I bought a dual-slot Echo Express Pro for my two Universal Audio UAD-2 Quad PCIe cards [Tape Op #67, #76] and hooked it up to my Mac Mini (Mid 2011) with a Thunderbolt cable. I installed the drivers on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), and the UAD plug-ins are working great in PreSonus Studio One Pro [#76]. I did not even need to reauthorize my paid plug-ins. (Authorizations are stored on the cards.) This is as plug-and- play as my computer audio life has ever been - no glitches with the UAD-2 cards in the Sonnet whatsoever, even with really large projects. Universal Audio has qualified both the single and dual-slot Sonnets, as well as the triple-slot ExpressBox 3T from Magma. I chose a Sonnet over Magma mostly because of Sonnet's 3 year warranty versus Magma's 1 year. You can extend the Magma warranty, but at that point, it becomes more expensive than daisy-chaining another single- slot Echo Express. The Sonnet's heavy aluminum case is sturdy, but the way it comes apart for card installation is a little awkward for me. And the worst thing about the Echo Express Pro is its fan noise - louder than my old G5's ever was. An ex- UA tech told me I can probably unplug the fans, as the UAD-2 cards do not get very hot (whereas UAD-1 cards could fry eggs), but I haven't gotten that brave yet.
Accessories, Wiring | No. 113
Vari-Cap instrument cable
by Dana Gumbiner
It's almost annoying. This is the second UnderToneAudio product I've had my hands (and ears) on, and the second to become immediately indispensable to my recording setup. However, to be honest, I...