FIRST IMPRESSION:
Hella nice..I'm already excited. The construction seems VERY solid and sturdy. All cables and manuals and software are included (as described).
EASE OF INSTALL:
Pretty straight forward. The drivers had to be unzipped from the included disk, but hey...no problems in my opinion.
Istallation Setup and Drivers included are compatible with XP and Vista (32 and 64)...not 7. Went to Phonic website and downloaded latest drivers. Look for:
PhonicUSB_ver1.21.0_nov2509
the exact link to downloads page is:
http://doc.phonic.com/file/view.php?sess=0&id=22111&parent=1132&a...
Worked like a charm...opened Sonar and recognized it immediately (as did Guitar Rig 3). Getting extremely low latency...no delay in sound at all...VERY NICE. (update: Sonar 7 didn't like the Phonic Firefly, but Sonar 8 loves it. Not sure why...probably something I did, not Cakewalk/Sonar)
FUNCTIONALITY:
Works exactly as it ought to...working out the bugs of integrating it into my current studio situation, but that is simply because I have been recording at 16bit and 44-48khz...not because of the device. The Phonic 302 is AWESOME...no latency!!
OVERALL QUALITY:
Well worth the price. Well built...looks and feels like it could take a few lumps...I won't even bother trying to finding out for sure, but I won't be surprised if it takes a few and keeps going. Sits nice on my desktop and plays well with my other "electronic children"...AWESOME quality sound.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This thing is AWESOME for someone like myself who is trying to record in the home and not looking to record huge bands/ensembles. For a 1 person situation, this thing can't be beat (especially for the price). If you're thinking about getting this interface, go ahead and do it already...you won't be disappointed (that is if you are not expecting ProTools/DigiDesign/Mackie/etc...this thing DELIVERS on sound and quality of product..the GUI may not be as easy or "pretty" as other company's, but it doesn't cost even a fraction of what those charge).
This thing is what it is...a work horse for the right price. The rest is trivial and knit-picking. This does what it is supposed to do....HOWEVER...be VERY aware of the windows 7 issue. Nothing MAJOR, but it was a little disheartening that it wasn't ready to go out of the box. SUCH IS LIFE and it was EASILY fixed.
(UPDATE 1/15/2010) Downloaded demo of Sonar 8. EVERYTHING IS PERFECT NOW. Audio is clear, crisp, and pristine...I realize now what my earlier recordings (16bit/44-48khz) were missing...QUALITY.
24bit and 96Khz (The firefly CAN do 192khz, but BFD peaks at 96khz)...no problems...no lag...no latency. I've been wanting to upgrade to Sonar 8 for a while and now I have a real reason to. Not sure if the Sonar 7 issue is a driver issue or what. All I know is that it works PERFECT in Sonar 8. Be aware of the possibilities of problems, but nothing major...nothing that a little technical know-how can't fix...AND IT'S NOT THE HARDWARE'S FAULT...any problems I have had with this has been MINOR and STRICTLY SOFTWARE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN EASILY RESOLVED. I still HIGHLY recommend this device!!!
I will be doing an audio/video review of the Phonic Firefly on YouTube as soon as I order a better mic to show what this thing can REALLY do.
(UPDATE 2/4/2010) Works great still. Latency has to be adjusted to around 48ms to record/playback multiple tracks with BFD and 2 instances of Guitar Rig running simultaneous. STILL RECORDS BEAUTIFULLY, just not with ultra low latency. Could be a CPU issue on my part (I have a dual core AMD 2.0Ghz and 3 GB of RAM on Windows 7). FINAL WORDS? This thing works like it's supposed to. ZERO latency when just using one instrument (like BFD or Guitar Rig). AWESOME sound when recording multiple tracks, but latency needs to be adjusted. DO NOT hesitate to buy this if you are a single musician in need of high quality recordings! IT IS NOT THE MOST USER FRIENDLY. I had no problems, but I'm fairly computer savvy. I have a history of working as a technical support agent trouble shooting for DSL/High-speed internet and I work on/build computers and stuff...so it's NO PROBLEM for me. If you are a "plug and play" kinda person, this might not be for you. If you have even A LITTLE tech-know-how, THIS IS YOUR DEVICE.
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PHONIC POWERPODby JKMUZYCZNY4,591 views
what is that called thats hook up to your microphone
umoney12 2 weeks ago
@umoney12
I'm sorry...I don't know what you mean? The audio interface? It's the Firefly 302. You are talking about the connection between the microphone and the computer, yes? Or are you talking about the pop filter? the screen between my mouth and the mic? If I have not answered your question, feel free to write me back.
Thanks for watching.
CGG
CheapGearGuy 2 weeks ago
sorry for bothering
is it possible if i connect mic to phantom, like just a phantom that only does job of feeding phantom power to a mic, wud it be possible connecting mic to phantom to pc directly? or do i need mixer to connect to pc?
blacknblack01 1 month ago
@blacknblack01
Of course...your mic will have power (if it is a condenser or if it needs phantom power) and will work if you plug it into your mic line in on your pc....BUT, you will have dramatically less control. You will not be able to adjust the volme as easily, you will have no gain control (not necessary, but helps on weaker sound sources), and you will not easily be able to mute or add external effects.
Thanks for watching!
CGG
CheapGearGuy 1 month ago
does it work with mac & logic 8 by any chance ??
djmrcsp 1 month ago
@djmrcsp
I'm pretty sure it does...but if you want specific compatibility information, your best bet would be to check out Phonic's website...
I know they have mac drivers and they support a lot of DAWS, but I don't know what OS you have or their specific drivers the offer.
Sorry I couldn't be more help and thanks for watching!
Keep an eye out for my online store. I'll be stocking Phonic gear (as well as a lot of other things) in about a month or 2.
CGG
CheapGearGuy 1 month ago