Just a few weeks ago, I reviewed Cakewalk’s UA-1G USB Audio Interface and I was much impressed. Today, Cakewalk kicks it up a notch with the smaller of the two of their new V-Studio packages. This combo package of a portable digital multi-track recorder, a Digital Audio Workstation control surface, a PC and Mac compatible USB audio interface, and a software package to die for seemingly combines the best of not both, but all of my little worlds. Unfortunately, right in the middle of this review I suffered a major technology breakdown, it was the best thing that could have happened, read along…

Features

Away from your computer

Record directly to V-Studio 100’s SD-card wherever or whenever inspiration strikes–without the need to boot up your computer. Take the VS-100 to your live gigs and use its digital mixer, reverb, compression, and EQ to mix vocals and other instruments. Use its SD recorder to play backing tracks that you produced on your computer. Even record a mix of your set directly to the SD-card. Then transfer your recorded audio to your computer for additional editing and tracking. When you’re done, upload it to the Internet, burn CDs, and more.

With a computer

Take control of your music production using the V-Studio 100 as a high-quality audio and MIDI interface and DAW controller. Connect to a Mac or Windows and use your favorite software such as SONAR, Logic, and so on, or the included SONAR VS digital audio workstation (Windows Only). Take your music to the next level with the VS Production Pack–a powerful collection of effects and instruments for Mac and Windows.

Hardware Specifications

• 8 In + Mix/6 Out
• 24-bit/96kHz quality
• Two XLR mic preamps with phantom power and input sensitivity
• Two 1/4″ TRS inputs
• Hi-Z 1/4″ guitar input
• USB 2.0
• MAC/PC compatible with ASIO, WDM, WASAPI, and Core Audio support
• Works with SONAR, Ableton Live, Cubase, and more

• Use with any DAW through Mackie Control
• 100mm motorized, touch-sensitive fader
• 5 rotary encoders, 11 buttons, and transport control
• Advanced control of SONAR through Active Controller Technology
• Dynamic LCD display
• Programmable footswitch

• Ideal for mixing small bands, solo musicians, DJs, home studios
• 8 input, 6 output plus headphones
• 4 types of reverb
• 6 channels of EQ with LCD plot
• 6 channels of Compression with threshold and compression meter
• Meter & FX display on LCD

• Record away from your computer
• 2-channel wave recording and playback
• Capture rehearsals and live performances or play along to backing tracks
• Play backing tracks and record your mix simultaneously
• Easily transfer audio to and from any computer via USB
• Built-in metronome
• Dedicated WAV playback volume control

• Phenomenal suite of 4 effects and 6 instruments for Mac and Windows
• VX-64 Vocal Strip
• Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE
• Boost 11 Peak Limiter
• Channel Tools
• Dimension LE
• Rapture LE
• Studio Instruments Bass
• Studio Instruments Drums
• Studio Instruments Electric Piano
• Studio Instruments Strings

Package Contents

• Owner’s Manual
• USB cable
• Driver CD-ROM
• VS Production Pack + SONAR VS DVD-ROM
• AC Adapter

Initial Impressions

I’m big on initial impressions of any gadget. It needs to look good and feel good. And I’ve got to say that right out of the box, the V-Studio 100 looks and feels fantastic. It has the right amount of weight to it. It’s heavy enough to feel like you’re holding something solid, but not heavy enough to slow you down. I think the look is amazing, it’s sleek, compact, and svelte, but at the same time highly engineered. It’s constructed of metals, no plastic here, and machine screwed together. The knobs have that nice quality rubberized feel, and the throw on the fader is long and smooth. All of the in and out interfaces seem to be of high quality as well.

If I had to describe it briefly, it would be Refined Industrial. In my opinion, the construction of this unit exceeds expectations for gear in this price range. I’ve got a $1,200 chunk of plastic paperweight from Tascam in the form of an at the time “portable digital multi-track”, and this cakewalk unit just took it’s lunch money and gave it a wedgie in the hands on test.

Setup

Setup was a breeze. Simply start the driver CD, plug in and power up the unit, and run the USB cable to your computer. The driver installs automatically and you’re notified when it’s done. I then proceeded to install the software with all of its included add-ons and goodies. I’ve got to say, I’m a bit surprised at just how complete the production package is. With basic recording and high quality vocal processing, a string instruments synth, drums, bass guitar and keys included, along with the all important amp simulator included, this is truly a complete package.

