Review: M-Audio M-Track Eight

The M-Audio M-Track Eight is a quick and easy way to get eight channels of audio both in and out of your DAW. Its simplicity in design will either make you smile or cringe, depending on what you're looking for. I spent some time with it and here's what I found…

The Build

M-track eight front—The M-Track Eight uses hardware controls for most functions and the knobs are fairly large.

The M-Track Eight feels like a solidly built device. The knobs felt a little wonky at times, but they were large and in particular the monitor output knob is huge and easy to grab in a hurry. The metal chassis is sleek and all of the connections were firm and clean. The monitoring source selector switches were a little difficult to engage due to their close proximity to the headphone jacks themselves, but you'll likely be 'setting and forgetting' those switches anyway so it's not such a big deal.

Up and Running

If M-Audio is known for anything, it's that usually their devices do not require drivers or software to get you up and running and the M-Track Eight is no exception. I plugged it in, hooked up the USB cable and my system immediately recognized it and used it for the main output as well as an audio device in Logic. If you're just stepping into the world of recording, you can't get a simpler device than the M-Track Eight. You can literally be recording within minutes of opening the box.

Ins and Outs

M-track Eight rear—The inputs are all XLR-1/4” combo jacks for convenience.

All of the inputs on the M-Track Eight are XLR-1/4” combo inputs, which is great for maximum flexibility. The first two inputs can be switched to instrument level and there is a hardware gain knob for each input located on the front of the unit. There are 2 headphone outputs that can mirror outputs 1–2 or 3–4, so it's somewhat up to you to configure what's going there inside of your own DAW. The device itself does not do any selective routing/mixing to the headphone buses.

You can monitor your inputs directly by using the direct/monitor mix knob, but you don't have any control over the mix itself. You just get a 'sum' of the odd channels in your left ear and the even channels in your right ear. You can make this sum mono with a button, but you can't adjust the volume of each individual input without modifying the input stage of the signal itself. 

The Octane preamps are fairly clean and have adequate headroom for a device in this price class. They don't particularly color your sound much, and what you get out of the M-Track is always going to be fairly close to what you put in, signal-wise.

Software Package

The M-Track Eight includes a free copy of Cubase LE—further helping the claim that you can truly be 'up and running' within minutes of opening the box. M-Audio has also partnered with Waves Audio to include some really nice plug-ins with the M-Track Eight. These include AudioTrack, Kramer Effects Channel, TrueVerb, L1 Ultramaximizer, and the Manny Marroquin Delay. I did not download them for this review as I already owned most of them and can vouch for their quality. They're good plug-ins and a welcome addition to any audio package.

Conclusion

Overall, I was impressed by the M-Track Eight. With any audio interface in the price class the M-Track currently occupies, there are going to be some compromises when compared with truly boutique (and more expensive) interfaces. The pros definitely outweigh the cons here and the M-Track Eight is a solid choice for someone looking to get started in the world of studio recording.