New Interface needed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gidge
  • Start date Start date
Gidge

Gidge

Lapdance Test Dummy
I'll never need for than 2 channels, so to save $$$ lets keep it simple...

USB, no firewire...

preamps need to be at least DMP3 quality...

converters need to be at least Audiophile 2496 quality...

will use it with Windoze 7...

Onyx Black Jackjack, Emu 0404 and Focusrite Saffire 6 have come up in my research...I havent had my ear to the ground on whats new and great in interfaces in years so let me know whats out there...
 
Midi would ne awesome, but lack of is not a deal breaker...
 
Gidge said:
Onyx Black Jackjack, Emu 0404 and Focusrite Saffire 6 have come up in my research...I havent had my ear to the ground on whats new and great in interfaces in years so let me know whats out there...
Click to expand...

I was going to recommend one of those 3.

Seems to be driver issues on the Mackie forum.
 
I have the same question..I'm going thru a Line 6 interface now thats on its last leg and I'm looking for something new...

anyone with any recommendations?
 
the Focusrite is great. They use very nice preamps.
 
chirp..chirp chirp....

any more opinions on these or any others?
 
I checked out the MAudio Pro....its got some buttons for monitoring, that most others dont.

Which recording software wrks with it ? IDK..

Gidge you still have your VC3's? The MAudio would fit underneath those too if needed.
I like the idea of a mini-rack of these deskltop units, or even set them on their side like the "lunchbox" designs.
Keeps the clutter down.
Noticed the Pro has PAD buttons too, thats cool. And INSERTS.... I saw them for $179 at GC, the last year models probably $150 is doable.
 
Hey Gidge - I've used the E-MU 0404 USB for a few years now, and been very pleased with it. The preamps are quiet (right up to the point that they aren't), but I usually run outboard preamps into it anyway. It also handles MIDI, if that's important for you (I haven't used MIDI yet with mine, but otherwise it does what I've asked it to do brilliantly). It has a few quirks, but they're easy to work around.
I've also used the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra Pro on the job, and it works beautifully, and eliminated some conflicts with Windows 7 that we were getting with the Delta 44 and 1010 converters. It's rather more expensive, though.
 
whyseye said:
Hey Gidge - I've used the E-MU 0404 USB for a few years now, and been very pleased with it. The preamps are quiet (right up to the point that they aren't), but I usually run outboard preamps into it anyway. It also handles MIDI, if that's important for you (I haven't used MIDI yet with mine, but otherwise it does what I've asked it to do brilliantly). It has a few quirks, but they're easy to work around.
I've also used the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra Pro on the job, and it works beautifully, and eliminated some conflicts with Windows 7 that we were getting with the Delta 44 and 1010 converters. It's rather more expensive, though.
Click to expand...

Ooops - just saw that you're running Win 7. 0404 USB only has beta patches for 7, so you may want to factor that in.
 
CoolCat said:
I checked out the MAudio Pro....its got some buttons for monitoring, that most others dont.

Which recording software wrks with it ? IDK..

Gidge you still have your VC3's? The MAudio would fit underneath those too if needed.
I like the idea of a mini-rack of these deskltop units, or even set them on their side like the "lunchbox" designs.
Keeps the clutter down.
Noticed the Pro has PAD buttons too, thats cool. And INSERTS.... I saw them for $179 at GC, the last year models probably $150 is doable.
Click to expand...

a few years ago I scaled down my gear and kept only one preamp - my Symetrix sx202..some days I do miss my Meeks though...
 
whyseye said:
Ooops - just saw that you're running Win 7. 0404 USB only has beta patches for 7, so you may want to factor that in.
Click to expand...

Just to revisit this....I was at a very prestigious VO studio today at union headquarters (named for, and containing some of the gear of, the greatest movie trailer voice ever), where money was no object in building and outfitting the space.

In the smaller of the studios, I was happily surprised to see the 0404 USB in use with a MacMini, running Win 7 via BootCamp (I think). Knowing how carefully gear was selected for this studio, I know that they wouldn't be using it if it weren't reliably compatible. They were also using an outboard channel strip, so they were likely bypassing the pres in the 0404, but I didn't ask.

As usual, YMMV, etc., but just thought I'd throw that out there if you're still looking.
 
CFox said:
I was going to recommend one of those 3.

Seems to be driver issues on the Mackie forum.
Click to expand...

I just picked up a pair of Blackbirds. Sound quality is great, build quality is great, but the drivers are a little finicky. I plan on posting more of a review soon, but I haven't gotten into any actual recording yet, so I didn't want to jump the gun. The weird thing I'm noticing is that, when daisy-chained, while I can pick which unit is the master, Windows always defaults its main outputs to one of them (which, in this case, is the one hooked into the other one, not directly to the computer, which is kind of odd). Haven't figured out if there's a way to change that. I also couldn't get any sound out of them earlier and the mic plugged into input 3 was showing up in the software mixer as ADAT 3 instead. Turned them both off and back on and the problem went away. Maybe it's because I turned them on before I turned on the computer. No major issues so far, though. And I am using Windows 7.
 
whyseye said:
Just to revisit this....I was at a very prestigious VO studio today at union headquarters (named for, and containing some of the gear of, the greatest movie trailer voice ever), where money was no object in building and outfitting the space.

In the smaller of the studios, I was happily surprised to see the 0404 USB in use with a MacMini, running Win 7 via BootCamp (I think). Knowing how carefully gear was selected for this studio, I know that they wouldn't be using it if it weren't reliably compatible. They were also using an outboard channel strip, so they were likely bypassing the pres in the 0404, but I didn't ask.

As usual, YMMV, etc., but just thought I'd throw that out there if you're still looking.
Click to expand...

cool...the 0404 is still on my short list....

but the short list got bigger:

Onyx Black Jackjack, Emu 0404 and Focusrite Saffire 6, M Audio Fst Track Pro, Presonus AudioBox
 
I have the same question..I'm going thru a Line 6 interface now thats on its last leg and I'm looking for something new...
 
Gidge said:
a few years ago I scaled down my gear and kept only one preamp - my Symetrix sx202..some days I do miss my Meeks though...
Click to expand...

i can relate, i had the VC1Q and miss it. the VC3 is 80% the same.

i'm test driving the Focusrite Pro 40, its rack mount but the knobs and everything seem to feel justlike all the focusrite saffire line. seems well built. having just had the ISA One for two weeks, the pre's dont come close to that sound.....the ISA One was like having great s%x, but then its a analog only....and I need a interface first and can't afford both right now.

if you're going 2-Channel only.......

I have a original Tascam 122 thats built like a tank, and was really pretty enjoyable. Actually Frontier Design built these early ones and its 24bit Cyrex Spartan chip etc...I found one $50 CL, metal casing, solid plugs , inserts, pretty straight forward too.

The M-Audio one had the mono and speaker a/b that was a close one for me. $200~

I think the Pro40 $450 might be more than I need, the drums could come in on 4 inputs, I dont do midi....Pro 14 or Pro 24 is around $200-$300

Soundwise I think all of these are doing 24- 48 or 96


>edit> after posting I realized a lot of the difference of the Pro40 and Pro14 is the extras.....optical in/out, pad switches, dim buttons, dual headphone jacks, rack mount casing and 8 + analog inputs (more preamps). I suspect the pre's and everything else is from the same parts-inventory as far as sound quality goes.

just stating the obvious..... if a person doesnt need all the extra optical in/outs and midi, no sense paying for it.
 
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