I got this a year or two ago because I wanted to get a small portable interface that I can take with me when I travel and I don't want to lug around a giant rack with my studio gear. This little interface is packed full of features even though it's tiny. There are 8 audio inputs, a headphone and main out, built-in FX, and good sounding preamps and A/D conversion. I use this pretty much exclusively with my Toshiba Satellite laptop which has Windows XP. The audio inputs and outputs are all standard 1/4" cables. It will connect to your computer with a firewire cable.

This installed with no problems. I installed the driver from the disc, then updated it with the drivers on the MOTU website. After that it was pretty much ready to go after I plugged it in. There is a software interface page on which you can set a few options, and after that I was ready to record. I haven't experienced any compatibility issues with my computer or with the Nuendo software I run on it. The manual is very good. If you have any questions it's very likely you'll find the answer in there. There are also some subtle features on this interface that the manual explains, so it's worth your time to read through the whole thing.

The drivers work very well, I have never had a problems with them. I believe they were last updated about a year ago, but I haven't seen any reason to update them since then since they work fine. I most often use this interface with Nuendo. The latency is just about 0, and you can also monitor while recording straight through the interface which is 0 latency monitoring. You can record 8 tracks at a time with the 8 1/4" inputs.

I got this headphone amp a couple years ago. I just wanted something simple to pump up the headphone levels I could get. My drummer was having a hard time hearing his headphone mix above his drums, and my sound card just didn't provide enough power to get it above the drums. So I picked this thing up, and to that end, it works great. It's not without its problems though. It definitely changes the sound of whatever you put through it, and not in a good way. Everything sounds kind of tinny and somehow fake on the other side of this amp. I am pretty sure they use low quality power amps that are very noisy. The signal you get on the other side has a much higher noise floor than what goes into it. Apart from this, it is conveniently sized at 1 rack unit, and has individual volume and mute controls for each of the 4 headphone channels it gives you. Though the signal is kind of dirty, you can get it very loud. In my case, that's really all I was looking for, so I let the signal degradation slide. The amp also gets very hot, so you'll want to give it an open space on either side in your rack for it be able to cool off without damaging other nearby racked equipment. It has worked very reliably, and none of the parts have worn out on me since I've had it. This is probably one of the cheapest 4 channel headphone amps you can buy, and if you are not really concerned with pristine audio quality for your monitoring and you just want loud headphones, it's a good value and will work well for you. If you want everything in your signal chain crystal clear at all times, this isn't the product for you. I would get it again, it works fine for me.

I've had 2 of these patch bays for a few years now, and at this point I have mixed feelings about them. First of all, they are pretty much the cheapest you are going to find for patch bays. They are selling new for $50 - you definitely can't beat that for a patch bay of this size. They are by Behringer, which unfortunately has a reputation for noisy, low quality equipment. However, in my experience, their products are usually just ruined by lousy power amps. The power amps they use in other products cause a lot of noise and distortion in your program material. Of course, this doesn't have any power amps, so you might be surprised to find that this Behringer piece is actually pretty quiet. So on the technical side, that's a plus, and it performs just like you'd hope it would. Then there is the issue of craftsmanship. After switching it between racks a couple of times, the faceplate on the patch bay came loose and eventually fell off. I ended up having to super glue it in place! In addition to that, at this point after a few solid years of use I am now experiencing connectivity issues with a select few of the jacks. This raises another question of low quality craftsmanship. Thankfully I don't have that many devices running through this, so I'm able to spare a few bogus jacks, but this would be a lot more annoying if I were using this patch bay to capacity. In summary, this piece is only $50, so even if the face plate falls off and after a while you get a dead jack, it is honestly still worth the money because the jacks that do work are working very well and are quiet. I'm also assuming that I've just been unlucky with mine falling apart a bit. That said, it's a good value. Considering others cost easily 2-3 times as much as this one, I'd get it again.

This is a Compression pedal only. They say compression/sustainer, but sustain is a standard option on a compression pedal. I believe this is all analog. There are no visible digital parts at least. This is not editable through a computer. Its is 1/4" audio only, and no it is not rackable in the traditional sense (as in you would have to mount on a drawer, then rack that).

The general setup on most stomp boxes is pretty simple, and this one is no different. The idea is finding a balance between the sustain and the attack. I would start my setting the attack first, and then playing with the sustain until it sounds just right. My only problem was I never found that tone I was looking for.
Its very easy to edit the boss pedals because all of the options are labeled and adjustable by a dial. That is the beauty of these pedals, they are exceptionally easy to use and therefore great for beginners.
I never consulted a manual because I got mine used and never got one. But again, most boss pedals are really easy to figure out.

Is this a good compression pedal, NO! Pair this one up with just about any other compressor out there and you will hear what I am talking about. Its not very transparent. Every time I clicked it on I noticed a reduction in the good tone coming out of my Parker Nitefly. If you want more sustain, wave good bye to even more tone, it starts to sound really cheap the more you add. I run my Parker through my effects and into a Fender Twin, and when this pedal is not in my effects chain, things sound way better. I can't say I liked this pedal with any of my instruments.

