4 audio interfaces...which one???

[martinforest]

I am SO satisfied with my new Twin Impact running on Windows 7. The sound is even better then my old Konnekt 6 (who worked like a charm), so it's beyond compare to other brands IMO.

Go for the Impact Twin.

[rossnuk]

Hi - I am thinking about one of these options as well.

I am new to all this firewire audio stuff.

Would I be correct in saying that something like the sapphire takes the whole role as your primary soundcard for a PC?

Also - my PC is a 5 year old Dell which has a standard firewire port - will this standard port be suitable or do you need a more sophisticated firewire port?

After reading reviews I would be tempted for the sapphire pro 14 as I only record vocals and acoustic guitar.
My current set up is a mackie 402-vlz3 (good poreamps) inot an EMU 0404 soundcard (which has kinda gone bust, hence the need to get something new).

Help appreciated.
Ross

[Nick Shepherd]

Totally satisfied Motu Ultralite user here, they run great on OsX, sound good, have a good amount of ins/outs and you can get them used for around 350€

[Llitsor]

Originally Posted by Nick Shepherd

Totally satisfied Motu Ultralite user here, they run great on OsX, sound good, have a good amount of ins/outs and you can get them used for around 350€

Thats what I would go for, if I were getting an interface for a Mac now..
I have a 9 year old 828, and they still support it! But im mostly using a Duet currently.

[thatgtrguy]

I have the Focusrite Pro14 and it sounds great. The knobs actually work throughout their whole range of travel. Decided to get the Pro 40 as a result. You can chain them together via firewire.

The software to route inputs to outputs for zero latency monitoring is excellent as well. There's a "DAW loopback" that allows you to route audio from any program on your computer into your daw.

I'm recording a live jazz gig with it this weekend. I will let y'all know how it goes.

Anyone know of a dual mic pre to spdif output?

[Kendall Simpson]

As far as I can tell, TC has worked out the drivers OS 10.5 and 10.6. I have had the Konnekt 24D now for several years. Had problems way back with Logic. Now, the 24D is awesome. If I were in the market, I would get an Impact Twin.

[Willbot]

Does the Focusrite 24 work as a sound devise to play music through I tunes and so on (mac)?

[msl]

Yes all the interfaces discussed in this thread work that way, you just select it in system prefs as your main audio out and everything runs through it.

[Pro5]

MR816x! Cheap for it's sound quality (~£550), the pre-amps are class, it's better than RME FF800 ('cept driver wise but I've not had too much trouble with it) and way better than MOTU etc. A bargain considering the quality and what you can grab 'em for (don't bother with the cx just the x is fine). If it's good enough for Alan Parsons it's good enough for me.

[Apollo Ace]

So back to the Saffire Pro's. The only difference between Pro 14 and Pro 24 DSP is the reverb monitoring and the headphone jack? Is the reverb monitoring really that worth it though? couldn't I just add reverb on my plug-in/software?

[Willbot]

Thanks MSL, Saffire works nicely. Always good to check stuff though, I've made mistakes before by not researching stuff first.

[samsamsam]

i'm not meaning to hijack the thread but i'm also having dificulties choosing

i am looking to upgrade my interface. i have a Edirol FA-101 and was looking to purchase something upto £500/600ish.

I will be recording from an MPC 2000/s950 through an Allen and Heath GS1 and into Logic 9 via the interface..

the main thing i am looking for is good A/D convertors as to not damage the GS1 sound too much.

any feedback or help would be appreciated

thanks

[Mark Kaufman]

Originally Posted by Kendall Simpson

As far as I can tell, TC has worked out the drivers OS 10.5 and 10.6. I have had the Konnekt 24D now for several years. Had problems way back with Logic. Now, the 24D is awesome. If I were in the market, I would get an Impact Twin.

I have unresolved Konnekt 24D issues since I switched to Windows 7 in 64-bit. Everything functions with the updated drivers, but I get occasional blue screen crashes that denote the tcnear driver as the cause. I've gone around and around with it on both ends, but nothing has changed the issue...and yes, I use a TI chipset. I've finally admitted defeat and am reluctantly selling it, but looking forward to a Focusrite Pro 24 DSP...especially the VRM aspect.

[Nev]

The Saffire pro 24 DSP sound very good, but here is the problem:
On a Windows 7 machine expect driver issues, and increased latency in Win 7 (when compared to Mac OSX)
On a Mac it works extremely well
Only has 4 A/D inputs (2 XLR/2 line inputs)
The other inputs come in the form of a ADAT 1 x 8 in/SPDIF (stereo)/Optical inputs
In 96khz the ADAT input drops to only 4.

So if you are on Mac latency and driver issues won't be a problem, but if you require multiple analog inputs, 4 might not be enough. But I still prefer Focusrite over M-audio, better preamp, and their customer service isn't great, but it is better than M-audio.

Overall I am happy with my Saffire 24 and use it for my Macbook pro. I run my Adat outs from my main PC to my Macbook/Saffire and with the Saffire multiple outputs return everything back individually.

[musikmaschine]

Originally Posted by chillone

I am SO satisfied with my new Twin Impact running on Windows 7. The sound is even better then my old Konnekt 6 (who worked like a charm), so it's beyond compare to other brands IMO.

Go for the Impact Twin.

Ok so the konnekt 6 cannot be the best sub £500 soundcard!

[roughgear]

Get a used MR816 - it's solid and pretty good. Best,
R.