9 people (88.89%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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Read all Emu 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface reviews...

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White, Limited Edition Model
White, Limited Edition Model

iconThis item cannot be returned once opened due to copyright law. details

About This Product!
Description
From Our Catalog
News
E-MU's new 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface delivers an unparalleled level of audio performance to your PC with premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters, pristine XTC mic/line/hi-Z preamps, ultra-low jitter clock and rock-solid stability. From its plug-and-play functionality and hands-on ergonomic design to professional features and signal-to-noise specs that are simply unmatched by any other USB interface on the market, the 0404 USB will forever change your expectations of USB audio. The 0404 USB also ships with the E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle that includes E-MU's Proteus VX, as well as software by Cakewalk, Steinberg, Ableton, IK Multimedia, and many more -- everything you need to create, record, edit and master your music.

White Limited Edition Model
A fresh updated look to one of the most popular USB audio interfaces being sold on the market today. The new White “Limited Edition” 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface for Mac and PC delivers the same great performance and spec’s as Emu's classic Gray 0404 USB unit along with a new updated Vista-compatible software bundle.

Features:
Premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters (A/D: 113dB SNR, D/A: 117dB SNR) deliver unmatched USB audio fidelity

E-MU XTC Class-A ultra-low noise Mic/Line/Hi-Z preamplifiers (-127dB EIN) with 48V phantom power and ground lift switches enable you to plug microphones, keyboards and guitars straight into your computer with professional results, while the built-in analog soft limiting circuit lets you record a hotter signal without fear of clipping

Comprehensive digital I/O with optical and coaxial S/PDIF (switchable to AES/EBU) and MIDI In/Out to easily connect all of your digital studio gear and instruments

Ultra-low latency Windows XP and x64 USB 2.0 drivers offer accurate timing and playback of your recorded audio and software instruments

Hardware zero-latency direct monitoring (mono/stereo) allows you to record and overdub with no annoying delay

Plug-and-play operation with hands-on control of all major functions like master level, direct monitoring, preamplifier controls and more

Compatibility with most popular audio/sequencer applications (ASIO2, WDM, MME - AC3 and DTS Passthru supported)

* Mac OS X drivers available right now

I/O Configuration:
2 E-MU XTC Ultra-low Noise Mic/Line/Hi-Z Preamps with Soft Limiter and 48V Phantom Power (-127dBu EIN)

2 x 1/4 in. Balanced Outputs (117dB SNR)

Stereo 1/8 in. Speaker Output (117dB SNR)

24-bit/96kHz S/PDIF Optical In/Out (Switchable to AES/EBU)

24-bit/96kHz S/PDIF Coaxial In/Out (Switchable to AES/EBU)

MIDI Input/Output

Stereo Headphone Output (114dB SNR)

Technical Info

Minimum System Requirements
Intel or AMD processor -- 1.2 GHz or faster

Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard & chipset

Microsoft Windows XP (SP 2 or greater) or Windows XP x64

1 available (Hi-speed) USB 2.0 port*

256MB System RAM

900MB of free hard disk space for full installation

CD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive required for software installation

XVGA Video (1024 X 768)

* When using a USB 1.1 port, performance will be limited to 16-bit and 44.1/48kHz recording and playback

General
Sample Rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz from internal crystal (no sample rate conversion)

Bit Depth: 24-bit I/O, 32-bit processing

USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
- Full 24-bit resolution at all sample rates
- 4in/4 out channels from 44.1-96kHz
- 2 in/2 out channels from 176.4-192kHz

Zero-latency direct hardware monitoring (disabled at 176.4-192kHz)

ASIO2, WDM, MME - AC3 and DTS Passthru supported

Anti-Pop speaker protection minimizes noise during power on/off

Ultra-low jitter clock subsystem: < 500ps RMS in PLL mode (48kHz, Coaxial S/PDIF Sync)

Combo Microphone Preamplifier/Hi-Z/Line Inputs (2)
Type: E-MU XTC combo mic preamplifier and Hi-Z/line input w/ Soft Limiter

A/D converter: AK5385A

Gain Range: +60dB

Frequency Response (min gain, 20Hz-20kHz): +0.0/-0.16dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz min gain, -1dBFS): < -110dB

Hi-Z Line Input:
- Input Impedance: 1Mohm
- Max Level: +12dBV (14.2dBu)
- Dynamic Range (A-weighted, 1kHz, min gain): 113dB
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted, min gain): 113dB
- THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -101dB (.0009%)

Microphone Preamplifier:
- Input Impedance: 1.5Kohms
- Max Level: +6dBV (+8.2dBu)
- EIN (20Hz-20kHz, 150ohm, unweighted): -127dBu
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted, min gain): 112.5dB
- THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -101dB (.0009%)
- Phantom Power: 48V
- Soft Limiter: 5dB max compression (software selectable)

Analog Line Outputs (2)
Type: balanced, AC-coupled, 2-pole low-pass differential filter

D/A converter: AK4396

Level (auto detect):
- Professional: +12dBV max (balanced)
- Consumer: +6dBV max (unbalanced)

Frequency Response (20Hz - 20kHz): 0.06/-.035dB

Dynamic Range (1kHz, A-weighted): 117dB

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted): 117dB

THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS): -100dB (.001%)

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS): < -114.5dB

Headphone Amplifier
Type: Class-A power amplifier

D/A converter: AK4396 (shared with Line Out)

Gain Range: 60dB

Maximum Output Power: 20mW

Output impedance: 22ohms

Frequency Response (20Hz-20kHz): +0.06/-0.035dB

Dynamic Range (A-weighted): 114dB

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted): 114dB

THD+N (1kHz, max gain): 600ohm load: -95.5dB (.0018%)

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS, 600 ohm load): < -85dB

Digital I/O
S/PDIF:
- 2 in/2 out coaxial (transformer coupled)
- 2 in/2 out optical
- AES/EBU or S/PDIF format (software selectable)

MIDI
- 1 in, 1 out

Synchronization
Internal crystal sync at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz

External sample rate sync via
- Optical S/PDIF (44.1 - 96kHz)
- Coaxial S/PDIF (44.1 - 96kHz)

Retail Box Contents
E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 AudioPod

USB cable

Universal power adaptor

Quick Start installation guide

E-MU Software/Manual CD-ROM
- Windows XP and x64 Drivers
- Owner's Manual and Tutorials

E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle CD-ROM
- Cakewalk SONAR LE
- Steinberg Cubase LE
- Ableton Live Lite 4 for E-MU
- Steinberg Wavelab Lite
- IK Multimedia AmpliTube LE
- SFX Machine LT
- Minnetonka diskWelder BRONZE (trial)
- E-MU Proteus® VX (over 1000 sounds included)

Cross-platform support (Windows XP/x64 and Mac OS X) and compatibility with most popular audio/sequencer applications (Windows: ASIO2, WDM, MME, AC-3 and DTS Passthru; Macintosh: Apple CoreAudio, CoreMIDI, AC-3 and DTS Passthru)
Record pristine audio with this high quality audio interface. USB 2.0 for ultra-fast transfer. Premium A/D converters with sample rates up to 24-bit 192 kHz. Two Class A mic preamps accept mic/line/hi-Z input signals. Onboard phantom power. Zero-latency hardware monitoring. Mac/PC compatible. Available in Black and White.
  • 07/09
    Fresh from the truck!
     Warehouse Resealed, White, Limited Edition Model, available for immediate delivery. 
  • 03/12
    NEW BLOWOUT!
     Warehouse Resealed, White, Limited Edition Model, just $179.95 limited supply! 

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