M Audio Fast Track Ultra Software Download Mac
The world is simply teeming with sound interfaces these days, so what does Grand‑Sound's latest offer, the Fast Track Ultra, have that the others don't?
There is no denying that home and projection studio owners take never had a better range of audio and MIDI interfaces to choose from, whatever their upkeep or feature requirements. The latest addition to your dilemma is K-Audio's Fast Track Ultra, which provides six-in/six-out analogue sound interfacing with 24-fleck audio at sample rates upwardly to 96kHz, alongside stereo S/PDIF digital I/O and MIDI I/O. This is all housed in a compact desktop unit with USB ii.0 connectivity to the host computer. However, the characteristic that perhaps immediately causes the Fast Track Ultra to stand out is its onboard DSP processing. And then if you are in the market for a meaty, multi-channel audio interface with a few bells and whistles thrown in, is the Fast Runway Ultra worth a serious look?
Warm-up Lap
With a footprint not much bigger than a Harry Potter novel, the Fast Track Ultra packs a lot of features into a pretty modest space. The forepart panel is dominated by the 4 microphone inputs. 2 of these (channels one and 2) characteristic combi XLR/TRS connectors suitable for balanced or unbalanced mic and instrument signals, while the other two (channels 3 and 4) employ standard XLR sockets. A push-button located to the top right of each input allows the user to switch between the front-panel input and the corresponding quarter-inch jack inputs on the rear panel. Each input as well features a single LED for use when setting levels, which flashes green for a healthy indicate level and cherry-red when the signal is getting a niggling hot — basic in terms of metering, but not dissimilar to that found on many compact audio interfaces. The preamps are based on Chiliad-Audio'south Octane technology, every bit establish in the more than upmarket Profire 2626.
The Fast Track Ultra's rear console accommodates about of the unit's I/O connections. The right side of the forepart panel hosts four gain controls for the mic preamps (offer well-nigh 60dB of gain). A 20dB pad is included, which can be useful for recording peculiarly loud signals and is engaged by pulling the respective gain knob out — it clicks firmly into either position. The other knobs control the main output level and the output levels of the two independent headphone outs. While fingers of the short and stubby kind are perhaps not best suited to the closely packed knobs, overall, M-Audio have done a good chore of getting a lot of functionality into what is a small-footprint interface.
Moving from left to right, the rear panel features a power push, an input for the included power supply and a switch for the phantom power. The latter is global: on or off for all four channels. Next in line are the 6 TRS jack outputs, followed by the USB 2.0 port and a pair of standard MIDI I/O sockets. S/PDIF I/O is provided on coaxial sockets and these channels can be used simultaneously with the analogue ins and outs, giving an eight-in, viii-out configuration. In addition to the half dozen TRS jack line inputs, the rear panel is completed by two insert jacks (also TRS) that can exist used to patch in a hardware processor (such equally an counterpart compressor) betwixt the preamp and the A-D conversion. Information technology'southward great to run across such inserts included, as they can add considerable flexibility. However, they are hardly given a mention in the supplied documentation and, given that the unit of measurement is priced at a point that will entreatment to the recording novice, this is a compassion.
The Fast Track Ultra tin can exist powered either via the USB bus or the supplied Air-conditioning ability adaptor. Via the USB motorbus, there is just enough power to drive the outset counterpart I/O pair and the Due south/PDIF I/O. This is, perchance, understandable, but it does mean another power adaptor to pack if you want to use the device as function of a mobile recording setup and need more than two analogue channels. While on the subject area of power, I was a little surprised that the power socket on the rear of the unit of measurement doesn't feature some sort of cable lock, every bit the jack from the power adaptor seems to take a little play in information technology when continued and, in the anarchy that frequently ensues in a mobile recording environment, I could easily imagine it becoming dislodged. This is a bit of a shame, but in all other respects the Fast Rails Ultra seems to exist solidly congenital.
