Need a USB audio interface

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cwhowell2

New member
I bought an M-Audio Fast Track Pro because the box said it had 4 outputs. Unfortunately I didn't do my homework. When I got it home I found out it only has 2 analog outputs. The other two are S/PDIF. I need to be able to output 2 discrete stereo signals from Sonar. Anybody know of an affordable interface that will support 4 analog outputs? I hoping for something from Summer NAMM. but so far nothing. - Bill
 
Multiple pairs of analog outs doesn't seem to be super common on the smaller interfaces.
The tascam us200 has 4 unbalanced RCA outputs, and the fast track ultra has six, if that's any use.
 
Thanks for the replies. Most of these are within my budget but when shopping for them, many are listed as "discontinued". Also, some have pretty bad reviews. Musicians Friend has 4 F.T. Ultras in stock but are used and listed as "Needs repair". The Tascam US-200 sounds like a good choice but again can't seem to find new ones for sale anywhere. I'm also still skeptical about the output capabilities. The Fast-Track Pro that I have claims to have 4 outputs. It does but you can only use 2 at a time. I worry that the others will have the same "gotcha". I don't mind spending 2 or 3 hundred but don't want another waste like the $100 I spent on the F.T.Pro. Maybe I should wait till the USB 3.0 devices come out? I hate waiting. - Bill
 
cwhowell2 said:
The Fast-Track Pro that I have claims to have 4 outputs. It does but you can only use 2 at a time.
Click to expand...


You just need to read and understand the spec, or at least look at pictures of the rear of each unit.

The fast track pro has four outputs that you can use simultaneously.
It just happens that two are analog and two are digital.

There is a whole variety of different analog levels and connections, a whole range of different digital formats and connector types, plus midi.
Most manufacturers just count up the number of discreet channels, regardless of type.


cwhowell2 said:
The Tascam US-200 sounds like a good choice but again can't seem to find new ones for sale anywhere. I'm also still skeptical about the output capabilities.
Click to expand...
It has four unbalanced RCA outputs. Unbalanced outs may not be what you want, but at very least there are definitely four of them.
 
Ethan - Thanks for the reply. I just talked to the Sonar tech support and they suggested the 8i6 also. I use Sonar as a MIDI sequencer, driving softsynths for my backing orchestration. I record to a Tascam DP-24 and would like to have a stereo track for the finished backing and additional ones for samples of the bass and lead tracks that I record live. It speeds up the learning curve and helps with the live performances. Obviously the sample tracks need to be removed before the final mix which means they have to be on discrete recorder tracks.
 
Wow, I've never heard of such a hybrid setup. Just curious - why not just record everything into SONAR?

--Ethan
 
<<why not just record everything into SONAR?>>
I've used a standalone recorder for years. Tascam 8-track (tape), Fostex VF-16, Tascam 2488 and now a Tascam DP-24. Much more portable than a PC or laptop with external audio interface etc. But the real reason is the painful learning curve. I bought Sonar Producer X1 and quickly found out computer based recording is not for wimps. Took me a week to find out what latency was and how to cure it. Anyway, after spending several weeks trying to get Sonar based recording up and running, I got mad and simply gave up. I lost my Tascam 2488 in last September's flooding so I finally just bought the DP-24 hoping to get the technology I was used to. Little did I know they would drop one of the most important features (for me) - external clock source. - Bill
 
Chiming in at the end of this thread.

I, too, am in need of patching a simple analog mixer to either a MacBook Pro or my Mac Pro desktop. There are so many interfaces to choose from, along with a PCI card option (the M-Audio Delta, for one). But most of the interfaces have too many knobs, inputs and outputs for my taste. I wish there were a simple Firewire Audio to Digital box, and nothing more.

A PCI card won't work with a MacBook Pro, obviously, so that's out. And my mixer has no Firewire or USB connectivity, either. Patching an interface with a lot of extras seems redundant. (I bought an M-Audio Fast Track but the mic input is terrible.)

Dumb question: what happens if you simply patch the mono output from the mixer into the mini jack on the side of the MacBook?

Are there any simple, no nonsense analog-to-Firewire or USB interfaces, without all the extra knobs and inputs? I only need stereo output to my mixer for playback.

Thanks.
 
Most folks who hook a mixer up to a computer are just trying to get serviceable preamps for the built-in sound hardware. If you're trying to connect a mixer to your computer through a real interface, you're probably doing it wrong. Most of the time, you don't want to record the mixed output from a mixer because you'll never be able to adjust individual channels later. As a rule, you're usually better off buying an interface with multiple inputs and ditching the mixer.
 
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