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WHAT Audio interface?
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| ENZ83 |
Hey guys i got a budget of 300 pounds. what AU should i get? im using logic 7 on an intel i mac I havent got any hardware synths but i may want to later like a akai mpc500 and maybe a reverb and synth, when the money comes in!
cheers |
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| ENZ83 |
I thought a bit more money will maybe get me a better sound quality?
what are the edirol firewire ones like? |
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| echosystm |
| quote: | Originally posted by ENZ83
what are the edirol firewire ones like? |
Very poor AD/DA, at least compared to Echo & MOTU.
You don't necessarily get better sound quality for a higher price. For example, the cheap E-MU 0404 has very good quality AD/DA, but not many ins and outs. The drivers are also crap. Conversely, the Edirols are much more expensive, have crap AD/DA, but have far more ins and outs.
IMO, once you get to around the level of an Echo or Presonus interface, AD/DA is less of an issue; they are good quality and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and a MOTU. The specs are pretty close and diminishing returns kick in pretty quick. That said, driver quality, preamp quality, I/O, support and so on are all part of the value of the product. This is what you are really paying for with a MOTU. If you want better quality sound than an Echo, you better be prepared to buy $2,000US monitors, accoustic treatment and expensive cables as well, because you won't be able to appreciate the difference otherwise.
SO, If I were you and...
1. I was going to get 1 or 2 synths, I would get an Echo AudioFire 4.
2. I was going to get more synths, I would get a MOTU Ultralite - the price difference between an Ultralite and an AudioFire 8 (60 pounds) makes it worthwhile.
PS. The entire AudioFire line are all of the same quality (roughly), the only difference is that the higher models have more ins and outs. |
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| MrTheDevious |
| What's wrong with the drivers for the E-mu 0404, exactly? I was actually planning on picking one up soon because all I need is a pair of 1/4" ins. I'm running WinXP, not Vista, if that makes a difference |
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| Trance4life2008 |
| Well i have the Digidesign Mbox2 and im happy with the quality |
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| echosystm |
| quote: | Originally posted by MrTheDevious
What's wrong with the drivers for the E-mu 0404, exactly? I was actually planning on picking one up soon because all I need is a pair of 1/4" ins. I'm running WinXP, not Vista, if that makes a difference |
E-MU have always had a turbulent history regarding drivers. Now they are owned by Creative, which isn't exactly reassuring. Bad driver quality is part of their reputation I suppose. That said, reputations aren't always correct. |
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| ENZ83 |
Thanks mate i'lll maybe have a look at the motu! as you never know i may want more hardware one day.
thanks again!!
| quote: | Originally posted by echosystm
Very poor AD/DA, at least compared to Echo & MOTU.
You don't necessarily get better sound quality for a higher price. For example, the cheap E-MU 0404 has very good quality AD/DA, but not many ins and outs. The drivers are also crap. Conversely, the Edirols are much more expensive, have crap AD/DA, but have far more ins and outs.
IMO, once you get to around the level of an Echo or Presonus interface, AD/DA is less of an issue; they are good quality and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and a MOTU. The specs are pretty close and diminishing returns kick in pretty quick. That said, driver quality, preamp quality, I/O, support and so on are all part of the value of the product. This is what you are really paying for with a MOTU. If you want better quality sound than an Echo, you better be prepared to buy $2,000US monitors, accoustic treatment and expensive cables as well, because you won't be able to appreciate the difference otherwise.
SO, If I were you and...
1. I was going to get 1 or 2 synths, I would get an Echo AudioFire 4.
2. I was going to get more synths, I would get a MOTU Ultralite - the price difference between an Ultralite and an AudioFire 8 (60 pounds) makes it worthwhile.
PS. The entire AudioFire line are all of the same quality (roughly), the only difference is that the higher models have more ins and outs. |
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| Sinnica Hax |
| im using a cme matrix k FW.. its not too bad is it ? :sadgreen: at least it works for me :D |
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| kitphillips |
For producers who only use Vsts, your really only paying for a decent (not neccesarily brilliant) quality output, and also the drivers, which make your computer run faster and help you bring down the latency. Of those two things, the drivers are hte more important, so don't worry about the quality too much. Have you looked at the new digidesign mbox mini or whatever? Its basically the size of a memory stick, but the drivers are probably ok. Only problem with it is that you have to pay for the pro tools DAW too, which is rubbish.
I think echo make a cardbus interface if thats better maybe... |
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| cryophonik |
I've got a MOTU 828mkII (FW) that I use with my desktop DAW (PC w/Windows XP SP2). The drivers are rock-solid and the MOTU is a beast of an interface. I've never used the Ultralite, but I hear good things about it all the time over on the Cakewalk Sonar forums.
I also have an E-mu 0404 (USB model) that I use primarily with my laptop (HP with Windows Media Edition) for mobile recording. I've also used it with my desktop on occasion and I've never had any issues with the drivers on either computer. |
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