Customer Reviews

Alesis IO 26

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am an avid amateur recordist and musician. When I decided to upgrade from my Garageband/USB microphone setup, I wanted an audio interface around which I could build the rest of my studio. I spent a lot of time reading reviews and discussions of the IO|26 before I bought it, and in the end I decided it was the best value for my money. Here are the main things that attracted me to it:

1. 8 simultaneous inputs. This is handy when recording bands.
2. High-quality mic preamps on all the channels.
3. No-latency monitoring (there is a software app that controls in-the-box monitoring)
4. Portability.

Notes and issues:
- There are apparently some problems with the drivers/software support when using the IO|26 with older computers. Personally, I've never run into any serious software malfunction that could be attributed to the Alesis. But if your computer has nonconformist leanings (like you run Linux or something), it'd be a good idea to take a gander at some online support & discussion forums before you buy. Alesis updates their drivers fairly regularly for Mac OSX and Windows; I use a 2.4 Ghz MacBook with 4Gb of memory and OS 10.5.8, and everything works fine. Also, it helps to read the manual etc.

- Other reviewers have pointed to quality control issues, wires being disconnected, unreliability, etc. Although my unit appeared to work flawlessly for the first 6 months, unfortunately it looks like one of the metering LEDs (track 5) has died. Stuff happens, as the saying goes, but the thought of going through the hassle of a warranty claim/repair makes me grumpy. I have a hunch that Alesis cuts corners in manufacturing/quality control in order to keep prices down. This doesn't make it right, however.

- Cubase LE4 has its charms as a DAW, but at heart it's a glorified demo for Steinberg's more expensive audio software. LE4 has no Rewire connectivity (if you know what this is you will be annoyed), seriously limited VST functionality, basically no technical customer support from Steinberg, and only allows 8 inputs to be recorded simultaneously. All my griping aside, the software is free, it sounds decent, and it's surprisingly easy to use.

- My personal beef about the IO|26 is with the two knobs on the face of the unit that spin forever without stopping (unlike the channel gain knobs, which have a minimum/maximum). It's impossible to tell whether you're turned all the way up or all the way down! Although in practice this never causes problems, since I like to play it safe and zero everything out when I turn my gear on or off, this bothers me.

Conclusion.
Recently I had the chance to use the Alesis IO|26 on a full-band project, and it worked flawlessly. There were no hiccups or dropouts in the sound, and it was as easy as plugging things in and checking the levels. For now, this is exactly what I need for my recording, busted meter LED notwithstanding.

Update, December 2009: The ol' Alesis saw some heavy use over the summer and fall, including its first proper album (Letterist: Under Volcanoes - to be released before the end of the year). I lugged it all over New York to practice spaces, people's houses, piano rooms, etc. and it performed admirably. I probably sweated all over it during the summer but it's still running great - if it keeps it up I may have to bestow that fifth star!

Update, October 2010: I've been continuing to use the unit on recording projects in my hometown of St. Louis and it's still working fine. Over time I have started to get more annoyed with the infinitely-rotating knobs, and whenever I want to run audio out (like to reamp something) I have to spend 20 minutes messing with the outputs, making sure the audio software is happy, etc. However, I have been able to produce a solid new record using this interface, and while my recording habits aren't as nomadic as they use to be, I still work out of several different studios/locations so I appreciate the portability and relative ease of setup. The insert jacks are a particular lifesaver, allowing even more options for using effects while tracking. While the limited inputs (eight practical live inputs is definitely a constraint) and possibly-not-perfect analog-digital conversion might eventually force me to upgrade, for now the Alesis IO|26 does the trick.

OK, I'm not going to say that this is all true for every interface out there, but when I received my IO, and tried to use it:

Firstly, I had major difficulties with the drivers on both PC, and Mac. The manual doesnt go into much detail about any installation problems, mainly covering stuff that common sense would tell you. Not very helpful if this is your first interface.

The software it comes bundled with (Cubase Le) will only allow you to record 8 tracks simultaneously, even though it can take 24 inputs. Not so bad if you already have your own software, but its something to think about if you are looking at it as a problem solver.

And finally, after about four hours of trying to get the thing to work, the interface seemed to pack up, and only half of its inputs will work. Emailed Alesis about it, and got a reply, but no message boards to help, just a FAQ.

Checked out message boards, and whilst other people didnt seem to be having the same problems as myself, there were a lot of people for whom the communication with Alesis was an issue. Basically, I spent $400 on a paperweight. Shame really. It looked like such a good idea.

*** Update - Took it apart myself, as am an electrical engineer, and found a cable was loose inside (No genius work taken to troubleshoot that one) Reconnected it, and hey presto! All inputs now work, and it even connects to my ADAT. Drivers now work on my pc, but still problems with the mac setup. Would now give the box 5 stars, but the other issues still detract from the buy overall

We have been using the Alesis iO|26 with an iMac 24" 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with outstanding results. The system can record multi track with no distortion. As of this writing, the OSX 10.5 driver is still in beta testing but the unit works supurbly with OSX 10.4.11.

We are recording with LOGIC STUDIO (Logic Pro 8).

