The EIE I/O from Akai Professional is a tabletop USB audio interface, suitable for the project or portable studio setup. It features four microphone preamps with switchable phantom power (in pairs), and each input can also be set to accept a line input or an instrument input, such as a guitar or bass, or a synthesizer.
Each channel has a dedicated gain knob and a rear panel insert jack for external processing. The four balanced, rear panel output jacks can be used to monitor sessions on multiple sets of studio monitors. Both pairs of outputs can be monitored visually with the high-quality, analog VU meters providing classic features with modern style.
In addition to the high quality analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, MIDI input and output (16 channels) allows for bridging other MIDI controllers. For those situations where more USB ports are required, the unit can function as a hub with the three additional USB connectors available from the rear panel.
The EIE I/O sends and receives four audio channels on a single USB cable for simple interfacing with a computer. The interface is class compliant for plug-and-play operation with Mac OS X and Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. The EIE I/O ships with a power adapter, USB cable, and software CD.