USB interface

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jimarick
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Jimarick

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Hi,

Im looking at USB interface/mixing devices. I want to spend up to £300 but no more. I want to record a guitar with 2 microphones and one mic on vocals. Is it possible with a USB device to record 3 sources at once, and have them all fed through to cubase via USB1.1? I realise that the bandwidth available on the USB 1 connection is very limited. Will it mean that the recording quality will suffer majorly?

Recording acoustic guitar and vocals, what sort of samlpe rate and bit depth should i try to reach before any more improvement wont be noticeable?

Are there any firewire or USB2 devices people could reccomend instead?

Thanks
 
Although i am DEFINATELY NOT an expert, i am gonna have to go with no on the usb 1.1. I don't think that would work well for recorded 3 mics. I may suggest a usb 2.0 device such as the tascam us122 (can record 2 mic's at once) or maybe a m-audio usb box. If you have fire wire that would prolly be the way to go. Better yet, would be a pci card.
 
minofifa said:
Although i am DEFINATELY NOT an expert, i am gonna have to go with no on the usb 1.1. I don't think that would work well for recorded 3 mics. I may suggest a usb 2.0 device such as the tascam us122 (can record 2 mic's at once) or maybe a m-audio usb box. If you have fire wire that would prolly be the way to go. Better yet, would be a pci card.
Click to expand...

The 122 is USB 1.1 and so are all M-Audio USB interfaces.
 
reply

Many USB devices cannot record more than two inputs at a time anyway. USB 1.1 is fairly slow, but USB 2.0 is actually faster than Firewire (although once you get up to those transfer rates nothing that you do will even challenge either of them) I'm also looking around for the same type of thing you are, but I might be recording bass and drums as well. I've done a lot of research and I just read a new review on the E-mu 1820 system. I'll probably end up buying that.

Someone tell me if I'm wrong...
 
Are the M-Audio boxes usb2? if not why would they be any different?

Ive just been looking at the "M-Audio USB Omni Studio 24 Bit/96 kHz, 4 In/4 Out USB Audio Interface".
 
Thanks, Ill check it out, tell me if you find aything else!
 
jayster10125 said:
Many USB 1.1 is fairly slow, but USB 2.0 is actually faster than Firewire (although once you get up to those transfer rates nothing that you do will even challenge either of them)
Click to expand...

That couldn't be further from the truth. Sustained transfer rates for USB 2.0 peak at about 200-250mbits/sec; Firewire can easily outperform that. Besides, USB 2.0 is still more of a CPU hog than Firewire.

It is easier to max out 400-480mbits/sec than you think.
 
OK..

Ive carried on looking and I basically have 2 options.

1./ I go for something like the E-Mu 1820 with a PCI card and a set top box with 2 mic inputs and lots of other inputs/outputs. This is approximately £250 (~$400).

2./I go for a cheaper soundcard, such as a Delta 44, and add in a mixer such as the Yamaha Mg 10/2 which has 4 mic inputs with preamps etc. This comes to approximately £200 (~$330).

The latter is cheaper and I get more inputs, however, i would not be able to have the computer record each seperate track individually. Also i would have no MIDI options which i do not use now but may in the future. What would people reccomend? Should i get a much cheaper soundcard than the Delta 44 since it is only used as an input?

Thanks
 
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