M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB 2.0 Audio Interface
Take your recordings to the next level with the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra, featuring 24-bit/96khz capability and Ableton Live Lite software.
Overall User Ratings (based on 30 ratings)
Submitted April 20, 2010 by a customer from q.com
"Works, keeps me recording in M-powered protools in Windows 7. Who else can say that right now?"
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I'm probably into this interface for the next few years as long as the positive compatibility keeps coming.
Sound
I have a great experience with the sound quality - Rode NT1A and Xboard 61 and my Bass guitar, all sounded good on the Ultra Pre's. Maybe not enough gain on the NT1A, but with some assertive mic technique is pretty good. I'm thinking of getting a pre amp to augment, but mike situation very servicable so far. I've recorded some voice over work which seems a little weak sometimes. Have to crank up the gain dangerously close to distortion areas, but seem to just miss unusable traks so far. overall very good, but cranking up to 9 out of ten makes me nervous as an engineer :)
Features
It does what I ask of it. I want Midi, and it does it, I want line level bass guitar and it gives me some nice levels, I use M-powered pro tools, so I don't know what ableton lite would do in Window's 7. M-powered pro tools completely stable at this point (knock on wood) My bass works fine, some more effects would be nice, but I use a compressor for it and not much else, so I don't know if that would be all that useful to me.
Ease of Use
I dig what I've gotten so far, but I think the learning curve for pro tools is pretty high. so it's not a gig against the Ultra, but if you use it with pro tools, it just requires some extra effort. The Manual is clear, it's just that to use pro tools you have to be persistent. It's there, it just is on the boards and hard to get to - (example - when pro tools decides to go into record pause, change the sample rate in the playback and it magically works for awhile) couldn't be simpler, but could be fixed by a more pro active programmer.
Quality
It may be plastic, but hey, the thing looks good to me. Connections seem solid (sort of a newbie here in that the only other unit I've owned was another solid Edirol unit) Nothing that seems flimsy, all seems to work so far . . .
Value
It's worth what I paid for it and M-powered protools, although, be aware that when you buy it, you'll need a DAW and if you go Protools, the DAW SE comes with it, so the prices are comparable between this unit and the higher end, solidly built digidesign units.
Manufacturer Support
No evaluation here, the thing worked even in Windows 7 - with Beta version of Pro Tools for Windows 7. Upgrades/ Windows 7 drivers readily avialable and easy to install. Have not needed tech support.
The Wow Factor
Dude, if I want sex, I'm not looking at an audio interface, even I'm not that perverted :)
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Alternative
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Submitted May 19, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great sound, low price"
This product is flexible enough for my live DJ work, voice over recordings and music production. This and a laptop and you have a portable studio wherever you need it.
Sound
Very clean preamps, no coloring or artifacts. I use an Aphex Master Voice Channel and go digital right into the interface and the sound is spectacular. I also plug guitar and bass into channel 1 and get all the gain I need. Did a live DJ gig with it and was blown away that I no longer need my big heavy analog mixer. The built in DSP effects are useless. They are just there for marketing, but you don't want them.
Features
Considering the price category of this unit i'm very pleased. I do wish I could route the headphone mix separate from the outputs. Main outputs would also be nice. There are some built in effects but just about any plug-in or software program will do a better job with this.
Ease of Use
Installation was simple on both PC and Mac. (Mac was a the easier of the two.) The is software for configuring the unit but I found that controlling the unit from within my recording software was the way to go.
Quality
It's plastic and half rack size - so it's a little light. But it's as solid as it needs to be. I have not had any issues and M-Audio has a decent reputation.
Value
24/96 clean clear sound, with very decent preamps for not a lot of money = no brainer.
Manufacturer Support
M-Audio (Avid) web site is all I ever needed... everything was there and easy to find.
Musical Background:
recording engineer, producer
Musical Style:
voiceover, electronic
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Submitted February 27, 2011 by a customer from q.com
"A Great Audio Interface at a Great Price"
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I will be using this unit for a long time, at least a couple years or so before I think I will outgrow it.
