Delta 1010

[smallhands]

Im looking to buy an audio interface. I have no knowledge about them except that someone told me to buy a delta 1010. I would appreciate any feedback on the topic and on whether to go with a USB system or a PCI system.

[doulos24]

I think you should go with you dont have enough information
some simple questions to ask yer self


what are you trying to do?
how many inputs do you need?
is quality important?
do you have anything else you need as well?
can buying what you need in a "package" save you money?
are you set on a specif software for said interface?
are you runing mac or pc etc etc etc

[DrumArtist23]

Personal opinion to follow:

I just got myself a 1010 from a fellow homerecording.com member. It hasn't shipped yet, but I did quite a bit of studying in regards to which unit I should get. I have a Delta 1010LT right now: it delivers much of the same universal connectivity, high fidelity and seamless performance as the popular Delta 1010 on a single PCI card—and at a fraction of the price. Multiple analog I/O, MIDI, S/PDIF and surround sound support are all there.

Two inputs even have mic/line preamps on XLR connectors, saving the expense of outboard preamps. It’s all on a compact, half-size PCI card with two color-coded breakout cables. Combine up to four Deltas in your system for a maximum of 32 analog and four stereo S/PDIF inputs and outputs.

I would not recommend the 1010LT if you dont want to have a mess of wires hanging off the back of your computer tower. Also, unless you have a patch bay/outboard mixer, you are going to be unplugging and plugging in from the back of the comp, which gets annoying fast.

1010: As a samplist, the delta 1010 is a great choice as it works at any sample rate, including the odd rates like 36khz, 29 khz and 39.11 khz or whatever. You can take it up to 24bit 96khz if you want.

The outputs can take balanced or unbalanced cables, impedance can be set to -10 or +4 depending on your mixer. Running +4 balanced allows you to interface with professional mixing boards with minimal noise.

You get 8 analog ins and 8 analog outs, stereo s/pdif in and out, so that 10 in and 10 out al together (hence the name is "1010") and all the ins and outs can be used simultaneously. This allows enormous flexibility. Go mixerless if you want and connect synths and preamps directly to the 1010. Or connect to a large 8 bus board. Or configure it so out 1-2 is the master out and use the other 6 outs as busses to hardware signal processors.

The Delta 1010 has a midi port which is reliable and can be used for heavy synth work.

The one con if you didn't know this The Delta 1010 does not have mic preamps. But if you are looking at the 1010 you probably have the mic pres taken care of already.

[smallhands]

We record everything through a mixing board straight into the computer. I don't think we really need many inputs, maybe just two to record stereo. We mainly need the interface to clean up our recordings.

[doulos24]

does the mixer have direct outs?

[smallhands]

I believe so

[Roguetitan]

as long as your mixer has direct outs the Delta 1010 will work and give you ten ins and 10 outs.
the Delta 1010 is a good interface but it is old technoligy.

[smallhands]

Ok. How do products like the 1010 compare to newer technology like firewire?

[LemonTree]

compared to my Yamaha N12 firewire mixer my old delta 1010's sounded like mud. I saw "fidelity" used in the same sentence as 1010 above..... not a choice word I'd use to describe one after 8 years of using 3 of them.

[smallhands]

So I guess my next question would be how compatible are firewire interfaces with "older" computers, say four years old?

[Rust E-Z]

Firewire,USB, or PCI, it really isn't a matter of witch you use being more modern being better. PCI is actually the most stable and has the lowest latency. I know both Echo and M-Audio have stopped developing for PCI though. Not because USB or Firewire is better but because they sell better. Unless your computer is like a 486 (BTW what is your system like?)it should support firewire via PCI just fine but your probably better off with PCI IMHO. For around the same $ as the 1010 you can get an Echo Layla 3G that has much better conversion. Some higher end companies are making cards for PCIe but for the most modern firewire is the most common/stable.
In the pricepoint your looking at you might want to consider focusrite saffire or M-Audio profire.
I am pretty sure that PCI is probably your best option in terms of stability and latency but the saffire or profire might sound better in the end.

[smallhands]

Yea probably so. My computer isnt the greatest. Its a dell from 05 with xp. only about 70 gb of hard dirve. But, its enough to run sonar 6 producer and produce decent recordings. I'm looking into the PCI interfaces to hopefully improve the sound quality.

[undrgrnd studio]

Originally Posted by LemonTree

compared to my Yamaha N12 firewire mixer my old delta 1010's sounded like mud. I saw "fidelity" used in the same sentence as 1010 above..... not a choice word I'd use to describe one after 8 years of using 3 of them.

