Podcasting Equipment Review: Alesis MULTIMIX8USB
September 26, 2006
In my efforts to get the best possible sound for my podcast and my videos, I’ve tinkered with a few mics, mixers and other equipment needed for the job.
Before I get into the specifics regarding the Alesis MULTIMIX8USB mixer, I want to point out one universal truth: you get what you pay for.
ABOUT THE Alesis MULTIMIX8USB
Let me point out two very important points:
- The MULTIMIX8USB will NOT work with Windows Media Encoder.
- The MULTIMIX8USB will NOT work with Camtasia and (possibly) other prorgams used to capture sound or video.
.. There is a driver problem that has not been resolved by the people at Alesis. It is a known issue but the only resolution to the problem is to get their firewire based mixer – it is much more expensive.
I don’t know much else about the product since I could not get it to work with the programs I use. That said, I’ve read several mixed reviews about the product … some like it, some don’t and others get it to work partially.
Alesis phone tech support was fast and we got to the answer quick – though that meant returning the product.
MY RECOMENDATION
I hate it when people dis a product and don’t offer an alternative (kinda like the democrats in the US,) so I am suggesting an alternative to get your mic hooked into your computer:
The Mobilepre USB from M-Audio.
I’ve been using this preamp/audio interface for a while now and after fixing a small problem hooking it up with my XP machine (great phone support btw), I have never had a problem since.
My only complaint about the Mobilepre is that you really need to crank the gain to get the volume you need.
I am now about to test the M-Audio Fast Track Pro – the next generation of the Mobilepre – it’s supposed to be a bit better.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
