Upgrading Audio Interface (Can't decide which one)

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danpluso

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Hey guys I currently have a Toneport UX1 and I have decided I want to upgrade after messing countless times with messed up drivers. I recently got amplitube as well so I no longer need the use of Gearbox. With my toneport I have the problem of the drivers messing up every time I plug my 360 controller into my computer. I then have to uninstall everything, restart the PC, and then reinstall it to get it working again. I would like to have a seperate computer dedicated to recording but I do not have the money so I will have to do both my gaming and recording on the same rig. So I figured that going for a Firewire interface would probably be less prone to having other USB devices interfering with them.

I have narrowed my search down to these three:
TC Electronic Konnekt 8 (Found it for $345 CDN)
TC Electronic Desktop Konnekt 6 (Found it for $300 CDN)
E-MU 0404 USB (Found it for $287 CDN)
(I did have links but can't post them as this is my first post here)

I like the layout and simpleness of the konnekt6 but I have found the konnekt8 for only $45 more (That's a lot of extra I/Os and an extra preamp for small pennies IMO. Plus it has MIDI and S/PDIF). The E-MU 0404 has great reviews and sounds like a nice little interface however it is USB and I was kinda wanting to go with Firewire. I was just looking for some advice and opinions to help me make up my mind because I can not decide between the three. As I stated above I would like kinda like to stick with Firewire out of fear that another USB interface will have problems with some of ther other USB devices I use on my computer. I have also heard problems with the IRQ of USB ports can cause noise problems like clicks and pops. I have noticed a few clicks here and there with my toneport. With the toneport I could reduce the clicks but increasing the buffer size but then the latency sucked and since I use amplitube I need really good latency. So would you also recommend I stay away from USB?? From what I understand the toneport UX1 is USB1.0 so USB2.0 may not have any problems but I don't really want to take the chance. But dam that E-MU 0404 sounds like a nice little unit based on the reviews I have read.

So my main use of the interface right now is to plug my guitar in with a 1/4" patch cable and then run the sound into Amplitube and then be able to hear that processed sound from amplitube from my headphones as well as the audio coming from my DAW. So I would like very good latency. In the future when I get my own place I may switch to a mic to record my Peavey XXL but where I live right now there is no way I can even use an amp. I assumed that all interfaces would be able to do this but I am new to interfaces and it would be nice if someone could verify this. Another thing I would like to be able to do (The Mbox mini can do this) is have the ability to adjust what comes out of the headphones from the guitar input and the sound coming from the DAW. I like being able to control that because when recording guitar parts I like to hear my guitar a bit more.

Recommendations of other interfaces is also welcomed
Thanks for any help
 
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I was almost forced into changing interfaces and software....
beware any 64 bit XP pro issues, XP Pro 64bit is a oddity that doesn't work with so many softwares and has nearly zero support form Microsoft.:mad:
I was looking at the Konnekt too.
everythings going 64 bit it seems so whatever you can do, ask about that.
I'm no software dewd and several older plug-ins work with my 64bit XP and several don't. even Vista and XP 64 bit aren't always compatible...most softwares seem to be 32-bit. (don't ask me what 32 versus 64 bit means!)

Anyway..another technicality to beware of.

Not much comparison here...
I bought the cheapest M-Audio and then later got a EMU1820 dock (clearance PCI card)...and the EMU has been great. The EMU Patch/mix took a little bit of getting used too. but it worked with default setup and I don't save and do all the 45,000345 other things it can do....I just use it as a multitrack DAW.

No experience on the USB vs Firewire, but it seems Firewire is preferred in most article and posts.

I'd go with the Konnekt 8. Just because it's a bit more versatile.
In a few years the $45 will be nothing. Firewire too.

and you can be the guinea pig for me in case I buy one...:D

There's one vote and perspective..er... confused input....:rolleyes:
 
None of the above. The TC Konnekt series are based on the DICE II chipset. That chipset tends to be problematic on a lot of machines.

FireWire is usually a good thing, but not DICE II FireWire. Other similarly bad choices are the Alesis interfaces, the Presonus FireStudio/FireStudio Project, Mackie's FireWire mixers (except for the old mixers that got FireWire via an add-on card---those were BeBoB devices) and probably a few others.
 
