What is your favorite USB/Firewire Interface?

What's your favorite budget portable audio interface?

  • PreSonus Firebox

    Votes: 123 30.3%
  • M-Audio 410

    Votes: 44 10.8%
  • Digidesign MBox

    Votes: 34 8.4%
  • Focusrite Saffire

    Votes: 25 6.2%
  • Edirol UA25

    Votes: 20 4.9%
  • Mackie Spike

    Votes: 7 1.7%
  • Other (Please Specify)

    Votes: 153 37.7%

  • Total voters
    406
I just picked up a Sound Devices usbpre (I) for $75 used. The guy sold it because they don't work with a 64bit OS. Those of us happy using older stuff benefit. I've used M-Audio, mobile pre, FW 410, PreSonus Firebox, Yamaha GO46, an EMU 0404 usb, and an RME FF800. As long as you don't need to record more than two channels at a time, it is aces.
 
Hmm. A poll started 13 years ago with options that are no longer available new, and most scarce even used. I'm gonna pass on this one (even though my interface is actually listed!)
 
Hmm. A poll started 13 years ago with options that are no longer available new, and most scarce even used. I'm gonna pass on this one (even though my interface is actually listed!)

Aha. But you didn't pass on this one, you posted. :) You just didn't say which interface you had. :D
 
I'm looking to buy a portable audio interface and was wondering what everyone would suggest.

I'd appreciate some pro insight into a critical decision as to which of 2 choices I should pursue for my interface. My band is in the process of transitioning from Reaper to Pro Tools. As such we've found our processing power to be lacking. I'm having a new PC built and now have a choice to make between my old, and reliable MOTU 2440's and newly acquired Safire Pro 40. New PC only has room for one PCIe FireWire card, so it's either stick with the MOTU 424 proprietary card or a generic Firwire card for the Safire. Which way would you go? Thank you in advance for your opinion.
 
If I was building something new right now I'd be moving to USB 3.0, and not choose either of those, TBH. You didn't say what version of Windows you'll be running but neither of those is likely to have any kind of current [driver] support. Firewire is still an option for OS X, but only because they haven't done something that breaks it, is my guess.
 
Interesting. I had assumed USB 3.0/1 had improved latency like Thunderbolt, because that's all I have been looking at... Thanks. (I'm still suspicious of Firewire's viability in Windows, going forward, if you're on Win10!)

I will be honest, I had thought because 3.0 increased bandwidth and 2.0 has had little to no issues over the past ~5 years, I didn't know what 3.0 would bring to the table for audio. When it was mentioned, thought I would confirm/debunk the issue. Since I hadn't seen a slew of new interfaces with 3.0 and we know, interface builders are always wanting us to upgrade. I had to look it up.

I haven't researched it, but my understanding 3.0 was going to improve video devices. Might be other reasons (USB HDs for example) but seems 2.0 has filled the requirement pretty well, plus it is pretty stable.
 
Interesting. I had assumed USB 3.0/1 had improved latency like Thunderbolt, because that's all I have been looking at... Thanks. (I'm still suspicious of Firewire's viability in Windows, going forward, if you're on Win10!)

If you're shopping for an interface for Windows, I would recommend steering clear of firewire at this point.
It's hard to find hardware with firewire at this point.
(I just rebuilt my DAW, and almost no modern Mobos have firewire, and very few have the PCI slots to support firewire expansion cards. I didn't find a PCIe firewire card)
 
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