Article Preview - M-Audio Profire 2626

When M-Audio joined the Avid group a few years back, it was widely assumed that their product range would sit beneath that of their new siblings Digidesign. Since then, however, they've produced one or two pieces of kit that must have raised eyebrows at Digi HQ. The Project Mix I/O, for example, was more than a match for Digi's 002, despite costing little more than half as much, and a quick glance at the spec of the new Profire 2626 suggests that they might have done it again. With eight mic preamps built in, a sophisticated DSP cue mixer, and a comprehensive array of digital I/O, it offers all you need to record a typical band to your Mac or PC, and the UK retail price is a mere £479.

To put that into perspective, Digidesign's 003 Rack still officially retails at £834, despite lacking four of the Profire's mic preamps and eight channels of its ADAT digital I/O. Admittedly, Profire buyers also need to fork out for their recording software of choice, but it still looks like a very cost-effective way of putting together a multi-channel recording rig — and if your recording software of choice is Pro Tools, the M-Powered version offers almost all the functionality of Pro Tools LE.

Nor are M-Audio conceding any ground in terms of sound quality. In hosts...