USB, Firewire, and the world of bad audio interface reviews

[AddisonXI]

Alright guys I got 2 points to hit here. Hope I can get some clearity.(So happy I found this place)

1) Just making sure I'm understanding this...USB and Firewire, either will do for home recording. USB is more geared toward 2 track recording or no more than 2. Firewire handles more tracks better and is quicker? It seems in theory that Firewire is the better choice overall, but for what I'll be doing USB will suffice just fine. Am I understanding the USB-Firewire debate right?(did a search of it and that is the knowledge I've come to)

2) M-audio Fast Track Pro. I look at this. I'm recommended it. It looks nice. It seems to have what I need to start my path down the home recording world. But I read certain bad reviews and people paint such a bad picture of it I second guess myself. Reviews will mention that the mic preamps are no good and barely heard. I don't fully understand preamps yet even after reading.

Here is an excerpt on the review:

BEWARE: This is advertised as 96 KHz, when in reality IT CANNOT BOTH INPUT AND OUTPUT THIS SAMPLING RATE SIMULTANEOUSLY! It's one of most ridiculous things I've ever encountered. This is not advertised ANYWHERE on the box, their site, or in the manual. In reality, the highest quality you can get with this is 48 KHz. The only way you could get 96 KHz is if you didn't have any output - i.e. speakers - which is absurd and insulting to even an amateur sound engineer. The pre-amps are also extremely poor quality, but you get what you pay for. Don't expect much from this unit.


I found a good deal on a Presonus Firebox on ebay.. Used, but like new(????) For about 100 dollars and I also found the Fast track Pro for a good price bout 50 dollars under MSRP brand new. I guess every ones experience is different with equipment but do you agree for the needs of such a beginner as myself I will not be unsatisfied with the Fast Track Pro?

and So.


Thank you. ^_^

-Brought to you by your favorite newbie of the week.

 

[Bristol Posse]

USB and Firewaire don't sound any different. FW will allow you to stream more data at once so can accomodate more tracks recorded at once. If you are doing one or even two or three tracks at a time USB shouldn't be a problem

I guess every ones experience is different with equipment but do you agree for the needs of such a beginner as myself I will not be unsatisfied with the Fast Track Pro?

Unless it's broken you'll be fine, it's as good a place as any to start

The pre-amps are also extremely poor quality, but you get what you pay for. Don't expect much from this unit.

As compared to what? a $2500 single channel preamp through a $3000 dollar mic in a $250,000 purpose built and tuned recording space? Yes that's true. compared to other interfaces in the price range, simillar.
Enough clean gain to get your mics up to line level without adding a bunch of noise which is what you need to start recording music

This is advertised as 96 KHz, when in reality IT CANNOT BOTH INPUT AND OUTPUT THIS SAMPLING RATE SIMULTANEOUSLY

If this is true it would be a problem if you wanted to record and play back at the same time at more than double the sampling rate of CD or MP3, which is where your going to have to end up anyway. If you don't need ridiculously high sample rates playing back and recording simultaneously its not a problem

Many people who write these kind of scathing reviews are often blaming the unit itself for their own error
for "Too quiet" you can usually read not as loud as a professionally mastered CD release, which usually means the writer has no knowledge of good gain staging and audio processing.

For "Sounds Bad" it usually means the user was recording far too hot (trying to get as loud as a professionally mastered CD release at the recording stage) and clipping and distorting their signals beacause the writer has no knowledge of good gain staging and audio processing

For "doesn't do what it says it should" it usually means the writer misread the specs and manual, if they bothered to look at all. Most of the details are freely and easily available and are quite clear if one takes the time to check

It's kind of like sticking your car in first gear and trying to drive on the freeway and then writing a scathing review about how terribly the car performs, is real loud and burns oil like crazy and overheats when you try and get it over 30 miles an hour, when in fact the problems stem from the fact that you don't actually know how to use a gearbox correctly

most of these starter interfaces do a perfectly acceptable job of recording audio onto your hard drive. If you use them sensibly and record at appropriate levels your results should be fine. If you are running super hot signals and clipping the hell out of everything you could be using the greatest gear on earth and it would still sound awful when you play it back

Also many folks are surprised when starting out that this magic, xxxxxx PRO names gear doesn't make our first ever recording attempt sound like the worlds greatest album of all time. Some people take that as an epiphany and an opportunity to perform, play, sing, write, rehearse and record better next time, others blame the gear and start chasing the magic bullet that willl make them sound more "PRO"

 

[jaygee]

It states the sampling rate specs quite clearly on their website:

I/O Bit Depth Sample Rate (kHz)
4 x 4 16 44.1/48
2 x 4 24 44.1/48
2-in OR 2-out 24 88.2/96


Took me about 30 seconds to locate this information.

To be honest, there's not a huge audible difference between interfaces in the same price range.
I worry more about driver stability, and the interface having the number of i/o I'm looking for.

 

[Armistice]

I would have said exactly what Bristol Posse said... except not as well...

 

[Bobbsy]

Is anyone else beside me worried by the expression "no good and barely heard"? I don't WANT my pre-amps to be heard. I want them to amplify the sound the mic is making without adding undue noise or colouration. Unless you're up into the realms of boutique pre-amps worth thousands that get used for a specific sound, "barely heard" seems like high praise to me.

The Fast Track Pro pre-amps are fine--certainly better than those on a lot of cheap mixers where you get a whole mixer for the price of the Fast Track--and on a par with any other audio interface in the price range. The Presonus is also fine, though perhaps a bit noisier than the Fast Track (though not a lot in it).

The 96kHz thing? Fairly normal. A lot of audio gear, even at expensive pro level, reduce their capacities at the sample rate goes up. "Eight tracks at 48kHz, four tracks at 96kHz" is a very standard spec. Frankly, having played with listening tests, I don't bother going above 48kHz but that's my decision. In any case, unless you need simultaneous 96kHz ins and outs, file this under "not a problem".

USB vs Firewire? Not a lot in it. The actual theoretical speeds of USB2 and Firewire are not all the different. Where there IS a difference is that a firewire connection is dedicated bandwidth while the USB is shared--if you plug other things into the computer, they share capacity. I do use firewire...but have a system that can record/playback up to 32 tracks at a time. For 2--or even 8--tracks, I would have no qualms about USB.

The other consideration is that, unfortunately for me, Firewire seems to be a dying technology. Most new computers don't even have Firewire connections and I may have to find a new solution at my next upgrade.

 

[AddisonXI]

Hmm. Thanks for the clarity. Like I've stated before I'm overly indecisive and it helps to have someone who knows what they're talking about. I'm sure I will be very happy with my purchase.