Firepod and tracktion...few questions

[crg23]

Hey, I am thinking of getting a Presonus Firepod. Few questions:


When I plug it I should see 6 inputs and 8 outputs in Tracktion right?

Can I record on the two analog line inputs along with the two preamped inputs at the same time?

I can plug a guitar into a small guitar preamp and then feed it through the line in right?

Can I output to different outputs at the same time?

If it helps I am going to use this on an Apple Powerbook G4

Thanks!

[Lunch Money]

Hey, I am thinking of getting a Presonus Firepod. Few questions:


When I plug it I should see 6 inputs and 8 outputs in Tracktion right?

Yes. It's possible and even probable that at first, Tracktion will identify your 6 inputs as 3 stereo pairs, however if that's the case, it's very easy to split them up into any combination of mono and stereo that you choose to use.

You will then be able to choose which of these are 'active'. Tracktion has 2 different ways of displaying its input devices-- in one way, seeing all 6 inputs might look a bit 'cluttered', but it's a view type that some people find handy and intuitive. So, you can just enable/disable them as you need them.

In the other view type, it doesn't really matter so if you end up using that view type, you can just keep them all enabled.

The outputs will appear as output destinations, with the default "master out" going to your outputs 1+2 as a stereo pair.

Can I record on the two analog line inputs along with the two preamped inputs at the same time?

Yes, unless the Firepod literature is completely misleading and you don't have 6 true separate inputs. I can't imagine this being the case as the literature makes it pretty clear-- 2 pre-amped inputs and 4 line-level inputs.

I can plug a guitar into a small guitar preamp and then feed it through the line in right?

Yes, if you like the guitar pre-amp better (ie. it has amp modeling that you want to take advantage of), you can do it this way. Otherwise, you switch one of the pre-amped inputs into "Hi-Z" or "instrument" input mode to match impedance.

Can I output to different outputs at the same time?

Yes. The 'main out' is a stereo pair, but you can output from any track or bus, as well. In theory, even though Tracktion doesn't have any true "surround sound" capabilities, you could create the same effect by using 6 outputs from tracks.

If it helps I am going to use this on an Apple Powerbook G4

The software's identical on both platforms, but there ARE a few platform-specific bugs or known issues. I'm not familiar with the Mac version, so I can't point you to any that I'm aware of. I usually don't read the Mac-related threads.

[crg23]

Thanks for all that man. Very usefull

[rpc9943]

ive got 8 ins and 8 outs on my t2 w/ firepod.

makin money with it too

RonC

[crg23]

Ide get the pod if i could, but i havnt made any money yet. Im looking for something to make it with

[chrismuktar]

I've got a firepod with T2. Works like a dream couldn't be better. The first two preamps on the firepod are golden for the money; you don't need a seperate DI for guitars on those. Other inputs are ok.

The only problem I have with it is that you cannot change asio things like sample rate/latency etc without closing tracktion (doing so crashes it), but then its not like you have to do that too often.

Final recommendation? Firepod + T2 9.5/10, value for money 10/10.

And if anybody can tell me how to make money out of my firepod i'd love to hear it.

[rpc9943]

look at my website, click on audio productions...

just train yourself here and get to a point where you can record people comfortably ... do it man!

start by just recording your friends or something, and then when you feel confident enough just do it. call around studios and start at like 75% of what the cheapest one charges.

RonC

[Mauvehead]

Watch out for the newest drivers that they just released (v.14). They don't like T2, and the tech from Presonus I talked to said they didn't beta test the new drivers with T2. It makes weird noises on a rhythmic basis. Stick with the older v.12 drivers and you'll be fine. They are aware of the problems with the new drivers and they are working on fixing it ASAP. But the v.12 drivers work great. Past that I think you'll absolutely love the Firepod. It runs great, installs easily, and the preamps are really really nice sounding and you won't believe how quiet they are. In spite of the newest driver issues, I'd definitely recommend it. I wouldn't think that any of the Firepod units in stock anywhere at dealers will come with the newest drivers installed simply because they just announced them last week. Plus when they finally do get the drivers worked out, then you can run up to three Firepods together as well as use them for straight preamps without the need for a computer.

[guitar junkie]

i have a firepod on a iMac G5 and it runs very well for me. i did a show with 8 tracks running live into Tracktion and no problems at all. also the new drivers as far as i know are not a problem with Mac as we use the core audio and not anything else. i have had my unit for most of the summer now and its been great! i would say that it has some stuff that you will need to play around to make it fit your needs better (buffer settings) but it runs like a charm for me!

"use them for straight preamps without the need for a computer." i did this long before they had anything about it out there shoot i did not have firewire when i first got my POD and i just ran it out into my little windows sound card (echo indigo I/O) sounded great and i have used it that way since also.

[rpc9943]

interesting i hadnt checked out any new drivers, will presonus add t2 to their testing?

RoNC

[Mauvehead]

They said they were working on testing it with T2 immediately. I think they just overlooked T2. The guy I spoke with sounded very alarmed that they forgot it when they did their beta testing. At any rate, Presonus has always had good drivers unlike certain other companies. I think they pride themselves in that. I'll bet they'll have a new and improved driver out shortly to address the issue. They've had the beta drivers out for a while and you could get them via email if you asked for them.
Also, on a side note to crg23......the tray icon for the Firepod has an adjustable "CPU" setting of low/medium/high that you'll need to experiment with. If you have it set wrong then you'll have issues. The tech folks at Presonus say it is a very system specific adjustment. It defaults to "medium" when you first install everything. I figured I would run mine on "high" since I have a new/fast PC but it turns out that I can only run it on the "low" setting, but other than fixing the stability of things I notice no other differences in sound or latency. Hope that helps.