At the 2015 NAMM Show: music software and hardware developer Arturia introduced AudioFuse.
The AudioFuse is a new audio interface, designed to combine the superior sound of high-end mixing consoles with massively flexible connectivity options, all in a compact device.
Arturia says that the AudioFuse offers unrivaled sonic purity. Its two DiscretePRO microphone preamps take the best of yesterday’s vintage mixing consoles and today’s technology to provide a discrete circuit that goes beyond the limitations of integrated circuits. AudioFuse’s 24-bit AD/DA (Analogue-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analogue) convertors are of the latest generation, delivering transparent audio, at up to 192kHz sampling rate. In conjunction with Arturia’s advanced clocking system they guarantee extremely accurate timing.
AudioFuse has been developed with the real-world workflows of musicians in mind.
Everything — microphones, instruments, turntables, pro audio equipment, Macs, PCs, tablets… even iOS and Android smart phones — can be directly connected with minimum fuss and maximum flexibility, thanks to clearly-labelled ADAT, MIDI, phono, S/PDIF, Word Clock, USB, XLR/ balanced 1/4-inch combo connections and more.
Nothing is buried behind convoluted menu-driven access systems – everything is directly accessible and controllable.
AudioFuse also acts as a three-port USB/MIDI hub, as well as offering a TALKBACK feature (to give directions to talent in another room using the built-in microphone) and INSERT connections (to add external line level devices, such as compressors or other effects processing, into the signal flow before the digital conversion stage).
It also offers zero-latency DIRECT monitoring of recorded signals, which you can also blend them into the COMPUTER mix courtesy of another clearly-labelled knob.
The AudioFuse is also designed with a durable body made of classic materials. It features an aluminum chassis with a leather-covered top. All controls are designed to be immediately available, without ‘menu-diving’.
Pricing and Availability
Arturia’s AudioFuse audio interface will be available later this Spring in a choice of silver, grey, and black color finishes, both from Arturia online or through the company’s dealers and retailers. The suggested retail price is €549.00 EUR/$599.00 USD. See the Arturia site for more information.
“Word clock”, so all your documents are neatly synced…
Digital Clocking Explained:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr03/articles/digitalclocking.asp
The big question is if the separate output pairs (Speaker A and B) can be used at the same time. As it is, it looks like they cannot be used at the same time.
Why would one wants to use them at the same time?
Ok I can imagine a few conditions, but isn’t the ability of swithcing between A and B more useful?
in a band setting it’s nice to be able to send individual or groups of instruments on different outputs. that way the sound guy still gets to balance your drumracks with your live ableton keyboard and ableton-racked vocals.
Well… It looks like this device has 4 mono analog output channels which might be used as monitor buses or anything else (independent of the number of extra physical output connectors and your DAW brand :] )
Ability to switch between two pairs of output connectors in any device is merely a plus feature (even if they are just two additional connectors and not additional output channels).
Would we be more happy if it had only one set of speaker ouputs : )
Actually I wasn’t sure about OP’s BIG question thus I asked, since puting two set of parallel connected output jacks on a small device wouldn’t make much sense if they can not be switched.
Cheers
There aren’t only a few cases where you want to use more than one pair of outputs. Countless of cases too long to list here, including 4-channel performances, sending audio to external processors, monitor speakers etc. Furthermore, I find it extremely bad design if you have four outputs on an audio interface but can use only two of them at the same time. I hope this is really not the case, otherwise it would make this interface one of the most stupid designs ever, despite Arturia claiming otherwise.
“There aren’t only a few cases where you want to use more than one pair of outputs”
Ofcourse there are countless ways of using them, who would imagine the contrary : ) Actually, as a person with more than two decades of experience in live audio engineering, I’d say no amount of discrete audio channels would be “too many” : ) What I mentioned in my previous post was about something different, maybe I should have been clearer.
What I meant basicaly was, if a device has ONLY ONE pair of audio OUTPUT CHANNELs (i.e. two discrete output electronics) and TWO pairs of physical OUTPUT CONNECTORS, then ability to route/switch the output channels to connectors is a nice feature, compared to being stuck with a two set of parallelly hard wired output connectors. And there might be fewer conditions where you want to use both sets of connectors simultanously compared to using them one at a time. It would be like a walkman with two physically wired headphone outs (remember those? Good old times : ] ). You wouldn’t want that in such a small device where each cubic centimeters costs. There are those much cheaper Y cables for that.
