When
my Digidesign 002 died I needed a replacement, so this time around I decided to
try the M-Audio ProjectMix I/O. After all, I never used the Digidesign 002 as a
standalone mixer anyway. The ProjectMix I/O is really two products rolled into
one. The most obvious is the control surface with its sleek design and motorized
faders. On the back side you'll find a FireWire 18x14 interface.
The
Control Surface
Although
the ProjectMix I/O looks very much like a standard audio mixer, it has no audio
mixing capabilities and cannot be used independently from a computer. If you are
looking for a control surface that can double as a stand-alone mixer take a look
at the Digidesign 002 or the new Digidesign 003.
For
the most part, the ProjectMix I/O resembles the standard Mackie HUI controllers
and is in fact compatible with the HUI protocol. In addition to working with any
HUI-compatible software (like ProTools) the ProjectMix I/O has specialty
protocol settings for several applications like Pro Tools M-Powered, Ableton
Live, Logic, Cubase, Digital Performer and SONAR. These modes can be accessed by
turning on the unit while pressing the appropriate auxiliary button. Once
activated, it will stay in the chosen mode until another one is chosen, even if
you shut it off.
The
control surface interface is designed to make most DAW functions easily
accessible without the need to use a mouse.
Channel
Strips
The
largest part of the control surface is devoted to the fader/mixer strips. There
are 8 channel strips and one master fader. Each of the channel strips has an
assignable rotating knob, four buttons and its own touch-sensitive slider. With
the default settings the knob will correspond to the track's panning parameter,
while the fader will correspond to the track's volume. You will get real-time
feedback on the faders during automation control, so at times you may want to
control the panning with the faders. This is easily accomplished by pressing the
flip button which swaps the knob and fader parameters. You can also assign other
parameters to the fader for automation recording depending on your DAW. The four
buttons on each channel strip correspond to various track options, as follows:
REC -
arms the track for recording
SEL -
selects the track
SOLO -
solos the track
MUTE -
mutes the track
If you
have more than 8 tracks in your project you can scroll through them by using the
bank select buttons. The single -arrow buttons will scroll through the tracks
one at a time, while the double-arrow buttons will shift by groups of eight.
Above the bank select buttons there are two modifier buttons SHIFT and ALT.
These can be used in conjunction with other buttons to perform editing tasks.
For example, you might use the shift button with the channels' SOLO buttons to
listen to more than one track simultaneously.
Master
Fader
The
Master Fader control only has one parameter and that is the fader. It does not
include any other buttons and is automatically assigned by the software to
correspond with your sequencers master output track volume.
Transport
The
bottom right of the ProjectMix I/O is where you will find the transport and DAW
navigation controls. The most conspicuous control is the jog/shuttle knob which
can be used to scrub through the sequence. The WINDOW button can be programmed
to show different parts of your sequencer. While using Live, the WINDOW button
would switch between the Arrangement and Session views. Arrows allow you to move
around the software, like going from track to track.
Locate
The
section of the control surface listed as LOCATE contains buttons used for
manipulation of audio specific to a selected track. Using the SET button you can
create markers for easy locating or creating punch-in/punch-out selections. The
nudge buttons can be used to move selection to the right or left in small
increments.
Encoder
Operations
The
top auxiliary buttons have presets depending on which mode you boot into, but
can also be programmed to perform specific functions.
I
really like the MTR function which will display horizontal VU meters for each
track below the track name for each channel.
MIDI
button turns the control surface into a midi
controller which can be mapped to perform different
MIDI
functions. I played around with using the
control surface to control various keyboard instruments with some success, but I
think this feature would be better suited for live performances perhaps.
----------------------------------------------------------
The Audio Interface
Inputs
Although
the specs say there are 18 inputs, you can only use one digital format at a
time, either SPDIF (2 inputs) or ADAT (8 inputs). This means the most that you
can input simultaneously is 16 if you are using the ADAT, or ten if you are
using the SPDIF inputs. Furthermore, if you choose to record audio with the 96
kHz setting you can only use 4 of the ADAT inputs which give you twelve inputs
total.
There
are eight set of analog inputs, each corresponding to a mic/line input and gain
knob on the top. I had no problems having line and mic inputs plugged in at the
same time and that way I could easily switch between inputs. All the inputs
support balanced connections. The XLR inputs also can use phantom power.
The
Project Mix I/O has one instrument input on the front of the unit for easy
access. When activated, this input takes over the channel one input and uses its
gain knob. If you want to feed the entire band into the computer simultaneously,
you'll want to add the Octane which will give you eight more inputs, two of
those being capable of taking a guitar/bass. I’ll be talking about that more
in my upcoming Octane review.
Outputs
On the
back of the ProjectMix I/O there are 4 analog outputs and a two channel SPDIF
output. Using the control panel these outputs can have their own routing. In
addition to the rear outputs there are two headphone outputs on the front. Each
headphone output has its own volume control on the mixer interface and can also
be configured with their own bus. This is a valuable feature that can be used in
live situation where you might want to cue something through the headphones
while sending your main mix out the rear main outputs.
If you
need additional outputs you can add up to 8 more with the ADAT output. Depending
on your software these could be used for setting up effects routing or even
creating a surround sound mix.
MIDI
I
should also mention that the ProjectMix I/O has standard
MIDI
plugs on the back for external I/O.
Using
the ProjectMix I/O
Recording:
Since most of the stuff I do is as a one man band I’ve found the 8 inputs to
be adequate. I’ve got all eight rear line inputs going to my drums, and I use
the front instrument input to switch between guitar and bass as needed. Then I
have a variety of microphones plugged into some of the XLR inputs. Switching
between the appropriate inputs is as easy as pressing a button. I’m looking
forward to using the ProjectMix I/O together with the Octane in the next weeks
for simultaneous recording of the band.
Mixing:
Preliminary set up of recording session track volumes is easy. Just by sliding
the faders that correspond with the particular tracks you want to adjust you can
control the preview mix. After your tracks are recorded you can go into
automation control and adjust the faders dynamically. This is where you will see
the faders move by themselves. The faders feel great and are sensitive, but
easily allow me to override them by just placing my finger on them.
Effects
Automation: Very similar to using the faders for volume automation, you can also
control FX parameters in real-time during playback with the faders.
Endorsement:
After using the ProjectMix I/O for about a month now I must say that I am very
happy with it. It supports my favorite audio application, Ableton Live,
perfectly and makes real-time mixing and automation recording a pleasure.
