The 0202 and 0404 USB 2.0 audio/MIDI interface allows entry-level recording and playback, direct monitoring, and plenty of features in a compact, USB bus-powered package. The 0202 has two Class-A preamps that can be used in stereo, or individually. The 0404 includes analog master gain control, ultra-low jitter clock, and external speaker outputs.

Loyal E-Mu fans with PCs have enjoyed these products from the moment they hit the shelves, but Mac owners were left out in the cold pending additional development. According to E-Mu's Derk Hagedorn, "We finished the PC driver back in August, and decided to ship the product that way and then follow up with Mac support when the driver was complete."

Mac users can finally come in from the cold; E-Mu announced the availability of the new Mac beta drivers in a press release dated November 28th. The drivers are available for free download from the E-Mu website. According to Hagedorn, E-Mu has been a longtime Apple supporter, but a Mac-friendly audio interface needed time to become a reality. "We haven't had a Mac audio interface until now," Hagedorn said, "Because the extensive driver development for our Digital Audio Systems would have been incredibly difficult given all of the DSP involved in those products."

According to E-Mu, the Mac OS X driver should go out of beta mode, "very soon." Derk Hagedorn said, "We are very confident in this driver as is - it's not in our best interest to release a half-baked driver and turn off the Mac community."