RECORDING MARCH 2007 46

The promise: A box that comes

with just about everything you
need, from start to finishto record
audio and MIDI, to apply effects
and process and mixall you bring
is the mics and the computer, and
maybe a musician or two...
What it is
E-MUs 0404 USB interface is a
four-channel USB 2.0 audio and
MIDI device designed for the desk-
top musician. It features 24-bit/192
kHz A/D and D/A converters, two E-
MU XTC Ultra-low Noise preamps
with soft limiter and 48V phantom
power that can accept microphone,
line-level or guitar/bass inputs, two
1
/4" TRS balanced outputs, stereo
1
/8" speaker output (intended for a
set of powered computer-style
speakers), 24-bit/96 kHz S/PDIF or
AES/EBU digital I/O with optical
and coaxial connectors, MIDI in and
out, and a stereo headphone output.
The package sent for review was
PC-only, but during the course of
the review E-MU released beta
Mac drivers for the system (which
were updated and began shipping
as this issue went to press); more
on the Mac later.
Whats in the box
The 0404 USB package for PC
also includes the E-MU Production
Tools Software Bundle that
includes E-MUs Proteus VX soft-
ware synth, and light versions of
recording and MIDI production
software from Cakewalk (SONAR
LE), Steinberg (Cubase LE and
WaveLab Lite), and Ableton (Live
Lite for E-MU Systems). For effects
processing, theres IK Multimedias
AmpliTube LE Guitar Amp & FX
Modeling plug-in, Celemony
Melodyne Essential, and a copy of
the SFX Machine LT multi-effects
plug-in. As we went to press, we got
the details on the Mac bundle,
which will include Ableton Live Lite,
Amplitube LE, Celemony Melodyne
Essential, and SFX Machine LT, as
well as BIAS Peak Express 5.
The package ships with the 0404
AudioPod (as E-MU calls it), a 2-meter
USB cable, multi-language quick start
guide, software and manual installation
CD, a Proteus VX install CD, and a soft-
ware bundle CD. The included 5VDC
universal switching DC wall-wart power
supply features a clever design that
allows you to change the plug type by sim-
ply pressing a spring-loaded button (only
the US version shipped with the unit
received for reviewcurrently shipping
units will have worldwide plugs included,
making this design ideal for international
travelers).
The AudioPod unit itself is a nicely
designed, curved plastic case, roughly seven
inches square, with the control section on
B Y R AY L E G N I N I
Portable USB power, with all the trimmings
SS REC mag 03-07 1/25/07 12:33 PM Page 46
Excerpted from the March edition of Recording Magazine 2007.
2007 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119
For Subscription Information, call: 1-800-582-8326 or www.recordingmag.com
Excerpted from the March edition of Recording Magazine 2007.
2007 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119
For Subscription Information, call: 1-800-582-8326 or www.recordingmag.com
Monitor feature comes in handy
while tracking, allowing the user to
hear a no-latency version of the input
source signal without the delay asso-
ciated with the processing of the sig-
nal through a software application.
The mic and line inputs are surpris-
ingly clean for a device in this price
category. E-MU has done a good job in
the audio circuit design. There is very
little audible self-noise or obvious col-
oration. The mic preamps are not
going to replace your vintage Neve
modules sonically, but you also cant
throw a Neve console in your backpack
with a notebook computer and go off
to record your bands latest tunes.
Editing
I also installed the Wavelab Lite 2-
channel editor from the bundled soft-
ware CD and was able to monitor
through the 0404 USB while editing
and processing some audio files. The
dedicated master volume and sepa-
rate headphone volume controls
make this really a desktop editing
device, both when youre recording
and during mixdown; you dont have
to play with a virtual master volume
control to test mixes at different lev-
els during the process.
Another nice touch is the stereo
1
/8"
output for connection of powered
desktop speakers in addition to the
standard
1
/4" balanced outputs. Note
that the output control is a true analog
pot rather than a digital encodera
feature rarely if ever seen at this price
point.
And on the Mac
I was able to get the beta Mac ver-
sion going with no problems at all. The
installation package comes with a
firmware update for the 0404, and a
Core Audio and Core MIDI driver
installer. After the update and instal-
lation, the 0404 appeared in the Macs
Audio MIDI control panel. I was able
to play back system-based audio like
iTunes through the interface by sim-
ply setting the 0404 as the default out-
put device.
Recording through the 0404 to the
Mac likewise was simple. No software
was yet shipping with the beta Mac
drivers, but I had plenty of Mac audio
applications on hand. I tried some 2-
channel recording with BIAS Peak,
and multitrack audio and MIDI with
MOTU Digital Performer. Although
the behavior of the beta driver was
not yet perfect, hats off to E-MU for
adding support for the Mac.
All in all
All in all, this package is quite a good
value for the price, considering the
quality of the audio I/O, monitoring,
and the excellent bundled software
already an exceptional value for the
PC, with equal value hopefully on the
way for Mac users. The 0404 USB
makes a good addition to the desktop-
based project studio, and its compact
size would allow it to serve as a versa-
tile I/O for the traveling musician.
Price: $299.99
More from: E-MU Systems, 1500
Green Hills Rd., Scotts Valley, CA
95066. 831/438-1921, www.emu.com.
Ray Legnini (legnini@recordingmag
.com) writes about recording technique
and technology from his home near
Philadelphia.
E-MU 0404 USB Audio and MIDI Interface
RECORDING MARCH 2007 48
not recognize the 0404 USB. E-MU
tells you in the instructions to cancel
out of the standard Windows Found
New Hardware dialogs that pop up
before the driver installation process
and after the PC restarts.
I finally figured out what was
wrong, by trying the Add Hardware
Wizard in the Windows Control
Panel. Using this allowed me to ask
Windows to install the driver for the
0404 USB. It prompted me for a spe-
cific driver file that it could not find,
which I navigated to inside the
Creative Professional folder that was
created during the original installa-
tion. Doing this, plus re-inserting the
install CD-ROM when prompted, got
the unit going. I sure hope this is not
the standard installation experience
for users in the field. [E-MU believes
this is because the 0404 USB wasnt
powered up and connected when the
installer was first run, which is a criti-
cal part of the install.Ed.]
As the notebook computer I was
using already had a full install of
SONAR on it, I opted not to install the
version included in the software bun-
dle. The full version recognized the
0404 USB without issue. The MIDI I/O
on the 0404 USB was recognized, and I
proceeded to track some MIDI key-
board parts for a tune I was working on.
Recording
I recorded electric guitars through
the
1
/4" inputs on the front panel, and
an acoustic guitar in stereo via the
mic inputs. Phantom power for the
mic inputs is via a single switch, so
youll need to be careful when using
two mics with different power
requirements (such as ribbon mics)
simultaneously. The built-in Direct
SS REC mag 03-07 1/25/07 12:34 PM Page 48
Excerpted from the March edition of Recording Magazine 2007.
2007 Music Maker Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
5408 Idylwild Trail, Boulder, CO 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119
For Subscription Information, call: 1-800-582-8326 or www.recordingmag.com