Audio Interfaces???

  • Thread starter Thread starter exit assassin
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exit assassin

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Hi everybody.

I'm looking to buy a new audio interface mainly for recording slightly lo-fi records. Currently I'm running Pro Tools on an iBook G4 using an Mbox. I've outgrown this setup, don't particularly like the way the Mbox sounds and will probably be making the switch to Logic soon.

I'm gonna be buying a new iMac (I'm unsure which model yet) and have about £400 to spend on a new audio interface to go with it. The interface has to have at least 8 fairly nice sounding preamps - better sounding ones than the Mbox and ADAT connectivity for the addition of some extra high quality preamps once I can afford them. My options so far look like:

MOTU 8pre - Meets all my requirements, but I've heard bad things about the preamps.

Presonus Firepod - Nice and cheap but doesn't have an ADAT connection. i've also heard bad things about the preamps and CPU spikes e.t.c.

Digidesign 002 - As they're going cheap now they don't seem like a bad option. Meets all the requirements, would allow me to continue running Pro Tools. The downside would be that Digidesign will probably stop supporting it soon making it obsolete pretty quickly.

Basically I'm just looking for advice on which of these or any other interfaces in a similar price range to buy. Is there a great sounding interface that I'm missing, or is everything in my price range going to sound average at best?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
exit assassin said:
MOTU 8pre - Meets all my requirements, but I've heard bad things about the preamps.
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The preamps sound fine to me. Not significantly better or worse than any of my other recent pres, IMHO.


exit assassin said:
Presonus Firepod - Nice and cheap but doesn't have an ADAT connection. i've also heard bad things about the preamps and CPU spikes e.t.c.
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I've never heard anything bad about the FIREPOD's pres. As for the CPU spikes, that issue is 10.4-specific and PowerPC-specific. I -think- that 10.4.11 (released today) should also improve that significantly, but don't quote me on that. :)


exit assassin said:
Digidesign 002 - As they're going cheap now they don't seem like a bad option. Meets all the requirements, would allow me to continue running Pro Tools. The downside would be that Digidesign will probably stop supporting it soon making it obsolete pretty quickly.
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I'll let somebody who has actually used it bash it. :D
 
surfmaster said:
this new line 6 unit looks pretty cool, but i havent heard much about it yet.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-UX8-Toneport-Recording-Interface-?sku=241405
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Yikes! 8 channels on USB! Burn the witch!

Seriously, USB audio blows goats. I'd be amazed if this were even usable, not to mention that you'd be using truckloads of CPU power just operating the interface. (USB doesn't have true DMA.) USB 2.0 is okay for devices that aren't used often (an external CD burner, for example), but it just wasn't designed for high throughput, which this would be.
 
dgatwood said:
Yikes! 8 channels on USB! Burn the witch!

Seriously, USB audio blows goats. I'd be amazed if this were even usable, not to mention that you'd be using truckloads of CPU power just operating the interface. (USB doesn't have true DMA.) USB 2.0 is okay for devices that aren't used often (an external CD burner, for example), but it just wasn't designed for high throughput, which this would be.
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motu didnt think so

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2005/11/29/motu-828-mkii-audio-interface-goes-usb-20-whither-firewire/

and tascam just replaced its larger scale interface with a usb one that has 16 analog inputs
 
dgatwood said:
Yikes! 8 channels on USB! Burn the witch!

Seriously, USB audio blows goats. I'd be amazed if this were even usable, not to mention that you'd be using truckloads of CPU power just operating the interface. (USB doesn't have true DMA.) USB 2.0 is okay for devices that aren't used often (an external CD burner, for example), but it just wasn't designed for high throughput, which this would be.
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Not only that the specs are stating the A/D is 16 bit?!:confused:
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

SonicAlbert said:
The Mackie Onyx 800R seems to fit all your requirements.
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I really like the look of that. It's out of my price range, but I might be able to afford one if I could find one used. That said, if I stretched my budget to accommodate the Mackie, I might as well just get a Metric Halo 2882 which I've heard is pretty much the best of the best as far as sub £1000 audio interfaces are concerned...

