Home » The PARIS Forums » PARIS: Main » Tascam US2400 review
| Tascam US2400 review [message #62946] |
Thu, 12 January 2006 09:15  |
Chris Wargo
Messages: 45
Registered: November 2005
|
Member |
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My US2400 arrived two days ago and yesterday I got Cubase SL3 installed.
Here is what I think about the unit, and how it works with Cubase:
For my needs, this thing kicks major ass. The build quality is solid, with
all the buttons, faders, and knobs feeling like pro level stuff. Construction
is at least as good as the Mackie, if not better. The lack of a weighted
flywheel for jog/shuttle isn't a problem. While not as nice as the Mackie,
the wheel has a decent feel and is still usable. I'll talk about the most
obvious difference between this unit and a Mackie first, the missing LED
scribble strips. This is probably what will be a deal breaker for some.
For me, it's OK since I am usually under 24 channels anyway, often with
tracks consolidated into groups. For folks who often run more than 24 channels,
you might want to bite the bullet and go for the Mackie with extender(s).
There are two reasons that I wouldn't want to use this unit for large channel
count projects. The first is that the virtual scribble strips are worthless.
The strip is sized to fit on a single monitor, and the resulting font required
to fit all 24 channels is super small. I'm only 36 years old, but my young
eyes can't read it at an arms length. It also has no grid structure or numbers.
This is basically what you see on screen:
kick snare OH L OH R bass DI bass mic gtr disto gtr crunch keys 1 alt
keys lead vox bak vox vox comp harmony solo... etc.
OK, can anyone tell me what's on channel 12, in less than 5 seconds? The
second issue is the way the bank button works in Cubase SL/SX3. If you have
say 28 channel strips, banking up doesn't change the physical faders to channels
25 and up. It instead makes faders 1-24 now equal software channels 5 through
28. The original 24 channels are now in different locations, which is quite
confusing without a usable scribble strip. The workaround I see for this
is to always work with multiples of 24 channels in the software. This way,
when you bank up, you are changing all the physical faders to a totally new
assignment. So here is what I plan to do to make it work for me: I will
make a default project, with 24 audio channels and 24 midi channels. Bank
1 will always be my audio tracks. Bank 2 will always be my midi/VSTi channels.
I now only need two rows of masking tape under my faders to label the project.
Toggling between banks simply "toggles" between my top label and my bottom
one. I will manage the project so that these numbers won't change. For
example, If I add a VSTi, I get a new VSTi audio channel. I just need to
delete one of the unused midi channels to keep my numbers in multiples of
24. This will keep the software channels from ever sliding left or right
on the faders.
Again, I am speaking for Cubase implementation only, functions differ from
app to app. As far as working with Cubase, if it had not been for the latest
firmware update, this unit would be going back to the store right now. Disregard
any older comments found on the web about this unit's compatibility with
Steinberg. The initial release of the unit didn't even include Steinberg
support. It wasn't until the latest firmware that the channel strip/EQ control
function was implemented, which is an important feature to me. I like to
have quick access to EQ with tactile control, even if it is only the native
Steinberg channel EQ. For me, I can do a better job EQ’ing with knobs on
a crappy EQ than a mouse on a good EQ. Having instant access to all of the
parameters is essential to me. I’ll draw the analogy to playing a drumbeat
versus programming one. The one I play is always going to be better. I
like to “play” an EQ. For this reason, my Steinberg EQ gets used more often
than my UAD ones. The EQ is implemented very well on the US2400. Gain,
freq, and bandwidth are grouped together for each of the four EQ sections
and are labeled on the US2400. The LED’s for gain and freq work like a virtual
pointer, but for bandwidth, the LED’s “fan out” to show wide or narrow bandwidths.
Four separate knobs control EQ on/off. Any clockwise movement of the knob
turns the EQ on. Any counterclockwise movement turns it off. All LED’s
are lit for on, none for off.
My unit didn't ship with the latest firmware, so I had to update it. This
was a pretty easy process. Now pretty much everything works as expected.
Documentation for the implementation is pretty lame though. Instead of
releasing an updated manual, there are three errata versions to the original
manual. Some of them have mistakes in them, which are corrected in the latest
document. Tascam doesn't really make it easy to get a hold of all the errata
documents either. The most important one though, is the release notes readme
file for the version 1.31 firmware update which can be downloaded from the
US2400 page.
Other than the scribble strip issue, for which I have a workaround that satisfies
me, I only have one other real complaint. The solo function is pretty slow.