Before I bought this, I read the previous review in which the user had to open up the unit and reconnect a disconnected cable. I figured that was just a random occurrence. Well, amazingly enough, I had to do the same thing. In my case, it was the headphone outputs that weren't working. After driving myself crazy trying to get some sound in my headphones, I remembered reading the other review and figured it was worth a try. I had to unscrew about 20 little screws and then when I opened it up, there it was - a disconnected cable. I think Alesis really needs to get their act together on this. I'm giving the product 3 stars because I like the features and it's priced well, but these quality issues are really unacceptable. I think it will probably work out OK for me, but be aware of what you may be getting yourself into.

i've had the io 26 for a year now, and it still glitches often on me. when it works right, it sounds good, but the drivers are very sketchy. alesis support is terrible, and i think they stopped making new drivers for the unit. i will get glitches and skips when using the unit with fl studio, and i can't use any reasonable buffer settings. i have a powerful computer (core2duo, 4 gb ram, dedicated video card) but it doesn't seem to matter.

Pros: Neutral, clean, quiet, great-sounding preamps and conversion, ADAT lightpipe I/O! Functional design. Great sound. Low latency. Excellent sound quality, smoothness, depth, imaging and detail! Looks way cool. Portable.

Cons: Firewire glitches if used with the wrong 1394a/Firewire interface

I bought the IO26 when it first came out. Mine does not seem to suffer from the quality control issues some other reviewers have mentioned. However, not all 1394a cards are created equal. I have multiple 1394a PCI cards with various chipsets, as well as an ExpressCard 1394a card for my laptop. I have several PC's, and have used the IO26 with other folks' PC's too. The IO26 has a hard time with some 1394a cards and either fails to be recognized or disconnects. With some cards the computer needs to be restarted if you hot plug/unplug. Some cards work in some computers (with the IO26) but not others. For example, on one desktop I own, if I install a particular PCI card with an NEC chipset, not only will the IO26 not work, but other Firewire cards in the same motherboard will not work with the IO26 until I pull the card with the NEC chipset. Oddly, I can put that same NEC chipset card into another computer I have and it works flawlessly with the IO26. This is actually pretty typical of 1394a chipset based audio interfaces, rather than being Alesis' fault or necessarily a product defect. Be prepared for some struggling, swapping and research until you find the right PCI Firewire card. Once you get the Firewire issues cleared up though, this is a great product! Like similar products from Presonus, I suspect the IO26 has gotten a bad rap for issues that are related to Firewire/1394a, rather than the unit itself. If you hunt around for reviews on the internet, you'll notice that those who have bought one and got it working right LOVE it. Just make sure you really understand Firewire and try different chipsets: Firewire is great for audio, but it is not USB. It is not as easy and idiot-proof as USB; you have to be prepared to deal with chipset compatibility issues.

I use this with Logic; it works extremely well. Alesis has discountinued this model and there is a lot of gripe about their driver but, no problem here. I switched from a tc electronic(2 input) interface. While the alesis pre-amp and overall quality is not on the same level as TC elctronics it is still very good. It's really great that the phantom power is divided in to sets of two and not four. If you find one that works, get it. Good luck

Not too long after getting this, we started noticing it dropping out on a regular basis. It was intermittent and would only happen now and again and we figured it might be a clip overload or a FireWire driver issue.

Nope. It got worse and worse until it wouldn't stay powered up for even 10 seconds without just going ape on us. We eventually sent it to a "Authorized Alesis Repair Center" (note the quotes) to fix it.

They took 3 MONTHS to fix it and get it back to us. They replaced the motherboard and just hot-glued the ribbon cables back on sloppily and guess what? NONE of the 8 top ports work now. They charged $140 to repair it + shipping and sent back our io26 not fully functional. What did we pay for? (You see why the quotes now.) You would think someone would plug SOMETHING into it to see if it's working after putting it back together.

The good news is the back ports work now and we can use it through a patch as a router, but we lose the 8 top ports (the main ones you see in the picture with the combo-plugs and nifty knobs?).

I'm going to buy another unit, but it will not be Alesis. I can tell you that. I'm giving it one and star because when it DOES work, it sounds good, but it's poorly put together, the unit is defective, and in addition to the $450 we bought it for, $140 for repairs. Spend your ~$600 elsewhere PLEASE.

What good is a high-speed audio interface if it won't work with current software? To me, very litle.
It works OK with my Dell XPS laptop for field recording on the road, but is usless in the studio. So I get about 10% value out of the hardware.

I deleted my initial review. Back in Oct 07, when I bought it, the current drivers were not working with my Macbook Pro laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo processor. There were many glitches and I had to put older Alesis drivers on to get the unit to get levels. So, I gave the IO/26 1 star.

As an other reviewer pointed out, you only can record 4 tracks simultaneously with the software provided. I don't know if Steinburg still has the deal, but they were giving 50% off on Cubase and Cubase Studio 4 if you bought this. Now I consider this unit excellent for the $. I still have to take a star away for all the initial frustration I went through. I have recorded 4 tracks simultaneous 24 bit 88.2 with no drop outs or problems.

Do not use the bus to power it and you will have less problems.