Audio Interfaces

For the production cats:

Hola Everyone. I am currently using a M-Audio Audiophile USB audio interface. The damn thing always drops audio and I have read of similar problems on the net. I have tried other drivers with no luck. Also I can never get the control panel to work on it either. Well my new computer came in yesterday (Quadcore FTW!) and I’m looking to get things running smoothly on the production front.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a nice sort of cheap audio interface? Anyone have one they would be interested in selling? I just use it with Ableton and VSTs with no audio recording needed. I have looked into the Focusrite Sapphire but they are a bit too expensive right now for what I am using it for.

~mathias

Last edited by Quadlow on Jul-15-2008 at 19:17

i have delta 192 its a little bit older but works great no drivers issues...im surprised you are having problems with your card..which one is it?

go firewire if anything. I use a firewire 410 from m-audio. Many people either like it or hate it. It's not bad imo and haven't had any problems with it so far. If you want to get a good one look into the MOTU Firewire interfaces...

oh yeah firewire is all good

I've learned to stay away from ANYTHING M-Audio, I've just had waaaay too many problems with their cards over the years. I think the best deal for a firewire card right now is the Presonus Firebox. Its got 6 1/4" outs and 4 1/4" ins. Its rugged as hell and has a really loud headphone amp: something that can really come in handy during noisy house parties. I had one for about a year and just loved it. My friend just bought one and its worked wonders for him too.

1 word of caution: do your homework on your firewire chipset. If you have a mac, you should be in the clear, but if you have a PC, check what your firewire chipset is in the device manager. If you have an "OHCI compliant device" or "VIA firewire chipset" you will be in trouble. The best chipset is the Texas Instruments.

Best of luck, interfaces can be a total crapshoot.

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quote:

Originally posted by peteone i have delta 192 its a little bit older but works great no drivers issues...im surprised you are having problems with your card..which one is it?

See I personally don’t like internal cards. I like having it the interface right on my desk so I can plug shit in and out easily. It’s an Audiophile USB.

quote:

Originally posted by cervy go firewire if anything. I use a firewire 410 from m-audio. Many people either like it or hate it. It's not bad imo and haven't had any problems with it so far. If you want to get a good one look into the MOTU Firewire interfaces...

That is what I have always been told in regards to Fire Wire. I’m still just wondering what the big difference is though. I know it transfers information faster but the USB 2 seems to work just fine (when its working). I have looked at the 410 but for a just a few dollars more I could pick up the Sapphire which I have heard is pretty solid. Hmmm.

yeah honestly if I had a chance of buying again i would go with something else, most probably the new MOTU firewire boxes. which are really nice I think

quote:

Originally posted by Max Thomson I've learned to stay away from ANYTHING M-Audio, I've just had waaaay too many problems with their cards over the years. I think the best deal for a firewire card right now is the Presonus Firebox. Its got 6 1/4" outs and 4 1/4" ins. Its rugged as hell and has a really loud headphone amp: something that can really come in handy during noisy house parties. I had one for about a year and just loved it. My friend just bought one and its worked wonders for him too. 1 word of caution: do your homework on your firewire chipset. If you have a mac, you should be in the clear, but if you have a PC, check what your firewire chipset is in the device manager. If you have an "OHCI compliant device" or "VIA firewire chipset" you will be in trouble. The best chipset is the Texas Instruments. Best of luck, interfaces can be a total crapshoot.

Yeah I feel yeah about M-Audio. I use to love their stuff but this interface has just killed me. Nothing is worse than getting in the groove and having to restart my damn computer every time it decides it doesn’t want to work. I haven’t tried it on the new PC yet so that may help. The new computer is a PC. I am usually a MAC guy but were getting a new macbook in the fall and couldn’t pass up the price on the pc. I didn’t get firewire installed on it because I found I could get a card for much cheaper .. bad move? The Presonus looks pretty sweet, thanks for the recommendation.

what are you going to use ableton for ? production or live pa/dj-ing

i think you mentioned using vsts so i guess production will be your path..
and for that reason only you should just go with cubase when using pc

quote:

Originally posted by cervy yeah honestly if I had a chance of buying again i would go with something else, most probably the new MOTU firewire boxes. which are really nice I think

got yeah. the MOTU boxes are real nice just a bit out of the price range i’m looking at. fuck it I might just go ahead and sell my interface to some poor kid on ebay and call it a day to cover the cost, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by peteone what are you going to use ableton for ? production or live pa/dj-ing i think you mentioned using vsts so i guess production will be your path.. and for that reason only you should just go with cubase when using pc

i know we have talked about it, its used for edits and production. i have been using ableton since version 2.0 and know how to use it like a champ. no reason to change now.

i used Logic when I still had my mac. personally logic is sweet but ableton is just about as good. the only major difference I have when working with them is the audio quality in ableton sucks compared to logic. i guess each person has a program they like, some people like cubase, reason, logic, protocols. just a matter of finding what works for you.

Last edited by Quadlow on Jul-15-2008 at 20:43

werd and shit ;-)

i have an audiophile USB, it's useless. not enough outputs, not enough inputs, terrible latency even with ASIO

if you're using ableton for edits only (no "real" production) then tbh i don't think it matters a whole lot what soundcard you use. someone pro correct me if i'm wrong though. your onboard sound is probably good enough.