What's Better than Delta 1010?

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dmemphis

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I have a Delta 1010, and I'm not happy with the quality.
Just listening to direct vs. thru the unit and out a monitor out
is disappointing.
I'm wondering what the next several step ups are,
can someone give a few suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Lots of stuff. Things with comparable IO options include the Echo Layla and Layla 3G, the E-mu 1820 and 1820M, The RME Hammerfall Multiface, the MOTU PCI-424 card with your choice of box, the Aardvark Q10 (though I understand Aardvark might be going out of the business pretty soon). Quality wise, the RME has long been held as having some of the very best converters out there, and most of the same guys who said this agree that the E-mu 1820M is up there as well, possibly better. There is, of course, the Lynx cards for pure sound quality, but that's not a multi IO card like it seems that you want.
 
I couldnt imagine the Delta 1010 being the big problem if you like what you hearing. The 1010 has pretty good converters in my opinion. The Motu stuff is a little cleaner and the RME is probably the best your going to find in that range.

But if theres something really making you consider buying a new interface i cant imagine that really fixing the problem. How do you know its the Delta 1010?

Danny
 
memphis. if you feel you need more than a 1010 i would suggest you look elsewhere in your set up.
detail your set up in full....mic, mixer etc
 
I currently use the delta 1010... it currently has the best codecs money can buy. (the AKM's).

The most expensive EMU card out there has them... The nice thing about the 1010 is it is JUST A CODEC interface with no other crappy circuitry inside... those cards with preamps generally can't touch the 1010's noise flooor.

I/O options in a card = more noise... you want a clean Analog to Digital conversion going on in one unit. (look at protools stuff, same type of interface).

Check the rest of your signal chain and make sure it is of decent quality.... noise can be introduced ANYWHERE.
 
The Delta 1010 is the card to use if you want a cold, sterile sound. Just about
anything sounds as good or better.Do yourself a favor and go RME or Lynx.The1010 is a mediocre card at best.M audio is lucky they had a good run w/ the audiophile.I feel strongly enough about it to quit lurking and start posting!!By the way, if you ever need tech support at m audio -forget that too
Lame!
 
i take it your woman cheated on you with someone that works for m-audio? i have the audiophile and will be moving up to a 1010 or something in a little while and noone has straight out bad-mouthed m-audio about the 1010 except for those who couldnt figure out how to work it. after they read the directions or it was explained to them, they changed their minds....most of the time i guess
 
I've got a 1010LT which may or may not be what you're talking about, but it is definitely the poorer quality card as a 1010 (with breakout box) has balanced ins and outs if I'm not mistaken.

The number one problem people have is the first two inputs are by default boosted to line level, so if you run line level into them without changing the jumpers on the card you'll have way too hot signal and get clipping and won't know what's going on.

When I got the card I read the directions before installing it so I changed the jumpers and haven't ever had a problem.
 
AKM schmaakkkmmm. There is so much more involved in a converter besides a "codec". Every bit of the box makes a huge difference on the way it sounds. From how it's grounded, the type of power supply, ALL the internal circuitry and wiring, and even jacks can make a difference.

I am not posting to "bash" M-Audio, but let's call it what it is.... cheap (can also be construed as affordable). As far as I am concerned, M-Audio is about the bottom of the barrel as far as interfaces go. This in and of itself is not meant toi say that it is "bad" because it is also one of the cheapest. Personally, I like RME, unless you can afford Apogee, Lavry, Mytek, Cranesong etc... I think the MOTU converters and the Aardvarks and Echo converters sound better as well. Actually, even the onboard converters on an Alesis HD24 sound pretty good (way better than I ever expected out of a $1500 24 track recorder that has 24 channels of A/D and D/A).

This doesn't mean to run out and sell your M-Audio equipment either. There may be other purchases that might have an even more dramatic impact on your recordings, but then again, maybe not.
 
well i guess you could consider it to be one man's trash is another man's treasure..and m-audio seems to be a treasure for alot of people.
 
working with a large frame analog console and a dedicated DAW I would have to spend 10 times what I did on My Deltas so hear any reasonable improvement on my system.

RTFM
 
I believe you could do it by spending only $1500 on an Alesis HD24. There is a pretty marked difference there. Especially with something as nice as your Saber. I love those little desks:) I think you owe it to your console to put some converters on it that are capable of what it is:)

None of my comments are meant to say that an M-Audio will make your work sound bad, only that for just a little more money, it may sound that much better;)
 
LemonTree said:
working with a large frame analog console and a dedicated DAW I would have to spend 10 times what I did on My Deltas so hear any reasonable improvement on my system.

RTFM
Click to expand...

or a MOTU HD 192 i hear(meaning hear say) these converters are sweet

or spend about 1800 and get 2 Lynx B's(2in's 6 outs)
 
Not to keep this going hehehehe...