Pressing solo on the Mackie controller results in the tracks being instantly
soloed, but on the US2400 there is about a 1 second lag where you hear the
other channels quickly fade out. If I had to guess, the Mackie sends a “solo
channel” command to the software, where the US2400 internally processes the
solo button as mutes for all the non-soloed tracks, where as it sends out
a “mute all the other channels” command. This is just speculation though.
The end-game for me is that I am keeping the US2400, selling my Mackie, buying
some drafting tape, and getting ready to rock. If anyone is interested in
my Mackie controller, I will sell it for less than the latest going rate.
Contact me at christopherwargo *at> hot<8>mail
-Chris
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| Re: Tascam US2400 review [message #62949 is a reply to message #62946] |
Thu, 12 January 2006 09:57  |
Pete Ruthenburg
Messages: 127
Registered: June 2005
|
Senior Member |
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|
Thanks much for the review Chris;I've been wondering about this
with Cubase since the price reduction.
So with the bank switching your saying it just moves everything
over to align the last physical fader on the 2400 with your last
channel in the software?So if you've got 32 software channels
and you switch to bank 2 you would get channels 8-32 on the 2400
or whatever it would be?
If thats the case then your workaround makes sense and is
pretty painless.Just do projects in multiples of 24 whether or
not there is anything on all the software channels.
Thanks again,
Pete
"Chris Wargo" <na@na.na> wrote:
>
>My US2400 arrived two days ago and yesterday I got Cubase SL3 installed.
>Here is what I think about the unit, and how it works with Cubase:
>
>For my needs, this thing kicks major ass. The build quality is solid, with
>all the buttons, faders, and knobs feeling like pro level stuff. Construction
>is at least as good as the Mackie, if not better. The lack of a weighted
>flywheel for jog/shuttle isn't a problem. While not as nice as the Mackie,
>the wheel has a decent feel and is still usable. I'll talk about the most
>obvious difference between this unit and a Mackie first, the missing LED
>scribble strips. This is probably what will be a deal breaker for some.
> For me, it's OK since I am usually under 24 channels anyway, often with
>tracks consolidated into groups. For folks who often run more than 24 channels,
>you might want to bite the bullet and go for the Mackie with extender(s).
> There are two reasons that I wouldn't want to use this unit for large channel
>count projects. The first is that the virtual scribble strips are worthless.
> The strip is sized to fit on a single monitor, and the resulting font required
>to fit all 24 channels is super small. I'm only 36 years old, but my young
>eyes can't read it at an arms length. It also has no grid structure or numbers.
> This is basically what you see on screen:
>
>kick snare OH L OH R bass DI bass mic gtr disto gtr crunch keys 1 alt
>keys lead vox bak vox vox comp harmony solo... etc.
>
>OK, can anyone tell me what's on channel 12, in less than 5 seconds? The
>second issue is the way the bank button works in Cubase SL/SX3. If you
have
>say 28 channel strips, banking up doesn't change the physical faders to
channels
>25 and up. It instead makes faders 1-24 now equal software channels 5 through
>28. The original 24 channels are now in different locations, which is quite
>confusing without a usable scribble strip. The workaround I see for this
>is to always work with multiples of 24 channels in the software. This way,
>when you bank up, you are changing all the physical faders to a totally
new
>assignment. So here is what I plan to do to make it work for me: I will
>make a default project, with 24 audio channels and 24 midi channels. Bank
>1 will always be my audio tracks. Bank 2 will always be my midi/VSTi channels.
> I now only need two rows of masking tape under my faders to label the project.
> Toggling between banks simply "toggles" between my top label and my bottom
>one. I will manage the project so that these numbers won't change. For
>example, If I add a VSTi, I get a new VSTi audio channel. I just need to
>delete one of the unused midi channels to keep my numbers in multiples of
>24. This will keep the software channels from ever sliding left or right
>on the faders.
>
>Again, I am speaking for Cubase implementation only, functions differ from
>app to app. As far as working with Cubase, if it had not been for the latest
>firmware update, this unit would be going back to the store right now.
