I've had the Edirol FA-101 for over eighteen months and it's been performing well. So I can recommend it as a good buy. But you may like to note the following:
1. The mic preamps could do with a bit more gain on them. I use AKG C1000S condenser mics for recording into Adobe Audition and I keep having to 'Normalize' my recordings because the mic preamps aren't providing enough poke. It's not a big deal. But you should know about it.
2. You cannot power this device from a 4-pin Firewire cable. Bus power is only available from a 6-pin Firewire cable. So laptop users with only a 4-pin interface will have to use the supplied power transformer. I would recommend mains power anyway because in my experience many of the problems that people have with bus-powered units (Firewire or USB) are caused by not enough power being available from interface ports.
3. The drivers for Windows XP SP2 install well and have been trouble-free. But when using FA-101 on a certain HP laptop I sometimes get a BSOD on shutdown, which I suspect is due to the Firewire implementation on this particular machine rather than an issue with the Edirol drivers. I say this because disabling all Firewire devices prior to shutdown solves the problem.
4. FA-101 is an aluminium unit of solid build quality. It feels 'professional' and looks the biz.
5. It's very quiet. There are no pops, clicks or hums to contend with. And no 'latency' issues that I've encountered (see below).
4. I also have the smaller Edirol FA-66 (also aluminium), which has fewer ins/outs but is otherwise just as capable as its big brother FA-101. Depending on your needs FA-66 might suit you better because it costs less. The mic preamps on this model are also a little low for optimum use with AKG C1000S mics. More gain is needed.
But apart from that, and insofar as many of these external audio interfaces appear to have issues with them - some worse than others - I reckon you'll be content with FA-101 or FA-66. Please note, however, that I don't use either product in a serious way with any of the major recording packages like Cubase, Sonar or Acid etc. I just do speech, dubbing music tracks and fairly simple synth stuff through Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.0. So I can further confirm that, at least for me, the MIDI parts of both units work well with a Roland Juno D, a Korg X5D and a Yamaha CP300 piano.
I've only given four stars because of the mic preamp issue. Although there's a simple workaround it could have been made unnecessary with more thought.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
EDIROL FA-101, Firewire audio interface is a smashing 10x10 audio interface, capable of ... more
24-bit/96 kHz at a full 10 channels in & out. MIDI I/O, You can record and monitor all 10 channels simultaneously in full duplex- phenomenal audio power for the stu...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: in stock
The Edirol FA101 Firewire Interface. 10x10 24-bit/96kHz Audio Interface With 24-bit/192kHz ... more
Stereo Playback. The Edirol FA101 is a 10x10 audio interface, capable of 24-bit/96 kHz at a full 10 channels in & out. You can record and monitor all 10 chan...
Postage & Packaging: £6.00 Availability: 1 working day delivery available...
Edirol FA 101 The FA-101, Edirol's first Firewire audio interface is a smashing 10x10 ... more
audio interface, capable of 24-bit/96 kHz at a full 10 channels in&out. You can record and monitor all 10 channels simultaneously in full duplex- phenomenal audio pow...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Edirol FA 101 The FA-101, Edirol's first Firewire audio interface is a smashing 10x10 ... more
audio interface, capable of 24-bit/96 kHz at a full 10 channels in&out. You can record and monitor all 10 channels simultaneously in full duplex- phenomenal audio pow...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
very helpful by (100%):
