Audio Interface and I/O Box???

[djdeweese]

boardman-- as always, your mileage may vary, but I've been really happy with the Firepod from Presonus, which has a firewire connection. I think they may have come out with an upgrade since I got mine a couple years ago, but the original is still available in a bundle from musiciansfriend.com that comes with monitors, mics, stands and cables for around $700. It has been a great unit for me with clean pre-amps and lots of flexibility. I'm sure others have some good suggestions too, but that is one option for comparison.

[milfus]

I am currently on an 003 console, which I love to death, can nip you tho with the price.for monitoring at home i have space issues, so I went with bx5a's because they have a really nice low end and are decent across the spectrum, so for mixing and panning i use them, and my low end dynamics, then for mid-range and high-range dynamics I switch to a pair of beyer dynamic dt 880's (If I lost my set and was forced, I would kill a man for another pair, they are that good) but thats generally how my project studio is set up, and it works pretty nice, the bx5a's i got for like 200 and the headphones for like 240, so together it would be in your price range, just a thought. The 003 is def worth looking into, I have a logo'd digidesign computer hooked up to it, so its fully compatible, but with that I've never had any latency at all, even on a full 8 input recording.

[mewman]

Hi Boardman... I recently invested in an imac (2gig intel duo core processor, 1.5gigs RAM, Logic Audio 7.0) and sprung for the RME Fireface 400 Audio interface and a set of M-Audio BX5a monitors. I'm VERY happy with the sound quality of the RME and had no problems at all setting everything up. The software that came with the interface worked like a charm the moment I plugged it in. I spent several hours in a local music shop here in Montreal comparing monitors and I was impressed with the sound of the M-Audios for their price. Personally, when it comes to monitors, I think you really have to just go to a shop near you that has the biggest selection available, bring in a couple of CDs of the type of stuff you like, and then just make the sales guy play it through every set of speakers they have that are around your price range. There is a lot of good stuff out there for around $500. Trust your own ears. Don't let the sales guy decide for you!