OK this too-whos had good-bad exp with Metric Halo

Fac06 · Post by **Fac06** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:11 pm

Ok this is making me nutz too..Ive heard from a few reliable sources that the Metric Halo stuff (hardware) is getting hard to get and they are charging FULL RETAIL for not only the hardware but also Spectrafoo...people should never have to spend full retail... Who is using the 2882 DSP and how does it work for you? Have you had any issues with it and if you are using a Mac Book Pro? If so what where the problems and how where you able to fix them? How was Metric Halo for customer support-help?? Is anyone using one in the Twin Cities area that wouldnt mind showing it-demoing to me?? I am VERY interested in this unit, the RME stuff and still kinda the Apogee Ensemble but cant get a demo of the Metric Halo stuff around Minneapolis MN...

Thanks

Fact06

playonbrother · Post by **playonbrother** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:59 pm

Fact06 wrote:Ok this is making me nutz too..Ive heard from a few reliable sources that the Metric Halo stuff (hardware) is getting hard to get and they are charging FULL RETAIL for not only the hardware but also Spectrafoo...people should never have to spend full retail... Who is using the 2882 DSP and how does it work for you? Have you had any issues with it and if you are using a Mac Book Pro? If so what where the problems and how where you able to fix them? How was Metric Halo for customer support-help?? Is anyone using one in the Twin Cities area that wouldnt mind showing it-demoing to me?? I am VERY interested in this unit, the RME stuff and still kinda the Apogee Ensemble but cant get a demo of the Metric Halo stuff around Minneapolis MN...

Thanks

Fact06

i've been using metric halo gear since they started. i have 3 2882 + DSP's. i've never had any issues with them and customer support there is great. i'm good friends with the owners and know everyone there so if you need an "introduction", i'd be more than happy to get you directly in touch with them. i've recorded many albums (studio & live) with my boxes and they work and sound amazing. feel free to hit me up with any questions, i'm around.

later,

al

touched1 · Post by **touched1** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:00 pm

I could not be much happier with my 2882 +DSP.
Sound is great and the routing capabilities are really helpful. Helps bridge the gaps where DAW's fail me. Doing mults of outputs whether analog or digital comes in really handy.

Optimal use with a MacBook Pro would mean adding a FW Express 3/4 card if you plan to use external FW drives. This thing can be a bit of a FW bandwidth hog.

I barely use the DSP portion of it, it's a little cryptic, but high quality. I'm told this will be improved in the next console version coming out soon (whenever that is).

They've been great on support. their forum is very active and the developers often respond personally to issues.

The cost of their products, I suspect is due to the high quality and low demand/market share. I don't know what you mean by "full retail". It's worth pointing out that even Apple computers have a miniscule 2-5% markup. So the price is pretty much locked down no matter where you go... I suspect the same is true of the MH stuff.

I could sell my 2882 +DSP today for just a little less than what I paid for it 4 years ago. If that's not saying something, I don't know what is.

The Garage · Post by **The Garage** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:17 pm

On a related note, I have a MOTU HD192, but I've always been intrigued by the Metric Halo boxes. I may end up getting a second HD192, which would give me 24 i/o. However, if I went the Metric Halo route, how stable are multiple MH units running in tandem?

Also, has anyone compared the HD192 to the 2882? I would think the MOTU's chips have a higher dynamic range, but a large part of a converter's sound comes from its analog stage and clock.

bannerj · Post by **bannerj** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:19 pm

The Garage wrote:However, if I went the Metric Halo route, how stable are multiple MH units running in tandem?

very stable...I've had no problem and its really helpful to have them all controled by the same software interface.

As far as the DSP being cryptic, yeah sure its cryptic compared to just inserting plugins in your DAW. It took me a year before I had the patience to understand the routing, but now I use the channel strip all the time. And now with driver 4 "console connect" you can insert those plugs from the DSP into most DAW platforms.

the routing options are very very flexible for monitor mixes and now for routing stems internally.

As far as service, yeah, I've had some bumbs here and there, but their support and the user forum/community is really active and both are helpful.