Disregard
>any older comments found on the web about this unit's compatibility with
>Steinberg. The initial release of the unit didn't even include Steinberg
>support. It wasn't until the latest firmware that the channel strip/EQ
control
>function was implemented, which is an important feature to me. I like to
>have quick access to EQ with tactile control, even if it is only the native
>Steinberg channel EQ. For me, I can do a better job EQ’ing with knobs
on
>a crappy EQ than a mouse on a good EQ. Having instant access to all of
the
>parameters is essential to me. I’ll draw the analogy to playing a drumbeat
>versus programming one. The one I play is always going to be better. I
>like to “play” an EQ. For this reason, my Steinberg EQ gets used more often
>than my UAD ones. The EQ is implemented very well on the US2400. Gain,
>freq, and bandwidth are grouped together for each of the four EQ sections
>and are labeled on the US2400. The LED’s for gain and freq work like a
virtual
>pointer, but for bandwidth, the LED’s “fan out” to show wide or narrow bandwidths.
> Four separate knobs control EQ on/off. Any clockwise movement of the knob
>turns the EQ on. Any counterclockwise movement turns it off. All LED’s
>are lit for on, none for off.
>
>My unit didn't ship with the latest firmware, so I had to update it. This
>was a pretty easy process. Now pretty much everything works as expected.
> Documentation for the implementation is pretty lame though. Instead of
>releasing an updated manual, there are three errata versions to the original
>manual. Some of them have mistakes in them, which are corrected in the
latest
>document. Tascam doesn't really make it easy to get a hold of all the errata
>documents either. The most important one though, is the release notes readme
>file for the version 1.31 firmware update which can be downloaded from the
>US2400 page.
>
>Other than the scribble strip issue, for which I have a workaround that
satisfies
>me, I only have one other real complaint. The solo function is pretty slow.
> Pressing solo on the Mackie controller results in the tracks being instantly
>soloed, but on the US2400 there is about a 1 second lag where you hear the
>other channels quickly fade out. If I had to guess, the Mackie sends a
“solo
>channel” command to the software, where the US2400 internally processes
the
>solo button as mutes for all the non-soloed tracks, where as it sends out
>a “mute all the other channels” command. This is just speculation though.
>
>The end-game for me is that I am keeping the US2400, selling my Mackie,
buying
>some drafting tape, and getting ready to rock. If anyone is interested
in
>my Mackie controller, I will sell it for less than the latest going rate.
> Contact me at christopherwargo *at> hot<8>mail
>
>-Chris
>
>
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| Re: Tascam US2400 review [message #62953 is a reply to message #62949] |
Thu, 12 January 2006 10:38 |
Chris Wargo
Messages: 45
Registered: November 2005
|
Member |
|
|
Exactly Pete. It seems to align the last software channel with the last physical
fader. IIRC, the Mackie does this too, but it isn't a big deal with the
LED scribble strips.
One more thing, I amde a mistake. The Mackie DOESN'T have a weighted jog
wheel. I guess I was thinking of my old C16 ;-)
-Chris
"Pete Ruthenburg" <ruthenburg@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>Thanks much for the review Chris;I've been wondering about this
>with Cubase since the price reduction.
>
> So with the bank switching your saying it just moves everything
>over to align the last physical fader on the 2400 with your last
>channel in the software?So if you've got 32 software channels
>and you switch to bank 2 you would get channels 8-32 on the 2400
>or whatever it would be?
> If thats the case then your workaround makes sense and is
>pretty painless.Just do projects in multiples of 24 whether or
>not there is anything on all the software channels.
>
>Thanks again,
>Pete
>
>"Chris Wargo" <na@na.na> wrote:
>>
>>My US2400 arrived two days ago and yesterday I got Cubase SL3 installed.
>
>>Here is what I think about the unit, and how it works with Cubase:
>>
>>For my needs, this thing kicks major ass. The build quality is solid,
with
>>all the buttons, faders, and knobs feeling like pro level stuff. Construction
>>is at least as good as the Mackie, if not better. The lack of a weighted
>>flywheel for jog/shuttle isn't a problem. While not as nice as the Mackie,
>>the wheel has a decent feel and is still usable. I'll talk about the most
>>obvious difference between this unit and a Mackie first, the missing LED
>>scribble strips. This is probably what will be a deal breaker for some.
>> For me, it's OK since I am usually under 24 channels anyway, often with
>>tracks consolidated into groups. For folks who often run more than 24
channels,
>>you might want to bite the bullet and go for the Mackie with extender(s).
>> There are two reasons that I wouldn't want to use this unit for large
channel
>>count projects. The first is that the virtual scribble strips are worthless.
