Recommendations for USB / Firewire Audio interface

[Prosebass]

I had a little studio setup a few years ago (about 10) and ran a Cyrix 300Mhz system with a Creative Live PCI card , Studio Logic keyboard etc and mainly used Acid, Reaktor, Fruity loops, Cool Edit Pro and Magix Music Creator.

Things have moved on a bit and I have just been a lucky sod for once and have been given a Dell 1520 Laptop, with a 2GHz core duo processor, 2 gig of ram, massive hard drive , DVD-RW , Nvidia graphics etc... its a superb spec so it is going to be the basis of a new music setup.

It has USB2 and a 4 wire Firewire port, and I am thinking of getting the new Acid 7 when its out as I am familiar with the software and never got on with Cubase.

I need an interface with on board processing preferably and it will be used mainly for inputting bass and some old analog equipment and midi. Not too bothered about phantom power for mics but I would like a stereo out from it to go straight to my powered monitors. Secondhand is good as I am on a budget, (£100.00) Let me know what you use and what your views are.

[G-77]

I got a Motu 828 MK II , its usb & got lots of inputs, 2 xlr Mic with Phantom Power, lots out outputs & works as a Stand alone Mixer. [url="http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mkII/"]http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mkII/[/url]


The 828 MK III if firewire and has built in EQ, compression and reverb. [url="http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mk3"]http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mk3[/url]

unfortunately both more that £100.

I know a few people who use The Alesis Multimix 8 it comes as USB or Firewire, i believe the USB is more reliable
[url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/alesis-multimix-8-usb/66984"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/alesis...mix-8-usb/66984[/url]
that around £120

Edited October 18, 2008 by G-77

[Archetype]

I can second the MOTU stuff. top quality gear without a doubt!

[Prosebass]

The Motu looks good stuff but I'm a little worried that they only state XP in the operating systems.
I know Vista is flaky but I am stuck with it, and I know from experience that most Acid programs will not work with it.
I tried an old version of Acid Pro 3 and it falls over when you record audio.
The new Acid 7 will be fine, but not too sure about interfaces that don't list Vista.

Have you used the Motu with Vista of XP / OSX ?

[urb]

I use one of these, and it's at decent price from Thomann £115 (see link(, it has the same quality Mackie drivers that are in the full Mackie Onyx desk that costs £1500 and is essentially a mixing desk without the mixer:

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/mackie_onyx_satellite.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/mackie_onyx_satellite.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.mackie.com/products/satellite/"]http://www.mackie.com/products/satellite/[/url]

you can run powered monitirs from it and it has 8 inputs as well, including MIDI, it's damn cool

M

[Prosebass]

[quote name='urb' post='309859' date='Oct 19 2008, 03:19 PM']I use one of these, and it's at decent price from Thomann £115 (see link(, it has the same quality Mackie drivers that are in the full Mackie Onyx desk that costs £1500 and is essentially a mixing desk without the mixer:

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/mackie_onyx_satellite.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/mackie_onyx_satellite.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.mackie.com/products/satellite/"]http://www.mackie.com/products/satellite/[/url]

you can run powered monitirs from it and it has 8 inputs as well, including MIDI, it's damn cool

M[/quote]

That looks a cool, fully featured piece of kit ,especially with the "pod" and the bundled software.
Just checked with them and they only recommend XP with service pack 2 .......

[urb]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='309866' date='Oct 19 2008, 03:34 PM']That looks a cool, fully featured piece of kit ,especially with the "pod" and the bundled software.
Just checked with them and they only recommend XP with service pack 2 .......[/quote]

Damn that's typical innit... that's why I decided to switch fully to using Macs as the audio software available just seemed to be better catered for, not that there's anything wrong with PC solutions in terms of quality, it's just things like Garageband and Logic (and Pro tools) all work on a mac... I tried using Cubase and it did my head in... though Logic has it's own set of quirks, I just can't afford Pro tools.

