Oh god, where to begin. First off, I used a Midiman 1010 for years with no troubles at all...Video editing in Premiere, Vegas, Music with Acid 4 and 5, Reason, (using rewire and stand alone, Wavelab. The idea of this mixer is great. The reality is not so great. You have to switch between ASIO and WDM depending on the program. Does not like to play with other fire wire devices, even if fire wire is on a different chanel.

Like I said above, the IDEA is amazing. After two firmware updates and three driver updates, this mixer ALMOST works. Still having trouble with VST instruments in Cubase and Acid. I am ready to un install and re install my 1010 so I can determine once and for all if the mixer is the culprit.

The thing is built like a tank, and in ASIO mode is totally quiet. For a basic setup it should work really well. For me, I simply use too many devices! Some need ASIO, (acid), and others need WDM, (encore and premiere) Sucks for me.

IF THIS WOULD WORK, it would be worth a 10! Right now, I am not so sure. I may end up sending it back, if the 1010 re install fixes my problems.

Alesis has been really responsive. I'll give them that. My hunch is I am not alone.

IF IT WOULD WORK, it would the the balls!

Engineer, editor, composer

Whatever the client wants

The sound quality is awesome!!! the the effects are alright

the only feature that i wish that it could had is midi ports!!! but its pretty fine mixer

Its very intuitive and really easy to use just plug an run the drivers and thats it!! I've already use it on pc and on mac, they run pretty good on both!!

its pretty well made is really compact an solid, very nice gear to carry on your trips!!!!

its good its cheap and solid gear

i haven't need it

Electronic music. Concrete music,

electro ambient, tri hop,

I have to admit to not being the most experienced person with any kind of audio, but I have made a million mistaked and am learning fast. I do feel quallified to say the mixer causes no problems and and introduced no noise that I could detect in my setup.

This is the part where I want to blast Alesis for using Cubase 4 as their bundled software. I installed the drivers for the mixer, and then tried to install Cubase. Cubase locked up on install. Stuff happens, I wasn't too peeved. I tried to install it a few times more, fifth time was the charm (I don't know why). I then becan the arduous journey of setting up the liscense which required copying numbers anbd filling out forms and 3 or 4 emails. I timed it, it tookover 20 minutes just to activate the license. 2 strikes. I tried to record to cubase and got wierd errors related to the ASIO driver. Audacity would not record either (for more than about 20 seconds). I messed with ALL the setting for about a day. Finaly I uninstalled everything (drivers and software) and reinstalled only the drivers and control panel (no Cubase). Now the MultiMix works like a champ in Audacity. I was very very close to returning this mixer due to the recording problems I was having, so a note to Alesis if you are out there: the products you bundle with your equipment reflect on you and Cubase is a looser. Also, the phantom power switch is a little wierd. It is not so much a swith as it is an "on" button that you can kind of ballance in the "off" position. The effect is that if you want it off and bump it or anything, it can veryy easilly turn on. I don't know if other similar mixers offer anything like this, but the ability to mix in audio coming from the computer to the mixer over the firewire connection is a very cool feature.

I have already aired the problems with the bundled software. Other than that, it couldn't be easier. This was my first mixer, so I did skim the manual, then I was off recording.

I haven't had it very long, but is feels very solid and heavy. The knobs feel smooth and well constructed, nothing feels cheap.

The only comparable product I saw offered the firewire feature as an upgrade, so the overall price was about double what I paid. So that's pretty good.

no need yet.

Very nice and professional looking. It looks impressive on my desk.

I was very pleased with the sound quality when used for a PA very clear when used for recording

Built very solid, knobs a little shaky but everything is easy to locate.

Virtually plug and play might get away with figuring out the works without the manual

Again its built solid, knobs are a little shaky, durable for the road

Never used yet

Was atracted because of firewire, Very practical mixer.

Active Musician, home recording and music production

World Music, Jazz Funk

Sounds gret, my mc-909 can sound a little thin with one input but I fatten it up with a saturator in Ableton. Sounds really good.

Has everything I'd need, including lots of effects (which I never use), again, Ableton Live.

This is the Best. Had a Behringer 1204 xynex (usb never detected) and M-Audio (latency issues). I plugged this baby in, it was instantly recognized and I was recording 5 minutes later. It's awesome. Works like a charm in Ableton and Cubase.

Solid. Gets hot at the bottom. No problems. I'm impressed.

Great value, have never needed it. Went to the website and downloaded all the current drivers. Worked great, no problems.

Never had an issue.

Functionality over form for me every time. But it's sexy enough.

Hobbyist, for now

Everything from electronic to tango to hip hop to metal

Decent sound, especially for the price. I'm using it exclusively to record - the drivers pick up a little noise, but the sound quality is strong.

I'd love a solo button...but other than that, it's got everything a lonely studio boy or girl could want!

Extremely easy to use, even for a novice. Cubase takes some getting used to, but it's a powerful little program.

Tell you what - I haven't had problem one with it. The drivers work great, no crashes, no distortion, and the thing is solid as heck. I'm not planning on slinging into walls or anything...

