firewire vs usb for audio interface? pros and cons of each

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Veej007

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hey guys

trying to buy an audio interface

is firewire that much better than usb? is it worth it to pay a lot more for a firewire version of a similar device? i've heard that usb can have latency issues and is kind of unstable
 
USB 2.0 and firewire are about the same speed. Firewire is much faster than USB 1.1.

Ed
 
i know about the speeds of the two specifications, i'm talking about their applications with regard to audio interfaces.

specifically, i've heard that usb -- whether 1.1 or 2.0 -- provides a less stable data stream that is more prone to spontaneous drop outs. now, that's not a problem when you're trying to get data in from a mouse, but when you're recording in realtime it could be an issue...
 
First off, USB 2.0 is only as fast as Firewire on paper. USB 2.0 actual sustained transfer speeds are still in the 200-300mbps range.

Firewire's communications protocol is also much better than USB's. Veej, you are correct about timing problems. USB was never intended for timing sensitive applications. The USB protocol also hogs more CPU time than Firewire.
 
Hi folks,

basically, at present time Firewire is a FAR superior interface. USB 1.1 is certainly not only prone to dropouts but also compatability problems with some computers. The advantage of these devices is that they are cheap compared to their Firewire brethren and there are lots to choose from. They are suitable for recording/monitoring a few tracks simultanouesly but they are not capable of handling lots of audio tracks at the same time. For example, Apogee have a super-quality device which costs 1500 pounds and it uses USB 1.1 because it only carries two channels of audio in and out simultaneously. It's designed for on location recording of say a vocalist, or a stereo mic'd accoustic guitar.

Firewire 400 is seen by some companies as the future of audi interfaces. It has a very fast speed and has an excellent sustained tranfer rate. It can carry far more channels of audio than USB 1.1 due to its greater bandwidth. However, firewire devices are expensive. MOTU and Metric Halo have many Firewire devices which can handle lots of channels simultaneously, such as the 828mkII and Mobile I/O respectively. With these you could set up lots of channels to record a whole drum kit.


However, there are future versions of both interfaces coming out. As you have heard USB 2.0 is comparable in speed to firewire 400 and Roland are about to release the first USB 2.0 device. However, the really ideal audio interface may be Firewire 800. It is twice as fast as Firewire! However, no such devices take advantage of this interface yet, probably because only Apple have Firewire 800 ports on their machines at present. It is also worht remembering that protocols such as Yamaha's MLAN, which may very well end up being an industry standard within a few years, are based exclusively on the Firewire interface.
 
is there a difference between FireWire/USB and PCI interfaces in terms of reliability & speed? If I see the lousy FireWire connectors, I always think that's not suited for a rock-steady data/audio stream, compared to a PCI card which sits in a slot.
 
Giganova said:
is there a difference between FireWire/USB and PCI interfaces in terms of reliability & speed? If I see the lousy FireWire connectors, I always think that's not suited for a rock-steady data/audio stream, compared to a PCI card which sits in a slot.
Click to expand...

Don't worry! Electrons are pretty small items (R= < 10E-15 m) !!The cross-sectional contact area of the connector might seem like a bottleneck to your macro visual senses but to an electron it's a pretty large field.
 
luckily, electrons are indeed small (I am a physicist and have worked that out, too ;)

I was more worried about the fact that the USB and FireWire connectors don't really sit tight, compared to a PCI card.
 
can anyone address this idea specifically?

Veej007 said:
i've heard that usb -- whether 1.1 or 2.0 -- provides a less stable data stream
Click to expand...
 
Giganova said:


I was more worried about the fact that the USB and FireWire connectors don't really sit tight, compared to a PCI card.
Click to expand...

six pin firewire is pretty damn tight if you ask me. four pin and usb are certainly less so.
 
Veej007 said:
can anyone address this idea specifically?
Click to expand...

I said before noone can address this issue as there is no USB 2.0 interfaces available yet! But yes USB 1.1's data stream rate is less than ideal. My friend had a Tascam USB interface for a while but it wasn't exactly reliable which is why he got rid of it.
 
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