OK, here's the updated one I used to use from Tascam the US 122 (which I had to replace as the old one didn't like the new Mac OS) this one looks ace and seems to like both Windows and Mac looks even cheaper than the Mackie, it works a treat as well,

It's exactly £100 as well!

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/tascam_us122_l.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/tascam_us122_l.htm[/url]

Well worth getting IMO

M

[~tl]

I would spend a little extra and get a FireWire interface over a USB 2 one. In my experience they tend to be more stable and less prone to problems, though you do end up paying slightly more for the same number of inputs and outputs.

[jamesf]

[quote name='~tl' post='309872' date='Oct 19 2008, 03:44 PM']I would spend a little extra and get a FireWire interface over a USB 2 one. In my experience they tend to be more stable and less prone to problems, though you do end up paying slightly more for the same number of inputs and outputs.[/quote]

+1, and I'll second the option for a Mackie Satellite - been using one as my main converter for ages and sounds stunning, as it should, as the converters are the same AKM chips used in the digidesign I/O boxes - not prism or apogee quality but certainly blows most things out of the water.

MOTU make excellent products, but their drivers can be a bit unpredictable. The Traveler is one of the best all-in-one solutions I've used, and the preamps are very usable with good gain range, and most of the recent MOTU family share parts of this architecture. The Ultralite (IIRC?) is very good but some of the knobs are a bit fiddly unless you get some bits of small rubber hose and attach them as knob-extenders (no jokes, please!) so it'd be worth saving for one of these if you want something which offers a bit more functionality than the (very) basic but excellent features on the Mackie - i chose the Mackie simply because it had all the features I needed, and nothing more, but YMMV naturally. It worked ok with windows, but nowhere near as stably as with OSX.

If you're hell bent on saving money, go for the mackie as you can get one dirt cheap off the bay, and you'll always sell it on. Personally I'd look at the Apogee Duet as it's one of the best interfaces on the market today, and comparatively not expensive once you factor in the Apogee converters and pair of pres you get - these have made themselves a name in commercial recording already, with some Phantom Planet releases being recorded using these and a macbook. They're over your budget for sure, but if you want stellar performance at a reasonable price, that's the one I recommend.

Not sure about Vista compatibility with any of these, I've only ever used it once. There's an M-Audio FW410 on the sale board for £140, and that's a bit of a bargain, they're good interfaces, particularly with surround work. The preamps are focusrite, and I've got some ok recordings out of one using AKG Se300B's straight in, so that may be a good option to investigate - again, you'll always sell a FW410 on if you don't like it!

Hope this helps,

J

[Tracer]

I've gotten on fine with [url="http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=15185"]this one[/url] from EMU. The AD converters are supposed to be good for the money, and it had the input options I needed.

The latest version of the drivers say they work with Vista, but I can't vouch for them.

[dr.funk]

[quote name='jamesf' post='309896' date='Oct 19 2008, 04:40 PM']Not sure about Vista compatibility with any of these, I've only ever used it once. There's an M-Audio FW410 on the sale board for £140, and that's a bit of a bargain, they're good interfaces, particularly with surround work. The preamps are focusrite, and I've got some ok recordings out of one using AKG Se300B's straight in, so that may be a good option to investigate - again, you'll always sell a FW410 on if you don't like it![/quote]

As the person selling aforementioned interface I have to agree that it's a good piece of kit. I have done a few recordings using a pair of behringer pencil condensers on acoustic guitar & drums and it sounded good to me. I have checked the website and M Audio do have Vista drivers.

