This interface arrived at ISP Música Magazine with its head held high. Given the strong reputation PreSonus products enjoy, as shown by the many nominations and awards they've received over the company's history, that's no surprise. The FirePod was once nominated for the TEC Awards, up against professional converters of the caliber of the Lynx Aurora 16, the Apogee Rosetta 200 and the Prism ADA-8XR, some of which cost up to four times as much.
The FirePod is a FireWire 400 interface offering ten simultaneous input and output channels (up to 24-bit/96 kHz), with eight mic preamps, S/PDIF and MIDI I/O, two insert points and 48 V phantom power, all in a small 19" rack unit.
In Detail
And it really is small: although the dimensions match the standard 19" rack unit (1U), the depth is just 14 cm (about 5.5"). The fact that the power supply is external, an AC/AC adapter supplied with the unit, probably contributes to this compact size.
With the characteristic combination of metallic aluminum and electric blue found on PreSonus products, the FirePod has a sturdy, lightweight chassis that makes the interface easy to transport, whether in or out of a rack.
On the front panel sit the eight Neutrik combo connectors (balanced XLR and TRS), designed to accept mic/instrument signals on the first two and mic/line on the remaining six.
Next in the signal chain come the preamps, which, with total harmonic distortion below 0.005% (THD) and equivalent input noise of -125 dB (EIN), deliver 54 dB of gain on the mic inputs, 40 dB on the instrument inputs, and a +/-20 dB adjustment on the line inputs.
In reality there's a small variation along this path, since each of the first two channels has an insert point that lets you tap the signal before it reaches the preamps. It's worth noting that these insert points are balanced, which is uncommon. Usually the insert is made through a single TRS connector, but here each channel has one TRS send and one TRS return.
Back to the preamps: each one is controlled by a knob (also on the front panel). These knobs are staggered diagonally, which leaves enough space between them to operate comfortably.
The knobs turn in a series of "steps," which is useful if you want to set two channels to exactly the same gain, for example to record with a stereo pair or the signal from a device with L and R outputs.
Although this may put off some users who prefer not to have gain selection limited to preset points, the increase from one position to the next is actually very small. Along the knob's travel there are enough points to set the preamp where you want it without abrupt jumps in gain.
The preamp section is rounded out by a red LED for each preamp, which indicates whether it has been overloaded. Here we miss some further indicator that would give clues about where the signal level stands, rather than a mere "you've gone too far," although few interfaces of this type include them.
As for 48 V phantom power, it can be switched on in groups of four, using two switches that light up to indicate that phantom is present.
More Controls
Although the latency values the drivers provide are quite low (down to 1.5 ms if the computer supports it), PreSonus has built a mix control into the FirePod.
Common on many interfaces, this control lets you vary the balance between the direct signal and the signal coming from the DAW on the CUE output, for zero-latency monitoring during recording. This control sits next to the LED that shows sync status, which is also where the knobs for the main output and headphone output levels are found.
So far, a simple and elegant front panel, though one that lacks the power switch, which is on the rear panel. That's a less accessible spot, especially if the unit is rack-mounted. One small, noteworthy detail is the labeling on the top panel, which indicates the type of connection and where it is on the back. This is really useful when making connections, since it spares you the usual contortions to find an input or output on the rear panel.
Moving on to the rear panel, the two pairs of balanced TRS jacks for the send/return of channels one and two sit at one end. Next to them are four more pairs, which provide the interface's eight independent analog outputs.
The first pair is the main stereo output, and it has an additional balanced TRS pair for connecting monitors, whose level can be controlled with the Main Level knob on the front panel. Next to this output is the monitoring (CUE) output, which has no knob to control its output level, so that has to be done from the DAW. The S/PDIF input and output ports (RCA connectors) provide the two inputs and outputs needed to reach the ten the interface offers, and the MIDI In/Out ports provide additional connectivity.
Finally, the usual pair of FireWire ports lets you connect the interface to the computer and daisy-chain other devices at the same time.
Linking Multiple Interfaces and Standalone Mode
In fact, this additional port lets you link up to three FirePods together, for a system with 24 simultaneous inputs and outputs (when more than one FirePod is used, the S/PDIF I/O functionality goes away, and those ports are used only for sync).
To do this you need to update the drivers to version 2.14.25, available on the manufacturer's website. This driver update also brings the unit's firmware up to date, which in turn adds an interesting feature.
One thing that can be held against this unit is that it works only as an interface. It has no ADAT ports, so the eight mic preamps are bound to work over the FireWire connection. This makes sense, since PreSonus already has other products with optical connectivity, and it seems sensible to have different products for different needs, even if it's an exception to the current trend of offering multiple solutions in a single box.
In any case, the firmware change mentioned above lets you use the unit in standalone mode, that is, without connecting the interface to any computer. In this mode the inputs are routed internally to their respective outputs, so the unit can be used as an eight-channel mic preamp.
Propack
PreSonus has indeed followed the trend of bundling a software package with the interface. In this case, the DAW is Cubase LE, and with it come VST plugins from Audio Damage (FuzzPlus 2 and Filterpod), Camel Audio (Camel Crusher), Voxengo (SPAN, Boogex, EssEQ and OldSkoolVerb, among others) and Cycling ’74 (Average Injector, Chamberverb and Feedback Network, among others). There's also a library of drum samples from Discrete Drums, and a collection of 100 MIDI loops from Twiddly Bits.
Tests and Conclusions
An unfortunate incident kept this unit from being tested as it deserves, which is why we haven't included a rating table: the preamps couldn't be evaluated in depth.
That said, we can report that they aimed high, with good dynamic range and a rich, clear sound. Personally, I liked the way the travel of the preamp knobs was implemented, since it provides the aforementioned ease of setting different channels to the same gain point without limiting the freedom of positions.
The interface is solidly built, with a lightweight chassis that's easy to carry and still provides the sturdiness needed for rack mounting. In that configuration it may be a bit of a nuisance that the power switch is on the back, as is having to carry the extra power adapter, but that depends a lot on how you organize your rack.
Given today's fierce competition, prices have to be kept very tight, and each manufacturer is often forced to offer some conveniences at the expense of others. In this case, some users may miss a pad and a polarity switch on each channel.
However, Neutrik connectors are always a mark of quality, and the interface has a good number of independent outputs, all of them balanced. This makes it possible to set up mixes in up to 7.1, or multiple headphone mixes for demanding musicians.
In addition, the firmware upgrade that allows standalone use is truly notable, and the ability to chain up to three FirePods offers good expansion possibilities for the future. In short, a well-built unit from a good family, whose feature set will probably please many users.