Sound
Last year I bought Pro Tools 8 M-Powered and needed a M-Audio interface. I tried the Profire 2626, but OMG it was way to much. So then I bought the Fast Track Ultra 8R, and it was way too many channels for me as a songwriter. So last month after saving my money, I purchased the Fast Track Ultra USB interface....and it fits me and my needs excat. Works great with Pro Tools, hooking it up to my Korg Keyboard via MIDI, it works great. And if I need a guitarist, or vocalist, I just plug them into the front of the interface and record them....simple, easy, no hassles....takes the pain, headache out of songwriter. This is one powerful interface, in a small, compact package. I urge all musicians to get one for their studio...they will thank me. Thanks again,
Rory
Features
I really like the iputs in both front AND Back. Plus the 2 inserts, so later i can run external gear with this unit too. The only drawback is that I wished it was 19" wide so I could put it in my rack...other then that no complaints.
Ease of Use
The interface is very simple easy to use and get sound from, my 10 year old boy even knows how to run it.
Quality
It is extremely well made, just wished the On button was on the front.
Value
Great unit, great and fair price.
Manufacturer Support
Digidesign was easy to reach, got right back to any email inquires I had.
The Wow Factor
Mm, the aesthetics could use a bit of tweaking. Fir a handicapped guy, the power button (Any buttons) should be on the front panel.
Musical Background:
Profession Songwriter, Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
All Styles
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Submitted March 30, 2009 by a customer from gmail.com
"It´s Good"
I'm very satisfied.
Sound
It has good sound at this pricepoint.
Features
4 mic preamps at this price. DSP-FX for monitoring. Expandable with quality preamps, since rear ins bypass the preamps. It's a cleaver design.
Ease of Use
Very easy to use.
Never had any problems.
Quality
Its plastic, but it feels sturdy
Value
4 mic preamps at this price. DSP-FX for monitoring. Expandable with quality preamps, since rear ins bypass the preamps. It's a cleaver design.
Manufacturer Support
Wrote to M-Audio about some questions. They answered me in 24 hours. Thats pretty good
The Wow Factor
I have it and like it.
Musical Background:
Teach music
Musical Style:
Rock and pop
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Submitted September 7, 2008 by a customer from gmail.com
"So Sad it doesn't work - it could be great."
As I'm using Protools M-powered I'm stuck with M-Audio. My previous Delta 44 worked great for years, so I trusted then! I believed that it would work.
Sound
When it works it sounds great. I've had mine for 4 months now. It's working 50% of the time.
Features
When it works the 6 in 6 out means for me no mixer. In theory it was meant to be simpler and reduce signal path, noise etc. In practice, it means you are entirely reliant on the Fast Track Ultra and when it doesn't work you have no music!
Quality
Problem is the drivers with Vista. Doesn't work with SP1 - make sure that's not on. It is inconsistent in it's behaviour, meaning you can get it working for weeks, then it will drop out and not even reinstall (I've been through every method). If you want to make music rather than do computer support I'd avoid like the plague!
Value
It's a steal - if it worked.
Manufacturer Support
They are responsive at m-audio but they haven't solved my problems.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, songwriter
Musical Style:
Rock, Jazz, Blues, Classical
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Submitted December 18, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Box Of Goodies. . ."
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I'm Pretty Confident That The FTU Will Be Dependable And Hold Its Weight For Years To Come. It'll Mainly Be Used For On The Go Projects And Out Of Town Sessions, So It Won't Get As Much Attention As My Primary Setup, But It Does Perform It's Job Well, And With The Features And Quality It Provides, Will Definitely Be An Addition I Wont Regret Buying!
Sound
From First Hook Up And Session, I Came To The Conclusion That This Item Holds A Very Crisp Sound! It Gave Me A Response I've Always Enjoyed Hearing- Low/No Latency Monitoring, Clear Vocals, And Smooth Sound!
