SFF (Small Form Factor) machines and Pro Audio PCI

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Cerddwyr

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Is anyone using an SFF machine like a Shuttle or BioStar with a high end PCI card like an M-Audio Delta-44?
My concern is, with the small case and tight electronics on the motherboard, many people have noticed problems with things like power supply whine being picked up by the sound card. This is really bad with on-board sound, but even some Audigy users have reported it. I would assume that a pro audio card is better shielded, but I would still like to hear of a success story before I pay big bucks.
Or for that matter, is anyone here using a USB or FireWire interface with an SFF machine? If i can find a good 4X4 FireWire solution with 1/4" inputs rather than RCA I might just go that route. The PS in an SFF machine is pretty minimal, so an external FireWire device with its own wall wart would be a good idea. Then again, do thse things have external power, with a bus power option, or are they all bus powered?
Also, are the converters on the Delta card, or in the breakout box? External converters would certainly be nice.

Hope someone here is playing in the SFF sandbox and has some comments. Otherwise I guess I am the guinea pig who will be telling all the war stories later. I wonder if M-Audio would lend me a card to test? Hmm... Probably not.

Gordon
 
I've tried my Audiophile in a Shuttle box before. No problems with the sound. The enclosure really doesn't make THAT much of a difference.

The chipsets on those various boxes, though...that does make a difference. Stick with Intel to be safe. YMMV on others.

Note: The Delta 44 has converters on the card. If you want them outside the box, things like the Aardvark and MOTU put the converters in the breakout box.

I'm honestly quite interested in the MaxIO XD, which can do four units off one PCI card...but it still hasn't come out yet. And there are plenty of firewire pieces to pair up with das boxen...
 
Sklathill,
that MaxIO XD box does look pretty slick. More than I will ever need. If I ever actually use 8 simultanious tracks I will be thrilled, and that is probably WAY down the road.
As for the SFF box, glad to hear someone is trying this. It sure seems like a great way to record live shows, or even have a pretty good mobile studio setup. I have a BioStar 200n (nVidia nForce chipset, Athlon 2500+) so I am a little worried about the card working. And if I upgrade, it will be to an AMD Athlon64 most likely (AutoCAD is how I make my money, this audio stuff looks to be another hobby, along with road biking and backpacking, to slurp that money away ;). I hope I don't get forced into the Intel chipset or External FireWire Audio decision. Truth is, I suspect the people I have heard saying FireWire solutions are inferior to PCI solutions probably have much more capable ears than I!
The more I think about it, the more a 4 in FireWire box sounds like a good idea. But then again, the Tascam US-122 comes with software, and is maybe the best place to start playing around.

Gordon
 
That's interesting. I am seeing my post twice, with very different times, but I only hit send once. Hmm.

Gordon
 
I'm using a Delta 1010LT in a Shuttle.

I do get some interference through the outputs but it's never shown in the recorded tracks or the final output (in the box mixes).

Otherwise it's been great.
 
I put together an ASUS Pundit for my "family" computer, and I'm so impressed by the quietness of the system, that I'm thinking of building another as a DAW.
It's small and extremely functional - and for a P4 2.4G, it moves along pretty well, even with shared video memory (which was the biggest surprise).
My current PC is a fan screamer compared to the Pundit ...
Maybe I'll do it ...
Mike
 
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