Incredible value! An 8-track mixer, 4 mic drivers, nice clean effects, for $300? All this and Cubase too? It's a low-budget delight.

Haven't had to call support at all.

Here's the thing - I was tempted to get a Mackie 12, and purchase the FireWire update. Then I'd have a Mackie and chicks would dig me, but the whole shebang would have cost a grand - and I still wouldn't have any software. Chicks may not dig me quite as much with the Alesis, but with the leftover scratch I can BUY chicks! Just kidding. Instead, I purchased headphones, monitors, some really good mics and cables...and I still haven't spend a full grand yet.

Songwriter/music hobbyist, occasionally active musician

jazz, rock, acoustic, alternative

I love the sound this little baby pushes out... I was using a Line6 KB837 as my interface and this mixer's preamps just made my Variax Line 6 guitar sound like it should... A-B'ing back to the KB837 the sound became amateurish and even muffled sounding... One good thing about the KB837 is that I can still use it for midi purposes and it kicks...!

Good features especially the on-board sound effects... very decent for guitar and vocals...

Pretty straightforward... if you've used a mixing board before then no new surprises...

Built like a tank and looks great too...

Good value... decent price at around $300

9 only because I haven't had to use it yet, save for the website which allowed me to download the latest drivers for my Intel iMac... with the disc alone the Mixer would not work, until I downloaded the update...

It is very darn "sexy and sleek"... Makes your little home recording studio look more "pro"...

Hobbyist

60's

I don't know if it's because I just recently bought it in December '06 and they've fixed the drivers or what, but it sounds AWESOME to me. The sound is crystal clear, and works well with Acid Pro 6, there seems to be some mystery interferece when I plug in my Korg Triton keyboard for some reason, I can suddenly hear all of the electronics inside my laptop buzzing and whirring.....odd, maybe I just dont know enough about the electronics. Anyway, it sounds fantastic, with no HISS that I've noticed.

The built-in effects are fantastic, I got my girlfriend weirded out completely by putting headphones on her and handing her the mic....she loved it, and so do I. If it somehow also worked as a midi controller, I'd give it a massive 10, but for now, just a 9....I dig the firewire connectivity as well.

I don't know how it could be much easier....maybe the driver install?? It's kida weird cause it installs FOUR times in a row to get all the inputs and whatever, but it walks you through the whole process so it's not much hassle. Everything works smooth.

I haven't compared it to too many other devices, but the quality seems top-notch to me. Nice and sturdy. Heavy. Good sound. No problems. But since I don't know the competition too well, it gets just a 9.

All of these types of equipment seems a little spendy to me. Obviously high-grade electronics, but shelling out 400 bucks is well, a pretty big investment. SO far it's been worth it and I'm sure will continue to be, so it the LONG-RUN it's an excellent value for what you get. In the short run, you take it out of the box, hold it in your hand and go "this was 400 dollars"?? whew......

Haven't had any support. Haven't needed any support.

Nice sloped face, black metal construction. Nothing is flimsy or breakable seeming, so, for being so stout and unbreakable, it has a pretty dang sleek look and feel to it. I have a nice computer monitor and guitar and all that, but still the Multimix8 is one of the nicer looking things in my studio. Looks great, and I obviously DID want it, seeing as how I bought it.....ha.

Home Studio Musician/Producer

Futuristic Experimental Rocktronica

The sound quality is good but the MIc Preamp is pretty weak. The input gain needs to be at a high level so it's hard to balance too much pick up and voice being too light.

Good Features for the price. On board effects are plenty for amature and low to midrange productions

Extremely difficult to get to work properly with video software.. especially Adobe Premiere Elements version 4. Alesis Firewire drivers are terrrible with Adobe. We couldn't get both channels to record within Adobe. Alesis firewire control panel woudl frequently crash, it even caused an instant reset of the computer.

Hardware is good... Drivers for ASIO Firewire are terrible.

If it doesn't work right, there's not much value. It really needs to work with Video production software the same as it does for Cubase LE... which is pretty good.

I sent a support request in 3 weeks ago and I'm still witing for a response. I didn't even receive an acknowledgement. Adobe Premier supprt forums respnded and they simply indicated just search the web for Alesis MM8 and there are tons of reported problems.

I really want it to work right because it's a nice hardware unit.

Recording Engineer - Small Video productions

The sound is excellent; Better than my M-Audio 1010LT was on my old PC, and about equivalent to my Presonus 1394 on my Mac. I would like to see a 24/96 option, but 24/48 should do fine.

The one I got was missing the driver/Cubase CD, but Alesis support shipped it out to me very fast. Some issues with the new drivers on my Macbook pro, but they work fine on my G5; I ended up having to downgrade to the older drivers on the MBP.

Ease of use is intermediate. This is NOT for people who can't read an instruction manual, or download a driver. I think the people getting "HISS" probably haven't contacted tech support, or have the wrong sequence of output buttons selected on the right side. READ the instructions, people.

built like a tank except the knobs 'wiggle' a bit.