This is the cymbal that is made for metal, rock, or anything that needs a lot of drive. These cymbals cut through the mix with a very bright, focused attack. I have two Z Customs in my set, along with a K Custom, and 3 A Customs, and these blend very well. I have been using them for about two years. The thickness of the cymbal allows for amazing durability and crisp, roaring sound. Thanks to thickness, you can also use this cymbal as a ride. The only issue of this is the lack of bell, it really doesn’t have too much of one. It is similar to the concept of the A Custom flat top rides, only a crash. I personally prefer the 16” Z Custom medium crash clean, to keep it bright, but over time the cymbal develops really dark tonal qualities, and the sound gets slightly quieter. The cymbal is really good for practicing musicians who want a cymbal that will last forever, and these are the best cymbals made for that reason. I find that the overtones are lighter than one would think from such a thick cymbal. The cymbal has a bright, short sustain. I love the sound of the cymbal when you choke it. It is like a tamed explosion, which is really good for intros. The looks of this cymbal are also really cool. The hammering and lathing makes them stand out in a set. The only cons with this cymbal is that it may not be suitable for jazz or small clubs, as the volume may overshadow everything else. Another con is that the cymbal may overshadow the guitars or drums if the guitars have small amps or if the drums are not of very high quality. Another little complaint with these cymbals is that the attack of the cymbal is very bright and loud, doesn’t hold too much shimmer, like the A Customs. So if you are looking for something like the A Customs, this is not the way to go. But I would say these are a really good buy.

With the right "rack ears," then yes. But they are sold separately.
So here is the break down

Inputs=4 XLR with Gain, 4 Stereo 1/4", and 1 Stereo RCA
Main Outputs= 2 XLR (stereo), Stereo 1/4", and 1 Stereo RCA
Aux Output= Stereo 1/4"
Control Output= Stereo 1/4"
Sends/Returns= 2 Stereo 1/4" labeled Aux 1 and Aux 2 that apply to all channels (each is set up as a single 1/4" stereo Send to a regular (left/right) Stereo Return).
4 Stereo that apply individually to each of the XLR inputs ( each one is a single 1/4" stereo)
Headphone Output= 1

As for EQ you get 1 for the Highs, 1 for Mids, and 1 for Lows. You also get a Low Cut option on each XLR.
There are no effects on this board.

The setup on this mixer is a little confusing. You have a decent amount of options but you really have to read the manual to get the gist of things. The things I had trouble with were the Control ouput options and the Send Returns. The Control output I eventually figured, by reading the manual of course, but the Send Return issue has never been solved. Its seems that the Aux 1 and Aux 2 operate differently. Where 1 operates as its own volume control and 2 requires the Main fader and the Aux 2 fader used together (very weird). I personally find this to very frustrating because the Aux two is always blended with the clean signal, so you cannot isolate the effect signal. I have read the crap out of the manual, and still find no mention of this strangeness.
As for accessibility, everything is either fader or push button on the face and two switches on the back (power, phantom power). Everything is labeled well too, even some with info (i.e. proper input level).
The manual is clear, concise and even a little silly. They have a sense of humor and they try to be funny here and there. My only complaint about the manual is the lack of info on the situation with the Aux 2.

Well, I notice when I plug my keyboards directly to the amps instead of using the mixer, I think they sound better. Much warmer and louder. I have come to realize that I need a better mixer. I guess it has pretty decent preamps, can be noisy when you have weak signals, but usually fairly quiet. The EQ is really just cut or boost. I try to EQ my Fender Rhodes and the Mids are really just a volume control. Lets face it, good EQ comes from Units specified to do just that.

This cymbal is a great addition to any drummers arsenal. The cymbal does not have to be beat on to explode with an array of colors and sounds. The cymbal has a large amount of wash, yet still holds on to an amazingly bright attack. The Brilliant finish is something to behold. It has thin lathing, giving it bright attack and tone. The cymbal is medium thin, which gives it enough ping to use as a ride, and has enough resonance and volume to cut through clean or distorted guitars. The bell is decently large; at least big enough to use when using the cymbal as a ride. The role on the cymbal sounds epic, to say the least. I use it as a cymbal in metal, jazz, and rock. This cymbal is one of the few that can take whatever you throw at it, except a 4 ton truck. The versatility alone makes it a great asset. I paid around $210 for my crash brand new, and I have no regrets on the purchase. The only complaints I have with this cymbal is that for some people, the wash may be a little too much. The bright attack also is not as great for metal, because the tonal quality does not mix excessively well. The main issue that I have is that if you hit outrageously hard, I think that this cymbal will not last you all that long. It is durable, but like I said, it can not withstand a truck. The resonance also may be a little too much, as I find that if I hit it at the end of a song, I am having to grab it to silence the ringing, but that is nothing some tape can't fix. I personally like the resonance, but it is a matter of opinion. The main strength of the cymbal, in my opinion, is when you hit it in long strings, rather than short bursts.

Revalver installed with no problems, it was a cinch to get it running. I didn't have any compatibility issues on my system. You do have to validate it with a key and response question, but this isn't complicated and takes less than 5 minutes. There are some configuration options you can take advantage of after you have it installed to get it to work the way you want it to, but all of that is explained in the manual. The manual is very in-depth without getting too technical, so it answered any questions I had quickly.

I am running a PC setup with Windows XP. For hardware I have a dual core processor and 4GB of RAM. For host software I use Nuendo, so I am using the VST version of this software. Revalver works perfectly fine in this setup. It does use a little bit of CPU, so if you want to have 20 guitar tracks all running through its own instance of Revalver you may want to rethink that approach. You do get your CPU's worth in sound quality though. The plug-in is very stable - I can't remember it crashing or causing any problems so far since I've had it.