The U8 comes at a time when recording into a computer seems so non-tactile... operating the "tape deck" and punching in with a mouse doesn't quite work for me in the music making/recording process. The U8 collects all the outboard gear needed for hard-drive computer recording in one small place: 20-bit A/D and D/A converters; line, mic, guitar level inputs, digital outputs to DAT or CD-R; MIDI interface; 8-track mixer and transport controls. You can mix up to 8 digital audio tracks and 16 MIDI channels and use any of the 100 different built-in digital effects. Roland throws in Virtual Sound Canvas, a software-based synth but I had the most fun with Cakewalk's Pro Audio 9 running on a PC and the U8 running as the "front end". The U8 connects to your computer via a simple USB cable and there is no additional hardware to buy to get going.
Effects, EQs, Recorders, Software, Virtual Instruments | No. 49
Live 5
by Chachi Jones
Long held as an irreplaceable tool for electronic musicians to compose and perform their music, Ableton Live is increasingly gaining favor with the rest of the music world. As one of many professional...