[hoagie]

I’ve read this forum off and on over the years, but I’m pretty sure this is my first post here.

I’m putting together a mobile rig for tracking 12-20 channels. For the core interface, I’ve fairly narrowed down the choice to a Motu Traveler, Presonus Firestudio, or a *used* RME Fireface 800. (Whichever device, it will be augmented by outboard preamps via ADAT and SPDIF).

I’m also hoping that this interface can do double-duty in my studio, providing better clock and converters to my existing setup based on a Motu PCI-424 (1224, 308, 2408). The 1224 is getting long in the tooth; I’m thinking that one of these newer interfaces will have improved specs.

Here’s where my brain starts melting: The Firestudio makes big claims for its ultra-low jitter clock. And I’ve *heard* that it’s clock is better than the Traveler’s. Yet the Firestudio’s touted jitter spec of “<300” pico seconds looks high to me. Compare that to clocks like Lucid and Rosendahl from ten years ago, where the jitter specs were in the range of 10-20 ps, or the Big Ben at 40-50 ps. But then, RME shows its “SteadyClock” technology as capable of 700 ps(!) Clearly, there’s some disconnnect here. I would think that jitter could be more objectively measured than, say, THD or dynamic range.

And does anyone know what the Traveler’s jitter spec is?!

Of course I know the smart talk about how jitter is just one variable among many, etc. But if want to be able to use this live-rig interface also as an improved clock (and likely converter too) in the studio, then jitter really is a key factor.

So which of the three boxes above would be best to replace (or improve) my Motu 1224? Or does anyone want to pitch out a wildcard, like the TC Konnekt 24D? :-)

My brain clock jitter is now up in the high milliseconds...

Hoagie