- What technical features/characteristics motivated your choice?
I wanted a small, possibly portable keyboard with a fair amount of assignable knobs & things. Oh, and i needed it to be cheap.
This one has those 'features'.

- What connection types are there (MIDI, pedals...)?...
Now i sold this so check before you buy...there is a USB connector, that's for sure, and i think there is also a MIDI out but i'm not sure anymore.

It's quite basic but, still, it has quite a lot of buttons & knobs to fiddle with.

- Is the action/feel of the keyboard nice? Does it suit your needs?
Ouch.
Need i say more? This keyboard is small, light & cheap, and that's exactly what the keys are: small & cheap.
Hard to talk of a 'feel' at this stage. I have very little experience with keyboards (i own a Yamaha PSR-90...which says a lot, doesn't it?...and a MicroKorg) but this is the worst i've ever touched.

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Using it is simple, very simple, but beware: no Windows 2000 drivers. You need XP. They probably have Vista drivers by now but that wasn't out when i had mine.

- Is the channel/patch selection simple?
Seemed simple enough, i didn't keep it long enough to really say, though...sorry.

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Same as above.

In this price range, there were only a couple interfaces to choose from and presonus has a good reputation and from reviews I read the Firebox produced less latency due to the high speed firewire connection as opposed to USB.
I used this interface with a homebuilt 1.3ghz PC with a gig of ram, and Cubase LE which was free with the Firebox, and my wharfedale 8.1 monitors. I was mostly using it (and its phantom power) to record acoustic and electric guitar with a large diaphram condensor mic, I rarely went direct through it except for bass which it handled nicely. Having 2 quality XLR inputs right on the front is nice so I'm not groping around back. It would have been nice to have all the inputs on the front, but.... I only use 1 or 2 anyway.
I have to say, this thing is pretty beefy with its metal case and metal knobs. As small and portable as it is (a huge plus for those of us on the go with our gear) it would have been nice to get a dedicated carrying case instead of a foam lined package it comes in.

The software installed no problem, compatible from the get go which is great because I am NOT a techhead. Cubease LE was a bit of a challenge getting the settings on the Firebox ready to record, but the manual helped.

Once I got it rolling, I never had a problem with the software. I only got noticeable latency when I was using my Drumkit From Hell which hogs up the ram on my computer, and it was bad. I only recorded one track at a time so I guess I've never really put it through its paces, it can record 4 simultaneously.

Digidesign Pro Tools 7 LE was really easy to install and set up with my Mbox. I have it installed on my PC laptop and there haven't been any compatibility issues to date. I just really followed the steps that came with Pro Tools and it should be easy to get going if you follow the manual.

I have a Hewlett Packard laptop with a 3.0 Ghz processor and 1 GB Ram and I haven't had too many problems running Pro Tools LE. However, I have a friend who runs it on a mac and it seems to run much better on there. I can record 2 tracks at once with my Mbox and I have had no problems doing that.

I've had my iLok for a few years now. Its really more of an essential than a necessity as it is required for most of my plug-ins with Pro Tools 7 LE. Its great to have all of my authorizations in one spot and to be able to carry them around with me from my studio to other studios. However, if I were to lose it it would certainly be a hassle to be without my plug-ins for that amount of time. Its also a bit of a hassle to register and to set up all of the plug-ins with the iLok, but once it is done, it is done. There are no other models of the iLok that I know about, as Digidesign really sort of has a monopoly on it. Its pretty cheap and is definitely worth the money if you have a bunch of plug-ins that you need to travel with, or if it is required with plug-ins that you purchase. I couldn't function without mine simply because I need my plug-ins whenever I am doing work.

I had no problems at all getting started with the Trillium Lane Labs TL Space. You need an iLok to authorize it with, but if you have experience with that it should be no problem. I run it with Pro Tools 7.4 LE and I had no need for the manual. It is easy to install and figure out the functions.

I use this on my Macbook Pro (2.2 Ghz, 2 GB Ram) and I've had no issues at all with it. I use it on an auxiliary track with every session I do. This saves processing power; if I were to put this plug-in on every track however, I do believe it would slow down my computer quite a bit. This is to be expected with any sort of powerful plug-in such as this one though. As long as I keep it on one track or a few at most it runs great.

Getting set up with the Digidesign Smack LE plug-in couldn't have been easier. I bought it with an iLok, so it was already synced to that. You need to install the iLok driver to your computer and then there should be no problems. I would recommend following the steps in the manual that come with it, they are very simple.

I run this plug-in with Pro Tools 7 LE software on my Hewlett Packard computer with a 3.0 Ghz processor and 1 GB Ram. I haven't had any problems running this plug-in with my set up and it has been very stable. It runs quicker than I thought it was going to, but that could be due to my computer, among other things.

The M-Audio Oxygen 8 is a 2 octave MIDI controller with a volume lever, pitch and modulation wheels, octave up and down buttons and programmable knobs for control of plug-ins and virtual instruments. It has both MIDI inputs and outputs as well as a USB input which powers it if you don't have the power supply (which I don't).

The feel of the keyboard seems normal to me. The keys are easy to press down and the action is very friendly. Overall set up was pretty easy for the keyboard, but it really depends what software you are running it with. I use it with Reason 3.0 and have had a few problems setting it up with that. On my PC, unless you install the keyboard right when you are installing Reason, you must go back and reinstall Reason so that the keyboard is programed with it correctly. The patch selection is simple enough, as I just toggle on my computer. I had no manual with it because I bought it used, but I can definitely see it coming in handy.

I've been using the Control 24 on and off for about 2 years. Its a great controller for Pro Tools software, but that is about all it is good for. If you are looking to have some real life faders and controls for your DAW, this is a great board. There are endless features on this board, most of which I have not even ventured into and probably never will. But it is easy enough to figure out the basic functions and can be a lot of fun to play with. I'm not a huge fan of the Focusrite built in preamps and would suggest having some outboard pres before you buy this. The price is certainly a big obstacle for most on this, which is probably why you only really see them in bigger studios. If you have a small project studio and want some real faders to work with, I would suggest looking into a smaller digital board. However, for what this really is (a big toy that controls things in Pro Tools without having to use a mouse), it certainly does its job. Its always nice to have some real faders when mixing and editing and I enjoying using many of the shortcut buttons this thing has on it, not to mention it will certainly impress the clients just from the look of it.