Nothings worse than getting something like this home just to be immediately stymied due to lack of inclusion of a key component in your creative arsenal. I’ve run into this time and time again over the years, and kudos to Cakewalk for making a truly out of the box package that you can run with. Every musician, engineer, or producer has their favorite little goodies they carry with them, but I see nothing that can not be achieved with the included array of tools.

Another of my musts is a console view. I’m slowly getting used to working in the industry standard track/waveform view, but when it comes to mixdown, I still want that console view. What’s more is that with this particular package, I was easily able to assign the  software variables to the V-Studio’s hardware, and utilize it as a control surface. This was my first opportunity to utilize a control surface in a DAW, and man is it nice! Mouse clicks have long been the bane of digital audio workstations, and Cakewalk delivers us from that sterile drudgery in spades with this system!

Click on the following images to see them full size.

The Ins and Outs

The instrument ins include two channels with trimmable gain. There’s two Hi-Z channels with 1/4 instrument ins as well on the front panel. To utilize the unit as a stand alone, you’ll need to insert a SD card with the capacity of your choosing. Rounding out the front are the headphone out jack with volume knob.

The power cord connector, power switch, usb, and midi in and out start out the first half of the back panel.

A good selection of ins and outs, as well as a foot switch for punch-in and punch-out recording, as well as a phantom mic power switch rounds out the back panel. The inclusion of the phantom power switch lets you utilize a nice condenser mic without a separate power supply, this is the kind of detail I really appreciate, no skimping here.

Performance

I believe in giving complete thorough reviews of any gadget, but if I were to delve into every aspect of this package, we’d be here a while, and few would read it. So I’m going to try and hit the high spots here while doing this unit justice.

For my test, I wanted to make sure I covered all the bases. So my intent was to utilize the V-Studio 100 as a stand-alone recorder as well as an interface into the included production software, and then use the unit as a control surface during mixdown. Being a guitar player, having an amp simulator is priority one for me, so I knew I’d be putting the included Guitar Rig software through its paces as well.

I proceeded to record two tracks in “Wave Recorder” mode with the hardware unit alone, not connected to the computer. I was extremely pleased with the ease at which this was done and the audio quality was simply stunning. With no EQ, Compression, or any other effect, my acoustic electric sounded beautiful and was accurately reproduced. I then hauled the unit upstairs to the Yamaha electronic drum kit and captured a simple beat. Again, the V-Studio 100 hardware worked flawlessly. I think the real hook to this package is to be able to haul your hardware to capture virtually anything, then bring it home for mixdown or inclusion into a bigger project. Next, I dumped the recorded wave files to my laptop and began recording bass and lead guitars.

I was just putting the finishing touches on this review, mixing down all of the tracks recorded, when my almost brand new laptop took a complete nosedive. It was completely dead, nothing, it wouldn’t turn on or even begin to boot. So currently, my new laptop, and all of the initial work on this review are with the laptop manufacturer, and I’ve got my fingers crossed.

So here I was, re-loading all drivers and software on my neglected desktop and about to pick up instruments and record again. I like to give an example of the capability of the equipment and software when I review something like this. Frustrated at losing my recorded tracks on this project I started listening to a few of the included sample loops available as royalty free goodies for you to use in your tracks. I had to check out things like “underwater winds” and “Jungle Ambiance”. I was amused. But while sampling all of the included loops I came across a drum beat that reminded me of something. I dialed the tempo down from 120 to 100 and it sounded just right. I had been thinking about a particular song that I’d written almost 20 years ago while with a band in Memphis. I had recently gotten in touch via Facebook with my old guitar player whose playing I had always loved on this song.

I grabbed up my trusty 5 string and started slapping it around. What you’ll hear is a something between bizarre and eclectic, I think, I’m not really sure. But whatever it is, it’s a really good example of not only the functionality of the V-Studio package, but its ability to be inspiring. This is about as far away from my normal thing as it gets, but it got my creative juices flowing in a different direction, so I followed along. And if there’s anything I love about my music gadgets, it’s when theyr’e inspiring. There’s not alot of time involved in what you’l hear, maybe an hour. I was under the gun, so note, there’s no EQ, not alot of time mixing down, and the only effect is a preset on the included compressor on the master track, and the sonic quality is tops. No noise, no hiss, just pure, clean, and punchy.

