Arturia is a French company that has become popular for the wide range of products offered in the field of synthesizers (real and virtual). The ever-evolving catalog aims to meet the needs of those who use products in step with the times without giving up the combination of analog sound and the latest technologies. The French house offers different models of midi controllers, drumpads, master keyboards and Hardware Synths. A new stage in the growth process of Arturia is the introduction of the audio interface called: "AudioFuse", presented at NAMM SHOW 2015.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION
The sound card is aesthetically pleasing, pleasant to the touch thanks to the high-quality materials, and easy to use thanks to the conveniently located controls. The package includes the standard kit consisting of a power supply, micro-USB cable, MIDI adapters, and manual.
In detail the technical characteristics:
1) The front panel
• MIDI in / out
• Word Clock & S / PDIF in / out
• ADAT in / out
• USB hubs
• USB connection
• Phono / line inputs 3 & 4
• Speaker outputs A&B
2) The top panel
• Input control sections 1 & 2
• Output control section
Direct monitoring
• Phones control sections 1 & 2
• Talkbacks
3) 1) The rear panel
• Input channels 1 & 2
• Phones output channels 1 & 2
THE TEST
The section of preamp it's composed by 2 Discrete Pro microphone inputs with a gain range from 3 a 72db.
The section LINE has a maximum input level of + 24dbu, while that instruments, di + 18dbu
The section of output instead it has a dynamic range of 119db (A weighing) and one THD di -95db (A weighing)
The interface supports sampling fractions from 44.100 a 192.000hz
Here is a diagram of the latency values in milliseconds that I got from Logic Pro X 10.3.2 on iMac i7 27 ”with OSX 10.12
Note in brackets is the value of RoundTrip
Based on the performances linked to these values, we can say that the quality / price ratio is confirmed without having great claims from first class.
The interface responds well, even under stress, using all the USB ports of the Hub and simultaneously recording from the inputs and switching from direct monitoring to that of the DAW. It must be said that theAudiofuse it has not shown any sign of abating, demonstrating that the design and construction work is of considerable quality; the only problems encountered were with the key connection USB o HD external not detected immediately. The card itself could work even without an external power supply, feeding itself from the USB port of the PC, but having to give up many accessory functions, including for example the functionality of the USB Hub. The control software communicates very well with the various DAWs we have used: by changing the sample rate to Logic o Pro Tools, the card automatically sets itself to the new operating mode. It may seem obvious, but it's not always the case.
As for the audio, we tested the card through various sources.
We started with the recording of one acoustic guitar performing the test is by connecting a simple Jack to the input instrument of the card, both picking up the signal through a Neumann U89 and entering the microphone entrance. As a yardstick we used the converters of one UAD Apollo Twin Thunderbolts.
The sound taken from the line input appears to be slightly muffled and there is a lack of crystalline definition.
As for the microphone recording, i Pre they behave adequately on the same sound source. They give a fairly dark color to the shots, with a slightly colored signal in the medium / high range. I found this type of result interesting for acoustic guitar shooting and for recording uninteresting voices, without any character and above all for a quick use of the recording without having to fiddle too much on theEQ.
Even if the card is of 2 channels and was certainly not born for a drum recording, I wanted to try this instrument too as I didn't have a choir available for a vocal recording.
The recovery took place with a simple technique ORTF with two microphones SE8, placed about 20 cm from the bass drum and two meters high. The comparison always took place with the UAD.
First of all, I had to work a little to adjust the gain of both interfaces, because they both turn out to be pretty good boost starting (the knob of the gain of the Arcturia was almost at 0, unfortunately there is no numerical scale I can not give you a precise value). The result, however, left me quite surprised and therefore beyond the audio example, I also invite you to look at the next two images. As you can see in the Arrange image (Fig.1) of Logic Pro X there are two stereo tracks. That ofArthur and that of the UAD.
