Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 828mk3 Firewire Audio Interface

Feature:
I love the fact that it includes DSP effects built in with convenient software to control it all... I personally don't like the reverb as it is too much and hard to find an ambient middle ground, I use the EQ for a bass roll-off on most tracks and to slightly boost the mid range for vocals.

Quality:
The product broke within one month of having it... The backlight started to blink on and off and it would not stay on. That is very annoying please let me tell you.

Value:
It's a great product and I hope my review does not sway you against the product. If it works - you will be making great music.

Desirability:
Its pretty sexy sitting on my rack next to my JoeMeek OneQ preamp... nice solid look - very heavy... Overall seems stable the software in mine broke.

Sound:
The sound is solid - a good set of preamps built in, and I have yet to take advantage of all the built in DSP effects. I think you get out what you put in - if your running a nice microphone and a good preamp you will have better luck - but overall it is very good. You can listen to my recordings at: www.myspace.com/foundyesterday That's my band.

Ease of Use:
I read through the manually and was having difficulty setting routing the busses to create monitor mixes... I found a fix but it was not what exactly the way it should be.

Support:
Very bad support. Their product broke within one month and I had to pay shipping to get it back to them. Lets keep in mind I just spent 700 dollars on the product, now I am paying an additional $60 dollars to get it back to them. That is not right. So it broke - now what. I have been without my unit for a good 3 weeks - I have contact customer support numerous times to report a complaint - no avail they have no contact with the department that fixes the product... I was outraged that I had to pay for shipping so in compensation they advised they would "overnight" the product back instead of ground shipping... That was great - but it didn't happen. The order was placed on a 3 day ground shipping. And It's on its way to my house now... I pray you have no problems with your device.

Overall:
Overall, I am still pleased with this product - it is better than any digidesign (other than PCI connection ones) and it is MUCH better than my old M-Audio 410...

Feature:
The features were fine. Gives you everything you need.

Quality:
Terrible quality. The unit was incompatible with my PC.

Value:
Even though the price, the features, and the sound quality are all good, it still doesnt make this unit worth purchasing. Due to the faulty components, software, and drivers, and due to the terrible tech support.

Desirability:
It looks cool and professional, but given all the problems I've had with it, it's not worth it. Performace is more important then looks.

Sound:
The sound was fine. Good preamps and converters.

Ease of Use:
Fairly easy to use.

Support:
I contacted the MOTU tech support many times and it was terrible. It took them forever to respond back to my questions online, and at one point it took them a month with no response. The online phone support is non existant. I called their when I had no success online and I was treated very rudely, and unprofessionally.

Overall:
If you don’t read any other reviews, please at least read this one before you buy this unit. Summary: - Horrible, and unprofessional Tech Support - Incompatible Drivers/Faulty components My Story: I purchased the Motu 828 MKII (the unit that was recently replaced by this new 828 MKIII) at the beginning of the year. I had problems from the very beginning. First, I had the wrong firewire chipset. It took Motu forever to respond to my online tech support email. A month later, when they finally responded back, I found out I had to purchase a specific firewire card with a specific chipset in order for the unit to function properly. This was a minimal problem, and only the beginning of my nightmare of owning this unit… Then the Motu software drivers started conflicting with my PC. It would constantly reboot my computer every time I'd run the software, or when I'd first start up my computer. I tried everything to fix it. At first I didn’t realize the drivers were the problem and I went through many hours of frustration, testing, and even had a PC tech support guy come out. The PC tech told me the problem was the units drivers were conflicting with my PC and causing my PC to reboot itself. When I found out it was the Motu drivers, I did a search online for people with similar problems. I found out that MANY other MOTU users had the same issues. I contacted Motu Tech support and they were very unhelpful and unprofessional yet again. It took them two weeks if not longer in between responses. I didn’t hear back from tech support for a full month. I called the Motu tech support hotline and was treated very rudely by the Motu associate who answered the phone. The problem was never resolved, and I still have not heard back from Motu tech support. I became very hopeless. I realized that I had just spent over 800 dollars on a unit that wasn’t compatible with my top of the line, custom built PC. Luckily, the place I purchased the unit from was understanding enough to take the unit back after 10 months and give me in store credit. The pro audio guy and the store manager who worked at the store told me that the main reason they decided to give me an exchange was because they have had an incredible number of Motu product returns. Most music stores have a 15 day return policy on products like this. By them actually returning this after 10 months says a lot. It shows how bad these Motu products really are. Even on the new MKIII, they told me they had people returning them after the first day for faulty firewire connections, and incompatible drivers. My recommendation is, do not buy MOTU. I know their products sound like a great deal, but it’s not worth the hassles from all the possible incompatibilities. Motu software is not stable, the hardware is faulty, and the tech support is terrible. Motu obviously doesn’t care about their customers. You already purchased their gear, and that’s all they wanted. Instead of releasing the MKIII they should have fixed all the bugs in the MKII. Trust me people. I hardly ever write reviews unless I feel it is very important. Do not purchase this Motu product. Go and buy a RME or a Presonus. Both of those brands are good quality, and basically the same price points. I hope this review helps you in your purchase.