I’ve got to say that the included Guitar Rig 3 LE from Native Instruments is awesome. I dialed up two different presets for the bass with no adjustment, a rhythm guitar tone, and a lead guitar tone. Again having to work quickly, I was very pleased to see that right out of the box, this package was delivering results I was happy with. I’m an absolute tone freak, I’ve spent years pretty much trying to get the bass sound I dialed up in under 10 seconds in the included Guitar Rig! I also love the slinky rhythm guitar sound. This package far exceeds my current Line 6 Tone Port presets, by far, and the tonal quality is much better in my opinion. Even though this is the LE version, with the included presets and the total ability to customize each sound and create new ones, I’ll be wearing this little gem out. I love it!

Click on the following images to see them full size.

So have a listen at an old song with a very new and very different twist for me.

Smalltown Excerpt-Master

So while my notebook taking a dive on me was troubling at first, I’m really glad it happened on this project. It forced me to work quickly, and let me see just how complete this package really is, how inspiring it can be, and how many hours of pure fun I’m looking forward to as I dig further into it.

Conclusion: All That and a Bag of Chips!

All in all, I was able to successfully complete the project without a ton of time or learning involved. The ability to have the unlimited tracks and flexibility of a true Digital Audio Workstation on your desktop that integrates so very nicely with a truly portable multi-track recorder and control surface makes for a truly complete package. I found zero issues with the construction of the hardware itself, and the software package is more than enough to keep the creative juices flowing freely.

I love being able to open a box and not have to immediately want or need something to go with it. Everything’s here to complete pretty much any project you’ve been wanting to do.

You won’t plug this unit up, flip the switch and sell a million records, but if you invest just a couple of hours playing with this package and hitting the extensive manual included, you’ll be well on your way as the integration of hardware and software becomes easily intuitive. Cakewalk’s done a fantastic job of putting this complete of a package together at this price point, and it just became my main recording setup. There’s really no situation I can think of that this package won’t handle from the pure electronic sequencer crowd to the guitarists, drummers, vocalists, and anyone else for that matter. I can’t recommend it enough. This solution from Cakewalk really is beautiful.

Cakewalk covered every angle here. Go out and get it, I’ve got a few more songs I’m going to lay down with my new favorite gadget!

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Musical Gear

Tagged: Cakewalk, V-Studio

Cakewalk V-Studio 100 Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2009 at 2:38 pm.

I started exploring PC based digital multi-track recording well over a decade ago, when it was expensive and impractical. After investing over $5,000 in the endeavor, I eventually wound up with a system that exceeded my much maligned  cassette based 4 track portable studio. Fast forward and Cakewalk just sent me their most recent solution, a $99 hardware and software package promising the world and more. I know what you’re thinking, this is a joke right? Not so fast, read on…

Features

Hardware Specifications

• Record: 1 pair of stereo
• Play: 1 pair of stereo
• REC SOURCE switch = ANALOG: Full duplex (except for 96 kHz setting)
• REC SOURCE switch = DIGITAL: Recording only

• PC interface: 24 bits
• AD/DA Conversion: 24 bits (linear)
• ADVANCE DRIVER switch = OFF: 16 bits

• Digital output: 32/44.1/48/96 kHz
• Digital input: 32/44.1/48/96 kHz
• AD/DA Conversion: 32/44.1/48/96 kHz
• ADVANCE DRIVER switch = OFF: 32/44.1/48 kHz

• Line input jacks: -10 to +4 dBu
• Guitar input jacks: -30 to -16dBu
• Mic input jack: -40 to -26 dBu

• Line output jacks: -10 dBu 

• USB
• Digital input (Optical mini type)
• The same jack serves as both the Mic Input jack and digital input connector
• Digital output (Optical mini type)
• The same jack serves as both the headphones jack and digital output connector
• Conforms to IEC60958 consumer format

