Alesis Master Control ($1,099 list, $899 street)

It's an Audio Interface, Control Surface, and Control Room Monitor Controller - But Can It Really Deliver the Goods at this Price?

www.alesis.com

By Craig Anderton

The Master Control is a three-in-one product, with audio interface, Mackie Control/HUI-compatible control surface, and control room monitor section. As such, it aims to be a one-stop solution for smaller project studios. But if you do the math, you have to figure there are some compromises in there...let's find out.

As with other newsletter reviews, you can get specs and pricing on the web, so as usual, we'll talk more about installing and using the Master Control.

Getting Started

The Master Control is a cross-platform, sturdy, FireWire-based device. The package comes with a DVD-ROM containing drivers (although of course, you should always check online for updated versions), FireWire cable, AC adapter, and a selection of template strips (more on this later). I installed the Windows drivers in my PC Audio Labs desktop computer running Windows XP SP3, and everything went smoothly - largely in part to the clear and concise documentation. Within 10 minutes, I had opened Sonar to an existing project, instantiated the Master Control, and started watching the faders move in response to automation data already in the project. Painless? Indeed, and I have no reason to think Mac installation would be any more trouble. The only possible bump would be 64-bit Windows, as the drivers for that are in beta; as I generally don't review beta products, I didn't test the Master Control with Vista 64-bit.

Audio Interfacing

In case you're wondering how Alesis met their price point, it's because the interfacing is quite basic - but with a twist. There are eight inputs: two mic/line with XLR/phone Neutrik combo connectors (and +48V phantom power that can be applied to the two as a pair), and six 1/4" line ins. This is perfectly adequate for most project studios, but what if you need to run lots of mics, for recording something like a drum set? Well, there's a built-in "trap door," in the form of two ADAT optical inputs. This lets you add a unit like the MOTU 8pre, PreSonus DigiMax D8, or PreSonus DigiMax FS, all of which have eight mic pres that can go to an ADAT optical output. (Note that one of the ADAT optical ins can be assigned to S/PDIF optical in, and there's also a separate coaxial S/PDIF input). Bottom line: Alesis saved a bunch o' bucks by not including eight or 16 mic pres, but if you really need that capability, it's easy to add.

As to outputs, now we're getting into the control room monitor aspects. There are six 1/4" balanced output jacks that you can enable/disable individually as pairs (part of the control room monitoring aspects), or use for surround. There are also two 1/4" stereo headphone outs, each with their own front-panel level controls. While the monitoring section is not as comprehensive as something like the PreSonus Monitor Station (there's a review of it in the Articles Library), the Master Control includes all the essentials.

The Control Surface

Yes, I'm a fan of control surfaces, so that puts the Master Control at both an advantage and disadvantage when it comes to a review: An advantage because I'm already favorably disposed toward the concept, but a disadvantage because having used the best ones out there (like the Euphonix Artist Series and Cakewalk V-700C console), it has to hold its own - I'm not going to be impressed just because the faders move.

There are nine motorized, touch-sensitive faders - eight for individual channels and one for the master. These have a good feel; they don't wobble in their slots, and snap to attention when they get automation data. You can switch them to control up to 24 channels - typically in banks of eight (1-8, 9-16, 17-24), but you can also have banks of any eight channels, like channels 3-10. Interestingly, when they reset to full off, they don't smash against the bottom of their travel and produce a loud "clack" - they decelerate politely. Very cool, and totally unexpected given my experience with affordable control surfaces.

The channel strips also have buttons for Select, Record, Solo, and Mute, which of course, map to equivalent functions in the various supported programs - Cubase/Nuendo, Live, Sonar, Samplitude, Pro Tools, Reason, Logic Pro, Digital Performer, SoundTrack, two plug-ins of your choice, and the Alesis HD24 recorder. These are "supported" in the sense that the Master Control comes with presets that make setup a breeze (actually if you call up a preset, you don't really have to do any setup), but I also tried the Master Control with Sony Acid and it worked fine, because Acid recognizes the Mackie Control protocol.

In addition to the channel faders, there are eight assignable rotary encoders. These can have three separate assignments each, such as pan controls, send level controls, or in the case of the Sonar implementation, multiple controls for a single channel strip.

"Scribble strips" that show control assignments are also provided for the supported programs (along with a blank you can write on), and these snap into place into edge slots above the knobs. It's not necessarily as good as an LCD that shows assignments, but given how much that would add to the price, the scribble strips will do just fine, thank you.

There are also eight programmable buttons for tasks like automation write, punch, add marker, and the like. Like the channel strip buttons these have a positive feel, with a reassuring "click" that indicates you've entered your data. As with the channel strips, there's a place for a scribble strip above the switches.

Programming functions and selecting presets is done through the small, but adequate, backlit LCD. You basically go into Edit mode, touch a control or switch, go through the available assignable options (as exposed by the host to the Master Control), then push a knob to enter. Simple. Even better, there's a Preview button. Hold this down and touch a control; the display shows you the assignment, but without sending any data to your computer. This is very cool for when you've made some custom assignments and can't quite remember what you wanted the various controls to do.

Transport Controls

There's also a transport control section with the standard buttons (stop, play, rewind, etc.), as well as a jog/scrub wheel, and horizontal/vertical zoom buttons. This is also where you'll find the Talkback button for the built-in talkback mic.

As with the other controls, the buttons have a solid feel, as does the jog wheel.

Conclusions

I was taken aback by the Master Control. At this price, I expected it to be okay, but have certain limitations - maybe a plastic front panel instead of metal, or budget mic pres. But as pointed out, the only significant limitation is that you're restricted to recording two mics at a time - and that's a limitation you can overcome easily, albeit for several hundred dollars, with any kind of mic pre device that can feed an ADAT input.

Alesis has put its money where it matters: Sturdiness, moving faders, and easy support for multiple programs. It's easy to install, easy to use, becomes second-nature after you've used it for a session, and in all my tests, never hiccupped or exhibited anti-social behavior. I think Alesis has a winner on its hands, and has shown a very clear understanding of what a project studio really needs in a control surface/interface.