Features
It Did Come With Ableton Live, As Well As A Driver Installation CD. Neither Of Which I Found Use For. (I Use Mixcraft 5.1) Great Features Are The Onboard DSP Mixer. Also, I Enjoy The Effects That Are Included For Monitoring.
Ease of Use
At First, Setup Took A While Longer Than Expected. I Ran Into Issues With Setting Up My Monitors So That I Could Control Their Volume Through The Main Output Knob. Also Had The Same Issue With Setting Up Both Headphone Controls So I Can Alter Them Individually. After Doing Research On M-Audio's User Forums, And Some Toying Around, Problem Was Solved. Also Ran Into A Slight Snag With Getting The Right Mic Level And Good Response. Support From M-Audio Forums Helped Yet Again With This. After Fixing This, It Was Easy And Quick To Manipulate Sounds To Come Out Of Where I Wanted Them To.
Quality
Item Itself Is Semi-Light. Plastic Built But Durable. Careful With Handling, You Will Leave Finger Smudges All Over It! No Loose Parts. Knobs Turn Smoothly And Have A Nice Rubber Grip To Them.
Value
This Item Does Hold It's Own Against Similar Interfaces. I Feel The Octane Pre's Really Give It An Edge In The USB Category As Well, So For The Price, You're Getting One Heck Of A Deal
Manufacturer Support
Service Didn't Come Directly From M-Audio Technicians, But From Their Hosted User Forums. Very Friendly And Helpful In Identifying Problem And Assisting With It. I Do Recommend You Search The Forums Thoroughly BEFORE Asking For Help Though, Just In Case The Problem You Encounter Was Previously Solved By Someone Else!
The Wow Factor
The Colors Itself Are Pretty Neutral So I Guess It Could Fit In Any Gender's Studio. . But If You Find Sex Appeal In Electrical Equipment, Maybe Something's Wrong With You?
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Rap/Hip Hop/ RnB
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Submitted May 1, 2013 by Dan O in Denver, CO
"Poor Quality, Terrible Support"
Wanted to share my experience with the Fast Track Ultra...
I originally purchased the interface in 2011 because the small footprint and many inputs / outputs were appealing to me for home studio use. In M-Audio's marketing material they specifically mention "works great with Macbook Pro!" I have had nothing but problems, both compatibility and hardware related.
When I began using the product, it would randomly crash my Macbook and I would be forced to do a hard restart (losing any unsaved data). This happened all the time to the point where I just stopped using it. They eventually came out with an updated driver which fixed this problem and I began using the device again. Unfortunately, if my laptop (MBP, Snow Leopard) went into sleep mode, if I turned off / on the device or if I unplugged / re-plugged the interface via USB I would have to restart my Macbook for it to recognize the device again. This was never fixed up to the very last driver deployment (2.2.2).
Because of these inconveniences, I use the interface occasionally at home. It has never been dropped, has never gotten wet - literally, it has never left my desk.
Recently (about 2 years after purchasing the device), I was using the interface to jam guitar along to songs on Spotify. I hit pause and lowered the Main Output knob all the way to take a break. When I returned and hit play again, the interface volume was on full blast with no control from the Main Output knob, nearly blowing my monitors and causing a huge disturbance to my neighbors.
I tried everything to get it working again. Installing, reinstalling drivers, different hardware and software configurations, tried it on another computer.. no luck. I looked to M-Audio for support, but they are no longer responsible for the product - all M-Audio USB interfaces are now under Avid's wing.
So, I looked to Avid for support. They require you to purchase support codes for tech support, which I refused to do. I called customer support and found that you receive one free tech support code when you register your product. With new hope, I tried registering my FTU on Avid's website, but it would not work. The registration form did not recognize the FTU as a product.
Now feeling pretty hopeless, I spent about 2 weeks on the Avid Customer Support Forum asking other users for help - with no luck. I called Tech Support to see if they could help me, but could not get through without purchasing a Support Code.
