M Audio Mobile Pre

[Simon Lewis]

Hi y'all,

 

Is anyone using this preamp with Smaart 5 (or higher)?

 

Is it stable and accurate in your setup?

 

Thanks!

 

Simon

[jamesperrett]

Hi y'all,

 

Is anyone using this preamp with Smaart 5 (or higher)?

 

Is it stable and accurate in your setup?

 

I've not used it with Smaart 5 but I've found that the one I use to work fine for other audio analysis purposes in a custom programmed monitoring application. However, I was given it because its original owner thought that he had damaged various parts of it. As far as I can tell it all works fine but possibly the control panel is a little obscure for someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

 

Cheers

 

James.

[lightsource]

Not used this piece of kit personally, but other M Audio products I've used have always been excellent, and come fairly highly regarded ( Mainly the Delta 10:10)

[RustyBrooks]

Simon, have used it, but prefer the edirol UA-25, ally case is a whole lot tougher, seems to be a lot more "gig proof" and is happy to be thrown in the dog box of a touring desk, which the m-audio one looks likely to get damaged a little easier. I think the old Whiskers advert would fit here, 9 out of 10 engineers prefer the edirol, at least of the people I know, and work with.

 

However, if your only timing with it, just put any old dynamic into the mic input of your laptop... a whole lot cheaper, and because of the wonder of Smaart, just as accurate. If your useing the card for frequency response, LEQ, or architectural applications, the Edirol, edimtedly a little pricier, goes to 96khz, and is and 24bit... again accuracy shouldn't matter at all, as it's any calculations take into account the sound card, so transpanency is really irrelevent, as long as both channels are the same quality (or lack of)

 

For info:

 

Vaio Laptop

UA-25

Smaart 5.4 (Though stable with Beta of 6 as well)

Sennhesier SCM 500Dynamic Radio Mic

or BK Reference

 

Hope this helps

 

J

[Simon Lewis]

J,

 

Many thanks for this!

 

I have the Edirol preamp for my own Smaart setup - it's a great little device!

 

I was about to order a small mixer to run a Smaart teaching practical for undergraduate students, when I thought that the Mobile Pre might get around a few of the problems we get (eq's inadvertently moved from 12 o'clock, poor phase response from cheap desks). The preamp needed to be fairly low cost for it to be seen as maintenance rather than capital!

 

Simon