M-AUDIO NRV10
Apr 1, 2007 12:00 PM, BY ASHER FULERO
A few years ago when Mackie released its Onyx series of mixers with FireWire options, I got very excited at the prospect of combining my small-format mixer and my FireWire audio interface into a single unit, if for no other reason than to get rid of that mess of cables between the two and its associated audio risks. However, word got around fast that the quality mic preamps and EQs that had been worked into the Onyx mixers couldn't be included in the signal path to the computer, and that the entire computer system would return through only a single stereo bus, meaning the great mic pres and EQs couldn't be used on the way out either. To me, those conditions essentially killed the Onyx's ability to operate as a real front end or back end for a computer recording system, even though they sounded nice otherwise.
Although it is similar in design to Mackie's idea, the M-Audio NRV10 is definitely more evolved. Born of the concept of an analog mixer and 24-bit/96 kHz audio interface in one unit, the NRV10 is meant to blur the line between mixer and computer portal; for one thing, it sends and returns multiple discrete audio channels to and from a computer. After a few weeks of usage, it did really become a single, cohesive device that was easy to adapt to my needs. I tested the NRV10 at home with a Mac PowerBook G4 1.25 GHz running OS 10.4.8 using Ableton Live 6 and Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3, and I also did some testing as a stand-alone mixer onstage.
A MIXER AT HEART
As a simple mixer, the NRV10 has a lot to offer. The basic layout is 8×2: four mono and two stereo inputs with a master section, internal effects and two mono sends with two stereo returns. Carrying four of M-Audio's Octane preamps, the microphone channels offer XLR and balanced or unbalanced ¼-inch inputs and sport a TRS insert jack, Mic/Line pad switch and gain knobs that get an impressive amount of power. Even in loud settings in rehearsal and onstage, I never had to beef the gain knobs up too far to get a really hot signal. The stereo channels also seemed to be powerful and sensitive to small changes in gain; overall, the analog inputs sounded warm and clear with a clean sound space, especially in comparison to the Mackie and Behringer small-format boards I've used.
The EQs were very usable and helpful, with well-placed frequencies for general usage (80 Hz, 2.5 kHz and 12 kHz) and pretty powerful-sounding results. One small issue is that either the EQ knobs are too large or they are placed too close together; people with wide fingers will definitely need to turn knobs from the side. Also, M-Audio used high-tension faders that have a few upsides and downsides. While it isn't hard to control them, people used to superfast fader moves might need a little practice to get used to the way these feel before rocking them onstage. On the other hand, they protect against bumps and make it easier to make precise moves in a smaller area.
The master section is flexible for a small-format mixer, with dedicated Main Mix, Headphones and Control Room volume faders. Using the Main Mix and Control Room mixes together makes it easy to balance the two sides to the NRV10 (mixer and FireWire interface), and DJs will love that the headphones channel is switchable between the Main Mix, the Aux 1 Bus or the Cue Bus (which, like Mackie's 1202 mixers, contains all muted tracks, making it easy to set up custom headphone-cueing situations). The two mono sends work in the usual way, with Aux 2 automatically being routed to the internal effects unless a cable is attached to the Aux 2 return jack. The Aux Return knobs mix the two stereo ¼-inch inputs into the Main Mix, and as usual, the Aux Return 2 knob doubles as the return from the internal effects. The NRV10 also sports a Main Mix insert; I used it to send the full mix through a Korg Kaoss Pad.
While I probably wouldn't mix them into my studio recordings, the internal effects were very usable onstage and really helped in a few pinch situations; the vocal plate in particular was a big help, and the flange+delay was fun to add for the singer. All in all, the NRV10 was simple and breezy to use onstage, but using it in stand-alone mode only begins to scratch the surface of the power held inside. Onstage and off, the NRV10 really shines as a bridge between the sounds inside and outside the computer, adapting to shifting needs as projects progress.
THE NERVE CENTER
Once it's working together, everything about how the NRV10 doubles as a mixer and FireWire interface works as it should. Each vertical channel strip (1-4, 5/6 and 7/8) offers a FireWire button at the top that switches the input from the physical XLR and ¼-inch jacks over to the associated FireWire out path from the computer. That offers a really flexible situation for producers who move quickly; it's easy to switch your input path to an output path to check takes or mess with finished studio tracks on the fly using the faders, mutes and EQs.
In addition, M-Audio included a FireWire 9/10 path that on input contains the NRV10's Main Mix as a source (a bonus for quickly recording live performances) and on output adds a third stereo path (output 9/10) with a knob that allows it to be individually combined with the Headphone and Control Room outputs. With only four mono and two stereo physical channels available on the NRV10, this extra stereo bus is quite useful. Having a mix for most of the internal computer tracks — but specific outputs for a few special tracks — really offers flexibility in not only the compositional process but also in preparation for the stage as well.
Driver setup was as easy as any of the other M-Audio devices I've used. A simple installer creates a straightforward and easy-to-use driver app that offers access to just a few simple functions (I/O Metering, current Sample Rate readout and a few other basics); the rest are left to the user's software. When choosing the NRV10 as your audio device within Ableton Live's preferences, for example, the device will show up in two ways. First, each output path (1-4, 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10) is available individually. This is great for use in setups where several software outputs need to be managed and Live is going to use only one path; simply choose the output you want, and anything routed to Ext. Out will automatically go there.
Alternately, there is a cool NRV10 Multichannel option provided which, when enabled within the M-Audio driver, allows users to customize all 10 outputs from within Live using Track I/O settings and the Cue/Master assigns on the master channel. Also, for those using Mac OS X, these same options are available from the Audio/MIDI utility as well. This technique is very useful, assigning my computer's internal sounds to the FireWire 9/10 output with Live running the NRV10 in Multichannel mode on tracks 5/6 and 7/8. In this way, I could easily mix my iTunes and other System Audio into the Control Room mix using the FireWire 9/10 knob while still managing my physical inputs and Ableton sends with the rest of the mixer. Now we're talking integration; this is the point where the NRV10 really began to transcend being simply a mixer and FireWire interface and started to become an enabler for creative setups.
Using the NRV10 with Pro Tools M-Powered was just as easy. After choosing the default settings in the I/O Setup for inputs, outputs and buses, everything went where it was assigned right away; each physical input would show up with or without EQ (depending on the state of the Pre EQ/Post EQ button), and whatever destination I gave a track would show up there the first time (as long as that track's CH/FW button was depressed). I was even able to make a custom mix of Pro Tools sends and physical mic inputs and record a simple stereo clip of the whole thing live within Pro Tools from the FireWire 9/10 Main Mix input path.
To make things even more complicated, I ran Ableton Live 6 as a ReWire Slave to Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3, assigning a few mono tracks from Live across the ReWire bus to tracks in Pro Tools and out to physical tracks 1-4 on the NRV10. Then I took a mix of a few other channels from within Live and ported it out to physical channel 5/6 on the NRV10, all the while running my keyboard live into the NRV's channel 7/8 and my iPod through iTunes out on FW 9/10, all mixed together through the Control Room output. I'm sure I could think of a more complicated way to use this mixer, but it achieved this with ease and quality sound without my having to root around or assign anything weird. I feel confident that this mixer could achieve basically any setup imaginable.
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