This is a GREAT value thus far. If it continues to perform at this level, I have to say it's the best bang-for-buck interface I've ever owned, and I've had a list of 'em - CL Live Studio, EMU0404, M-Audio 1010, Presonus Inspire 1394, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, and a couple more I can't remember. The EMU0404 was feature-limited, but had one of the best sound qualities I've seen, anywhere.

Excellent support so far.

Great stuff, all around.

Active Musician

All but country

It sounds so bad, too much Hiss, like a cheaper mixer. I use a laptop,midi controller,kaoss pad 2 and a sampler to make music and if I use the M-audio Firewire audiophile, everything sound so good, with no hiss at all, but when I connect my stuff to the multimix 8 firewire the annoying Hiss is present all the time...and that's too bad for a musician.And the Cubase LE that comes with this mixer doesn't install in my laptop because I have OSX Tiger (10.4.5) so this is useless for me.

Everything is useful.

Great sounds? no.... only hiss,hiss,hiss,hiss.hiss,hiss,etc

I told it before, the sound is no good, the rest is perfect.

yes

No, I don't want it because it doesn't sound good, that's it.I'll return it to the store.

Active musician

all electronica

Sounds Good. Clean, Clear and very prominent. The effects are, somewhat usable for onboard.

I really didn't get to test. I'll write why below. But as a standalone mixer, it performs as expected.

Just as easy as any other mixer.

As a standalone mixer, its great. It feels heavy and the knobs feel good. Would have preferred a stop at 0. But.. the first time I plugged it into my computer, i decided to get the updated firmware from the alesis website. The flash program crashed on my brand new XP installation (just build the computer a week ago) - WHILE flashing. Made the unit so it could not be recognized by the computer.

Firewire mixer and audio interface.. right. I'm sure it would have been great if I could have got it to work. I really wish I could have used this unit as an audio interface... the sound from the mixer itself was great.

The tech guy offered stupid advice. Anyone who knows hardware knows that if a flash fails halfway through, the unit is dead. He suggested things like changing the cable.. turning it off and on... I made it very clear that the unit did recognize at first, but the flash process crashed causing a "bricked" unit. Well silly me, I couldn't find my reciept. And anyway I had the unit for 45 days before hooking it up to my new computer. Alesis offered no help... i ended up selling it at a pawn shop for a fraction of what I paid.

I would want it to work.

10+ years

Electronica

If you're buying an expensive little 8-tk, this is it. The Firewire drivers don't work. I called Alesis and they say they realize the drivers are bad. So.. when are they going to get it fixed? After over $400 the unit is only in beta version... If you're planning on buying it.. wait! Phonic makes one that's $100 less. I'd look into this. I thought Alesis was a good company.. DON'T BUY IT !!!

It doesn't work!

It won't work. drivers are bad.

No Support. At least the Alesis Tech admitted their drivers are poor. They lock up your PC. I had to do a system restore to get my pc back. If you want several hours of frustration, buy this!

Pro Musician

All kinds

Good clean sound.

Can't think of anything that it does not have.

If you know how to use a mixer, it is really easy. If you don't, it will not take you long to figure this out if you read the instructions.

It seems to run a little hot but I have had no problems with it.

If all you need is 8 inputs and only 4 XLR's, it's great.

I have had several e-mails back and forth with Alesis about being able to daisy-chain it with another one of these units, or any other interface. They kept telling me that it would not work. I took a chance and tried it with a PeSonus FP10. It might not work with a PC, but it worked great with my iMac using the aggregate device editor that comes with a Mac.

Home studio

So far the sound is great. The sound I record on Sonar 7 is the sound that I played going in. No variations i.e. distortions, hisses, hums etc.

Features are cut and dry, it's a mixer.

Easy to use, it's a mixer. Only 2 downloads are required for Vista. Now available.

It's built pretty solid but the knobs have free play in it. I'd go easy on 'em.

Firewire and mixer in one? Cuts out some middle players.

Gave 'em a 10 for knowledge. I have Vista and as of Jan 28 08 they came up with the download necessary for the computer/mixer connection. I called them up because I didn't get the prompts that the instructions said I would get (Vista). But he assured me that the driver did indeed install and walked me through the checks. Not only that, the company is Alesis, he guided through my Sonar program to sound check everything there. He recommended using ASIO, and it was all she wrote.

Do we really care about sex appeal?

very transparent; i would put a preamp in between the vocals and the mixer to warm them up a bit but it records from mic-ed amps very well.

the 4 XLR and 2 1/4 inch inputs are usually enough and of course the firewire out is why i bought it. it has onboard effects which i almost never use, though some of the reverb settings sound pretty good, and each channel has a three band EQ that i usually keep dead center since i EQ everything with software. i find the high-pass filter on the XLR channels useful for drums that you want to isolate from the kick drum.

nearly dead simple. plug it in, turn it on, tell the recording software to use the mixer, assign channels, and you're done.

very solid. only complaint is that it occasionally hiccups when recording & monitoring lots of tracks but that can be fixed with latency settings.

great little mixer for small studios.

gigging musician, engineer, producer

rock, southern gothic, folk-rock