I find that hard to believe. I have hundreds of recording using my 1010 and they sound just fine. Maybe it had more to with your outboard preamps vs the onboard yamaha pres.

[Rust E-Z]

Man, when you said your system was old I was thinking it was like a PIII or something! A computer from 05 will work as a DAW beautifully. And XP is great too. You should be able to do just about anything in the DAW category. Maybe not as many instances of plugins as a 8core mac pro but your really in a good position.(unless your running some weired atom based system) You really have any option you want. I don't think a four year old system will hold you back. People were running on firewire long before 05. Heck I've been using it for video since 99.
PCI is more stable than firewire but because these companies are not developing for it anymore the latest firewire options might sound better. In other words, just because its PCI won't make it SOUND better , there are alot of other factors. PCI advantages are not sonic quality, but stability and speed.
This is why it is kind of dissapointing to see these companies not develop for PCIe.

[smallhands]

After reading into it and going through hundreds of threads, I definately feel more comfortable with the whole audio interface deal. I think the safest bet for my situation would be a PCI. I know my computer isnt that old but it dosn't have a firewire port. I know you can install a PCI card to have firewire capabilities, but I also read that some firewire interfaces might require a change of motherboard for some computers. So, to be on the safe side, I'll probably end up getting a PCI interface. As far as the model, I'm stil trying to decide. The funny thing is before I knew anything about this stuff, the first model I heard was the delta 1010lt. So far, it still looks like a pretty good option for my needs.

[DrumArtist23]

Well, I am considering selling my 1010LT after my 1010 comes in. I will keep you in mind if you want one on the cheap.

[smallhands]

Sounds great.

[therage!]

Originally Posted by undrgrnd studio

I find that hard to believe. I have hundreds of recording using my 1010 and they sound just fine. Maybe it had more to with your outboard preamps vs the onboard yamaha pres.

I've used a 1010 for years and have been using a n12 for over a year now and can tell you there's quite a difference.

I've had the luxury to hear them side by side and the biggest thing for me is the D/A conversion. The n12 D/A clearly blows the 1010 out of the water. Material I had recorded with 1010 I could now hear things I did not hear clearly before. The 1010 is not bad, it's just getting dated and one area is manufacturers are competing and designing in better clock circuits etc. If I had not gone to the n12 I would have picked up a nice D/A converter at the very least and clock it to the n12.

If it were me in the market right now...I'd shop around.

[smallhands]

Who makes the n12?

[tmix]

Originally Posted by therage!

I've had the luxury to hear them side by side and the biggest thing for me is the D/A conversion. Material I had recorded with 1010 I could now hear things I did not hear clearly before. The 1010 is not bad, it's just getting dated and one area is manufacturers are competing and designing in better clock circuits etc. If I had not gone to the n12 I would have picked up a nice D/A converter at the very least and clock it to the n12.

I second this opinion. I used 3 Delta 1010s and when I head my raw tracks through better D/A converters I realized I was capturing a lot better sound than I was hearing back.
I bought some Lucid converters and a Lucid Clock, ad synched the whole lot together and used the Lucids for critical vocal tracks and playback.
Eventually I bought better A/D but it was years later.

I still have those 3 Deltas....

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by undrgrnd studio

I find that hard to believe. I have hundreds of recording using my 1010 and they sound just fine. Maybe it had more to with your outboard preamps vs the onboard yamaha pres.

I share that opinion as well. Compared with my MOTU 8Pres, my M-Audio FW1814, or the Presonus FIREPOD I sold a while back, my 1010LT sounded very muddy. It is very possible that the output path is the cause of much of the suckage, though, as somebody else noted. They certainly didn't get their power filtering right on the output path. The darned thing picked up truckloads of noise off the GPU, but only in the output path, not on the way in.

[therage!]

Originally Posted by smallhands

Who makes the n12?

Yamaha

http://www.yamahasynth.com/products/n8n12/index.html

[smallhands]

I ended up getting the 1010lt. The cables are kind of a pain in the ass, but it improved the sound of our recordings tenfold. No more static and we can actually hear everything we record! Maybe its because we've been using crap beforehand, but this card made a world of difference.

[Roguetitan]

Glad it worked out for you the Delta 1010 is a good interface.

[Bguzaldo]

Just curious, Does anyone have an opinion on the Delta 1010LT as opposed to the Delta 1010 rackmountable version, the 600 dollar one?