I made a few huge decisions and changes to my studio this year, which involved selling almost everything in my control room and starting from scratch. I needed a very specific, specialized recording interface for my needs. Because I was already massively over budget, I was going to have to wait before I could integrate a DANTE expansion, and my biggest problem was that I had no additional analog outputs for outboard gear or re-amping.
Enter the FreqInOut FO1 by Freqport, known for their FT-1 FreqTube hardware plug-in [Tape Op #159]. The FT-1 FreqTube is a unique solution that connects a tube-powered saturation box via USB with both physical knobs and the ability to control the box via a plug-in – convenience and recall with real analog tube saturation. It’s an excellent and innovative product, and Freqport has continued that mindset with their new FreqInOut FO1: A small, half rack space box with analog I/O allowing for four mono channels of analog inserts over USB. It’s bus-powered (dedicated DC power adapter available separately), fully configurable/recallable through a plug-in, and it works flawlessly.
There are two primary use cases for the FreqInOut FO1. First are people in my situation who simply require more outputs due to a limited number of interface channels. Even if the hardware isn’t the bottleneck, many Universal Audio’s LUNA DAW [Tape Op #138] users, for example, have been begging for analog insert capability. LUNA users now have a solution with FreqInOut. The second use case includes those that don’t necessarily require extra physical outputs but may find the additional features and flexibility of plug-in control worth the price of admission.