Interface

[trojanhorseband]

Hello my band is looking to buy a USB or Firewire interface for recoding multiple tracks (5). What interface should I buy? We're looking for something cheep...

[dickiefunk]

What's your budget? How many inputs and outputs do you need?

[DeNilson]

I've always believed that Firewire was better (faster & more reliable) than USB, but I believe the question actually is about which particular Firewire/USB standard (those number-thingies) is used.

For more info, see
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewire#Comparison_to_USB

I don't use neither of the interfaces (I run an old computer with an old E-mu soundcard , but I have an 8 channel Yamaha digital recorder as well).

5 simultaneous channels ain't particularly much, but make sure your computer and harddrive(s) actually can handle it, and that your system can handle full duplex (simultaneous overlay recording AND multitrack monitoring). Furthermore, it also depends on which AD (analog-to-digital) resolution you will be using (16bit, 24bit or whatever) when recording. A higher resolution will be more demanding on the system. Whatever you go for, tell your dealer about your demands before you buy anything.

Good luck!

[TimOBrien]

Good guide and 'you cant go wrong with any of these' suggestions:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards...ome_studio.htm

(You'll want to bookmark and read ALL of Tweak's Guide)

[Weasel9992]

"Cheap" is an extremely...flexible...word. "Cheap" to me means $500 or less, and that's about what it's going to take to do a decent job with an interface. If you mean "cheap" as in $150, then I'm not sure what to tell you...that kind of gear is painful to use. The preamps are bad, the conversion is worse...it's an okay place to start though, I suppose.

So, what do you mean by "cheap"?

Frank