After getting the M-Audio FastTrackPro USB Audio/MIDI interface home, I was in full music creativity mode within 10 minutes of opening the box! After a quick search on M-Audio’s website, I had the very latest driver’s for Windows 7 on my laptop. Without having to reboot, the computer recognized the USB interface and added a very handy and easy to use control panel to the Toolbar for input selections, sample and bit rate options and latency/buffer settings.
After this amazingly simple install, I assigned the FastTrackPro as my ASIO device in Cubase and created a few new tracks. I then plugged in my CAD condenser mic to capture some vocals into the device’s mic preamps with the 48V phantom power switch on the back panel turned on. The preamps gave plenty of gain to my Cubase input channel with no appreciable noise that I could hear. The monitor controls are very intuitive and allow you to hear your input directly to the headphones and line outs or you can monitor through your DAW software. This option would be great for any latency issues while recording.
Next it was time for some bass guitar using the instrument input switch offered on both of the devices preamp channels. I found that going direct gave me plenty of gain without any brittle highs or uneven low end response.
And finally, as the FastTrackPro can be used as a standalone A/D converter, I unplugged the USB cable from my laptop, powered the device with a 9V power supply and used the S/PDIF output to feed my MOTU 2408mk3 digital input. The bass guitar recorded perfectly into my desktop studio PC!
What an incredibly versatile interface at a great price. It’s a new tool in my audio arsenal for sure!