That being said, I wonder where you got this “it looks like they cannot be used at the same time” impression. They say that the device has 4 audio output channels. So, one should use any combination of the pairs simultanously. Otherwise it’s like saying “we put two pairs of circuits in it, but you can not use both”. That would be rather odd (if not necessarily “a stupid design” as you coined). Looking at the images (upper face ones), there are TWO sepearete A/B selection buttons. So I assume one could route each inputs to any speaker outputs anytime. I checked their site for a manual but seemingly there’s none as of yet, so better not to speculate : )
Cheers
Arturia has been the biggest surprise of NAMM for me. With the Beatstep Pro and this, you see that they do listen to their users. I do hope they update the firmware of the original Beatstep, like 32/64 steps maybe? pretty please?
They certainly do NOT listen to their users.
If they listened to their users, they would devote their whole team to clearing the backlog of angry emails and ironing out bugs in previous products!
Lets hope they havent used 2c potentiometers on the volume control which will skip values.
Arturua stinks
Fart-urea.
so, can you connect your iPad via the USB input to the Lightning port on the iPad and have it output from the speaker out?
I’m thinking its for the camera connection kit
I just love Arturia’s products…well designed and built….I’ll be getting one of these this year.
Dude, you didn’t even ATTEMPT to do that correctly…
Arturia really blew it by posting the hype video a while back.
The only thing unique on this device is the inserts, which I like. The SPDIF and Phone recessed RCA jacks do not have a large enough opening to fit the thicker ground casings found on high quality connectors. The midi connectors obviously require a breakout connector which is a really bad idea and contradicts the hype video.
At $599 this will not sell to consumers that do their homework.
I had an MAudio interface 10 years ago with inserts….
my lexicon lambda have inserts!!
And so does my motu 828mk2
I’m pretty sure the OP means that you rarely see insert points on interfaces that only sport 2 inputs
The Akai line of USB audio interfaces also has inserts and is a 4in-4out configuration
The only thing I really see wrong with this is the usb micro on the back to go to your PC. Would of been nice to have a worthwhile plug that isn’t as easy to break.
A USB type C connector would be nice in the future. It might eliminate the need for a separate DC input all together.
Completely agree. Arturia’s hype preceeding this release was simply preposterous. Marketing nonsense at its finest.
Publicly trying to disparage other very well respected manufacturers like MOTU, RME and Apogee was a silly and regretable idea. It made me suspicious from the get go. So too with the claims that they would eliminate the “octupus of cables”, really? Sigh. No amount of “velvet lining” will make up for the companies horrible support when something goes wrong.
I see nothing on this “revolutionary” interface that is exciting. Who cares about phono inputs when RCA to 1/4″ cables have existed for years. Same with the seldom seen GND connection. Most DJ’s I know, including myself in the past, much prefer to use a mixer which covers the grounding aspect.
All the other connections have been around for years from the same companies they were complaining about in their hype campaign. And lets wait and see how stable and reliable their drivers are in the real world.
For £150 pick up an old second hand RME HSDP Multiface and save yourself a bundle. RME still support their old interfaces from 2008 with updates and firmware. Something that Arturia don’t do for products less than 2years old.
Yes it has great connectivity features, but 599 for connectivity? It’s still a stereo only soundbox for that price. You can buy really good 6 or 8 channel soundboxes from M-audio or Focusrite with the same buttons for that price.
Not to mention the drivers. Everyone knows it takes years of not just development but also user feedback to deliver stable drivers.
“…..It features an aluminum chassis with a leather-covered top……” …..what does leather have to do with high-technology ????……..animals need their skin to live …..
They have to justify that price somehow..
I’lll just keep my MOTU 4pre, but thanks Arturia… I like the USB hub idea, not sure how comfortable anybody is with having that much information passing through our audio interface (in addition to audio ins & outs).
And can we all agree this thing is kinda UGLY?
What I want to know is: does it have loopback routing functionality via software or directly accessible via the interface without patching cables? Its not even worth talking about without it.