If your interested give me a PM, price negotiable

[Dubs]

I’d always recommend a 2nd hand Mbox mini for that sort of price. Amazing value for money when you consider that it comes with ProTools (it’s soon to start shipping with version 8 but you’re obviously dependent on what’s available if you’re buying 2nd hand, but ProTools 7 was good – try and get 7.4 if you can). A lot depends on what you need it for though…

[Prosebass]

[quote name='jamesf' post='309896' date='Oct 19 2008, 04:40 PM']+1, and I'll second the option for a Mackie Satellite - been using one as my main converter for ages and sounds stunning, as it should, as the converters are the same AKM chips used in the digidesign I/O boxes - not prism or apogee quality but certainly blows most things out of the water.

MOTU make excellent products, but their drivers can be a bit unpredictable. The Traveler is one of the best all-in-one solutions I've used, and the preamps are very usable with good gain range, and most of the recent MOTU family share parts of this architecture. The Ultralite (IIRC?) is very good but some of the knobs are a bit fiddly unless you get some bits of small rubber hose and attach them as knob-extenders (no jokes, please!) so it'd be worth saving for one of these if you want something which offers a bit more functionality than the (very) basic but excellent features on the Mackie - i chose the Mackie simply because it had all the features I needed, and nothing more, but YMMV naturally. It worked ok with windows, but nowhere near as stably as with OSX.

If you're hell bent on saving money, go for the mackie as you can get one dirt cheap off the bay, and you'll always sell it on. Personally I'd look at the Apogee Duet as it's one of the best interfaces on the market today, and comparatively not expensive once you factor in the Apogee converters and pair of pres you get - these have made themselves a name in commercial recording already, with some Phantom Planet releases being recorded using these and a macbook. They're over your budget for sure, but if you want stellar performance at a reasonable price, that's the one I recommend.

Not sure about Vista compatibility with any of these, I've only ever used it once. There's an M-Audio FW410 on the sale board for £140, and that's a bit of a bargain, they're good interfaces, particularly with surround work. The preamps are focusrite, and I've got some ok recordings out of one using AKG Se300B's straight in, so that may be a good option to investigate - again, you'll always sell a FW410 on if you don't like it!

Hope this helps,

J[/quote]

Sure does cheers...

[quote name='dr.funk' post='310455' date='Oct 20 2008, 02:30 PM']As the person selling aforementioned interface I have to agree that it's a good piece of kit. I have done a few recordings using a pair of behringer pencil condensers on acoustic guitar & drums and it sounded good to me. I have checked the website and M Audio do have Vista drivers.

If your interested give me a PM, price negotiable [/quote]

Will look into the spec and have a think on it , don't suppose you need a good inexpensive Jazz Copy making for you or Artec electronics or pups...?

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='310474' date='Oct 20 2008, 02:43 PM']I’d always recommend a 2nd hand Mbox mini for that sort of price. Amazing value for money when you consider that it comes with ProTools (it’s soon to start shipping with version 8 but you’re obviously dependent on what’s available if you’re buying 2nd hand, but ProTools 7 was good – try and get 7.4 if you can). A lot depends on what you need it for though…[/quote]

I only need it for bedroom use for recording bass and a few analogue bits and pieces but it needs to be good quality and most of all stable with Vista .
I could quite easily get by with a single audio input , a midi input, USB or firewire into my laptop, a stereo out for my powered monitors and a headphone out.
I am sure the laptop is powerful enough with a core duo 2.0Ghz chip and 2 gig of ram to do all the processing, I used to manage with 256k and a 300mhz processor...

Edited October 20, 2008 by Prosebass

[Dood]

I'm watching this thread with interest! I bought an M-Audio firewire interface and found that it wasn't compatible with my Dell hardware.. It seems that M-Audio have a great deal of threads about hardware compatibility on their Website forum. Kinda put me off firewire and I am looking in to USB interfaces instead, so would welcome any advice from those who are using them.

I would welcome any reviews with ref to Line6, Roland/Edirol or any other 'trusted' brand.