Here is the amazing thing about their philosophy as a company...the new 2D add on that will be released next goes right into your existing 2882 box for $400 upgrade. Its 5x the DSP power and functions on an 80bit format. It has its own recording software DAW and can be used as an all in one box. How many companies are still making additions to products over 10 years old? this says something about the company's loyalty.

Also, if you don't want to spend top dollar, I still see MH stuff in the Gearslutz classifieds pretty regularly.

daved · Post by **daved** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:10 pm

Heya,

Another VERY satisfied customer... we have various MH boxes in a couple rooms here, and at my old place, Ultrasuede, my 2882+DSP lives alongside another one, where they frequently work alone or in pairs.

The 2882 in particular has gotten a bad rap for it's analog section because a)the preamps don't have a ton of gain and b)the ULN2 kicks so much ass, compared to anything. But the pres have nothing to do with the a/d analog sections sound. I've found that with line in/out the 2882 is one of the better sounding analog sections you can buy in an 8 channel interface, easily in the same league as similarly priced Apogee interfaces, with much less color (which may not be a good thing if you really dig the apogee sound!). It measures and sounds as good as our PT HD3 192i/o's believe it or not (as a mastering engineer, I'm a measurement kinda guy). The ULNs, and the Sonic-badged 8 channel interfaces are a step up from that... both are jaw-droppers.

The 2882 pres sound very good with condensers and most dynamics, but lack the gain to make my RCA ribbons sing, which the ULNs have no problem with. At Ultrasuede, I prefer the MIOs to the MOTU interfaces hands down... there's really no contest (in fairness to MOTU, it's not a fair comparison - the MH stuff's in another class in price and performance).

As bannerj says, the 2D will really be a kick in the pants for the 2882, but it's worth mentioning that functionality has never been frozen on these boxes since introduction. MH has updated software and added many significant features, including lots of +DSP primitives, which let you do things you simply can't do outside of something like the SonicBirth effects design package. The whole line is very modular, and ever-improving, much like classic analog gear that people hack and tweak to new levels all the time.

My favorite thing about MIOs: "free" gain changes! The 80 bit mixing engine has ridiculous headroom, and precision. You can do a series of reciporical up/down gain changes in +DSP, at any arbitrary setting, and the output will null to silence vs the original source. Most well-design floating point summers can do this to a point (unlike TDM which can't), but this precision extends to all +DSP plugs. It's literally the fabled straight wire+gain dream.

-d-

tdbajus · Post by **tdbajus** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:19 pm

I love my 2882 as well.

The new console upgrade is fantastic, but be warned- there are a lot of deep functions buried in there that I have yet to master, even though I've had the box for about 4 years now. Getting the zero latency monitoring to finally work (the latency running through the software monitoring in Logic was not bad, but noticible, especially if you were recording drums) wound up being a bit tricky, but now using the built in mixer, i can send out as many customized headphone mixes as I have analog outs (including the built in cans output on the front).

I fooled around a bit with the recording software a bit, but not enough to comment on it other than the interface looks ugly as sin.

I have not had a problem with the pre-amps not having enough gain, though I haven't used any ribbon mikes, and I have found the preamps to be far more to my taste than the MOTU 828, Presonus FireWhatever, Digi888, Digi002.

Fac06 · Post by **Fac06** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:42 pm

tdbajus wrote:I love my 2882 as well.

The new console upgrade is fantastic, but be warned- there are a lot of deep functions buried in there that I have yet to master, even though I've had the box for about 4 years now. Getting the zero latency monitoring to finally work (the latency running through the software monitoring in Logic was not bad, but noticible, especially if you were recording drums) wound up being a bit tricky, but now using the built in mixer, i can send out as many customized headphone mixes as I have analog outs (including the built in cans output on the front).

I fooled around a bit with the recording software a bit, but not enough to comment on it other than the interface looks ugly as sin.

I have not had a problem with the pre-amps not having enough gain, though I haven't used any ribbon mikes, and I have found the preamps to be far more to my taste than the MOTU 828, Presonus FireWhatever, Digi888, Digi002.