• ADVANCED DRIVER Switch
• Guitar/Mic Switch
• INPUT VOLUME knob
• PHONES VOLUME Dial
• SAMPLE RATE Switch
• 96kHz MODE Switch
• INPUT MONITOR Switch
• REC SOURCE Switch

• USB Connector (B type)
• Line Input jacks (L, R) (RCA phono type)
• Line Output jacks (L, R) (RCA phono type)
• Guitar/Mic Input jack: 1/4 inch phone type)
• Mic Input jack (Plug-in powered miniature phone type)
• Digital Input connector (Optical mini type)
  * The same jack serves as both the headphones jack and digital output connector.
• Headphones jack (Stereo miniature phone type)
• Digital Output connector (Optical mini type)
  * The same jack serves as both the Mic Input jack and digital input connector.

• 160 (W) x 58 (D) x 28 (H) mm
• 6-5/16 (W) x 2-5/16 (D) x 1-1/8 (H) inches

Package Contents

Test Machine

One of my big initiatives lately (and mostly at the behest of my beautiful and beloved wife), has been to spend less time within my fortress of solitude and more time within reach and earshot of other humans that occupy the home. So when I noticed on the packaging of the UA-1G that it was geared to work well in a mobile environment, I thought ok, you asked for it. Throw a $99 multi-track studio in a box at me and then tell me to use it on my laptop? Ok, where’s the hidden cameras? Where’s Allen Funt? I did fall off a turnip truck, but not yesterday, I’ve done this before, and it takes a monster machine to do this right!

Now granted, my laptop can probably beat up your laptop, I bought it specifically for gaming and other intensive apps. I was hoping sometime around 2050 to be able to do multi-track recording on a laptop so we’ll see where this goes, because if this is achievable on any laptop, in my mind it’s a huge step forward. Here’s the machine spec just so you know:

• ASUS G50Vt-B1
• Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz) Processor
• 15.4″ WSXGA+ (1680×1050) Display
• 4GB DDR2 Memory
• 640GB (2 x 320GB 7200RPM) Hard Drive
• DVD Super Multi
• NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS 512MB Graphics Card
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit

Setup

Cakewalk is by no means new to this game. They were a pioneer in home studio technology, being one of the first to bring commercial quality recording capability into your bedroom. Now owned by Roland, a name synonymous with pristine quality, this old dog is kicking out a few new tricks. Setup was a breeze. I first loaded the windows driver, then the Sonar LE software package, and then plugged in the interface. It truly couldn’t be easier. The UA-1G was immediately recognized by windows and by Sonar LE.  

Initial Impressions

The hardware is simple enough. It’s about the size of your average notebook power supply but thinner and much lighter. The tactile feel is great, it’s got that matte black rubberized feel to it that I’ve come to love on my gadgets. The in and out jacks feel solid, and the input adjustment knob is large enough to grab quickly and tweak the signal. I really like the hardware knob for volume adjustment as well. One of the big problems with these types of systems when they first came out was that everything was a mouse click, and coming from the days of huge consoles, this was a horrible thing to stomach. The UA-1G has just what you need where you need it while maintaining a very portable form factor. In addition, it’s powered by the USB port you plug into, no external power supply is needed. Cakewalk UA-1G, you are now officially, my new best friend.

I found the software to be extremely robust yet simple to use. While any multi-track computer software takes a while to wrap your head around, I found navigating Sonar LE intuitive and logical. When I did get stuck, the extensive built in help section was quite adequate. I cut my teeth using huge sound boards and I still like that environment. Sonar LE incorporates a console view along with the industry standard wave form view which I really love. For those of us that grew up throwing faders and tweaking knobs, this environment lets us enjoy this technology instead of fighting it. Sonar is operable by an external control surface or keyboard if you choose, so it should be easy do dial in an environment that you’re comfortable in.

Click the picture for a larger view of Sonar’s environment.

Performance

I’m not a midi guy or a keyboardist. We’ve got a piano and a suitable Yamaha keyboard in the house, but my two sons and wife are much more apt at keys than I. I’m a guitarist and bassist mostly with enough drumming ability to keep a steady beat. So I’m all about the digital audio when it comes to multi-tracking. That being the case, I look for two must-have criteria for these types of solutions:

1. ASIO – As usual, Wiki says it most concisely:

Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) is a computer soundcard driver protocol for digital audio specified by Steinberg, providing a low-latency and high fidelity interface between a software application and a computer’s sound card. Whereas Microsoft’s DirectSound is commonly used as a stereo input and output for non-professional users, ASIO allows musicians and sound engineers to process their audio via Windows computer software instead of external hardware.

