Mobile Pre and Boss BR600

[Long John]

Please note: I'm re-posting this as a new thread in the hope of more people seeing it and replying. Hope that's OK.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful replies to my vague newbie question. Thinking and planning carefully before buying anything is sound advice (pun intended, sorry!) and is what I'm now doing - so here are two more specific 'dumbo' questions:
1. Is an 'interface' the same as an 'external sound card'? I ask because I have just blown the dust off an M-Audio 'Mobile Pre' interface which I bought some time ago and only used a couple of times (to record electric guitar using Audacity). Would the Mobile Pre' function as a sound card or is that something different?
2. I also have, but have never used, a Boss BR600 recorder. I looked at it briefly when I first bought it and decided that its display was too tiny to use comfortably and that next time I wanted to record I'd probably use a computer, which I am now (at last!) planning to do. I was thinking of selling the BR600 but I read somewhere about using one in conjunction with a PC-based set-up. Any advice on that please?
Thanks again guys,
John

 

[Bobbsy]

Can't help on the Boss unit but the Mobile Pre is indeed an external sound card--and one that works very well in my experience. I used to use one for location recording onto a PC and also to interface a measurement mic into my laptop when I was running real time analyser software to aid the set up of live sound systems.

"Interface" is just a new word for "sound card" since modern external ones seem to be much more than a "card".

Bob

 

[Long John]

Can't help on the Boss unit but the Mobile Pre is indeed an external sound card--and one that works very well in my experience. I used to use one for location recording onto a PC and also to interface a measurement mic into my laptop when I was running real time analyser software to aid the set up of live sound systems.

"Interface" is just a new word for "sound card" since modern external ones seem to be much more than a "card".

Bob

Thanks Bob, that's good to know. I assume I would just use the Mobile Pre for recording (and editing?) and not for playback. Is that right.
All best, John

 

[Bobbsy]

Thanks Bob, that's good to know. I assume I would just use the Mobile Pre for recording (and editing?) and not for playback. Is that right.
All best, John

No, the Mobile Pre also has two line level outputs, available on TS quarter inch jacks at -10dBV or on a stereo 1/8th inch stereo mini jacks. You also have a standard stereo headphone jack for monitoring. Depending on what you do with the output, it might not be quite as good as balanced but, for most things, it's totally adequate.

It's certainly not input only though...it's a playback device too.

Bob

 

[mjbphotos]

You can record on the Boss BR600 (including plugging your electric guitar directly into it), then export the recorded tracks via a USB cable to your computer as WAV or AIFF files to then edit in your DAW. That's what I am doing now. Eliminates the problems of latency or other input issue you may have if you don't' have a computer dedicated to recording.

 

[Long John]

No, the Mobile Pre also has two line level outputs, available on TS quarter inch jacks at -10dBV or on a stereo 1/8th inch stereo mini jacks. You also have a standard stereo headphone jack for monitoring. Depending on what you do with the output, it might not be quite as good as balanced but, for most things, it's totally adequate.

It's certainly not input only though...it's a playback device too.


Bob

Thanks, Bob, for clarifying that. I shall start experimenting soon!

John

 

[Long John]

You can record on the Boss BR600 (including plugging your electric guitar directly into it), then export the recorded tracks via a USB cable to your computer as WAV or AIFF files to then edit in your DAW. That's what I am doing now. Eliminates the problems of latency or other input issue you may have if you don't' have a computer dedicated to recording.

Thanks, Mike, for that good news. Looks like I already have most of what I need to get started!

John