>> The strip is sized to fit on a single monitor, and the resulting font
required
>>to fit all 24 channels is super small. I'm only 36 years old, but my young
>>eyes can't read it at an arms length. It also has no grid structure or
numbers.
>> This is basically what you see on screen:
>>
>>kick snare OH L OH R bass DI bass mic gtr disto gtr crunch keys 1 alt
>>keys lead vox bak vox vox comp harmony solo... etc.
>>
>>OK, can anyone tell me what's on channel 12, in less than 5 seconds? The
>>second issue is the way the bank button works in Cubase SL/SX3. If you
>have
>>say 28 channel strips, banking up doesn't change the physical faders to
>channels
>>25 and up. It instead makes faders 1-24 now equal software channels 5
through
>>28. The original 24 channels are now in different locations, which is
quite
>>confusing without a usable scribble strip. The workaround I see for this
>>is to always work with multiples of 24 channels in the software. This
way,
>>when you bank up, you are changing all the physical faders to a totally
>new
>>assignment. So here is what I plan to do to make it work for me: I will
>>make a default project, with 24 audio channels and 24 midi channels. Bank
>>1 will always be my audio tracks. Bank 2 will always be my midi/VSTi channels.
>> I now only need two rows of masking tape under my faders to label the
project.
>> Toggling between banks simply "toggles" between my top label and my bottom
>>one. I will manage the project so that these numbers won't change. For
>>example, If I add a VSTi, I get a new VSTi audio channel. I just need
to
>>delete one of the unused midi channels to keep my numbers in multiples
of
>>24. This will keep the software channels from ever sliding left or right
>>on the faders.
>>
>>Again, I am speaking for Cubase implementation only, functions differ from
>>app to app. As far as working with Cubase, if it had not been for the
latest
>>firmware update, this unit would be going back to the store right now.
>Disregard
>>any older comments found on the web about this unit's compatibility with
>>Steinberg. The initial release of the unit didn't even include Steinberg
>>support. It wasn't until the latest firmware that the channel strip/EQ
>control
>>function was implemented, which is an important feature to me. I like
to
>>have quick access to EQ with tactile control, even if it is only the native
>>Steinberg channel EQ. For me, I can do a better job EQ’ing with knobs
>on
>>a crappy EQ than a mouse on a good EQ. Having instant access to all of
>the
>>parameters is essential to me. I’ll draw the analogy to playing a drumbeat
>>versus programming one. The one I play is always going to be better.
I
>>like to “play” an EQ. For this reason, my Steinberg EQ gets used more
often
>>than my UAD ones. The EQ is implemented very well on the US2400. Gain,
>>freq, and bandwidth are grouped together for each of the four EQ sections
>>and are labeled on the US2400. The LED’s for gain and freq work like a
>virtual
>>pointer, but for bandwidth, the LED’s “fan out” to show wide or narrow
bandwidths.
>> Four separate knobs control EQ on/off. Any clockwise movement of the
knob
>>turns the EQ on. Any counterclockwise movement turns it off. All LED’s
>>are lit for on, none for off.
>>
>>My unit didn't ship with the latest firmware, so I had to update it. This
>>was a pretty easy process. Now pretty much everything works as expected.
>> Documentation for the implementation is pretty lame though. Instead of
>>releasing an updated manual, there are three errata versions to the original
>>manual. Some of them have mistakes in them, which are corrected in the
>latest
>>document. Tascam doesn't really make it easy to get a hold of all the
errata
>>documents either. The most important one though, is the release notes
readme
>>file for the version 1.31 firmware update which can be downloaded from
the
>>US2400 page.
>>
>>Other than the scribble strip issue, for which I have a workaround that
>satisfies
>>me, I only have one other real complaint. The solo function is pretty
slow.
>> Pressing solo on the Mackie controller results in the tracks being instantly
>>soloed, but on the US2400 there is about a 1 second lag where you hear
the
>>other channels quickly fade out. If I had to guess, the Mackie sends a
>“solo
>>channel” command to the software, where the US2400 internally processes
>the
>>solo button as mutes for all the non-soloed tracks, where as it sends out
>>a “mute all the other channels” command. This is just speculation though.
>>
>>The end-game for me is that I am keeping the US2400, selling my Mackie,
>buying
>>some drafting tape, and getting ready to rock. If anyone is interested
>in
>>my Mackie controller, I will sell it for less than the latest going rate.