Would the Mackie/Metric Halo actually be much better sounding units than the MOTU 8pre though? Do you think that I'd be better off buying the MOTU then spending the price difference on microphones and maybe even some basic room treatment?
 
exit assassin said:
Would the Mackie/Metric Halo actually be much better sounding units than the MOTU 8pre though? Do you think that I'd be better off buying the MOTU then spending the price difference on microphones and maybe even some basic room treatment?
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I think you need to look at the whole package. And also look at this purchase as part of a larger plan.

For example: chances are that some good preamps like in the 8pre, plus better mics and some room treatment will ultimately help you make a better sounding recording. As opposed to some perhaps upgraded preamps but not upgraded mics in a completely untreated room. The whole package looks better to me.

However, looking at this purchase in light of a long term plan (you have a long term gear plan don't you?), another possibility is the following. Buy the Mackie or Metric Halo now with the understanding that at a later date, in the not too distant future, you will purchase better mics and do some sound treatment to your recording room.

This second plan only works if you feel you can spend more money in total on this, but over a longer time frame. If you need to make a recording right now, then obviously this will not work and the 8pre plus some better mics and room treatment would be a good way to go.
 
Bulls Hit said:
Can you still buy those things?
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Yeah. They still build both the USB and FireWire versions. Knowing MOTU, they probably aren't even remotely using the standard USB audio protocols and are probably doing some ingenious tricks to make USB moderately usable.

Even still, USB is a major PIG. The CPU utilization is just not worth it for the few bucks you save by going with USB instead of FireWire. I don't recommend USB over about two channels, and even then, only if you don't have to count on it being reliable. For a webcam or whatever, sure. If you're going to end up getting really mad when (not if) it glitches, though, USB is just plain out.
 
SonicAlbert said:
However, looking at this purchase in light of a long term plan (you have a long term gear plan don't you?), another possibility is the following. Buy the Mackie or Metric Halo now with the understanding that at a later date, in the not too distant future, you will purchase better mics and do some sound treatment to your recording room.
Click to expand...

From the Mackie gear I've heard, I'd be amazed if its pres sounded as good as the 8Pre, honestly. My older Mackie gear definitely isn't even on the same planet, much less in the same ballpark. Even if Mackie's pres have improved a lot more than I think they have, though, I've read the horror stories about driver stability, etc. I'd have a hard time recommending them, frankly.

I don't know anything about Metric Halo, but at those prices, they'd have to be God's gift to recording to make sense by comparison. :)

My advice would be to go with the 8Pre, and if you find yourself needing a preamp that can do insanely high gain cleanly for ribbons or something, take the grand you saved over the Metric (okay, more like $750) and buy a really nice preamp that you'll still be able to use decades after you sell the interface and upgrade it to a new interface that hasn't even been designed yet....

This goes triple if you're using a Mac. MOTU's drivers are without a doubt best-in-class on the Mac. Nobody else's drivers are in the same league, IMHO.
 
Just to back up dgatwood, I own a ton of MOTU gear and it has always been super reliable. As a matter of fact, everything I've ever bought from them still works, and that goes back in to the late 80's!

The drivers are good, and quite efficient on the Mac.
 
Thanks again for your help.

SonicAlbert said:
I think you need to look at the whole package.
For example: chances are that some good preamps like in the 8pre, plus better mics and some room treatment will ultimately help you make a better sounding recording. As opposed to some perhaps upgraded preamps but not upgraded mics in a completely untreated room. The whole package looks better to me.
Click to expand...

This was my original plan, and the reason why the 2882 wasn't included in my original list.

I think I'll be going with the MOTU then spending the money saved on a pair of nice SDC's and a few other mics, probably something like a D112, possibly an SM57 and maybe a good allround LDC (I'm currently using a Studio Projects B1). This should allow me to get some fairly nice recordings done right away, then I can begin saving for the really expensive stuff and add that piece by piece over the next few years.

Now, the headache of deciding which microphones to buy...
 
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