Yeah this is all great but the sales guy wouldnt answer my questions other than a cut and paste sales brochure response and also told me to go on message boards to find someone in my area that would give me a demo...I tried to get on the Metric Halo message board-list and Windoze wont let me...it says the server is too poor of a security risk..so I email this sales guy *Jon* back to ask if he can help as I am still interested after the BS so far and what happens??? I get no email reply AGAIN!!!! I guess they must be able to pick and choose who they sell to??? Must be nice. This really tweaks my butt as I have never had this kind of BS from ANY other supplier-sales place. They sure have turned me off to wanting to send them a couple thousand bucks....Jeez all I wanted was some info and maybe five minutes to help me get a hook up with someone in my area that has a 2882 DSP that I could actually listen to....

Fac06

bannerj · Post by **bannerj** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:57 pm

You're experience sucks. Sorry. I wonder if it is just because MH is such a small company and that even their dealers don't know enough about them. Feel free to PM. I can give you my cell # and try to answer any questions. I'm a huge fan and have had my 2882 for about 5 years now. I'm not an expert on it but I do use the DSP and multiple routing regularly.

tdbajus · Post by **tdbajus** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:18 pm

Feel free to send me an email as well re: questions. The more I use it, the more I love it.

bannerj · Post by **bannerj** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:26 pm

I still love my MH 2882, but I'm sad to say that my 002 rack with the BLA tweak head mod kicks the 2882 in the buttocks in terms of sound. I still love the 2882 for its routing, monitoring and DSP though.

analogcabin · Post by **analogcabin** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:41 pm

bannerj wrote:I still love my MH 2882, but I'm sad to say that my 002 rack with the BLA tweak head mod kicks the 2882 in the buttocks in terms of sound. I still love the 2882 for its routing, monitoring and DSP though.

Now that's saying something bro.
Good input! Can you break down what you dig about your BLA tweaked 002 vs. the MH 2882?
I'm looking to pull the trigger on an Echo Audio Audiofire 12..... but I'm not stuck on it. Looking for input.

Thanks!

bannerj · Post by **bannerj** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:22 pm

I posted some thoughts about the BLA mod somewhere around here or on Gearslutz. Let me explain it this way: I inherited a studio at the school where I work now that is to short. It had some standing waves that made it impossible to hear low end. I also had some old tired Genelec 1031s too. First improvement was to tear all this 10+ year old auralex charcoal foam off the walls, and I installed 17 GIK acoustic bass traps. The next improvement was a new set of monitors, the Adam A7s with the ribbon tweeters. Things were starting to feel very different, but I was still using the MH 2882 D/A. The next major improvement was from the 2882 to the BLA tweak head, and it was the most impressive improvement. However, I doubt it would have been such a dramatic improvement if I hadn't made the jump to better speakers and a more stable room.

So, the greatest thing about the BLA mod is the articulate space of the stereo field. Everything is able to be more clear because it is able to find it's space in the stereo space. The 3D depth of field is also very striking. So, panning and EQing is more obvious and I can find the right balances both in volume and placement in the space of the mix much more easily without guessing.

The mod also made listening to music much more exciting. I've spent a lot of time going through old CDs (not itunes) not just to learn my new room and monitors, but to hear them again. And sometimes I'm surprised by what I haven't heard before.

I'm a more of a musician or song writer and a novice mixer at best, but I feel a lot more confidence in my learning curve. I'm also pretty excited to have just acquired a used tascam 2400 daw controller too so that I can get away from the track ball.

The 2882 is still the best overall unit for what you get for the money though...esp with this new 2D card and all the routing options. MH is a great company and is very dedicated to its customers. You can't go wrong with it.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:14 pm

My housemate has one. He swears by it. I have to admit its sounds better than my 828MKII by a mile. He says they have great customer support.

norton · Post by **norton** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:31 am

I'm getting one this week.... bought off the used market... you're more than welcome to check it out.

i'm a few blocks out of downtown.... on the West Side.

drop me a pm and we'll talk.

dig

MPLS West Siders Unite!
(there's really isn't much of a west side... )

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OK this too-whos had good-bad exp with Metric Halo

OK this too-whos had good-bad exp with Metric Halo

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