Firewire vs. PCI Interfaces

S

scottn5388

New member
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Right now I am using the M-Audio Delta 1010 and it works great, but I am thinking about getting a firewire interface to allow for more mobility. Smart move? Or are the PCI interfaces much more stable?

Thanks,
Scott
 
I am pretty much in the same boat as you are scott, in that I'm not much of an expert on either one either. :p

In my research, however, it seems that the advantage to the firewire is an out-of-the-box recording set-up. They usually come with built in mic pres and most even come with some kind of software, so for the price it is the quickest way to start recording.

The disadvantage of the firewire box is the other side of the coin of the advantage - that you are pretty much stuck with the built in mic pres, so if you eventually want to get more serious about recording, then you might as well buy a new interface in addition to new mic pres. Also, most firewire interfaces only work with XP, which is a disadvantage to people with older comps like me who still use Win2K.

The advantage of the PCI interface is that it really gives you a more professional interface. The Delta44 for example (my personal choice) is simply a straightforward audio interface, with decent A to D converters and balanced inputs/outputs.

The big disadvantage here is price, because in addition to the interface you still have to buy mic pres, mixer board, etc., that you are going to use to record. So, cost wise, if you buy the PCI interface in general you still have a long way to go to record - though in the long run it may very well see more use than a firewire box, IMO.

For portable use, firewire is hard to beat because everything tends to be more integrated.
 
Good points Kiauma.

This venture first started when I decided I needed to upgrade my preamps. I was looking at 8-channel preamp strips as a front-end to my Delta 1010. I looked at the M-Audio Octane for a while, then realized that there are a lot of 8-channel preamp strips with firewire interfaces as well. The Presonus Firepod and The Focusrite Saffire Pro immediately caught my attention. I figure that if I eventually want to get even better preamps I can still run those into my 1010. Which leads to another question...

Can both a firewire interface and a PCI interface be running in the same machine together?

Cheers,
Scott
 
i like firewire better.
mostly, because im a Mac user, and only the PowerMac has any PCI (pci-e actuallly) ports, but i cant exactly afford a Powermac at $2000...
I like Firewire because its more like a plug and play-(wow windows term!) device, similar to a digital camera, etc.
I Hate windows mainly because of having to have drivers for everything. While this shouldnt be a problem because usually, new soundcards come with a driver disk, there can be hardware conflicts, which suck because then you have your computer laying in pieces, trying to figure out what two things cant be plugged in at the same time.

i disagree with Kiauma- You are not limited to the interfaces pre amps at all... You know those 1/4 inputs underneath the XLR ins, or even sometimes they are the same universal jack, well, thats where you connect your pre amp outs into.

also, you cant use a PCI device with a laptop. I have a desktop and a laptop, and if i need to do tracking somewhere other than my home, i can just take my laptop with my Digi002 (firewire), and thats all i really need, besides of course, mics cables etc.
Then, i can do the mixing at my home, with my more powerful desktop.
who wants to carry around a Desktop, with a monitor, mouse, and keyboard?

Yes, i think a firewire MAY be more cost-friendly, but there are some PCI devices that come with external "breakout boxes" such as the E-MU 1820m, which has pre amps built in.

Heres my general opinion- ANYTHING is better than the 1/8" Line IN on the computers integrated soundcard, or USB interfaces.
 
scottn5388 said:
Can both a firewire interface and a PCI interface be running in the same machine together?
Click to expand...

Hard to say. my first thought would be no.
But possibly- i think it depends on your DAW. Pro Tools, no, only one device, cant have two of the same or anything like that either.
I really cant say for windows. If i remember correctly, i think SONAR allowed as many inputs as there were availible.
If i remember correctly, my boss was using an EMU 1820m, along with an Yamaha 01v with TDIF option, into a TDIF card at the same time-I may be wrong, dont quote me.
 
Thanks TragikRemix for the replys.

I am using SONAR 4, so that sounds promising. I'll search around the Cakewalk website for more information about that.

Does anyone here know if I would be able to use the M-Audio Delta 1010 and Focusrite Saffire Pro (the unit I am highly considering) simultaneously? I am also using Windows XP Pro.

Thanks,
Scott
 
Good points all.

Yes, it's true that most firewire boxes have other audio in's - but if you decide to use other mic pres, then that basically costs you the mic pre in's that are wasting space unused. That's what I meant when I said that. :)

I would say that yes you can use firewire and PCI audio devices together, but not always easily.

I use my Delta 44 with an audigy 2 that I use as a monitor. I do this by simply taking the monitor out from the Delta with a cable and plugging it back into the line-in of the Audigy 2. I can choose either card as a source in my cakewalk program. I can also use the audigy 2 wavetable for MIDI and record it with my Delta.

...but it is a bit of a workaround...
 