Arturia,
I will be happy to buy your new products when you live up to your word, and complete development on your flagship product the Arturia Origin.
You make nice, innovative gear- but I can’t offer you customer loyalty until you give a reason to.
The next audio interface I purchase will be Thunderbolt. For a device that claims connectivity with everyone, it is a glaring omission. Also, it’s really too expensive for 2 inputs anyways.
It will need a dreaded wall wart to power up all of the promised functionality.
The more I think about it, the more I begin to doubt my initial suspicions regarding the performance of Arturia’s proprietry drivers.
If there is any company which has had the ability to perform an in-depth study and analysis on audio spikes, dropouts, glitches and their causes within a software environment it is Arutria.
Same here, i quite curious about the driver …. hope it will be like RME who keep updating the driver and fix it out
How can all these components living so close together in a small box, not create any interference and have an accurate clock?
I/Os looked kind of cramped. Not revolutionary. Could have made wireless connectivity with touch interface to expand its capabilities.
iConnectAudio4+ will come soon enough and I’ll connect whatever the hell I want to it. This looks like another problem looking for a solution. It’s not going be so elegant with all the ports filled up. It’s going to an overpriced desktop brick if they’re not. I don’t even want to see the use case for this device because I think it will make me a little angry. Swiss Army Knife, I get it, but they kinda suck though.
i wonder these compare to the likes of Forte , or Babyface, or maybe not in the same range, but perhaps apogee
Buy an Apollo, and move on.
Where are all the super new features Arturia said to be unique in their interface?
This is a copy of an apogee duet, a bit of Apollo, novation USB hub and audient ID 22,
The disappointing part is the micro usb coonection to the PC.
I do not see a huge market for this and to be honest I would not buy it.
What’s up with those Midi In/Outs? Quarter inch Midi jacks? Is there such a thing?
1: those are 1/8″ midi jacks, not 1/4″; and they must be TRS (“stereo”).
2: yes, these kind of “mini-midi” connections have existed for a while, usually on tiny gear that can’t fit a standard 5-pin DIN socket (suck as IK’s iPad midi interfaces).
in spite of the famous 5-pin DIN connector, midi only uses 3 of them (when midi was first designed they chose the 5-pin to allow for future upgradeability, but to this day those extra 2 pins have no use at all) so it’s very easy to use a 1/4″ or 1/8″ TRS connector for midi.
“…SUCH as IK’s iPad midi interfaces…” (missed that during the “edit comment” window of time…)
Yeah, after all the “GAMECHANGING” “MINDBLOWING” hype, I’m not sure what this delivers that I do not already have, I was expecting a real game changer with their unmitigated zeal… I thought it was going to be a sleeker interface with better iOS connectivity then offered previously, etc, with some “wow” gotcha moments… I haven’t seen anything in this that is game changing, despite the price for a company NOT known for their converters or drivers, and certainly known for their lack of support for expensive products (re:Origin), let alone the terrible bugs in some of their long standing VI’s that are at first denied to exist, then NOT patched, then some weak explanation, then whatever…. Arturia continues to disappoint in customer service, and I’m sure some people love the “Brutes”, and I do like the sound of some of their VI’s, I still have more problems with them then almost any other company, and trying to get a straight answer from them is like arguing global warming with a bunch of republicans….
I guess we’ll see how fast thing actually is. Likely its average latency is comparable to most other current options.
I’ve been using a TASCAM US-366 with my MacBook Pro, and I really like the optical S/PDIF interface. This thing has an ADAT optical interface, for whatever reason, but no optical S/PDIF. Other than that, unless the USB ports are USB 3.0, I can’t see any particular benefit beyond the 192 kHz sampling rate over US-366. I only wish they’d put a slanted face on the US-366.
Lots of people who need RIAA preamps need ADAT I/O, right?
Lots of people who need a 4 in /4 out interface need a talk back mic, right?
Pro to have wordclock I/O but then tiny USB and breakout MIDI?
Kitchen sink does not a good product make.
No idea why this doesn’t get released. I went and coped the Audient id22 instead. Missing a few features but the id22 is a sturdy quality build and sounds superb.
Sorry Arturia. You need to go faster!