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sync
Pending
I know that Firewire is better than USB, but is the difference significant if you are only recording one track at a time? There seem to be people who are recording successfully with USB interfaces
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brzilian
New member
USB was never designed for audio. There is also no formal USB audio spec.
Firewire, on the other hand, was designed from day 1 for digital video.
That and the fact that I have never been able to get a USB interface to work trouble free right out of the box is enough reason to always chose Firewire.
Firewire, on the other hand, was designed from day 1 for digital video.
That and the fact that I have never been able to get a USB interface to work trouble free right out of the box is enough reason to always chose Firewire.
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sync
Pending
So how is it that lots of people are using USB interefaces without any problems?
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studiomaster
New member
Lots..like what? Most are probably M-box's since it's the cheapest method to run Pro tools with.
Carter
Total gear slut
studiomaster said:
But who cares about Pro Fools?
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sync
Pending
How many does it have to be?studiomaster said:
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sync
Pending
Are you suggesting that people who use ProTools are so foolish that they don't even know that their USB interfaces aren't working?Carter said:But who cares about Pro Fools?
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studiomaster
New member
Pro Fools...yeah!
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sync
Pending
Here is something more for you guys to make fun of. This is an excerpt from an article title 'Choosing A PC Audio Interface' in Sound on Sound.
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Those who have decided that the USB/Firewire route is the one for them face an even more confusing set of facts, rumours, and misleading comments. Some musicians regard USB as fundamentally flawed for audio and MIDI use (I even spotted one damning claim that 'USB is only suitable for mice'), but my experience doesn't bear this out. Admittedly, some of the early USB 1.1 interfaces caused no end of problems, partly due to flaws in the early USB chips in both the audio interfaces and in the PCs at the other end of the cable. However, these issues were resolved years ago, and modern USB 1.1 and 2.0 audio peripherals generally work very reliably.
There's also a lot of snobbery about the slower USB 1.1, which is also unfairly dismissed out of hand by some musicians. It's perfectly adequate for a stereo interface running at the most common 24-bit/44.1kHz or 24-bit/48kHz formats, and only struggles for bandwidth if you want to record and play back simultaneously at 96kHz. If it fits your requirements, USB 1.1 is fine, and there are now lots of USB 1.1 audio interfaces to choose from at really low prices.
USB 2.0 seems to be stuck out on a limb, since so few manufacturers currently support it, but Edirol's UA1000 has proved this format's reliability for multi-channel audio interfaces, and other USB 2.0 products, such as Behringer's BCA2000, are slowly starting to be released. However, if you want an external interface with support for 24-bit/96kHz and plenty of channels, Firewire is currently the most popular choice.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/pcmusician.htm
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Those who have decided that the USB/Firewire route is the one for them face an even more confusing set of facts, rumours, and misleading comments. Some musicians regard USB as fundamentally flawed for audio and MIDI use (I even spotted one damning claim that 'USB is only suitable for mice'), but my experience doesn't bear this out. Admittedly, some of the early USB 1.1 interfaces caused no end of problems, partly due to flaws in the early USB chips in both the audio interfaces and in the PCs at the other end of the cable. However, these issues were resolved years ago, and modern USB 1.1 and 2.0 audio peripherals generally work very reliably.
There's also a lot of snobbery about the slower USB 1.1, which is also unfairly dismissed out of hand by some musicians. It's perfectly adequate for a stereo interface running at the most common 24-bit/44.1kHz or 24-bit/48kHz formats, and only struggles for bandwidth if you want to record and play back simultaneously at 96kHz. If it fits your requirements, USB 1.1 is fine, and there are now lots of USB 1.1 audio interfaces to choose from at really low prices.
USB 2.0 seems to be stuck out on a limb, since so few manufacturers currently support it, but Edirol's UA1000 has proved this format's reliability for multi-channel audio interfaces, and other USB 2.0 products, such as Behringer's BCA2000, are slowly starting to be released. However, if you want an external interface with support for 24-bit/96kHz and plenty of channels, Firewire is currently the most popular choice.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/pcmusician.htm
Carter
Total gear slut
sync said:
Cool your jets pal
it was just a joke, 
I was talking about Pro Tools not USB, anyway all I can say is that it depends on what you are doing, for not alot of tracks USB will be fine IMHO, Its just some people could not get the to work with thier comps so they complain so I say that thier computer is not set up correctly.You can do plenty with USB.
