Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub 

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

I'm running Windows 7 64 bit with Fruity Loops. True to other reviews this thing sounds like a bowl of rice crispies. Instead of using included drivers (no 64 support) I followed recommendations and downloaded drivers and firmware direct from Akai online, then followed comments recommendations to run 16 bit 96K and STILL get occasional pops. Unit also will quit working and have to turn it off then on again, NOT a good thing when the muse hits. ALSO, it freezes up my recording software.
This is a horrid product. Absolutely worthless. I'm going to upgrade to Presonus.

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

This unit is a good starter for someone on a small budget. I like the unit overall,however it will suddenly start hissing white noise or static. I have to turn the unit off and back on to clear it. I changed the control panel settings to the 16bit96K Studio Quality, still, will sometimes hiss. Just when I start to really like the unit it will suddenly start hissing! NOT GOOD!! Whats Up with this AKAI?,Professional?

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

I should have been leery when I opened the box and it looked like Musician's Friend had sent me a unit somebody else had already returned.

I needed this to do a live recording and my other equipment is not really set up for mobile use. I ran the EIE Pro through it's paces a few times before the gig. It seemed to work ok for a while then would randomly freak out. All the meters on the DAW would peak and a deafening level of white noise came screaming out of the headphones. If I had been using monitors I believe there would have been a chance of blowing them.

I read online that other people had problems and that I should update the firmware and driver. I did so and then it glitched out again on my recording gig only minutes into the concert. During sound check it seemed to be working fine. I was able to get the driver reset and record the rest of the concert thankfully, but part of it was lost while I got it working again. LAME. Definitely sending this back.

The features of it are appealing and that's why I bought it, of course. The knobs, switches and jacks all feel solid. It looks cool, feels heavy and durable. The VU meters were kind of useless. The meters on the DAW would be showing much higher levels than the VU meters would indicate. Also, the stereo/mono switch only changes how the inputs are monitored, not the playback. I thought that was strange. It's too bad AKAI started with a good idea but couldn't fully realize a decent product.

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

When I first received this unit I was totally upset that all I heard when playing anything through it (PLAYBACK) was total STATIC. Was just getting ready to throw this in the garbage when I discovered this little setting that solved everything.

If you are having this same issue with total static on playback then hopefully this will also solve your issue too!

I have completely solved the static playback issue for me...

NOTE: I am using windows 7 64 bit for my operating system and a good laptop...

I started trying everything I could think of. The final solve was really easy. Here is what I did...

Go to:

... Control Panel
... Hardware and sound
... Sound
... PLAYBACK Tab

Highlight the Akai EIE Pro Audio

Click Properties

Click Advanced Tab

Change the Default Format to 16 bit, 96000 Hz (Studio Quality)

Click Apply.

For me, all the noise and static was gone immediately!

If I change to any of the lower settings such as the 16 bit 44100 then the noise is right back!

I HOPE that this fixes many others having the same problem!

Once I made the above fix, I am absolutely loving this unit!

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

This is an excellent, aluring little box. I was on the hunt for a good, portable interface to use with a laptop and stumbled on this. It's really not that portable, but it's a great box with just the right features.

It's smaller than a lunchbox and a tad on the heavy side. Not so heavy as to be annoying, but enough to make it feel rugged and durable.

The face is covered with knobs and switches and XLR/1/4" inputs and two real, genuine VUs. If you're like me and like the feeling of real controls, you'll really appreciate this.

Round the back there's more 1/4" jacks for inputs and low and behold inserts, as well as midi and a trio of USB ports. There's even an on/off switch. This is really important if you ask me. Most of us don't use our interface as our primary sound card and it's nice to shut things down when not in use.

Configuration was pretty straightforward for me. Be aware, there are updated drivers and firmware at Akai's website. I never used the drivers that came with the interface and I updated the firmware as soon as I plugged it in so I don't know what the differences are but there has been a lot of talk about latency with the stock stuff. Do yourself a favor and update right away.

Once the drivers were installed, everything I have immediately recognized the EIE as an ASIO device and it just worked.

I did come across one anomaly. In Sonar, only inputs (and outputs) 1 and 3 were visible in preferences. This was a bit alarming. Eventually, I figured out that it just sees 1+2 and 3+4 in pairs. Even though they don't show up in preferences, they are there when selecting inputs for tracks.

So far, I've used the EIE Pro with Sonar, Studio One, Reason, Amplitube, Guitar Rig and Revalver with no problems whatsoever.