Hardware aside, likewise included in the box are a printed Quick Start manual, a USB cablevision, the external power adaptor, and a CD containing the drivers and Command Panel software, farther documentation in PDF format and a version of Ableton Live Lite vi (run across the 'Live In The Fast Track Ultra' box). The transmission pointed me to the M-Sound web site to check for updated software and, with this downloaded, installation proceeded without a hitch on my system. The drivers work with OS x.three.ix or college for Mac and Windows XP SP2 and Vista 32-bit for PCs.
Live In The Fast Runway Ultra
Ableton Alive Light half dozen is bundled with the Fast Track Ultra, and while it offers a limited track count compared to the total version of Live (four sound tracks and four MIDI tracks), information technology notwithstanding has a expert bargain of the functionality of the full version. Its inclusion as well allows those new to computer-based recording to get started 'straight out of the box'. An upgrade path to the full version of Alive vii (reviewed in the February 2008 issue of SOS) is also bachelor.
Ins, Outs & Audio Quality
With the occasional exception at the very budget end of the marketplace, most modern sound devices aimed at recording musicians have very respectable sound specifications, and the data for the Fast Runway Ultra suggests information technology's capable of good things. Playing back my test tracks (covering rock, folk, country, trip the light fantastic and classical) through the chief outputs gave excellent results and, subjectively, the unit produced an even frequency response and good stereo imaging.
The Monitor windows allow multiple monitor mixes to exist created and the Ultra's DSP effects to be applied. When monitoring both the mic and line inputs at zero gain, in terms of boilerplate noise levels, I was able to get very close to the stated SNR data of approximately -103dB, and recording both vocals and acoustic guitar produced perfectly adequate results. The mic preamps offering a reasonable amount of gain and the phantom power operated as advertised, although it's a shame information technology'south global — even beingness switchable in two pairs would offer further flexibility for those with a limited mic collection. What is peradventure a lilliputian surprising is that the four input-gain knobs only function with the front-panel inputs. Equally far as I could see, if yous're using any of the rear-panel line-level inputs the point level has to be controlled at source, as the Fast Track Ultra doesn't provide any means of command either in hardware or software.
Having two independent headphone outputs is a big plus, allowing both engineer and performer to monitor if they are recording in a unmarried room and don't take the luxury of a split up command room and alive room. Equally, the forepart-panel controls for the headphone outputs and primary output level are welcome and much preferable to software-but controls. My only other minor gripe here is that the headphone outputs seem a tad underpowered — a drummer might struggle to hear what was going on in their headphones over the audio of the kit without some further amplification.
This said, in the average home studio the Fast Track Ultra is unlikely to exist the weak link in the sound signal chain. In terms of audio quality, I'd accept no problems in using this device in a commercial context for well-nigh recording tasks.
Ultra Control
The majority of the Fast Track Ultra's features are accessed via the eight tabbed windows within the Command Panel software. The starting time four of these allow the user to set up culling monitor mixes to be fed to any of the four output pairs (the final pair being the South/PDIF I/O). The mixes fix via the Monitor i/2 and Monitor 3/4 windows get to both the similarly numbered line-output pairs and to the two headphone outputs respectively. The user has control over the levels from all eight inputs, besides as up to eight channels of audio existence returned to the Fast Rails Ultra from the host sequencer. It is also worth noting that the software faders for the input channels control only the monitoring level. Adjusting these has no influence on the level beingness sent to the host sequencer for recording — this is controlled independently via the front-console gain controls (although simply, every bit noted before, for channels 1-4). The Monitor 1/ii and Monitor 3/4 windows include Send knobs (at the bottom of each channel strip) that allow the DSP reverb or delay to exist added to the monitor mix as required.
The tidy front panel is small just packed with functionality. The onboard DSP processing powers a small-scale option of reverb and filibuster algorithms. The effects tin can be practical to either one of the input channels or to signals being passed from the computer back to the Fast Track Ultra for monitoring. The DSP can simply exist applied to signals being monitored through the main outputs (channels ane and 2) or channels iii and 4, and are for monitoring purposes only — the 'wet' signal cannot be routed back to the host estimator for recording. The most obvious awarding of the DSP would exist to add a piffling reverb or filibuster into the monitor mix for a vocalist — a bear on of reverb practical to their own voice in their headphone mix can brand things sound more natural. With most meaty sound interfaces, adding monitoring reverb for this purpose is either difficult or requires you lot to monitor via your host sequencer (which, in turn, requires low-latency settings), so the DSP makes this very mutual practice a whole lot easier.
