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Sansa Clip Zip: Wow!
superboyac:
ok, paranoia is back...ON! No USB for me if I can avoid it, see the review from amazon:
I purchased the MOTU UltraLite-MK3 Hybrid due to the added USB2 port and my need for more inputs and outputs. It appears to work perfectly fine in OS X (using FireWire), but booting into Windows, I failed to get it to work via USB on one system with Windows 7 64-bit and a Mac Pro running Windows XP 32-bit through Boot Camp. I've updated and re-installed drivers numerous times. Unfortunately I don't believe I'm alone with this issue since there are complaints about the unit's USB port on the MOTU user forums. Some people are recommending purchasing a FireWire card, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of getting the Hybrid? It's already past 30 days so I cannot return the unit (I unfortunately only discovered the broken USB functionality recently) and MOTU technical support is impossible to get to. The Phone Technical Support line is always busy and if you call the Customer Support line (which is separate), they tell you essentially to wait your turn (meaning busy signals for hours and no contact). If you want to file an online ticket, good luck on having someone look at it. MOTU does not supply PDFs of their manuals so if you lose the one you have, you are lost. I wish I hadn't bought this expensive piece of garbage.
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superboyac:
E-MU has some PCI-E offerings.
Edvard:
Just to clarify, are you looking for a multi-track solution for home recording, or just looking for something better than on-board sound?
This topic has gone far enough off that it might warrant a new thread.
Just sayin' :-[
superboyac:
Just to clarify, are you looking for a multi-track solution for home recording, or just looking for something better than on-board sound?
This topic has gone far enough off that it might warrant a new thread.
Just sayin' :-[
-Edvard (January 16, 2012, 01:52 PM)
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(ah...it's my topic, so i don't mind)
Well, I play my VST piano module live through the audio card's ASIO interface, so low latency is a priority. When I tried Maudio products years ago that were USB connected, I couldn't get the latency down to acceptable levels. Then I got this PCI 2496 card, and it worked just fine. But that was also my really old 2002 computer, not the new one I have now (well, it's almost 3 years old now!). So latency is a big deal to me in live playing.
Next comes the inputs/outputs. I don't have too much of a need for many outputs, but the more inputs the better. Most of the cheap stuff seem to have 2 inputs and outputs vary. It must be easier to put outputs on a device than inputs, I don't know. Or maybe most people like more outputs, and I'm the odd one. Anyway, that's another thing I consider, but it's not as big of a deal as latency. I do record using this card once in a while, but it's usually just me playing or maybe one other person. I'm not planning on using it as a studio a lot, I have friends with much better equipment for serious recordings.
Then, the form factor. Initially, I liked the idea of everything being contained on the internal card, so it all just stays with the computer. But some of these more expensive cards come with breakout boxes. I don't mind that, they just tend to be expensive. That's different from a USB box because the actual card is still installed on the PCI-express slot. A usb card resembles a breakout box, but the heart of the connection is the USB, and I don't think that's as reliable as those cold connector interfaces on the motherboard. But I have no definitive proof of that. however, I can across some forum threads and that amazon review today that put doubts in my head.
Now...I gotta go back to the music store. The clerk accidentally refunded me for three returned cables, but I only returned one. Sounds like he got chewed out a bit by the bosses. I have to go back and sign something. Rarely do those things turn out in my favor, though!!
Edvard:
(ah...it's my topic, so i don't mind)
-superboyac (January 16, 2012, 02:02 PM)
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Just thinking about others that might be looking for the same info, but then again, that's what the search function is for, right? :Thmbsup:
OK, so it sounds like you have a use for multi-track enough that two tracks are a hindrance, but you don't need high-end stuff, and latency is the chief consideration.
In that case then, I'd stay away from MOTU anyways, mostly because it would be overkill for what you're trying to do (although I agree nice gear is nice gear no matter what you're doing).
I totally agree, latency is the #1 concern in any audio setup, and I've never had gear good enough to go below about 5-8msecs (theoretically possible), which I hear is just below the threshold of audibility for most people.
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/331/331631.html#main_General_guidelines_that_apply_to_latency_times
Which brings us back to USB.
From what I've been able to gather, USB suffers more from jitter than straight latency, that is, varying latencies within one stream.
USB audio has always used the isochronous data transfer type, (audio stream, no error-checking, no handshaking) which works out OK in ideal situations, but curiously, USB MIDI uses the bulk transfer type, which means it's just data; it gets through when it's asked for.
Not awful if your overall latency is good because you've got solid ASIO drivers, but bad when your computer needs to hit the hard drive for something and your MIDI request gets bumped to the back of the line.
That said, I've heard that RME's USB stuff works well, check them out:
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_overview_firewire.php
If you're still set on external, FireWire is probably your best choice, especially for MIDI, although most FW devices include a little extra buffering to smooth playback, which can increase latency a bit.
Along with RME's FireWire options, Echo's Audiofire line should do you good there.
http://www.echoaudio.com//Products/FireWire/audio_interfaces_index.php
If you're not absolutely sold on external stuff, then yes, PCI-e wins hands down over anything else; that is it SHOULD, but hardly anybody is making consumer-level PCI-e soundgear yet (oh, but it's going to be FUN when they do...), and I could only find two PCI-express product lines that had a MIDI interface.
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_overview_pci_express.php?page=content/products/en_products_overview_pci_express_list#intern
http://www.esi-audio.com/products/maya44e/
^replaced by the Maya44Xte, which doesn't have a midi interface :huh:
Haven't checked on prices yet for those, but I imagine they ain't cheap.
Whew, haven't done that much research in a long while... :tellme:
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