>> Contact me at christopherwargo *at> hot<8>mail
>>
>>-Chris
>>
>>
>
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| Re: Tascam US2400 review [message #62969 is a reply to message #62946] |
Thu, 12 January 2006 14:01 |
Mark McCurdy
Messages: 35
Registered: February 2006
|
Member |
|
|
Nice to hear. I came REAL close to getting this one but instead bought the
FW1884 which I love. I was worried about the USB latency. I'm assuming you
really haven't experienced any?
I think you have the same faders that I have on my FW1884 and they rock!
Like you said they make some solid gear. I do wish it had the scribble strip
all though the on screen scribble strip has really worked fine for me.
"Chris Wargo" <na@na.na> wrote in message news:43c680b5$1@linux...
>
> My US2400 arrived two days ago and yesterday I got Cubase SL3 installed.
> Here is what I think about the unit, and how it works with Cubase:
>
> For my needs, this thing kicks major ass. The build quality is solid,
> with
> all the buttons, faders, and knobs feeling like pro level stuff.
> Construction
> is at least as good as the Mackie, if not better. The lack of a weighted
> flywheel for jog/shuttle isn't a problem. While not as nice as the
> Mackie,
> the wheel has a decent feel and is still usable. I'll talk about the most
> obvious difference between this unit and a Mackie first, the missing LED
> scribble strips. This is probably what will be a deal breaker for some.
> For me, it's OK since I am usually under 24 channels anyway, often with
> tracks consolidated into groups. For folks who often run more than 24
> channels,
> you might want to bite the bullet and go for the Mackie with extender(s).
> There are two reasons that I wouldn't want to use this unit for large
> channel
> count projects. The first is that the virtual scribble strips are
> worthless.
> The strip is sized to fit on a single monitor, and the resulting font
> required
> to fit all 24 channels is super small. I'm only 36 years old, but my
> young
> eyes can't read it at an arms length. It also has no grid structure or
> numbers.
> This is basically what you see on screen:
>
> kick snare OH L OH R bass DI bass mic gtr disto gtr crunch keys 1 alt
> keys lead vox bak vox vox comp harmony solo... etc.
>
> OK, can anyone tell me what's on channel 12, in less than 5 seconds? The
> second issue is the way the bank button works in Cubase SL/SX3. If you
> have
> say 28 channel strips, banking up doesn't change the physical faders to
> channels
> 25 and up. It instead makes faders 1-24 now equal software channels 5
> through
> 28. The original 24 channels are now in different locations, which is
> quite
> confusing without a usable scribble strip. The workaround I see for this
> is to always work with multiples of 24 channels in the software. This
> way,
> when you bank up, you are changing all the physical faders to a totally
> new
> assignment. So here is what I plan to do to make it work for me: I will
> make a default project, with 24 audio channels and 24 midi channels. Bank
> 1 will always be my audio tracks. Bank 2 will always be my midi/VSTi
> channels.
> I now only need two rows of masking tape under my faders to label the
> project.
> Toggling between banks simply "toggles" between my top label and my bottom
> one. I will manage the project so that these numbers won't change. For
> example, If I add a VSTi, I get a new VSTi audio channel. I just need to
> delete one of the unused midi channels to keep my numbers in multiples of
> 24. This will keep the software channels from ever sliding left or right
> on the faders.
>
> Again, I am speaking for Cubase implementation only, functions differ from
> app to app. As far as working with Cubase, if it had not been for the
> latest
> firmware update, this unit would be going back to the store right now.
> Disregard
> any older comments found on the web about this unit's compatibility with
> Steinberg. The initial release of the unit didn't even include Steinberg
> support. It wasn't until the latest firmware that the channel strip/EQ
> control
> function was implemented, which is an important feature to me. I like to
> have quick access to EQ with tactile control, even if it is only the
> native
> Steinberg channel EQ. For me, I can do a better job EQ'ing with knobs on
> a crappy EQ than a mouse on a good EQ. Having instant access to all of
> the
> parameters is essential to me. I'll draw the analogy to playing a
> drumbeat
> versus programming one. The one I play is always going to be better. I
> like to "play" an EQ. For this reason, my Steinberg EQ gets used more
> often
> than my UAD ones. The EQ is implemented very well on the US2400. Gain,
> freq, and bandwidth are grouped together for each of the four EQ sections
> and are labeled on the US2400. The LED's for gain and freq work like a
> virtual
> pointer, but for bandwidth, the LED's "fan out" to show wide or narrow
> bandwidths.
