Difference in hardware?

[JhunBorruel]

okay, i recently purchased a fast track c600 and i noticed, what makes each hardware different? dont they do the same thing? turn monitors on, xlr, in exception of inputs and outputs, they all do the same thing?

whats the difference between the mbox family and the other interfaces that are cheaper that are made from avid?

does it have a built in pre amp that is ten times better? or is it just preference.
well, just a thought... let me know what yall think!

[DJ Hellfire]

Guts! Quality of Capacitors, preamps, resistors, clocks, convertors, noise prevention, headroom, etc!

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by DJ Hellfire

Guts! Quality of Capacitors, preamps, resistors, clocks, convertors, noise prevention, headroom, etc!

Amen to that^^^^^. Preamps can sound neutral, or can have coloration(like Neve or API. Converters run the gamut from cheap(probably $10 per) to stupid-expensive. In the end, your ears are the deciding factor. If it sounds good to you(and your clients if you record for hire) then it IS good. For those that record for hire, having some "higher end" stuff can mean the difference between getting work or not. Your recording is only as good as the weakest link in the chain. Mic(and acoustics of the room)>preamp(and maybe compressor)>converter>whatever you do in the box>monitors> acoustics of the listening room. If any one of those points in the chain are awful, the rest can be great stuff and yet still give you poor recordings. On a budget, you need to strike a balance(no point in having a $6000 mic if you have $200 speakers in a bad sounding room).

[getz76]

Originally Posted by albee1952

(no point in having a $6000 mic if you have $200 speakers in a bad sounding room).

Amen.

[JhunBorruel]

so avid hardware all have different things built in? and i mean the lower end, from the mbox to the fast track se stuff... they all differ?

[getz76]

Originally Posted by JhunBorruel

so avid hardware all have different things built in? and i mean the lower end, from the mbox to the fast track se stuff... they all differ?

Yes.

Price does not always equate to quality, but it is usually a decent indicator.