[lateralus462]

[quote name='urb' post='309870' date='Oct 19 2008, 02:44 PM']Damn that's typical innit... that's why I decided to switch fully to using Macs as the audio software available just seemed to be better catered for, not that there's anything wrong with PC solutions in terms of quality, it's just things like Garageband and Logic (and Pro tools) all work on a mac... I tried using Cubase and it did my head in... though Logic has it's own set of quirks, I just can't afford Pro tools.

OK, here's the updated one I used to use from Tascam the US 122 (which I had to replace as the old one didn't like the new Mac OS) this one looks ace and seems to like both Windows and Mac looks even cheaper than the Mackie, it works a treat as well,

It's exactly £100 as well!

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/tascam_us122_l.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/tascam_us122_l.htm[/url]

Well worth getting IMO

M[/quote]

I'd definitely recommend these Tascam interfaces - I used one of the older ones for years and never ever had a problem with it. Also they do a similar firewire interface for about 100 quid [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/38097/product.htm?gdftrk=gdfV2356_a_7c416_a_7c1181_a_7c38097"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/38097/product.ht...c1181_a_7c38097[/url] which also has transport controls etc. looks like a good buy - and according to the Tascam website it's also Vista comaptible as well.

Edited October 31, 2008 by lateralus462

[Dood]

Really interested in knowing if anyone has used one of these? Lexicon Omega Interface [url="http://www.lexiconpro.com/ProductIndex.aspx?ProductID=6"]http://www.lexiconpro.com/ProductIndex.aspx?ProductID=6[/url]

[lateralus462]

[quote name='dood' post='319123' date='Oct 31 2008, 03:24 PM']Really interested in knowing if anyone has used one of these? Lexicon Omega Interface [url="http://www.lexiconpro.com/ProductIndex.aspx?ProductID=6"]http://www.lexiconpro.com/ProductIndex.aspx?ProductID=6[/url][/quote]

I've not used one myself, but I've heard good things about them - I think these were nearly 300 quid when they first came out - looks like you can pick them up for just over 100 now seems like good value.

[Dood]

Hmmm... I just found some very recent posts on the Lexicon forum that would suggest that the unit has issues, which is worrying.. Apparently there is a design fault. Lexicon, it seems forgot to add heatsinks to the power regulators.. now I'm no genius, but even *I* would fit them when building projects! So maybe leave that one and look for something else until such times that they address the problem.

[lateralus462]

[quote name='dood' post='319148' date='Oct 31 2008, 03:54 PM']Hmmm... I just found some very recent posts on the Lexicon forum that would suggest that the unit has issues, which is worrying.. Apparently there is a design fault. Lexicon, it seems forgot to add heatsinks to the power regulators.. now I'm no genius, but even *I* would fit them when building projects! So maybe leave that one and look for something else until such times that they address the problem.[/quote]

That's not good - would certainly put me off buying one. Shame though a couple of my friends have had these and said they were really good interfaces.

[Dood]

[quote name='G-77' post='309542' date='Oct 18 2008, 09:34 PM']I got a Motu 828 MK II , its usb & got lots of inputs, 2 xlr Mic with Phantom Power, lots out outputs & works as a Stand alone Mixer. [url="http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mkII/"]http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mkII/[/url]


The 828 MK III if firewire and has built in EQ, compression and reverb. [url="http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mk3"]http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828mk3[/url]

unfortunately both more that £100.

I know a few people who use The Alesis Multimix 8 it comes as USB or Firewire, i believe the USB is more reliable
[url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/alesis-multimix-8-usb/66984"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/alesis...mix-8-usb/66984[/url]
that around £120[/quote]


I'm trying to find out if the Motu stuff supports Vista 64bit. You guys know off hand? (Sorry to derail the thread.. but its all useful info!)

[ben604]

I've had an Emu 1212m for years and I must admit, they're very good cards for the price. You get 2-in/2-out on 1/4" jacks and a further 8-in/8-out on ADAT lightpipe, so there's plenty of room for expansion. The onboard DSP effects are usable too, so you might want to take a look at the external versions of that range. I've got an Emulator X version too which is an ace software sampler and a few GB of really good samples. You can literally build a track using these samples and record audio on top in Cubase. 2nd hand from ~£80-100.