Look into Echo Audio's interfaces. I've used three different ones from the, and am currently using a Layla 3G (PCI). The AudioFire line is Firewire and if the drivers work as well as they do with my Layla, rock solid if what you can expect.

My experiences with Echo have all been good. I have generally used the WDM drivers as I use Sonar software, but when I recently switched to Windows Vista 64/Sonar x64, the new ASIO drivers work great for me (a bit of an issue before on my XP install).
 
Here's my nasty, brutish, and short experience with interfaces in order of acquisition. I bought all of them used:

1) Presonus Inspire 1394 (firewire) - stable from the software perspective, decent sounding, but very noisy preamps. Over a couple of years, it's gotten to the point that turning on phantom power causes so much noise that you can't use it. Haven't tried contacting Presonus support.

2) MOTU Traveler - very good mac drivers and supporting software, very full featured interface - when using MOTU's cuemix software, there's no latency, and I've only rarely ever noticed any in Logic when there were a ton of plugins on a weak computer (nothing to do with the interface, obviously). Preamps were a little phasey/edgy/smeary sounding, and I had two of them completely flake out and have loud flicker-noise. MOTU support was good to me, even though it was out of warranty - replaced for a fairly low fee. Later, sent it to Black Lion Audio for mods, and now it's fantastic - very clean and stable preamps - use it all the time. Phantom power voltage is too low for some mics, but that's true of most interfaces.

3) Digi 001 - got the breakout box for $5 at GC and the PCI card on ebay for $35 - preamps sound terrible, and with the driver (ASIO-for-all was all we could find) it has tons of latency. We used it on my son's Windows XP box. Note that it was long out of support by Digi when I got it, so I didn't expect much

4) Echo Audiofire 12 - I got this one so I could have a whole lot of inputs - there are no preamps. I haven't used it a whole lot, but I'm impressed with the cleanliness of the analog ins and the A/D conversion, and the software is nice, and seems very stable. When both are externally clocked, it plays well with the traveler. Haven't noticed any latency -- +1 for Echo from me.

5) Lexicon Omega - I got this recently for cheap for my son to use (he rejected the Digi 001 on his PC, and recently has been using a Mac Mini and having trouble with the Inspire) -- this is USB and seems stable enough on the mac, but you'll read a lot of stability complaints for windows. He says it sounds bad, but I haven't worked with him on it -- I think he's only tried a transformerless SM58, which is a pretty demanding mic. I still have hopes.

So, my favorite is the BLA modded MOTU Traveler, but it's a little expensive if you buy it all at once. If I had to go with a quality/trouble-free vendor recommendation, it would be Echo.
 
someone explain this though....Firewire is only 400 mbs and usb 2.0 is 480. I haven't seen any DAW using firewire 800 yet, though I could be wrong.

so technically usb is slightly faster, but perhaps the usb buss might get slowed down "usb mouse, usb keyboard, usb midi controller" however....what is the latency between usb, chipset and external hard disk...

in reality, i think both are fine.
 
iownrocknroll said:
someone explain this though....Firewire is only 400 mbs and usb 2.0 is 480. I haven't seen any DAW using firewire 800 yet, though I could be wrong.

so technically usb is slightly faster, but perhaps the usb buss might get slowed down "usb mouse, usb keyboard, usb midi controller" however....what is the latency between usb, chipset and external hard disk...

in reality, i think both are fine.
Click to expand...
I bet you get a more precise answer, but I've heard that the operative difference for us is that firewire has its own processor, independent of the CPU, while USB relies on the CPU, and can get deprioritized (leading to drop-outs and stuff) -- a USB hard drive is smart enough to wait/resend if necessary, etc., but a microphone is merciless, and the interface it's ultimately attached to perhaps couldn't handle the buffering, etc., that would be necessary to compensate for being put on the back burner by the CPU.
 
Thanks for the replies. A lot of those interfaces are out of my price range. I check out the echo interfaces and they seem pretty nice but I don't like the lack of control on the interface itself. I am probably just going to settle on the TC Konnekt 8 unless someone tells me something really bad about it that will really change my mind.

So whats this DICE II? Could you explain a bit more? What kind of problems?

