Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) UltraLite 10x14 FireWire Interface with MIDI

Feature:
**** One problem I've had with the Ultralite is that it's drivers won't work with over 3 Gig of RAM. I have 4, but I can only use three because of this "known issue" (according to MOTU support, although they mean, "known to us, but we're not telling anyone about it until after they buy one"). Not wanting to waste memory, I recently bought a Focusrite Saffire, because their drivers don't care how much memory you use. But I ended up returning it, because the sound just couldn't match the Ultralite - the Saffire sounded very thin in comparison. Another area the Saffire didn't measure up in was the headphone level. I'm a loud singer and I need plenty of level to track vocals, and I would've had to buy a headphone amp to be able to work with the Saffire. The Ultralite's are way loud enough.

Quality:
I've had some issues, but none with build quality. It's solid. **** I will say if you're using Vista, turn off the Aero interface. I was having a lot of pop/hiss/click noise issues as a result of the MOTU drivers conflicting with Vista and the graphics card. Once I turned off Aero, no problems.

Value:
Worth the going price on sound quality alone.

Desirability:
Not the prettiest interface, or the best aesthetic design.

Sound:
The sound of this unit is impressive, especially at this price point. I've gotten impressive, near commercial quality vocal tracks running a Studio Projects C1 through a Studio Projects VTB1 into this unit. Playback of mixes and other audio also sounds great. It's accuracy has allowed me to produce better mixes.

Ease of Use:
It's true, the knobs are too close together. Once you get over that, it's a non-issue. The MOTU is pretty easy to dial in.

Support:
MOTU support leaves a lot to be desired. Expect to wait 48 hours for a response, and don't expect it to be too overly helpful when you get it. With regard to my memory issue, their response was basically, "Yeah, we knew about it all along. Guess you'll have to wait and hope for a driver update." Thanks, MOTU.

Overall:
I'm still looking for an interface that will match the sound quality of the MOTU, but will allow me to use all of my memory and have better drivers and support. Eventually I might have to move up to RME or something. But until then, I gotta stick with this interface for its sound and ignore its ugly side.

Feature:
The UltraLite came with everything i would need. The included "AudioDesk" software is actually just Digital Performer with the MIDI functions stripped out. I don't use it beacause i need the Virtual Instruments. I personaly recommend Digital Performer 5.11 with the Intel based Macs. Another cool thing is that they give you the longest firewire cable i've ever seen come with any device.

Quality:
The Ultralite is housed in a very rugged cast aluminium chassis. But i am very careful with mine as i am always using it in various clubs and venues.

Value:
Awesome price for this high quality unit.

Desirability:
This is a nice looking unit. It is ultra portable. I carry a 15" MacBook Pro, The UltraLite, Headphones, A Lacie 320GB External Hard Drive, a 6 outlet power strip, all my cables and power supplies in my wenger backpack.

Sound:
The MOTU Ultralite is an awesome audio interface. It may not have quite the sound of an apogee, but it is nice. I have had virtually no problems using it on both windows and mac machines. It is picky about the firewire chip you are using. MOTU recommends using a Texas Instruments based firewire port, but i did have a problem with a built-in firewire port on a Gigabyte motherboard, and it was a Texas Instruments chipset. However, once i plugged it into a port on a PCI card everything was great, and every other firewire port i have ever plugged it into (weather it was a pc, Mac, Desktop, Laptop, whatever) it has worked flawless. It does work best with my MacBook Pro (Duh!). It would be nice if the "Cue Mix Console" had some EQ's on the channels, or supported some plug-ins on the channels.

Ease of Use:
If you have any experience with external audio interfaces, the Ultralite is going to be a walk in the park.

Support:
I have never had any problems with the Ultralite unit. I did have a problem using it with a certain buggy firewire port, as i have previously mentioned. The MOTU techs were quick to work with me on an unsolvable problem.

Overall:
This unit is almost the perfect device. With some software improvements, it could very well be a 10.