The EM Poll

ART TubeFire 8

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Rich Wells

           

An affordable interface that sounds really good.

BONUS MATERIAL
Learn more about the TubeFire 8.
Check the specs: Download a PDF of the TubeFire 8's product specifications.

Applied Research and Technology (ART) specializes in cost-effective analog and digital audio gear and over the years has released a slew of products for the budget-minded musician. Its new TubeFire 8 is a FireWire audio interface with eight tube preamps and a nifty low-latency monitoring section. It ships with software for both Mac OS X and Windows XP.

Up and Running

Installing the software on my Mac Pro was cut-and-dried, and I could instantly begin using the ART software interface to make necessary changes such as specifying the word-clock status and sampling rate (with a choice of 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz at 16 or 24 bits). The PC software lets you adjust buffer depths to keep the latency at its absolute minimum, and although the TubeFire 8 has no MIDI capability, the Mac version provides a simple word-clock setup window.

FIG. 1: The TubeFire 8’s front panel provides easy access to all the controls for the individual channels and the main output, as well as jacks for instrument inputs and headphones.

The front-panel controls are laid out logically on the 1U-rackspace unit (see Fig. 1). Each channel sports a Gain knob, an Output level knob, and a 4-LED level meter with clip indicator, as well as pad, 100 Hz highpass filter, and phase-reverse buttons. All buttons are illuminated in their on position. Channels 1 and 2 also feature Dis with corresponding front-panel ¼-inch inputs.

To the left of the channel controls are two buttons that activate phantom power in channel blocks 1 through 4 and 5 through 8. To the right are a ¼-inch headphone jack and the Power button, along with four backlit buttons and a Mono/Stereo control knob that comprise a very cool Output Source section. These controls define how signals flow to the headphone output and to the rear-panel line outputs. The buttons control whether the signal sources of channel pairs (1-2, 3-4, and so on) are the preamps themselves or the computer's output, giving you fairly comprehensive control over a custom monitoring setup for recording overdubs. Logically enough, the Mono/Stereo knob controls whether the output is mono or stereo. In stereo, odd channels are hard-panned to the left and even ones are hard-panned to the right. Turning the knob to the center position mutes the output.

On the rear panel are eight balanced ¼-inch/XLR combination jacks for input and eight balanced ¼-inch jacks for output (see Fig. 2). A single button next to the outputs toggles the output level between +4 dBu and -10 dBV. A BNC word-clock input connector is hardwired to the BNC word-clock thru connector next to it. Two interchangeable FireWire 400 connectors allow connection to your computer and to other FireWire devices, including additional TubeFire 8 units.

The included CD installs the ARTPanel control software, which lets you choose the TubeFire 8's word-clock sync mode. It also provides a path to Apple's Audio MIDI Setup utility, in which you can adjust the unit's sampling-rate settings.

It's in the Way That You Use It

Using a closely spaced pair of small-diaphragm condenser mics, I made several 2-track recordings of a variety of sources (including vocals, acoustic guitar, radio, and drums) to compare the TubeFire 8 and my RME Fireface 800, which admittedly costs about three times as much and has only four preamp channels with XLRs. I wanted to record with the two audio interfaces in as many combinations as possible; for each recording, then, I rerouted one or both of the mics. The goal was to compare both the converters and the preamps of each unit.

FIG. 2: In addition to combo jacks for inputs and TRS jacks for outputs, the rear panel offers a pair of FireWire ports and word-clock I/O.

First, I routed the mics' signals to the separate units, with each signal amplified, converted, and routed to the computer entirely through either one box or the other. For a second set of recordings, I wanted to listen to the response of the converters and preamps separately. I used the Fireface 800 A/D converters, with one mic signal routed through a preamp on the Fireface and the other routed through a preamp on the TubeFire 8. I also routed line-level analog audio to the Fireface. For a third set of recordings, I mirrored the previous test, this time using the TubeFire 8's converters.

All three produced results that sounded just fine. Though I could detect slight differences among the different test methods, when I compared the TubeFire 8 with the Fireface 800, it had no noticeable deficiencies in either its preamp or converter (in fact, the preamps noticeably improved on my decade-old ART Tube Pac). The TubeFire 8's preamps have a very low noise floor and a reasonably pleasant sound. If anything, they may be a bit bright sounding, or possibly a bit underpronounced in the low mids.

Similarly, the sound of the Dis was solid, easily the equal of any of the many Dis I have, including the Dis in several standalone preamps. An electric guitar DI signal recorded without so much as 10 seconds of preparation sounded pleasant, clean, and full bodied — not tinny, as can sometimes be the case. I threw a guitar amp simulation plug-in onto the guitar track, and although I'm not generally a DI aficionado, I thought it sounded good enough to use in a pinch. Electric bass was especially full, with a nice, well-represented low end and a hint of a growl in the upper mids. I'd be completely confident using the ART DI on bass; it could easily fit into a mix with just a hint of compression and EQ.

Eight Is Just Enough

If you're considering whether to buy the TubeFire 8, then rest assured, it's a fine product. If this is going to be your first interface, you'll want to make sure the 8-track maximum recording capability will suit your needs. Because the unit's I/O consists only of its eight analog inputs and outputs, you'll be using its A/D/A converters for everything. Fortunately, its FireWire port ensures that you can add more channels as your studio grows (see the online bonus material at emusician.com).

When routing analog line-level signals from other devices to the TubeFire 8 (for instance, if you want to use other preamps for different aural flavors), audio signals still go through the chosen channel's preamp. Several similar products bypass the preamp when using line-level signals, which is the most straightforward design. While the TubeFire did audibly represent seemingly subtle differences between its onboard preamps and other preamps coming in at line level, this may be an issue to those who want maximum transparency and minimal signal path.

On the other hand, the TubeFire 8 has an outstanding onboard mix feature that surpasses other similar (but simpler) 8-channel devices. It sports excellent metering, and its lighted buttons make it very easy to use from across a room. It is solidly made, with a nice feature set at a very respectable price. If you're okay with the few aforementioned caveats, this is a completely usable, good-sounding, and handy device.

Rich Wells runs the Supreme Reality (http://thesupremereality.org), a recording studio in Portland, Oregon.

PRODUCT SUMMARY

PROS: Nifty monitoring section. Great-sounding Dis. Reasonably priced.

CONS: Line inputs are routed through preamps. No digital I/O.

Applied Research and Technology
http://artproaudio.com

BONUS MATERIAL
Learn more about the TubeFire 8.
Check the specs: Download a PDF of the TubeFire 8's product specifications.