The Settings window provides access to the usual sample charge per unit and latency settings and this is also where the DSP effects can be configured. Any one of the viii different algorithms tin be selected — six reverb types (three rooms, two halls and a plate) plus a delay and echo. The Duration command sets the disuse fourth dimension of the reverb or the time between repeats for the delay and echo. The Feedback control is merely operative on the delay and repeat algorithms and controls the number of repeats.
Testing On The Track
In use, the Fast Track Ultra proved to be very user friendly. The Control Console application, if non the most pretty of user interfaces, is straightforward in operation, and brief testing with a number of different sound applications (Audio Forge, Wavelab and Acid Pro) didn't turn upwardly any problems. I did my more detailed testing with Cubase and was able to work with pretty complex projects at a respectable 256-sample ASIO buffer size, without my CPU getting too stressed. My overall impression was of very robust drivers. Given the six counterpart outputs, the Fast Rails Ultra is as well suitable for 5.one environs projects and, in one case the various output pairs had been configured, this worked a treat inside Cubase.
Using the DSP to utilise a fiddling gentle reverb or delay to the monitor mix also proved easy, and every bit this is such a mutual requirement when recording vocals or acoustic instruments, this feature is a real plus for the Fast Track Ultra. The quality of the reverb is perhaps non the greatest — I don't think I'd really desire to employ it to mix with, fifty-fifty if the audio routing immune that — but information technology's absolutely fine for monitoring purposes, and is a much more than elegant solution than monitoring with a reverb added via your host sequencer.
One further thing worth noting is that both powering up and powering down the unit does create a noticeable 'clunk'. After I had scared myself featherbrained the beginning time it happened (and checked that my speaker cones were however in working social club!), I made certain that my monitoring system was powered down before switching the Fast Track Ultra on or off.
Last Lap
One thousand-Audio's Fast Rail Ultra packs a lot of I/O into a swell bundle. It's small enough for the mobile studio only has enough features and channels to deal with the majority of tasks in a home or small projection studio. The audio quality is very adept indeed, the drivers seem solid and the Control Panel software, while not particularly highly-seasoned to the centre, gets the task done with a minimum of fuss. The included DSP effects are also a bonus and will make the recording process that much more pleasant for vocalists who similar to take some reverb in their headphones when they're singing. This characteristic alone would make the Fast Track Ultra worth auditioning aslope the extensive competition in the compact USB/Firewire interface market place.
Alternatives
There are any number of alternative compact audio and MIDI interfaces that potential purchasers tin can choose from. The detailed specifications of all these units vary, offering different combinations of multi-channel I/O, but products from the likes of Edirol, ESI, Alesis and Focusrite would be obvious examples. However, given the DSP effects included with the Fast Track Ultra, perhaps the well-nigh suitable comparing is with the slightly more expensive TC Electronic Konnekt 24D. This Firewire interface offers a iv-in/four-out analogue configuration but also features onboard DSP. In terms of the quality and flexibility of the effects, the Konnekt is superior (see the review in our May 2007 issue), simply information technology is obviously more expensive and has fewer I/O channels.
Pros
- Plenty of I/O in a very meaty box.
- Audio quality is very skilful
- Piece of cake to use.
- Included DSP effects are not bad for adding a touch of reverb or delay to a monitor mix.
Cons
- Power supply connector could exist more secure?
- Picket out for the power on/off 'clunk'!
- No input-proceeds control over the rear-panel line inputs.
Summary
The Fast Track Ultra offers a lot of I/O in a small package and performs very well. The included DSP effects are very useful when tracking, and certainly give this interface an edge when compared to the bulk of the contest in this cost bracket.
M Audio Fast Track Ultra Software Download Mac
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Source: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/m-audio-fast-track-ultra
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