Firewire & Laptops???

W

WinstonCowboy

New member
Ok...so I am about to scrap my M-Audio USB Duo..but before I do...I'm wandering if getting a USB 2.0 PCMCIA Card like this would be any better:

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=1506&sku=29556&source=overture

Would this be as stable as a firewire setup?

Now...let me charm you with my country boy naiveté!

Why don't any of the firewire devices i.e. Audiophile, 410 have XLR mic inputs? They don't make firewire with preamps built in like the Duo?

Besides the Midi..how the fuck are you suppose to use these bitches? You need a mixer?
 
WinstonCowboy said:
Why don't any of the firewire devices i.e. Audiophile, 410 have XLR mic inputs? They don't make firewire with preamps built in like the Duo?
Click to expand...
Look again. The 410 has 2 phantom powered preamps. So does the MOTU 828(mkII) to name just one other.
 
christiaan said:
Look again. The 410 has 2 phantom powered preamps. So does the MOTU 828(mkII) to name just one other.
Click to expand...

Lol...you caught me...I was just about to edit my post because I saw a close up of the 410 with the XLR inputs on the front.

What do you think about this:

I'm wandering if getting a USB 2.0 PCMCIA Card like this would be any better:

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=1506&sku=29556&source=overture

Would this be as stable as a firewire setup?

This would be cheaper and easier since I already have the Duo. I know this would be better than what I have now (USB 1.1) but could it compete with the firewire. USB 2.0 boasts 480Mbps come on now!
 
USB 2.0 is still not as good as Firewire because the communications protocol is not as efficient and hogs too much CPU time. As cristiaan said, having a USB 2.0 PC-Card is pointless if you're still using a USB 1.1 audio interface.

Firewire was designed with digital video in mind. USB was just a band-aid replacement for the old serial interface.
 
USB 2.0 claims high rates because these are burst rates that are advertised, if you look at the sustained transfer rates you will see that Firewire far exceeds the USB 2.0 standard. Since we are trying to transfer multiple data streams (Audio Tracks), close attention needs to be paid to the sustained transfer rates. Granted, there are some I\O's that give great results on the USB 2.0 standard, tho I feel a maximum I\O capability will be exceeded by use of Firewire. If a greater # of simultaneous tracks is what you wish for, I would opt for a FireWire option.

-Edited to add ... Not all pro cards have pre amps on all the inputs, hence you will need to use an outboard pre amp or a mixer that has direct outs, this of course is if you are going with a multiple I\O card in where a good portion of the inputs are line level. Keyboards, drum machines and other line level devices can be plugged straight in, using their output level to optimize recording levels early in the signal chain.
 
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