Interface

[mikgag]

Right now we record our practices through a Mackie board, stereo out to a Audiophile 2496 card into Soundforge. Works great.

Would like to keep this setup for recording jams, but looking for an interface for when we would do tracking. I plan on using the channel inserts off the Mackie (1 click in) into an interface (PCI or Firewire) recording in Reaper.

These are the contenders so far. Any pros? cons? Like to keep it used and in the same low price bracket.

1)Echo Layla 24
2)Delta 1010
3)Edirol FA101

Only the first 6 channels on the Mackie have pres and that's how many mics I use on drums, so I don't really need more than 6 inputs. Any other suggestions?

 

[dgatwood]

Would like to keep this setup for recording jams, but looking for an interface for when we would do tracking. I plan on using the channel inserts off the Mackie (1 click in) into an interface (PCI or Firewire) recording in Reaper.

These are the contenders so far. Any pros? cons? Like to keep it used and in the same low price bracket.

1)Echo Layla 24
2)Delta 1010
3)Edirol FA101

I would tend to steer you away from PCI. It is on its way out, being replaced with PCIe which isn't compatible with PCI cards. At this point, the number of PCI slots in your average machine is about two fewer than a couple of years ago, and steadily declining. It's just not a good long-term investment. By contrast, because you can always slap a PCIe FireWire card in anything with PCIe, FireWire gear won't be unusable until PCIe goes away in a decade or more.

PCI hardware also tends to use older converter tech and analog tech, so PCI gear is likely to have poorer THD and noise than newer designs of comparable quality. (A top-of-the-line PCI device will still probably sound better than a bottom-of-the-line FireWire device, of course.)

In other words, I'd tend to steer you away from the Delta and the Layla. The lack of any onboard preamps is also a real negative for both those interfaces, IMHO. Depending on how old the Mackie pres you're using, you may find a significant improvement using the pres in the interface.

There are lots of choices out there that would be reasonable, but of those three choices, the only one I'd touch is the FA-101.

 

[mikgag]

Depending on how old the Mackie pres you're using, you may find a significant improvement using the pres in the interface.

It's a pre-VLZ Mackie CR1604 from 19 god knows when.....however, we play pretty heavy stuff, so pristine acoustic clarity isn't on the top of the list