Ashville.Guru Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hey all, MOTU has released the new version of the Microbook. It's a 4-in, 6-out very compact USB interface. Here's the video from Messe: [video:youtube] MOTU has turned the biggest shortcoming of the Microbook I into one if it's greatest strengths. The first version had no no knobs, no buttons. You had to control everything from software. No level indicators - so you'd have no clue as to available headroom, clipping, etc. Wierd. OTOH, Version II has perhaps the best metering and control features in its league...! I've been searching for interfaces for live playing, with the following criteria: (1) low latency (2) small, tabletop form factor (3) intuitive, upward-facing metering and controls, so that it can be velcroed on my keys. There are surprisingly few products that meet all criteria. For Windows, the top contender would be the RME Babyface. Very pricey, and I don't relish the idea of paying for lots of ins and outs that I don't really need. Others, like the Roland Tri-capture and the Steinberg UR28M, have unknown/questionable latency performances. My TC Desktop Konnekt 6 has an excellent form factor, metering and knobs, but the latency performance is merely average. At $249, the Microbook II seems to be a lot of bang for the buck, and perhaps the ideal interface for live playing. http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MOTU-Microbook-II.jpg This is really what MIDI was originally about encouraging cooperation between companies that make the world a more creative place." - Dave Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Does this essentially do the same thing as the much-lauded Apogee Duet, but for less money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Looks good, especially for your application. I occasionally used my MOTU 828 live (velcroed to the top of my keyboard) and I'd sure rather have used something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Aiken Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I like it. If it had midi in/ out I would order one this second for my soon to be implemented Mainstage rig. I do need a midi jack to go from Mainstage to my top board. I have been considering the MOTU Ultralite for that reason. I prefer this form factor, the knobs, and the level lights for a non- rack mounted solution. Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashville.Guru Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Does this essentially do the same thing as the much-lauded Apogee Duet, but for less money? Arguably, *perhaps* yes. Depends on your definition of 'essentially' and 'same' . Please note that we're getting into some murky grey area here. It's a rather sad situation. The specs that matter most are simply not reported by manufacturers; it's perhaps because the standards are just not defined. In terms of interface 'performance', there are two major yardsticks (restricting ourselves to live playing): (1) how low can the true latency go as you decrease buffer settings, and (2) how much audio processing can be reliably handled as you decrease buffer settings (i.e. without hearing pops and crackles). At least for the first yardstick, there are (relatively) straightforward ways of measuring latency (for e.g, there are the Oblique and there's the Centrance round-trip latency test utilities). But they're Windows-only, so can't be used to address your question! The second is very tricky; there's no straightforward way to measure reliability of audio performance. Vin Curigliano's DawBench is an attempt at setting benchmarks for objective measurements of pro audio performance (the SoS article is a good intro). Essentially, consists of adding more and more plugins of different kind until you start to hear pops and crackles. Rinse and repeat at each buffer setting. All this is very fine, but at the end of the day, until these tests need to be adopted as standards by the industry, they're almost useless. Case in point - while the tests have at least been performed on other MOTU interfaces, AFAIK they haven't been done on the Apogees yet. Nor the Microbook. So how does one even begin to compare? The only recourse is to scour the forums for anecdotal reports colored by brand loyalty and whatnot (Apogee is teh BOMB!!!). Ok, end of rant. Here's hoping that the industry adopts standards for benchmarking performance, so that we buyers may make more informed choices. So regarding your question, D - going by available data, MOTU interfaces in general perform very well, just behind the RMEs. MOTU appears to take performance rather seriously, and so worst case, the Microbook can't be much worse than the Duet. If not actually better. At less than half the price. This is really what MIDI was originally about encouraging cooperation between companies that make the world a more creative place." - Dave Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashville.Guru Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 If it had midi in/ out I would order one this second for my soon to be implemented Mainstage rig. I do need a midi jack to go from Mainstage to my top board. Just curious, are you avoiding consideration of a simple MIDI->USB cable because you're running out of slots on your MBP? If so, why not use a 2X2 interface like the Roland Um-2G? $49, no additional footprint... This is really what MIDI was originally about encouraging cooperation between companies that make the world a more creative place." - Dave Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 It's interesting how different live and studio requirements can be. I can see why converter quality might not enter the discussion for live playing, as critical listening is next to impossible in that environment; but for recording, I can't imagine it not being at the top of the list. Best, Geoff My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashville.Guru Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Indeed. Not only are the requirements radically different, but the user base is hopelessly skewed. Perhaps 1 in every 1,000 buyers of an audio interface intends to use it for live playing! Naturally, when one searches for info on interface quality, A/D conversion, preamp quality, etc. take centerstage. Which basically means squat to a live player... This is really what MIDI was originally about encouraging cooperation between companies that make the world a more creative place." - Dave Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Aiken Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 If it had midi in/ out I would order one this second for my soon to be implemented Mainstage rig. I do need a midi jack to go from Mainstage to my top board. Just curious, are you avoiding consideration of a simple MIDI->USB cable because you're running out of slots on your MBP? If so, why not use a 2X2 interface like the Roland Um-2G? $49, no additional footprint... If it had midi in/ out I would order one this second for my soon to be implemented Mainstage rig. I do need a midi jack to go from Mainstage to my top board. Just curious, are you avoiding consideration of a simple MIDI->USB cable because you're running out of slots on your MBP? If so, why not use a 2X2 interface like the Roland Um-2G? $49, no additional footprint... I just would prefer, all else being equal, to have a reliable all in one solution. Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashville.Guru Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 I just would prefer, all else being equal, to have a reliable all in one solution. I agonized about a similar preference, while purchasing my TC Konnekt 6 (no midi). The utter lack of interfaces with upward facing controls forced my hand, and I had to get a midi-usb cable. Note that I don't call it an interface - it has the same form factor as a cable. It's exactly as if my board had midi-over-usb, and I was connecting a USB cable! There simply is no difference whatsoever -nothing extra to carry, no additional connections, no difference to stage footprint, and no difference to reliability, either. With hindsight, I wonder why I ever had to agonize over that rather silly preference... The only proven low-latency interface with the right form factor and midi is the Babyface. $500 more . Anything else , you'd be compromising on performance/form factor. For no tangible advantage. EDIT: Come to think of it, my setup is actually neater and quicker thanks to the midi-USB cable. The TC and the NanoKontrol are velcroed to my board. The two USBs and the firewire cables are neatly snaked together. I effectively have one cable between the laptop and my board, and one connection to make . If the TC had midi, I'd have one more connection, and one more cable dangling at my rig... This is really what MIDI was originally about encouraging cooperation between companies that make the world a more creative place." - Dave Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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