And from what I understand USB has a faster burst speed then firewire but firewire has a higher consistent speed at which it runs. I believe Firewire external HDDs are faster then USB2.0 HDDs.
 
yo dgatwood, what do you think of the roland edirol interfaces? i'm getting a fa-101... so far so good... i'd suggest one of the cheaper ones for you usb or firewire like the f 66 or something.
 
tojo said:
yo dgatwood, what do you think of the roland edirol interfaces? i'm getting a fa-101... so far so good... i'd suggest one of the cheaper ones for you usb or firewire like the f 66 or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah the Edirol FA-66 is actually of interst to me now that I have found it for the same price as the konnekt8.

Now I can't decide between the
Edirol FA-66 (Found for as low as $345)
TC Electronics Konnekt8 (Found for as low as $344)

So if I could just get some info on this DICE II that may make my decision a lot easier. From reading the first site that shows up when searching google for "DICE II" (Still can't post links) it seems like the DICE II is newer technology that will probably end up better over time.

About the Presonus Firebox.. I heard that the preamps are noisy and that a lot of people did not like the fireboxes. However I also hear that a lot of people like the firebox. But I have read more bad things then good things so I don't think I want to take a chance with a firebox.
 
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If you look up DICE II in the dictionary you'll see a picture of dgatwood frowning...

They had issues with drivers early on... I'm not sure where it stands now... but it's been a few years
 
antichef said:
2) MOTU Traveler - very good mac drivers and supporting software, very full featured interface - when using MOTU's cuemix software, there's no latency, and I've only rarely ever noticed any in Logic when there were a ton of plugins on a weak computer (nothing to do with the interface, obviously). Preamps were a little phasey/edgy/smeary sounding, and I had two of them completely flake out and have loud flicker-noise. MOTU support was good to me, even though it was out of warranty - replaced for a fairly low fee. Later, sent it to Black Lion Audio for mods, and now it's fantastic - very clean and stable preamps - use it all the time. Phantom power voltage is too low for some mics, but that's true of most interfaces.
[/QUOTE[

Not true of most interfaces, but it is true of an unfortunate number of bus-powered interfaces.
Click to expand...
 
tojo said:
yo dgatwood, what do you think of the roland edirol interfaces? i'm getting a fa-101... so far so good... i'd suggest one of the cheaper ones for you usb or firewire like the f 66 or something.
Click to expand...

The folks I've talked to who have used the FA-101 have generally felt it was well-built and reliable. It's a BeBoB device.
 
iownrocknroll said:
someone explain this though....Firewire is only 400 mbs and usb 2.0 is 480. I haven't seen any DAW using firewire 800 yet, though I could be wrong.

so technically usb is slightly faster, but perhaps the usb buss might get slowed down "usb mouse, usb keyboard, usb midi controller" however....what is the latency between usb, chipset and external hard disk...

in reality, i think both are fine.
Click to expand...

The difference is the Firewire is 'Full Duplex', but USB is only 'Half Duplex'.

Firewire can send and recieve information simultaneously, but USB can only do one at a time.

To the OP: I have no experience with any of those interfaces, sorry. I can vouch for Echo though. They make solid, reliable interfaces at a good price. Their tech support is supposedly good too. I don't know, because I've never had problems... ;)
 
I have the EMU 0404, and would highly recommend it to you.

Had mine for about 5 months now- had no latency or any other issues associated with USB interfaces. The pre's are nice and clean. If you do go for a USB interface, I think you should certainly look into getting this one.

Good Luck :D
 
Another interface is starting to interest me.

Focusrite Saffire (Found as low as $410)
or
Focusrite Saffire LE (Found as low as $295)

What do you think about these interfaces?

Would you say the Saffire is worth the extra $115 over the Saffire LE?
 
Gherkin said:
The difference is the Firewire is 'Full Duplex', but USB is only 'Half Duplex'.
Click to expand...

FireWire 400 is half duplex. I think you can do FireWire 400 speeds (S400) at full duplex, but only with FireWire 800 silicon.
 
danpluso said:
Another interface is starting to interest me.

Focusrite Saffire (Found as low as $410)
or
Focusrite Saffire LE (Found as low as $295)

What do you think about these interfaces?

Would you say the Saffire is worth the extra $115 over the Saffire LE?
Click to expand...

Avoid some of the newer Saffire Pro series, as many of them are DICE II. The original Saffire and Saffire LE are both BeBoB, and should be fine, as is the Saffire Pro 26.

I've generally heard good things about the pres and overall sound quality of these things. As best I can tell without actually using one, I'd give either of those my tentative thumbs up. :)
 
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