Audio interface...take two

  • Thread starter Thread starter indra
  • Start date Start date
indra said:
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In other words, have any of you (bigwillz24, Burden of Proof, Echelon, christiaan) considered trying to do everything inside the computer? Would this render the input/output issue moot?

It can't possibly be as simple as I think. There must be numerous gotcha's to the scenario. I seek the voices of experience.

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
Some things just can't be done in the box. Some ensemble recording opportunities are coming my way, and for that you can't bypass the need for nice mics, nice pre's and nice converters (looks like I'll be needing 6 channels for the upcoming projects), not to mention a nice room.
The beige box is then merely there to contain the information and okay... maybe to add some reverbs.
 
Well put christiaan. It's very good to have multiple ins, but you don't want to sacrifice quality for quantity. It is possible to make all the music within the computer, but i guarentee that you will kick yourself later for not having the ability to plug instruments in. When I thought that I was just going to use my studio for my own pleasure, I thought about the same things you are. Honestly, having more inputs has beed a Godsend, and as I stated earlier, the two Q10's are rockin'. 16 inputs is a great feeling.
 
First - thank you all for taking the time to respond to my questions. I appreciate it very much.
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PCI or Firewire?
It seems to me Firewire is the way to go. Let me count the ways:

1. Simple, easy interface with motherboard.

2. All audio interface hardware is distanced from the computer thus minimizing heat and noise issues.

3. Relatively easy portability from one system to another.

4. One less device on the PCI motherboard bus.
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Murphy's Law:
Are there any reasons NOT to go with Firewire? Are there any scenarios where PCI would be the better choice?

Thanks in advance,
 
indra said:
Murphy's Law:
Are there any reasons NOT to go with Firewire? Are there any scenarios where PCI would be the better choice?
Click to expand...
- PCI interfaces are cheaper, have been around longer therefore have more matured drivers/support which leads on average to a higher reliability.

- I have a PCI firewire card in my PC because the motherboard doesn't have it onboard. I can easily switch my recording interface between PC and laptop but in my situation I don't bypass the PC's PCI bus.

- Needing firewire to bring the converters out of the PC isn't really a valid point. The M-Audio Delta 1010 has the converters in a breakout box but interfaces with a PCI card and does have decent converters to say the least but according to some they can't be considered pro (I've never used a 1010 so that's hearsay). On the other side of the spectrum there are the Lynx audio cards which have (again: so I've heard) outstanding conversion but still, all the electronics are on the PCB of the PCI card.

So, there are quite some 'buts' to add to the list.
But it's generally true that when you need portability (like using it with a laptop), firewire is the #1 choice, also when you want to be able to switch it between computers easily.
 
Interfaces with lots of ins only earn their keep if you're going to record more than two tracks at a time. This has no bearing on the number of tracks you can mix with - that is done inside the box usually, though some have interfaces with a lot of outs so they can mix with a normal mixer.

Keyboards and percussion are commonly generated with either samples or software synths inside the box, and these do not usually require to be recorded back into an interface.

In my case, I only really need two inputs most of the time. Currently I have an Audiophile that fits the bill, but sometimes I want to add an outboard fx unit and could really do with an extra pair of analog i/o for that. Also, I would benefit from balanced analog i/o, so I should have bought a Delta66 knowing what I know now.
What's stopping me from adding a 66 (though the price is good now) is the thought that M-audio are starting to upgrade the range. They have introduced a new Audiophile (192) which has balanced i/o and improved converters, but if I'm buying something else, I want more i/o, so I'm hoping they're going to do the same for the Delta 66.

Included pre-amps in an interface don't interest me - I only want line inputs to use with a choice of seperate pre-amps to suit the job in hand.
 
Jim Y - How much have you heard about M-audio upgrading their products? Have you considered the new versions of Layla or Gina?

Thanks in advance,

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"I remember The Rebels had a tea chest with a lot of gnomes around it. One of my brothers had a five shilling guitar which had the back off it. Apart from that it was all fine."

George Harrison on his first job with his first band. British Legion Club, Speke. Summer 1957.
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M-audio have upgraded the Audiophile, it seems reasonable the rest of the Delta's will follow. After all, dropping the price alone won't be enough to compete with the E-mu cards since not everyone buys on price alone.

The Echo ones seem overpriced to me. Gina only has two ins. Both have mic-pre's that I won't need. I'm sure they are good quality units. Though it shouldn't matter - but I hate roundy cases!
 
Jim Y, christiaan, Echelon, mattamatta, Burden of Proof, bigwillz24 - you all were a great help. I can't say I'm any closer to a decision but my frame of reference is much better.

This I am sure of:
* The keyboard/mouse interface was never intended for making music. It's like driving a high powered sports car with your big toe.

* Computers are rational, logical devices. Music is emotional and irrational. In other words, by the time I've got the damn thing up and running I've lost the feeling/inspiration.

* Bill Gates is a greedy bastard.

At this point I'm actually considering a Roland MV-8000. Of course it will be much more limited than a PC DAW. The upside is (hopefully) a much friendlier interface and fast/intuitive workflow. Also portability and less spare apartment bedroom clutter. We shall see.

I declare this thread officially closed. Elvis has left the building... Happy trails to you, until we meet again...
 
What do you all think of the new Behringer BCA2000 USB2.0 interface?
A friend of mine ordered one over a month ago, and they have pushed the
release back to the middle of November.
 
Hiya, new to the forum as I only just purchased a BCA2000, after looking and looking and looking for something that was going to fit my needs. Well it would fit my needs if I could get it to work.

Have only had it a week. But it would seem the driver for it is not so good at the moment. I can't get the ASIO driver to work at all yet, and the MME driver has got really bad latency on my system.

If you have this unit and are having success with it, could you give a brief rundown on your system(motherboard especially) please. I'm curious to know what motherboards it is working with.

I will give myself some more time to try to get it working before I post anything further than this, as it could be me not knowing what i'm doing still at this stage :)

When it's working it is going to be a very cool piece of equipment.
 
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Well I have got the BCA2000 working. It was my error that was stopping it from working, as I thought may have been the case.
It still crashes if I try to use anything other than the ASIO drivers, but they work well. There is a little latency issue still, but not too bad. And there is the option of using Direct Monitoring which is nice.
 
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