USB alternatives Pros and Cons?

[adam]

I am trying to link my Fostex FD8 to my new Dell computer, using the FD8's optical s/pdif out. I was ready to buy a digital daughter card for my turtle beach ii card but heard that it is limited to 16-bit transfers. Not sure if this is an issue. Is it? I also came across the USB alternative. The plug & play aspect is appealing (I hate fighting to configure my computer). Roland's UA-30 seems a good choice and it also has a 1/4 inch guitar input (my main instrument). What are the Pros and Cons USB vs. digital i/o on a soundcard?

 

[drstawl]

S/PDIF and AES/EBU can transmit at different sample rates and sample sizes. USB can also accomplish this (theoretically) but I've yet to see an app accept other than 16 bit audio via this port.
Does the FD-8 have 24 bit or 96 KHz capability????
I'm not sold on the UA-30. Seems a bit too noisy from the reviews I've heard. Plus there is only one input instead of the typical stereo pair. Really convenient in every other aspect, though. Now a USB MIDI port controller sounds like a good idea....
You've got a slot and an IRQ free if you yank the TB card. Don't fear a nice soundcard.
They're plug and play as well.
Long for one every waking moment.

[This message has been edited by drstawl (edited 04-14-2000).]

 

[Bassman]

I've looked for the UA-30, where have you seen it reviewed? or Sold?. Oalso Tascam is coming out with one next month, the US-428 it is supposed to have 24 bit A/D and it has 2 mic and 2 line inputs.. it looks cool, thinking of getting it..

 

[lkmuller]

I have a UA-100 and I have to tell you that I experienced a low frequency hum when recording, no matter which guitar I used. I've only been able to solve that by attaching a wire to the output jack of my guitar and grounding it to my body while recording. Sheesh. Other than that, though,the UA-100 has been pretty easy to use. It has, in effect, taken the place of my soundcard. I've got my sound module connected to it and it has made it very convenient doing midi stuff. But the recording part is lacking (sigh). In hindsight I think maybe a better choice would have been a Layla or a Gina, where you would get more inputs and no noise. Just my opinion. By the way, the UA100 and the UA30 can both be seen a edirol.com.

[This message has been edited by lkmuller (edited 04-15-2000).]

 

[adam]

Man, that is a shame about the hum. The UA-30 seemed like the perfect solution for my needs at this point. I like its modular nature and I have a laptop that I could also use. I just wanted something simple. I use the desktop for stuff other than recording - business applications (work), internet surfing, listening to cds, etc. Can a Gina or other card handling gaming, system sounds etc? Can I use 2 cards, one for recording, one for everything else? I just thought this would be complicated and could cause problems.