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omtayslick
New member
The standard answer on this forum seems to be that usb is not good for audio.
I don't know how many of these people speak from actual experience, or how many are just spouting the "conventional wisdom".
Maybe some of them have had problems with usb. I'd like to hear more real world stories to back up these claims.
But here is my experience with usb: I have an Aardvark USB3 that I purchased shortly after they were released. I have been using it with very few problems for years now. I have been reluctant to "upgrade" because the Aardvark has many features I like, and is easy to work with. It will do 2 inputs at 24/48. It sounds very clean. (Aardvark used to make some well respected studio clocks, maybe this helps) Also, there are no issues with drivers becoming obsolete, because it's usb. I record on the same computer that my family uses, so 2 printers, a mouse, keyboard, and an external hard drive are also on usb. All this on a Dell P3 with 512 RAM. I can mix about 20 channels or so without problems. (depends on the plug-in count)
At one time I had some occaisional clicks, but I downloaded a patch from microsoft that fixed the problem. The patch had something to do with usb frame dropping. I also installed a usb 2 pci card in the computer, and have the Aardvark running on that along with the usb 2 hard drive. Everything else goes into the factory usb 1 inputs.
This works fine for me. It depends on your needs I suppose. But if you can live with the limitation of 2 simultaneous inputs then it's workable.
I don't know how many of these people speak from actual experience, or how many are just spouting the "conventional wisdom".
Maybe some of them have had problems with usb. I'd like to hear more real world stories to back up these claims.
But here is my experience with usb: I have an Aardvark USB3 that I purchased shortly after they were released. I have been using it with very few problems for years now. I have been reluctant to "upgrade" because the Aardvark has many features I like, and is easy to work with. It will do 2 inputs at 24/48. It sounds very clean. (Aardvark used to make some well respected studio clocks, maybe this helps) Also, there are no issues with drivers becoming obsolete, because it's usb. I record on the same computer that my family uses, so 2 printers, a mouse, keyboard, and an external hard drive are also on usb. All this on a Dell P3 with 512 RAM. I can mix about 20 channels or so without problems. (depends on the plug-in count)
At one time I had some occaisional clicks, but I downloaded a patch from microsoft that fixed the problem. The patch had something to do with usb frame dropping. I also installed a usb 2 pci card in the computer, and have the Aardvark running on that along with the usb 2 hard drive. Everything else goes into the factory usb 1 inputs.
This works fine for me. It depends on your needs I suppose. But if you can live with the limitation of 2 simultaneous inputs then it's workable.
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brzilian
New member
That may be true on a Mac, but certainly not on a PC. Do you honestly think XP ships with drivers for your Aardvark? Do you think it will work with Vista out of the box? I'm willing to bet no.
I have probably experimented with 3 USB devices in the last 3-4 years. None worked without giving me dropouts and hiccups.
That doesn't have anything to do with USB bandwidth. All mixing takes place in software before the audio data reaches your Aardvarks DACs - all your soundcard sees is the stereo output.
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sync
Pending
Are you able to use the interface at the same time as the external drive without any problems?omtayslick said:
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omtayslick
New member
sync said:
Yes. That is where I store my audio data.
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omtayslick
New member
brzilian said:
The Aardvark does not have dedicated drivers, it uses the microsoft usb.sys drivers contained in XP. Don't know about Vista. Also, there are aftermarket asio drivers that work with my Aardvark and most other usb soundcards here:
http://www.usb-audio.com/
Sorry usb didn't work out for you. As I said, I was just relating my personal experiences with it. But, to be fair, I have heard many horror stories about ALL types of audio cards, usb, PCI and firewire.
As far as the mixing track count goes, I suppose you're right. But I never claimed to know what I was talking about. Just relating my personal experiences with usb audio.