> Four separate knobs control EQ on/off. Any clockwise movement of the knob
> turns the EQ on. Any counterclockwise movement turns it off. All LED's
> are lit for on, none for off.
>
> My unit didn't ship with the latest firmware, so I had to update it. This
> was a pretty easy process. Now pretty much everything works as expected.
> Documentation for the implementation is pretty lame though. Instead of
> releasing an updated manual, there are three errata versions to the
> original
> manual. Some of them have mistakes in them, which are corrected in the
> latest
> document. Tascam doesn't really make it easy to get a hold of all the
> errata
> documents either. The most important one though, is the release notes
> readme
> file for the version 1.31 firmware update which can be downloaded from the
> US2400 page.
>
> Other than the scribble strip issue, for which I have a workaround that
> satisfies
> me, I only have one other real complaint. The solo function is pretty
> slow.
> Pressing solo on the Mackie controller results in the tracks being
> instantly
> soloed, but on the US2400 there is about a 1 second lag where you hear the
> other channels quickly fade out. If I had to guess, the Mackie sends a
> "solo
> channel" command to the software, where the US2400 internally processes
> the
> solo button as mutes for all the non-soloed tracks, where as it sends out
> a "mute all the other channels" command. This is just speculation though.
>
> The end-game for me is that I am keeping the US2400, selling my Mackie,
> buying
> some drafting tape, and getting ready to rock. If anyone is interested in
> my Mackie controller, I will sell it for less than the latest going rate.
> Contact me at christopherwargo *at> hot<8>mail
>
> -Chris
>
>
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| Re: Tascam US2400 review [message #62979 is a reply to message #62969] |
Thu, 12 January 2006 17:22 |
Chris Wargo
Messages: 45
Registered: November 2005
|
Member |
|
|
From what I remember, the virtual scribble strip for the 1884 had a decent
size font and cell dividers. I didn't care for that either when I owned
it, but it was far better than the one that comes with the US2400. Imagine
trying to squeeze 24 channels of info into a single monitor's width. The
font size is around 10pts, with no distinction between cells. I haven't
experienced any lags, other than the solo issue that I mentioned. I don't
think this is much of an issue with low bandwidth midi commands though.
My Mackie was running through a USB Mdisport 8x8 anyway. They didn't even
bother to make the US2400 USB2. It's USB1.1, which seems to be fine.
BTW, I see that the FW1884 is a totally different unit than when I bought
it (which was pretty soon after it was released). It now has working drivers,
fader expanders, and better Steinberg support. It even ships with Cubase
LE now. Very cool. Looks like Tascam initially didn't plan on even supporting
Steinberg, but wound up in bed with them.
-Chris
"Mark McCurdy" <mark@mccurdy.net> wrote:
>Nice to hear. I came REAL close to getting this one but instead bought
the
>FW1884 which I love. I was worried about the USB latency. I'm assuming
you
>really haven't experienced any?
>
>I think you have the same faders that I have on my FW1884 and they rock!
>Like you said they make some solid gear. I do wish it had the scribble strip
>all though the on screen scribble strip has really worked fine for me.
>
>
>
>
>
>"Chris Wargo" <na@na.na> wrote in message news:43c680b5$1@linux...
>>
>> My US2400 arrived two days ago and yesterday I got Cubase SL3 installed.
>> Here is what I think about the unit, and how it works with Cubase:
>>
>> For my needs, this thing kicks major ass. The build quality is solid,
>> with
>> all the buttons, faders, and knobs feeling like pro level stuff.
>> Construction
>> is at least as good as the Mackie, if not better. The lack of a weighted
>> flywheel for jog/shuttle isn't a problem. While not as nice as the
>> Mackie,
>> the wheel has a decent feel and is still usable. I'll talk about the
most
>> obvious difference between this unit and a Mackie first, the missing LED
>> scribble strips. This is probably what will be a deal breaker for some.
>> For me, it's OK since I am usually under 24 channels anyway, often with
>> tracks consolidated into groups. For folks who often run more than 24
>> channels,
>> you might want to bite the bullet and go for the Mackie with extender(s).
>> There are two reasons that I wouldn't want to use this unit for large
>> channel
>> count projects. The first is that the virtual scribble strips are
>> worthless.
>> The strip is sized to fit on a single monitor, and the resulting font
>> required
>> to fit all 24 channels is super small. I'm only 36 years old, but my
>> young
>> eyes can't read it at an arms length. It also has no grid structure or
>> numbers.