The first thing that catches the eye is the waveform. That of the UAD is very dynamic, as is normal in a drum shot from the Overhaead alone. On the contrary, the one of the Arcturia is very little dynamic between kick and snare drum hits, as if a compressor \ limiter had been applied in recording that has gone to balance everything. We can hear this well by listening to the kick. In the recording made with the Artturia it is very present, even too much to be an environmental shot, in the one made with the UAD instead everything is more "normal". In the second image it is possible to see how the meter of the Arcturia has no peaks, but that it is almost limited. We know very well that many pro cards for some time now have a soft limiter. The first to introduce it was Apogee, has now adopted this solution too Focusrite with its Reds, but none of these even when you reach a notable clipping, cuts in this way and above all does not manage to “compress” the whole signal so much. Our audio chain was double checked several times. From the pair of microphones, to the (passive) splitter, to the control panel of the card in case there was any option activated. We have tried them all.
From an acoustic point of view we are not talking about a sonic disaster, on the contrary, paradoxically listening to the drum track of Arcturia, it almost seems that there are two microphones next to the kick drum and the snare drum, which gives us a more "finished" result than that UAD. From another point of view, the fact remains that something is probably added to the audio path that we are not aware of and therefore can leave us confused. Unfortunately, however, in order for you to listen to audio samples with a fairly equivalent volume, I had to drop the track of the Arcturia, as pushing the UAD track more you immediately reached clipping. Among the audio examples you will find two versions of the same track from the Audiofuse. One with a volume similar to UAD, so as to compare the sound, one with the original volume.
CONTEXT OF USE
Wanting to contextualize the card in the work environment for which it was designed, thus avoiding the simple comparison with cards intended exclusively for top quality digital conversion (see Apogee and / or UAD itself) we can say that the Audiofuse stands out for a series of features that make it truly unique. The design is the first point in favor of the card, as it allows it to be conveniently placed on the classic desk of a project studio without penalizing portability for use on the road. Immediate access to the big volume knob and those of the gain and headphone volumes coupled with the provision of connections and routing capabilities, make it practical also as a control room management (double monitor output, talk back) and as a production board for dj (phono inputs to sample directly from vinyl or for DJ sets with cymbals). The connection is also particularly interesting adat, which with a minimum cost allows you to add 8 analog inputs in order to make it possible to record a small acoustic ensemble. Still in the context of the recovery, the two insert channels are also a plus not to be underestimated, especially for those used to working with a quality compressor before conversion.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
AudioFuse is an innovative product, full of features typical of the Arturia world. For those who do not have professional needs, it is a good mid-range product for producing music without spending large sums. At the same time it goes without saying that there is no competition with other established brands in this range of products. However, the French company begins a path that will allow it to develop new products able to satisfy even the most demanding producer.
Lots of features, first of all one reamp boxes integrated very functional that allows you to save a considerable amount for when you want to make a reamping.
The remote control by the suite downloadable from the site is very useful, which allows total control of the machine and also the use of the reamp box, as well as a series of very useful tricks such as separate volumes for the two pairs of speakers using the knob for the “phone 2”, the card use mode, if automatic, or energy saving (if it was feeding via USB) or in Mixdown mode.
The double power supply that allows the use of the card in both USB and power supply mode; the differences are obviously in the response in terms of decibels and usage
of the USB host and this pleasantly interested me to be able to use it also “on the road” and not have to look around for a plug.
Finally, having two microphone inputs is a limitation; instead starting with two pre-amplified inputs would have allowed a higher final quality in the product as well as the lack of DSP.
In short (Italian only):
Pro
* Outstanding Form Factor
* Value for money
* Usb Host very useful
* Separate headphone outputs of different sizes
* Ready to use converters
Cons
* Only two microphone inputs
* No DSP
* Non-crystalline converters
Useful Information
Official website: Arthur
Italian distributor: Midiware
Price: € 600,00 (VAT excluded)
Test carried out at Play Music Studio
Guitarist: Stephen Turin
Drummer: John Fasano
Acoustic guitar: Taylor GS Mini
Battery: Yamaha PowerV Special
Audio Demo
GTR AudioFuse direct
https://soundcloud.com/ageofaudio/gtr-audiofuse-diretta
GTR Neumann U89 AudioFuse
https://soundcloud.com/ageofaudio/gtr-u89-audiofuse
GTR Neumann U89 UAD
https://soundcloud.com/ageofaudio/gtr-u89-uad
Drum Audio Fuse 0db
https://soundcloud.com/ageofaudio/drum-audiofuse-0db
Drum UAD 0db
https://soundcloud.com/ageofaudio/drum-uad-0db
