<<I'=80=99ve also thought about a setup with an interface + laptop,=80=93 =
mostly for the small issues regarding the DR-680 and the R-44=80=93, but =
the noisy pres on the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra were not compelling.>>
No personal experience but I've not heard anything favorable regarding
any of the M-Audio interfaces. They have a poor reputation in pro
circles.
<<Then I heard here about the Motu Traveler-mk3, took a look at it and
was impressed with the quality of the preamps, allegedly great, at
least for the reviewers.>>
Although I haven't done nature recording with the Traveler, I have
recorded a fair share of music projects on location with it, from
orchestras to string quartets to solo harpsichord, all for CD release.
If budget were no issue the Traveler wouldn't be my first choice, but
in its price range I've been quite favorably impressed with the
transparency & available gain of its mic preamps. That, in addition to
its full feature set (word clock i/o, AES i/o, SPDIF i/o, 2 x ADAT i/
o, additional 4 line inputs, multiple powering options & the built in
DSP,) & seamless integration with my DAW of choice (Digital
Performer) have made it an easy choice. For film/video application
(provided you're working from a cart rather than a shoulder-slung bag
on the run,) you could run this with Boom Recorder & have full access
to all the file metadata needed by post editors. The Traveler is also
the only portable unit I own whose headphone output can actually get
louder than I need it to be.
Scott Fraser
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