ASIO bypasses the normal audio path from the user application through layers of intermediary Windows operating system software, so that the application connects directly to the soundcard hardware. Each layer that is bypassed means a reduction in latency, the delay between an application sending sound to the sound being reproduced by the soundcard. In this way ASIO offers a relatively simple way of accessing multiple audio inputs and outputs independently. Its main strength lies in its method of bypassing the inherently high latency of Windows audio mixing kernels (KMixer), allowing direct, high speed communication with audio hardware. Unlike KMixer, an unmixed ASIO output is “bit identical”, that is, the bits sent to the sound card are identical to those of the original WAV file, thus having higher audio fidelity.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever, ever, under any circumstances try to do multi-track recording without ASIO driver implementation. It won’t work. The sound you are attempting to record will be completely out of sync with tracks you’ve already laid down. Therefore, you most definitely want to ensure that your recording environment is picking up your interface as the input and output, and that it is using the ASIO driver. This is easily done under the Audio Options menu.

And one quick note on the input / output settings. Make sure you plug your headphones or external speakers into the UA-1G itself and not your computer when recording. Not doing this negates the awesomeness of ASIO implementation and the UA-1g offers a handy and easy to reach volume scroll wheel. Record and monitor thru the UA-IG.

2. An Amp Simulator

If you’re a keyboardist,  you’ll do fine with just about any solution out there, it’s easy to hook up a usb or midi keyboard these days, load up a synth, and make your cheap-o keys sound like world class instruments. But if you’re a guitarist, and you want to minimize cables, complexity, and signal noise, an amp sim is a must. While doing a little pre-review research I couldn’t determine anywhere in the advertising that noted the package included one. Luckily for me it did, and Cakewalk should push this feature hard in their marketing in my opion, it’s a very valuable asset to a huge segment of their targeted market.

That means I don’t have to plug in my amp, and line out or mic it to get some decent tone. There’s little more offensive to me than a direct, un-processed electric guitar sound on tape. It’s horrible, stale, and dead. Many large commercial studios utilize direct boxes for recording bass specifically, but I’ve always hated it. The amp simulator included is not overly extensive, but it’s plenty good with enough presets and ability to customize that you’ll have no problem dialing in a few fun tones that are inspiring enough to get the creative juices flowing. I was able to even dial in a decent clean bass guitar tone even though there’s no preset for bass.

I could go very in depth into the Sonar LE software as it has a ton of functionality, but that review would be something no one would read, so I’m going to just hit the high points. Beyond the ASIO and Amp Simulator, there are a virtually unlimited number of audio and midi tracks you can create. Everything is rendered at 24 bit rate, which is currently the professional industry standard. There is a more than adequate amount of routing and effects processing ability in Sonar LE. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at the capabilities of this light version of Sonar. I have been using FL Studio Producer Edition for years, and I really didn’t see much missing from LE that I couldn’t live without. And for you keyboardists and midi heads, it’s got all the same stuff I don’t understand about Steinburg Cubase, FL Studio, Ableton, and other packages including piano roll, a fully functional synth, midi clocks, and other associated goodies.

Now that I was all ready to go, I first grabbed up my Godin electric, and had to check out the British Overdrive amp sound with the 4×12 open back cabinet. It just sounded too lush and creamy to pass by. So I plugged in, set up a track to monitor the guitar thru and hit a few chords. I was immediately transported back in time when I first picked up the guitar as the tone, to me sounded like a classic Tommy Iomi crunch back in the day. When I first started playing, Zepplin and Sabbath were my favorite things to hammer out while I learned, and this tone took me there. I wouldn’t dare unleash my attempt at Mr. Page on the public at large, but since Tommy Iomi is one finger shy of a full 5 on his fretting hand, I figured I could manage a very abridged few bars of “War Pigs” in order to let you a listen to the built in amp simulator.

