M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
If you make music with GarageBand, Fast Track USB is the easy and professional way to add guitar, vocals, and more to your computer music experience. Just connect Fast Track USB to the USB port of your computer and you're ready to rock. Fast Track USB has an input for instruments like guitar, bass and keyboards, plus a microphone input for recording vocals or other acoustic sounds.
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Overview
Features:
- Easy to connect and use
- Professional 24-bit/48kHz sound
- Dynamic microphone input (XLR) with gain control and signal LEDs
- Switchable instrument/line input (1/4")
- Stereo headphone output (1/8")
- Stereo output jacks (RCA)
- Level control for headphones and main outputs
- USB bus-powered
- Compatible with GarageBand
- USB class compliant (OS X 10.3.5 and higher) for plug-and-play operation
- Direct hardware monitoring for synchronized overdubs
- Mono switch sends input signal equally to left and right channels
- Includes GT Player Express software:
- Professional effects
- Guitar amp and stomp box modeling
- Plays standard audio files with variable speed playback
- Standalone operation, ReWire or VST plug-in
System Requirements:
- Minimum G3* 300MHz/G4* 350MHz
- Mac OS X 10.2.8 or greater, 128MB RAM
- Native USB port required; G3/G4 accelerator cards not supported
- ASIO 2
- WDM
- Kernel Streaming
- Mac OS X Core Audio
Most Recent Reviews
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
Great device, could use better instructions!
Written by CW from SAINT PAUL
27-Dec-2008
The hardware device works great with my Intel Core2 duo MacBook and an electric guitar. I was surprised how well it worked! I had …Read moremixed results with an acoustic guitar using a sound-hole external pickup, but was still usable (just really quiet) Here are some things I've learned...
*The knobs on the front of the unit are only used to control the mix and volume of the playback back to you if you are using the RCA out for monitors or are using the headphone jack on the unit. They serve no purpose for recording.
*The stereo mono switch is only used to separate sound in the playback. Mono will mix both signals into both speakers. Stereo will play the mic out of one speaker and the instrument out of the other.
*It is important to use the line level/guitar switch on the back correctly (this WILL affect recording)!
*In GarageBand make sure both the input and output in the preferences are set to the fasttrack unit (make sure it's attached and powered up before you launch GB)
*If you are getting a lot of noise and static (like I was initially) move the fastrack unit as far away from your PC as possible. These really helped cut down on the noise.
*The included Live Lite software is bad. Skip it all together.Was this useful?
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
Turns out to be a piece of junk.
Written by BB from Savannah
2-Nov-2008
I was really excited to get this product so I could hook up my guitar and start to record some music, it turns out it doesn't work…Read more at all, I can't believe I wasted a $100 bucks on this piece of junk, please don't buy it.
(1 of 15 people found this review useful)
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
Not a good alternative
Written by JL from seattle
25-Sep-2008
Quite simply on my Tiger osx 4.1 system this product did not work. The local store genius was stumped. We could not make my guita…Read morer play through this unit. I returned it for another thinking the one was faulty. This proved not to be the case. I do not recommend this system.
(8 of 16 people found this review useful)
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Most Useful Reviews
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
This thing is Great!!!
Written by TC from Margate City
4-Apr-2006
This should have 10 Stars.
I just received it in the mail this morning, plugged in to the USB port on my Mini Mac.In the Fast Tra…Read moreck user guide they instruct you (1. Under the Apple menu, select System Preferences / Sound. 2. Select Fast Track under input & output tabs to choose the Fast Track USB as your default audio device.) I only selected Fast Track under the input tab. The output tab I left that set (Built-in Audio). I don't have Monitor Speakers plugged into the Fast Track RCA outputs so I'm going through my computer speakers.
I opened GarageBand. Plugged my Guitar into Fast Track. In New Track Selected (Real Instrument), selected (Guitars), selected (Modern Rock). Then In the Monitor: tab selected (On). Then click on (Create). I was playing away in less then ten minutes
from the time I open the package.
I unplugged my guitar and plug in an old Yamaha keyboard that's from the 80's.
No MIDI. Just a 1/4" jack. Works great.
I then installed GT Player. this thing is a MONSTER!!! At first there was a little delay.
In GT Preferences, Under Audio I lowered the Buffer Size. My guitar sounds great.
I uses a Digitech GSP 2101 Studio Tube Preamp/Processor when play live or in the studio. It's a lot of equipment to set up all the time. With the GT Player on my computer, I now have a lot of great sounds to play with. I might buy GT Player 2.5.(223 of 293 people found this review useful)
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
Read BEFORE you write...
Written by MV from Naples
1-Jan-2007
Some info-its NOT a preamp its simply a unit to give you guitar and microphone inuputs into your computer. It also gives you RCA o…Read moreuts for monitors. Thats awesome considering Im using an ibook. Ofcourse the knobs on the front dont do anything! - Their not for use when recording guitar. And your not gonna get stero sound simply by pushing the button - if your using an unbalanced input such as guitar. The knobs do as follows from right to left-- output (headphone volume) , Mix Volume (main volume IF you use monitors through the rca outs), Input volume (only for microphone). If its too quite when recording guitar just go buy a cheap tube preamp and your set! It also comes with Ableton Live--big plus in my book
(193 of 263 people found this review useful)
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M-Audio FastTrack Recording Interface
Great Product, But Difficult To Get Started
Written by CF from Austin
23-Oct-2005
I bought my M-Audio FastTrack USB a few days ago. I tried to plug it in after installing GT Player Express and didn't get any soun…Read mored. I read the instructions which don't help at all. I finally quit GT Player which is terrible and used GarageBand which is absolutely amazing. When recording straight from a guitar with GarageBand, first plug in the FastTrack and then under System Preferences, click Sound, select Input tab, click FastTrack USB, and set Input volume to full volume. Then, on the FastTrack unit itself, put output to full volume and mix and mic all the way down and set the switch to Guitar. On your guitar or bass set the volume and tone all the way up. In the GarageBand Preferences, Select Input as FastTrack and then create a new track. Select Real Instrument and put a check next to Monitor so you can hear yourself through the computer speakers. Otherwise plug some headphones into the FastTrack and switch Input to Mono. A few of the digital pre-amp effects in GarageBand don't really work such as the Bitcruncher. Without GarageBand this thing would be dead in the water.
(186 of 249 people found this review useful)
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