Audio interface with isadora

particlep

my post is an enquiry into audio interfaces.

i've searched the old forum and found the maya44 usb interface. i know of the m audio fast track pro 4x4 interface. through an internet search i found the focusrite saffire pro14 and the m audio firewire 410.

i want four independent channels of audio output from isadora.

does anyone know of the advantages/disadvantages of usb or firewire interfaces ?

i know from the the old forum that the maya44 utilises the core audio on the mac. will all the other interfaces do the same, what do i need to look for in the interface paperwork to know that they work with core audio?

Skulpture

Firewire is faster and can handle more data as its a two way path at the same time; inner and outer core.

I DJ and perform with a USB interface and its perfect. With only 4 channels it will be very un-likey you will push it to far and have it stop or drop out.

I really like the fast track interfaces, but its only 4 mono outputs (2x stereo phono) so its a little misleading in some ways. Thats presuming we are talking about the same model? [[http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/m-audio-fast-track-pro-4x4-mobile-usb-audio-midi-interface-with-preamps--29998](http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/m-audio-fast-track-pro-4x4-mobile-usb-audio-midi-interface-with-preamps--29998)] You also need the external power supply to allow more than 2 ins and outs.

The focusrite stuff has a long time respect from users for its great sound card quality. We have some at work and you can tell to some degree that the sound is clear - especially top end stuff.

Most audio interfaces 'hi-jack' the core audio so unless anyone can correct me I wouldn't worry about this as they are all the same.

IMO go for USB as firewire is awkward and falls out of machines quite easy; if this happens it can sometimes fry the firewire chip too. USB is safer for your machine in this sense.

vanakaru

I you plan to use microphones get Saffire. These are the best preamps available on that price range of product. Very good sound and very low noise.

particlep

skulpture, it is that interface. i note that it's been discontinued now. vanakaru thank u for the heads up about the saffire. my research continues

mark

I think that every audio interface will use Core Audio -- there isn't any choice since Mac OS 10.0.

With regard to the interface, I've been using Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) products since the company was founded -- I simply find the quality and usability excellent. I have a "Traveller" but perhaps the Audio Express or Ultra-Lite mk3 are worth looking into. They are probably not the cheapest, but really there stuff is very high quality and worth a few extra $$ if you can afford it.

Best Wishes,

Mark

particlep

i've found another device today, the esi gigaporthd+

http://www.esi-audio.com/products/gigaporthd+/

i'll now check out the devices you have mentioned mark.

particlep

part of my system design logic in considering an interface is if i'm using a lot of usb input devices that using firewire as an output device for audio would be a cleaner option. obviously i have no idea what usb is capable of handling.

dbini

in my experience, i would advise anyone to avoid buying an m audio firewire 410. i bought one second hand from ebay, spent a week failing to get it to work on any machine. the drivers are evil. in the end i sold it for less than i paid for it and bought an edirol FA-101. worked straight out of the box and sounds fine to me.

particlep

thanks for sharing your 410 v 101 experience. the fa 101 looks like a fantastic machine, however it's proving a difficult one to track down.

i feel slightly spoilt for choice.

kdobbe

My experiences with many different MOTU products has kept me coming back to their hardware. I teach audio at a local college and have purchased over 20 different MOTU audio interfaces and have experienced continued uninterrupted use. I have a number of Isadora works with 8 audio outputs and the MOTU units have been solid.

particlep

i've come across the edirol fa 66 today. still i'm unsure what to plump for. clearly the initial response of a budget device like the m audio 410 (well budget due to re sale on ebay) was a starting point and through the process have quickly got up to speed with what else is available. i had worked with an m audio box in the past. the motu stuff looks fantastic, however there amount of features they pack are way more than my current scope of work. then there's the saffire pro 14.

ummm. dam this indescision.

vanakaru

True it is not easy to pick one. For me was Focusright preamps that helped to decide(actually I got Digidesign M-Box 1gen with these and loved it). For other reasons I bought Mackie Onyx Satellite that have pretty much as good preamps but I use the MBox still with the mac I keep 10.5.6 specially for recording. If I would have found Saffire PRO 24 with good price I would be much happier now. I almost never use the Onyx nowdays.

BTW for everyday playback only I use HarmonyAudio Firewire.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug05/articles/migliaharmony.htm

It was very cheap (due to discontinued?) 50 quid or so and for playback my Macboo Pro it is plenty.

particlep

thank you for your post vanakaru. your refering to your everyday playback option has made me realise that actually i'm primarily after everyday playback and that's kind of why i'm having so many problems deciding which interface to plump for.

i've of course now got it into my head that firewire will be better than usb and i'd like as many outputs as possible so i can carry on experimenting once i've done four. kind of building in spare capacity from the start to allow future expansions.

i tried to find the miglia harmony audio interface. i think you did well to get that when you did, as it seems to have disappeared off the internet since!

Skulpture

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/category/computer-music/audio-interfaces/firewire

particlep

thank you for the link skulpture. i've continued my research and there does seem to be the opinion that for recording firewire is definitely the way to go. i've also been looking at the usb focusrite interfaces and was quite surprised to find them about the same price as the firewire interfaces. i think i have some sort of firewire / usb hang up.

i do notice with the focusrite firewire stuff that it comes bundled with ableton lite.

if only there was a toy library where i could borrow something for a month and then return it.

i looked again at the edirol fa 66 and it's aesthetic quality certainly took my eye this morning.

so it' ll be a weekend of watching ebay and being patient.

smacforbes

I have intermitted communication with a new AKAI EIE Pro USB interface with 4 channel in and out and 4 usb hub. Why might IZZY not see the device ( even after running scan devices) in the audio/sound input in LIVE CAPTURE SETTINGS? I don't see it in the potential devices in system prefs either. I am on mountain lion on a 2011 MBPro. I have had it work. I tried different order of booting and loading etc. Any help would be great.
!

mark

Does it show up in Apple's Audio MIDI Setup application? Using that program, can you for instance, make it the default sound input device?

Do you have the proper drivers for Mountain Lion installed? Are you sure it supports Mountain Lion?

Best Wishes,

Mark

Skulpture

If you go to thier website;

http://www.akaipro.com/eiepro

Go to documents and downloads; there is some information about GateKeeper and drivers for Mountain Lion.