Content area
Full Text
When I first saw Yamaha's 01X, I thought it was just another DAW control surface with audio/MIDI interface. Turns out I was only partially correct: While the 01X is certainly those things, there's a lot more under the surface.
The 01X connects to your computer via a single FireWire cable - install, configure the software, and you're good to go. The main controls (aside from the motorized faders) include a scrub wheel, transport controls, and various selection switches. All of the switches are generously sized and have a solid feel; many also have an LED that indicates the currently active mode.
Eight continuously variable, detented rotary controls (they click slightly when turned) also have built-in push switches that control several functions. For example, there are no "yes/no" type buttons; instead, the LCD lists those options, and the rotary knob switches act as select buttons - pretty neat. I was a bit concerned about pressing down on knobs, because the knobs themselves wiggle slightly. But in practice, they worked without any problems.
In general, I liked the mic pres; for general duty with dynamic and condenser mics, they have plenty of gain and sound fine. I'd place them somewhere between those on the Yamaha AW series standalone DAWs and the 01V96 mixer. They're fairly neutral, which is exactly what I prefer. As something of a torture test, I plugged in a Beyer M160 ribbon mic, which has a fairly low output, and recorded my Taylor 510 acoustic at a distance of around 8" from the 14th fret. While the Taylor isn't a particularly loud guitar, there was enough gain available for a useful recording, but just barely. I'd recommend an outboard preamp for low output ribbon mics, as the 01X preamps can get a little hissy at extreme gain settings.
The monitor and headphone outs share a common volume control. I would have preferred separate controls, but as most 01X users likely won't have separate control and tracking rooms, it won't be much of an issue.
CONTROL SURFACE OR MIXER?
The 01X is also a digital mixer with dynamics control and 4-band EQ. I could route unprocessed tracks directly out of Sonar into the 01X for processing; this meant fewer plug-ins needed with Sonar, reducing...