Another few weeks went by and I called customer service again, this time aggravated. Finally, the representative told me that actually, the registration link for Fast Track Ultra was not on the Avid website. He then proceeded to read me a URL like this over the phone to plug into my web browser: http://www.productregistration.com/a...a/register-now (why is this not on the website? why couldn't he email me the link?). I was finally able to register my product and received a confirmation email that included my "1 Time Support Code" that is only good for 60 days (good thing I didn't register when I first purchased the product, huh?).
I use my Support Code to submit a Support Ticket. The first thing I get back is a request for proof of purchase. is to provide proof of purchase. Why not include this in the product registration process? It's a little insulting to ask for it after the fact.. Like you have to "double check" on me personally. I provide a copy of my receipt.
Next, I get an email from tech support asking me to provide a 4 hour window of availability that they will "try to contact me" during. Tech Support hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday. So, I have to take half a day off of work just to *hope* that I'll get a call from Avid Tech Support? You're joking right? So, I take a half day and schedule it.
During our troubleshooting meeting I'm asked to try a different USB cable. I had tried everything else the technician suggested. It was concluded by my technician that my Fast Track Ultra was a faulty piece of hardware. After all of the trouble I went through for this 5 minutes of actually talking to someone that knows about the device, I'm expecting maybe a replacement, free repair or even a discount on another device.. Something, anything! My Tech Support Technician routes me to the Repairs department for a $100 repair quote.
I realize that the Fast Track Ultra was a dud for Avid. It's obviously a poor quality product that fails pretty soon after the 1 year warranty. You find reports of this all over the Avid support forum from people who refuse to pay for tech support and are searching to find a solution. I don't blame them. After all, my product failed for absolutely no reason after 2 years of sitting on my desk with light use. Yet, after only 2 years, this $300+ piece of equipment has ceased to perform.
Any respectable company would take the responsibility for the fact that their product is of poor quality. Avid has not done this. Instead, they make it as hard as possible to contact their tech support team because they know that the end results will just aggravate the customer even more.
I will not get my product repaired. I refuse to give any more money to a company like this. I will never purchase another Avid product again. If Avid wishes to retain customer satisfaction, they need to seriously think about the way they do business. After all, we are the ones who keep them in business.
Musical Background:
Part-time professional musician with home studio.
Musical Style:
Rock, Funk, Dance
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Submitted June 29, 2010 by a customer from renga-arts.com
"Want to use it on Windows Vista64? Forget it."
Sound
Sound seems fine -- having so much trouble getting it to work with the associated version of Pro Tools that haven't been able to fully evaluate this yet.
Features
Has what I expected when I purchased it.
Ease of Use
The headphone monitors stopped working mysteriously at one point. Had to re-install drivers to get back up. Pro tools crashes as well when using plug-ins. Really, really unstable on Vista64.
Quality
Physical quality of unit is satisfactory for price.
Manufacturer Support
Have yet to comment on that. Just wanted to warn potential purchasers that trying to get this thing working with pro tools on a vista 64 bit machine is a nightmare.
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
jazz
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Submitted April 10, 2010 by a customer from craigolson.net
"Defective product with no customer support."
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Sound
The sound quality is good, WHEN IT WORKS. That's my entire point. The features and quality of construction are good. However, often times it will fail to make a connection with my laptop - sometimes within a single session where it was working a few minutes earlier. Their web site said "If the 6th digit on your serial number is an "F" (like mine is) the unit may be subject to intermittent dropped connections.
Ummmm - I registered the product with serial number. Why didn't they notify me, issue a recall or offer to replace the defective unit??
I didn't use it much at first and only noticed the problem recently. Of course it's 2 months out of warranty now and I can't even reach their support people. Was on hold for over 25 minutes on their support line and the link for email support was a dead link the day I tried it.
Defective product, terrible customer support, no offer to make good or replace the unit. These people are not to be trusted!
Value
Would have been awesome, if the dang thing didn't crap out half the time.
Manufacturer Support
The phone support had me on hold for over 25 minutes. The support link on their site was a dead link. That's BAD!