I've just taken delivery of a Focusrite Saffire 10 Pro and I was literally recording in Cubase within about 10 minutes. To be fair, I only tinkered with my bass for about 20 minutes as my wonderful girlfriend wanted some attention so I'll give it a proper go tonight and at practice with the laptop on Monday night and let you know how it fairs. But that is firewire with 10-ins/10-outs and a fairly sizable unit, so maybe over the top for your use. We want to record practices on multiple tracks every week so we can all learn better and work on individual parts at home. This cost me £200.

Edited October 31, 2008 by ben604

[Biggsy]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='309797' date='Oct 19 2008, 12:14 PM']The Motu looks good stuff but I'm a little worried that they only state XP in the operating systems.[/quote]

Just my 2p on MOTU;

I've got 2 ancient 828 MK1's, and I've always found the drivers to be rock solid. The MOTU website does show Vista (you might need to be signed in to see that) and infact, MOTU were amongst the first to introduce Vista 64 drivers for their interfaces.

Again, considering how old my MOTU's are, the driver support has been superb. I now use Vista, and am utterly impressed by the company's commitment to continue providing up-to-date drivers for even outdated products. So much so that I'm saving my pennies for the 828MkIII!

Edit: I just remembered some other potentially helpful info; MOTU reccomend Texas Instruments Firewire chipsets, so it's worth checking what your shiny new PC has. I've never tried it on any other chipsets as all my PC's have come with TI, but that may explain why some people have had troubles.

Edited October 31, 2008 by Biggsy

[Biggsy]

[quote name='dood' post='319171' date='Oct 31 2008, 04:15 PM']I'm trying to find out if the Motu stuff supports Vista 64bit. You guys know off hand? (Sorry to derail the thread.. but its all useful info!)[/quote]
Yep!

[attachment=15452:MOTU.jpg]

[dr.funk]

[quote name='Biggsy' post='319184' date='Oct 31 2008, 04:37 PM']Edit: I just remembered some other potentially helpful info; MOTU reccomend Texas Instruments Firewire chipsets, so it's worth checking what your shiny new PC has. I've never tried it on any other chipsets as all my PC's have come with TI, but that may explain why some people have had troubles.[/quote]


I was just going to mention that. According to Sound on Sound you really need a laptop with a texas instruments firewire chipset if you are going to run a firewire interface without hassle. Unfortunately that information is quite hard to find out.

[Prosebass]

[quote name='Biggsy' post='319184' date='Oct 31 2008, 04:37 PM']Just my 2p on MOTU;

I've got 2 ancient 828 MK1's, and I've always found the drivers to be rock solid. The MOTU website does show Vista (you might need to be signed in to see that) and infact, MOTU were amongst the first to introduce Vista 64 drivers for their interfaces.

Again, considering how old my MOTU's are, the driver support has been superb. I now use Vista, and am utterly impressed by the company's commitment to continue providing up-to-date drivers for even outdated products. So much so that I'm saving my pennies for the 828MkIII!

Edit: I just remembered some other potentially helpful info; MOTU reccomend Texas Instruments Firewire chipsets, so it's worth checking what your shiny new PC has. I've never tried it on any other chipsets as all my PC's have come with TI, but that may explain why some people have had troubles.[/quote]

Cheers for that , I think I will go with USB.
I am trying to break the habit of researching for 2-3 months by which time more equipment has come out and you end up chasing your arse with equipment anorakism instead of actually creating music.....
The firewire on the Dell 1520 I have is only 4 wire so anything I use would need to have a power supply , not the case with some USB units.
The Motu is probably a little too expensive and OTT for my needs. I am also considering using Linux and Rosegarden but really want to use the new Acid 7 as I have used Acid from 1 through to 4