Kiauma said:
The disadvantage of the firewire box is the other side of the coin of the advantage - that you are pretty much stuck with the built in mic pres, so if you eventually want to get more serious about recording, then you might as well buy a new interface in addition to new mic pres.
Click to expand...
This is an incorrect statement. Not all firewire recording interfaces give you mic pre's on every channel. The RME Fireface 800 is a good example.

Kiauma said:
The advantage of the PCI interface is that it really gives you a more professional interface. The Delta44 for example (my personal choice) is simply a straightforward audio interface, with decent A to D converters and balanced inputs/outputs.
Click to expand...
I don't know about a PCI interface being more professional. Actually...you can't say that either one is more "professional" than the other at all. I would consider the RME Fireface 800 to be a great professional interface...and it's firewire. And the A/D converters are heads and shoulders above the Delta series.
 
Myriad_Rocker said:
This is an incorrect statement. Not all firewire recording interfaces give you mic pre's on every channel. The RME Fireface 800 is a good example.


I don't know about a PCI interface being more professional. Actually...you can't say that either one is more "professional" than the other at all. I would consider the RME Fireface 800 to be a great professional interface...and it's firewire. And the A/D converters are heads and shoulders above the Delta series.
Click to expand...


i absolutly support these statments.
 
Not all firewire recording interfaces give you mic pre's on every channel.
Click to expand...

Yes, YES, you are quite right - so right I already addressed that in this quote of myself from above:
Yes, it's true that most firewire boxes have other audio in's - but if you decide to use other mic pres, then that basically costs you the mic pre in's that are wasting space unused. That's what I meant when I said that.
Click to expand...


I don't know about a PCI interface being more professional. Actually...you can't say that either one is more "professional" than the other at all.
Click to expand...

I think you two are getting a bit hung up on the implication of my statement that Firewire boxes must somehow be unprofessional, a statement I would definitely NOT agree with - but at the same time, I stand by my opinion that, at this time, PCI interfaces are undoubtedly a fixture in FAR more studios than firewire interfaces.

Feel free to gather the data and shoot me down... :D
 
Myriad_Rocker said:
This is an incorrect statement. Not all firewire recording interfaces give you mic pre's on every channel. The RME Fireface 800 is a good example.
Click to expand...

Same with the M-Audio FW1814, the Presonus FireBox, etc. Only a handful of FireWire interfaces have pres for every channel.

Here's my 10 second comparison:

PCI/PCI-X (PCI Extended):
  • Generally cheaper (by about an average of $100)
  • Slightly lower CPU load at low latency settings
  • PCI is being phased out over the next few years, so long-term compatibility is an issue

PCIe (PCI Express):
  • Few interfaces available
  • Generally expensive

FireWire:
  • Easy to adapt to all current expansion busses (thus good long-term purchase)
  • External box means lower risk of digital noise problems
  • External box means better portability (can use with laptops, move to otehr machines, etc.)
  • Some PC motherboard FireWire hardware is buggy and causes problems for audio
 
Kiauma said:
I stand by my opinion that, at this time, PCI interfaces are undoubtedly a fixture in FAR more studios than firewire interfaces.
Click to expand...

Far more studios have asbestos in the walls than don't. That doesn't mean I'd recommend it for new construction. :D
 
Kiauma said:
Yes, YES, you are quite right - so right I already addressed that in this quote of myself from above:





I think you two are getting a bit hung up on the implication of my statement that Firewire boxes must somehow be unprofessional, a statement I would definitely NOT agree with - but at the same time, I stand by my opinion that, at this time, PCI interfaces are undoubtedly a fixture in FAR more studios than firewire interfaces.

Feel free to gather the data and shoot me down... :D
Click to expand...

I'm not getting hung up about anything. Maybe you're taking my one single reply a little too personally. It's okay...chill. Mellow.....mellow.....

Now...it doesn't matter how many studios have PCI over firewire...it doesn't make it better or more professional. We should also take into account how many of these "studios" are indeed pro level.

And actually, I have a relative that is a studio musician in Nashville and he knows a large number of engineers that are actually using firewire interfaces. He cites the RME Fireface as specific example and says that engineers rave about it. But hey...that's merely opinion. However, it is fact that the RME unit (as I'm sure many many other firewire units) has great A/D converters. And let's face it...firewire is replacing PCI as far as pro-sumer goes.

As for your invitation to gather data and prove you wrong...I don't make it a point to shoot down subjective statements.

I say that whatever gets the job done and sounds good doing it is the best choice. That being said, I'd take the RME Fireface 800 over any PCI card out there today.

Okay, I think I've plugged RME enough for one day.
 
scottn5388 said:
Does the Focusrite Saffire Pro even supply phantom power to its 8 built-in preamps?
Click to expand...

Nope...it has only two. It's best to buy an interface along with a multichannel preamp. in that way, you don't sacrifice quality.
 
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