Musical Background:
pro musician
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Submitted July 15, 2008 by a customer from gmail.com
"Driver won't install on Leopard OS X 10.5 upgrade"
I got a "install failed" error with the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra driver on an iMac running Leopard OS X 10.5. The web-based online support was no help, so I called telephone support.
I was told that "this is a known issue and our team is working on it." I was told that they THINK it might be because I upgraded to 10.5 from 10.4 rather than doing a clean install of 10.5 and that •engineering thinks this is the issue.•
He suggested I "back up all data and do a clean install of leopard."
Of course, it's not as simple as just backing up all data. To do a clean install of OS X 10.5 would wipe the disk so I would have to then re-install all my software packages as well as restore all my data. This would take days!
I bought the item because of its sound quality and features. But, if you can't install the driver, all the features in the world are worthless, so I rate this product's features, quality and so on as a "1" on a scale of 10.
I'll be returning the item for a full refund.
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Rock, jazz, techno, folk, blues
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Submitted September 24, 2008 by a customer from gmail.com
"Shipped-out-to-early, frequently defective device...although the idea behind is great..."
Sound
There never was any...
Manufacturer Support
Webhelp was of zero value. Tech support told me to send it back. wow, thanks.
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Submitted July 27, 2009
"Actually works with Vista 64!!!"
If the thing can work with Vista 64...it deserves a medal.
Sound
The pres are decent for this type of product - on par with the Yamaha MG or Mackie preamps. Good conversion, clean sound.
Ease of Use
With so many nightmares I've had with Vista 64 and Adobe Auditon 3, I was shocked that I was up and running straight away. Everything worked perfectly...just make sure you dowload your drivers from their website.
Echo Audio's Vista drivers are rubbish, by comparison.
Quality
Plastic...but surprisingly tight dials and solid buttons and jacks.
Value
There's a lot of junk out there for this price.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't needed their support yet.
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Submitted March 18, 2008
"Nice but still glitching"
It hangs/glitches all the time. Externally powered, computer running dual 2g CPU, 2g RAM, running idle and the Ultra will just freeze. The control panel freezes, and the device disappears as if it was unplugged from the USB. Unless this new driver works 3/17. It happens so much that I think we are going to have to get something else. We will be using it live on air 24x7 and it cannot glitch or it's useless. I have other $150 Alesis units that do not do this. I also have other m-audio products that I am very happy with but this thing does not work in it's present state. Google it and you will find other folks having the same problems.
Sound
Not bad sound. Decent quality. M-audio is a fine company with some good products.
Ease of Use
Very easy to use, when it works.
Quality
Decent quality for what it is.
Manufacturer Support
Good/Fair. Still working existing problems out so I can't really say.
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Submitted March 12, 2008
"Works for me.."
I've gone through several interfaces at this price point to arrive at the Fast Track Ultra. Above all, it has worked for me right out of the box. With so many interfaces out there that have terrible driver sets, who cares what knobs they have on the hardware if the product isn't stable and reliable from a software standpoint.
Sound
Overall, the sound is good enough. Pre's are a little weak.
Features
Comes with what you need to get the job done on the go or in a sall home studio setup. While it will not allow you to create custom bus sets or change desinated outputs it still works for me. I would like to see "all" the mising features and DSP on the Unit rather than in software.
Ease of Use
Too easy to use. I put the software mixer up on one monitor and my DAW on the others. For portable use it's still easier to use my BOSS BR600 or MicroBR, but for a week stay in a new location the Ultra still fits in my comuter case for a portable studio.
Quality
It's plastic and the software is cheap, low budget.
Value
You can get several Prosumer rigs in the $500-$800 range, but for $349 you can't beat it.
Manufacturer Support
While it may take FOREVER to get through, once you get them on the phone they hang in there till it gets worked out. Overall, for a 1.0 set of drivers I'm amazed at how well it works.
The Wow Factor
While it's not sexy, I did special order it to get one as they came available and haven't benn disappointed.
Musical Background:
Active musician for 30 years
Musical Style:
Rock, country, bluegrass
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