The thing that makes the Delta great is that it is ONLY an codec interface. It doesn't have all of the front end junk found in most cards these days. Let's face it, the AKM codecs produce a -117db (tested, if you don't belive me, look it up in google) noise floor when idle, which is beyond amazing. Show me something that can do better in the world, and then we can talk. You can pay 10,000 for a piece of equipment that will still only function marginally better.

Most of these pieces of equipment that cost $1000 more, just have several more codecs giving you 16-24-32+ channels of bi directional transfers at one time.

I know this because of my profession...

I'm saying all of this because most people who talk down to interfaces under $1000 like the delta, have a bad understanding of what really goes on inside that rackmount piece of equipment.

Bottom line, there are only a few ultra low noise codecs on the market, and the M-Audio delta 1010 gives you the best ones out for a nice price.

If you own one and don't like how it sounds, then check your pre-amps, and other gear surrounding the delta. It is not going to skew (color) the signal, it's only job is to sample the waveform and convert it to a 24bit value, or read the sample and produce a voltage across the line.
 
I do agree that the Delta interfaces are not amazing. But i do agree that they are pretty neautral. I think that is what genob is trying to say. I used the delta 44s for years when i was starting out and although they wernt flattering i dont really feel they were degrading my sound. Just nothing really special. And in my opinion thats not too bad for the money.

But i definately noticed an increase in conversion quality when i upgraded to the Motu 2408mk3. They arnt even considered to have great converters but i could tell the difference and i liked them much better. Then i add an Alesis HD24 as a frontend to the motu. One of the best things ive ever done in the studio besides upgrade my monitors.

But i think the bottom line, i still dont believe that its the delta is the problem for majorly degrading the sound like you are kind of claiming. It might not be doing anything special for your sound but it shouldnt be clamming it up too bad.

Danny
 
darnold said:
But i definately noticed an increase in conversion quality when i upgraded to the Motu 2408mk3. They arnt even considered to have great converters but i could tell the difference and i liked them much better. Then i add an Alesis HD24 as a frontend to the motu. One of the best things ive ever done in the studio besides upgrade my monitors.
Click to expand...

You upgraded to the MOTU from the 44? The 44 and 1010 don't use the same converters.
 
xstatic said:
I believe you could do it by spending only $1500 on an Alesis HD24....None of my comments are meant to say that an M-Audio will make your work sound bad, only that for just a little more money, it may sound that much better;)
Click to expand...
just a little more money? a 1010 is like 449....$1500 is a huge jump.
 
The difference is that $1500 gets you 24 tracks, plus a nice slick back-up/portable solution. Codec or not, the M-Audio converters just sound very bland to me. My front end is great. Run the same signal into a nicer converter and there is a difference. Run track after track in a multitrack mix and there is a HUGE difference. Personally, just the RME converters make a huge difference, in my opinion, over the M-Audio converters. Even the Motu's make a noticable difference.

Like I said earlier, I am not trying to knock M-Audio, but am trying to be realistic and call it waht it is. To me, M-Audio is what you buy if you can't afford the really nice stuff, or even can't afford Lucid, or Motu, or RME. The bottom line though, is that to me, they just don't sound good. Its just like Behringer. They offer a competitive featured product at a low price point. In return the end user has to sacrifice some quality.
 
I gotta agree with the bad assessment of the 1010 converters. They are a somewhat "lame" sound to me.

Quote specs all you want, I have first hand experience working with that POS. We spent money on a Lucid clock which helped somewhat, but it STILL doesn't hold it's own against some other affordable a/d/a's.

It was a happy day at the studio when we got rid of the 1010, opting to go via ADAT Lightpipe via a RME card to the Alesis HD24 for multi-track d/a, and via the S/PDIF of the RME card to Presonus Central Station. After was made the move, all the work I had did at that studio started to sound like IN THE STUDIO what it sounded like outside of the studio. Meaning, I felt like all the stuff that I felt was wrong with the mixes ONLY AFTER listening on other playback systems become obvious via the new converters.

I am no MAudio fan as far as a/d/a quality goes. They may make a popular interface that is easy to use, and offers a decent price vs. feature set, but it is a seriously lacking card when it comes down to outright sound quality. Most guys, once they have moved on from that card hear the immediate difference in better a/d/a 's.
 
xstatic said:
I believe you could do it by spending only $1500 on an Alesis HD24. There is a pretty marked difference there. Especially with something as nice as your Saber. I love those little desks:) I think you owe it to your console to put some converters on it that are capable of what it is:)

None of my comments are meant to say that an M-Audio will make your work sound bad, only that for just a little more money, it may sound that much better;)
Click to expand...


ok so I spend $1500...actualy make that nearer $2000, I'm in the UK....I'm now recording to the HD24......how much MORE do I then need to spend to dump the 24 tracks from the HD24 into the computer for editing, automation and the use of the £1000's I've already spent on softwear plugs?

I've worked with the Alesis HD24 and I honestly can't say I noticed an audiable improvement from dumping straight to the comp via the 1010's. Maybe my ears have a lot of growing to do still, so I'll sit back and let them grow instead of throwing cash into a bottomless pit at this point. :eek: :p
 
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