Ok, this is gonna be a bit of a quickie. Basically, i got this one ridiculously cheap as well, with the intention of repairing it and gifting it to the new singer in my significant other's band, in order to facilitate more productive creative work. Just like the first one i did a teardown on and then modded, this was sold as faulty, but with more... obvious issues, let's call them.
Yet another score from the "morgue" - this time around, a feature-packed little bundle of audio joy, namely a MOTU Ultralite mk3 Hybrid. This was up for sale as "no longer powering up", and for a two-figure price, i couldn't pass it up.
A couple weeks back, an acquaintance contacted me about his Axe-FX II suddenly not powering up anymore. I saw this as an opportunity to at the very least take a peek under the hood of one of these things (still selling for four-figure amounts), so why not?
I had neglected to snap photos of the outside of the thing (because other priorities), so you'll have to settle for some "stock" shots. Not that there's anything overly interesting to see anyway.
First of all, the main issue with using this stand-alone (without a computer) is that the Xmos controller only enables the analog power supplies (the two MIC2505's and the LM3488) once it's done whatever handshaking it needs to, with the computer. But since i'd only need / want it to act as a rudimentary preamp / mixer / headphone amplifier, i kinda-sorta need the analog supplies working.
Initially, i was thinking of getting and modding a Scarlett 2i4 to use as an updated and more flexible in-ear headphone amp, to replace my aging modded M-Audio Fast Track (incidentally, the subject of the very first article on this blog). I even ended up with two 1st gen ones as well as two 2nd gen ones. But recently, i came across yet another deal i couldn't pass up - a Saffire 6 USB for a nearly ridiculous 36e, shipped(!). Virtually the same structure as the 2i4's, but i can definitely get more money (back) from reselling those, and keeping the Saffire. That, and i had come across instructions for a mod to the Saffire 6, to enable stand-alone operation.
