Hello! Let's start with a question: Trying to decide between 2 firewire interfaces

hertzdonut

hertzdonut

New member
Greetings one and all! Recent lurker, and first time poster here!

I'm hoping that someone with more experience than I (which wouldn't be hard, I have almost none!) could share some thoughts or suggestions on my purchasing decision.

For my $300 budget, I've narrowed it down to the Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 or the PreSonus FireStudio Mobile 10x6. I'm just a hobbyist, and relatively new to recording, mixing, etc. Any pros out there, don't cringe, but I really like GarageBand. (I'm not looking to sell CD's. That, and I've only been playing guitar for 2 years!)

My main requirement is to be able to be able to plug in 2 mics and 2 guitars all at the same time, and record them to individual tracks. Either one of these listed below can do that (unless I've really misunderstood their capabilities!)

Beyond that, I guess it boils down to the included software and/or other included goodies.

If anybody has any insight or opinions, I'm open to suggestion!

Oh, if it matters, I'm on a fast MacBook Pro, 2.4 Ghz running 10.6.2, with 4 GB RAM. It's not the newest rig, as it has ports for Firewire 400 and 800. (New ones no longer come with Firewire 400)

Here's the Focusrite:
Saffire Pro 24

and the PreSonus:
PreSonus Firebox 6 x 8

Thanks!

Jeff
 
TheChikenMaster said:
why are you plugging in two guitars and two mics?
Click to expand...

Fair question! When my buddy comes over, that way I can record our guitars and vocals to separate tracks while playing together. I know that for technical purposes, it makes more sonic sense to record each track one at a time, but where's the fun in that? :)

Or am I missing something obvious? :confused:
 
So are you going to record your guitars by micing the amps or by plugging them directly into your interface?
 
On both of those units, you have two inputs that act as preamp/instrument inputs. Then the rest of the analog inputs are line level. That means that you'll use the two preamps for the microphones and in order to plug your guitars in direct, you'll need a couple of external preamps to get your guitars up to line level.

Or, plug your guitars in to the instrument jacks and get a couple of external preamps for your microphones then plug those into the line inputs.



Make sense?
 
And also, I'm a Presonus fan, but having the optical input on that Focusrite might come in handy later on if you wanted to add more inputs.
 
dastrick said:
On both of those units, you have two inputs that act as preamp/instrument inputs. Then the rest of the analog inputs are line level. That means that you'll use the two preamps for the microphones and in order to plug your guitars in direct, you'll need a couple of external preamps to get your guitars up to line level.

Or, plug your guitars in to the instrument jacks and get a couple of external preamps for your microphones then plug those into the line inputs.

Make sense?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, yes!

dastrick, I greatly appreciate this info! There's nothing worse than getting into something, only to discover that it ain't a-gonna cut it.

Hmm...well, well. So...my $300 spent on either of these units won't really get me what I want...

<Grabs thinking cap, plops it on his head...>
 
If you're not opposed to used gear, you could go that route. You can easily find 8 input interfaces for under $300. I sold a couple of Firepods a few months back for $300 each.
 
Yep, I just might have to explore that used path...

Man, I can't even imagine the decisions that must be necessary when it comes to choosing the multi-thousand dollar setups.
 
dastrick said:
With only recording 4 tracks at a time, you could get by with a USB interface.
Click to expand...

Right or wrong, I was concerned about latency. Although that Lexicon Omega certainly seems appealing. And for 100 bucks less.

Lexicon Omega

As they say, "If it seems too good to be true..."?

But I really do like their plain talk: "...gives you the freedom to record up to 4 tracks at once and mix without the need for additional mixing hardware."
 
Well, the good news is: I won't need external preamps for either of these units with my intended setup (two mics, two Taylor guitars)

dastrick mentioned above:
"On both of those units, you have two inputs that act as preamp/instrument inputs. Then the rest of the analog inputs are line level. That means that you'll use the two preamps for the microphones and in order to plug your guitars in direct, you'll need a couple of external preamps to get your guitars up to line level."
Click to expand...

With the two Taylor guitars we'd be using have built-in preamps. The electronics for those guitars can be read about here (they call it the Expression system):
Taylor Expression System

And to quote from their site:
"The preamp, developed with collaborative input from pro audio pioneer Mr. Rupert Neve, boosts the pickup signal cleanly, without the need for artificial EQ "coloration". The balanced, low-impedance signal the Expression System produces can run direct into a mixer or PA in most situations, and is free of distortion at almost any volume."

Having been doing a LOT more researching and reading all over the place, the general feeling I get is that both of these interfaces are good, but there were comments (elsewhere) regarding the lack of customer service from PreSonus.

Anyway, thanks one and all for the comments and feedback. This noob appreciates it! :)
 
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