I have experienced zero pops or clicks and latency is showing around 10ms. Very reasonable. I do have the driver completely maxed out. Smallest available buffer size and 96 khz.

I am using this with a highly spec'd laptop (Sandy Bridge i7 proc, 16 GB ram, SSD, etc) with a lower spec'd machine it may be necessary to dial the driver back to maintain stability.

One of the oft overlooked features of an I/O box is how it actually sounds. The EIE sounds pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. My ears sense a bit of a loss of high end, but it's nothing that can't be eq'd out.

Routing options are what you would expect. The inserts are very handy for those of us that still have a lot of hardware. Of course, they come in prior to the USB send which means you can never remove the effect added, but that's not a big deal. Being a 4x4 unit, it should be very possible to use external effects through a set of outs and ins as well. A very nice feature. I haven't attempted this yet, but see no reason that it shouldn't work.

The monitoring options are very simple and friendly. A knob alows you to go from uneffected input to full output or anywhere in between. Can ber very handy when troubleshooting no sound in your DAW.

The VUs are a nice touch too. I don't think they supply any more information than a good set of led lines do but they sure do look nice. They change to red backlight when a clip occurs and it can be a little jarring.

One unfortunate feature is the power situation. No USB bus power hear. It comes with your standard wall wart and it is required. This isn't surprising. In fact, I seriously doubt USB could ever power something like this. It would just be nice.

The USB ports on the back are really usefull. I swear, no matter how many I have, it's never enough. And these are powered. I find it very handy to leave my Reason Ignition Key plugged into the back. Plug it in, forget about it.

One thing I would like to see on this unit is a nice, recessed handle on the top. While this may not be intended to be a portable device, it's small enough that it could be. A handle and a nice padded bag available as an accesory would be fantastic.

Overall, so far, I'm very pleased with this little beast. The price is excellent. The features are excellent and the performance is pretty darned good. It's not going to replace that $1000 interface you have, but it really makes a nice back up or portable device. I know of nothing else in this price range that performs this well.

And I just love the knobs and switches!

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

I bought this box to replace my FA-66 two track recorder, and it is just what I need. I use ableton live with a APC-40 and Microkorg, so plugging in all my instruments into one box saves USB ports on my laptop and keeps things tidy, allowing me to plug in one cable instead of three to my computer. I was worried about latency issues, but my problems were solved by ensuring I plugged into a USB 2.0 port. I still hear slight crackles occasionally, but I think this may be more the computer slowing down than the box itself.

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

I have experienced NO latency issues when using the usb hub. All tracks play back with clarity. Most often, pops and clicks during playback are due to the buffer that is required, and on smaller computers, the chances of pops and clicks are higher. I do not regret buying this interface, It has greatly inproved the quality of my home recordings, and is very convienient if you are on a low buget and want top quality.
The usb hub is very convienent if you use usb powered MIDI devices. The VU meters are very cool, and are accurate considering the price you pay. I gave this an 8 because sometimes I feel that there are too many features, but if they were taken away, i dont know that i could live without them
This is built like a tank, full-metal shell, weighty, and the knobs and switches seem very solid
For the price, you can get several different audio interfaces. This one however, i believe offers the most features and best quality for under $300

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

Overall a very nice unit, the added USB ports are great especially if you are using a MacBook Pro with only 2 USB inputs.
This unit has a few more features than I needed or was used to but now that I learn how to use them I quite like them.
I have NOT experienced problems with this unit at all and I got mine from the very first batch that made it in the US. I can tell the sound is better than my pervious interface unit.
The crackling and pops that I have experienced has been due to my computer being overwhelmed with the recording/modeling software, I have experienced this with other units in the past under the same conditions. I mean when the CPU usage goes past 90% you are doomed.
This thing being an all metal casing unit is really well built, some of the toggles feel stiff but that not big deal. the assignable VU meters are nice.
Overall I am really satisfied, the preamps on this unit are better than the Line 6 unit it replaced and I have been able to use my Ribbon mic with it to mic amps.

The sound overall is also better than what I had, i can tell when I listen to music through iTunes.

Comments about Akai Professional EIE PRO 24-bit Audio/MIDI Interface with USB Hub:

Better check the Akai website forums before purchasing this unit. Everyone is having serious problems with the interface popping and crackling during playback of any audio! Akai denies that there is a problem. Imagine that!
Better check the Akai website forums before purchasing this unit. Everyone is having serious problems with the interface popping and crackling during playback of any audio! Akai denies that there is a problem. Imagine that!