>> This is basically what you see on screen:
>>
>> kick snare OH L OH R bass DI bass mic gtr disto gtr crunch keys 1
alt
>> keys lead vox bak vox vox comp harmony solo... etc.
>>
>> OK, can anyone tell me what's on channel 12, in less than 5 seconds?
The
>> second issue is the way the bank button works in Cubase SL/SX3. If you
>> have
>> say 28 channel strips, banking up doesn't change the physical faders to
>> channels
>> 25 and up. It instead makes faders 1-24 now equal software channels 5
>> through
>> 28. The original 24 channels are now in different locations, which is
>> quite
>> confusing without a usable scribble strip. The workaround I see for this
>> is to always work with multiples of 24 channels in the software. This
>> way,
>> when you bank up, you are changing all the physical faders to a totally
>> new
>> assignment. So here is what I plan to do to make it work for me: I will
>> make a default project, with 24 audio channels and 24 midi channels.
Bank
>> 1 will always be my audio tracks. Bank 2 will always be my midi/VSTi
>> channels.
>> I now only need two rows of masking tape under my faders to label the
>> project.
>> Toggling between banks simply "toggles" between my top label and my bottom
>> one. I will manage the project so that these numbers won't change. For
>> example, If I add a VSTi, I get a new VSTi audio channel. I just need
to
>> delete one of the unused midi channels to keep my numbers in multiples
of
>> 24. This will keep the software channels from ever sliding left or right
>> on the faders.
>>
>> Again, I am speaking for Cubase implementation only, functions differ
from
>> app to app. As far as working with Cubase, if it had not been for the
>> latest
>> firmware update, this unit would be going back to the store right now.
>> Disregard
>> any older comments found on the web about this unit's compatibility with
>> Steinberg. The initial release of the unit didn't even include Steinberg
>> support. It wasn't until the latest firmware that the channel strip/EQ
>> control
>> function was implemented, which is an important feature to me. I like
to
>> have quick access to EQ with tactile control, even if it is only the
>> native
>> Steinberg channel EQ. For me, I can do a better job EQ'ing with knobs
on
>> a crappy EQ than a mouse on a good EQ. Having instant access to all of
>> the
>> parameters is essential to me. I'll draw the analogy to playing a
>> drumbeat
>> versus programming one. The one I play is always going to be better.
I
>> like to "play" an EQ. For this reason, my Steinberg EQ gets used more
>> often
>> than my UAD ones. The EQ is implemented very well on the US2400. Gain,
>> freq, and bandwidth are grouped together for each of the four EQ sections
>> and are labeled on the US2400. The LED's for gain and freq work like
a
>> virtual
>> pointer, but for bandwidth, the LED's "fan out" to show wide or narrow
>> bandwidths.
>> Four separate knobs control EQ on/off. Any clockwise movement of the
knob
>> turns the EQ on. Any counterclockwise movement turns it off. All LED's
>> are lit for on, none for off.
>>
>> My unit didn't ship with the latest firmware, so I had to update it.
This
>> was a pretty easy process. Now pretty much everything works as expected.
>> Documentation for the implementation is pretty lame though. Instead of
>> releasing an updated manual, there are three errata versions to the
>> original
>> manual. Some of them have mistakes in them, which are corrected in the
>> latest
>> document. Tascam doesn't really make it easy to get a hold of all the
>> errata
>> documents either. The most important one though, is the release notes
>> readme
>> file for the version 1.31 firmware update which can be downloaded from
the
>> US2400 page.
>>
>> Other than the scribble strip issue, for which I have a workaround that
>> satisfies
>> me, I only have one other real complaint. The solo function is pretty
>> slow.
>> Pressing solo on the Mackie controller results in the tracks being
>> instantly
>> soloed, but on the US2400 there is about a 1 second lag where you hear
the
>> other channels quickly fade out. If I had to guess, the Mackie sends
a
>> "solo
>> channel" command to the software, where the US2400 internally processes
>> the
>> solo button as mutes for all the non-soloed tracks, where as it sends
out
>> a "mute all the other channels" command. This is just speculation though.
>>
>> The end-game for me is that I am keeping the US2400, selling my Mackie,
>> buying
>> some drafting tape, and getting ready to rock. If anyone is interested
in
>> my Mackie controller, I will sell it for less than the latest going rate.
>> Contact me at christopherwargo *at> hot<8>mail
>>
>> -Chris
>>
>>
>
>
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