War Pigs.mp3

After exhaustive noodling thru every 70′s classic rock riff I know ( I found the tone really inspiring), I tried out several of the other tones as well. While the amp simulator included is not as extensive as some dedicated packages out there, I found it much more than adequate, and actually quite fun to play with. After an hour or so of this, my wife insisted I quit making “funny rock star faces” and get on to the more serious side of things. So I saved the track, exported it to MP3 format with the built in encoder, and put the good old days back where they belong.

I opened up a new project, cued up a track ready to record, grabbed my Seagull concert acoustic/electric and plugged in. I decided to do a clean finger picking thing to illustrate the clarity of the package. I can tell you that I was really impressed with the complete lack of noise in the headphones I was monitoring while recording, and in the recorded track itself. The little clip below is a very un-recognizable version of Mercy by Widespread Panic I came up with. I always seem to warm up with it when I pick up an acoustic, and it worked for the purposes here. You’ll notice the guitar is effected with a some Chorus and Reverb. The effects are heavier than I would ever put on a finished product, but I wanted them to be noticeably audible for demonstration purposes.

Mercy.mp3

Media Archiving and Restoration

As a parent, I’ve noticed that the older your children get, the less cool you become. My 10 year old son happened to be hanging around while I was doing my testing. He’s taken an avid interest in drums, keys, and guitar, and of course technology. Most of what he’s ever been witness to me playing, was acoustic guitar, or easy jazz or blues electric, or some jazzy or funky bass. He remarked that he didn’t know I could “shred” the heavy stuff while I was laying down the War Pigs clip. I professed to him that indeed I used to rock! Long before he or his mother came along, I spent a few years rocking it out full time. Those days are long gone, but a light bulb went off. I told him to go pull out a bin of old cassettes that have traveled with me for years and years and bring them to me.

In the meantime I ran to the garage and pulled out the old Teac cassette player, grabbed some RCA cables and headed back to the laptop. I plugged the cassette player into the UA-1G, grabbed the oldest, crustiest tape I could find and slipped it in. I loaded up a new project and used the “Stereo Master” template, hit the record button in Sonar, and the play button on the Teac. What emanated from the headphones was the horrible quality recording of me and one of the first bands I was in, playing an outdoor festival. I was able to dump the entire contents of the cassette onto my hard drive, and am planning on doing a lot of dynamics processing, slicing it up into different tracks and making a CD out of if for us. All of which the UA-1G and Sonar LE should be able to do easily with the included features.

The UA-1G did this archiving easily and never once taxed my laptop. It dumped about 1 hour and 40 minutes of audio straight without a single glitch or pop left on the track. I’m going to get to re-live the glory days as I go thru this process with all of my old recordings, and I can’t tell you what a big deal it is to be able to do this. My son still doesn’t think I’m cool, but he will now at least admit that I used to be! So this was an added bonus I really hadn’t considered, but the UA-1G is going to let me do all this archiving on my laptop as I get time to do it. This is huge!

This was my first home studio, it comprised 600 square feet and tons of equipment.

It’s now this, it comprises 6 square feet, minimal equipment, and has more capability.

Conclusion: The UA-1G is a JamGasmic Must Have!

The UA-1G simply blew me away. As someone who’s seen first hand this type of technology evolve from infancy to today, I can tell you in no uncertain terms, that this package is simply beautiful. I love a good bargain, and especially when it comes to musical instruments or related equipment because I love to see it in the hands of the masses. The UA-1G puts a really shocking amount of functionality within very easy grasp of a lot of people. For $99, I almost still can’t believe it. To me, a good technology is transparent. While playing with the UA-1G, it disappeared, what was left was pure clean fun bundled in a functional tool set.

What’s more is it performed flawlessly on my laptop, making this package truly portable and flexible. Imagine being able to travel and capture those fleeting inspirations quickly, or simply carrying it to a friends house, or being able to capture a 24 bit recording off the soundboard at your next gig. Whether you buy this for yourself or as a gift for someone, you can’t go wrong. I’ve not reviewed or purchased anything recently with this much wow factor, it’s that good. It’s capable enough to do most of what you want, and simple enough to just have fun. Go get it!

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Musical Gear

Tagged: Cakewalk, Roland

Cakewalk UA-1G USB Audio Interface Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2009 at 7:54 am.