Alesis Multimix 8 Fw, Working with a Alesis Multimix 8 FW and macbook 2.4(white) Options

[kactus]

Hello,

I've been working with a M-Audio FW410 for the past 4 years, with no problems, live and studio, using max/msp, logic pro, peak and protools m-powerd on 2 computers: an old powerbook G4/867 and a slight newer Imac G5/1.8.

The FW410 is ok, nothing to write home about, but it works in every condition, be it recording from phantom powerd mics live, or tracking 8 to 16 track music studio project or video soundtrack...

I bought one of the last (at least here, where I live, in Lisbon, Portugal) surviving 2.4 white macbooks with FIREWIRE!!!. Going from a G4 Titanium, is quite a leap, he's really fast with just 2GB of ram, that shares with the graphic board, running 10.5.6...

I'm seeking advise or experiences on the Alesis Multimix 8 FW mixer, it's a small analog mixer with a multichannel firewire interface built-in and is incredibly cheap. I keep on reading on the web, lots of problems with this mixer on the PC side, usually driver related, or the lack of 6 pin FW connections on PC's laptops... but almost none on the mac side.
Does it work ok, for multitracking? Bus powered? are the pre's clean enough? i know they are not prestine...
I know there are much better mixers/FW interfaces, Mackie, M-Audio, but they cost much more and are big to carry around on a bagpack, besides it can act as a small analog mixer for laptop work in the field where is going to work most of the time...


Please some help is needed,

Thank you for your patience,
CS

This post has been edited by kactus: Wed 17 Dec 2008, 19:29

[emgcarra]

Hi Kaktus:

I ´ve been working with a very similar set-up for years now. I have nothing to say against M-Audio FW410 except for the driver up date every now and then, which is normal...
I am in a renovation process too and Alesis device was in my notes, since it looks so net and easy to handle, besides the price factor...Then I wrote to Alesis asking for more info but they answered that no more detail could be provide since they were in the "field testing" period so we have to wait..
Since then I have saw the Multimix in some on line stores with no more information that the one in the Alesis site, so I am going to wait.
Cheap always turn to expensive in the worst moment, so now I am interested in a more reliable and pro interface: TC Electronic. They have a not so
expensive one (Konnekt 48) that make everything I need and more. It´s not heavy and you could work at easy in your home studio...
They also have a group of smaller interfaces, with better price tags and with lots of features....
It is not easy to find an "integral solution" to the mixerless studio. Yamaha came out with a couple of boards n8 and n10, but I guess they work fine only with their new "jewel" Cubase....
If you could find some feedback about Alesis, I ´ll be more than grateful to read it...
Good luck