Lynx2 Questions

[cannikin]

Hey there,

I own the RME hdsp 9652 but I have been reading a lot about the Lynx2 card and that the general consensus is that the Lynx2 is superior to the RME.

Is that true?

Secondly how is the Latency with the Lynx2?
The RME is really good, I can record guitar without any monitoring work around to compensate for the Latency. I think the Latency for the 9652 is around 1.5ms.

Latency and Lynx2?

In general what are peoples thoughts?
I just bought an old raindirk console and want to capture the creamy pre-amps in that board.
ANd I have been reading that the RME compresses the sound.

Let me have it.

[cannikin]

I'm using Logic 6 and OS X.3.2

[oudplayer]

There's practically no difference in the latency - as the Lynx FAQ will tell you, the latency is dependent on the sample rate and bit depth, generally comparable to the RME. It also offers some of the routing/mixing features of the RME.

Is there anything sonically wrong with the work you're currently doing, any dissatisfaction with the RME you have, that's prompting this question? Cos if you're not noticing a problem with the RME, why "fix it"? I really like the sound of Lynx cards, but also know many pro users using RME (albeit with external converters)...

[cannikin]

the deal is that I need at least 12ins and therefore If I wanted to use the RME 9652 card, I would have to invest in an outboard converter, like the apogee AD16x (due in march) but that will call cost me 3,000. If I get the Mytek 8 channel that will
cost roughly the same.

So If I can use two Lynx2 cards I could the minimum 12 channels I need, with better sounding conversion than the RME at 2000.00.

and hell if the convertors in the RME are not as good as the converters in the Lynx2 then what would be the benefit of buying the apogee or mytek
they would still go into the RME which doesn't sound as good.

Does that make any sense?

[oudplayer]

Using the external converters you mentioned would nullify issues regarding the "sound" of the RME card, at least for those channels which use external conversion. But if you're thinking of two Lynx-Two cards (and selling the RME), it's definitely a doable option. Are you sure you don't need more than 12 analog ins and 4 analog outs, however? Studios can find a way of suddenly "expanding" when you least expect it!

You didn't mention what sample rates you plan on working at, also. If you're just working at 24 bit/ 44.1 or 24 bit /48k, a very affordable way to get 8 more channels of pretty good quality conversion with your existing RME card is buying a used Swissonic AD24, which I've found to be very decent converters at 44 and 48. This would be the few-hundred dollar approach; would use one lightpipe connector on your RME, and give you 8 more ins. Though we're now working with Lynx at our studio, we've very happily used the Swissonic AD24s and DA24s on a dozen or so albums.

However, if you're considering 96k or 192k, the Lynx is perhaps the best bang-for-buck approach, and the way I'd go - hell, it's the way we went at our studio!

[cannikin]

Thanks for the reply I do appreciate it, Its funny you mention it, I actually have the swissonic AD24, and I agree with you on the sound of it. But I just bought an old console and gives me the sound I love, for that reason I have been wanting to go to 96khz, in hopes to better capture that sound.

thanks again.

[Radiance]

Hi,

I was about to buy two Lynx Two cards as well.
I want to use them with Logic 6 on a G5 (runnig OSX obviously).
I emailed Lynx audio too ask if this was possible and David A. Hoatson wrote me this reply:

"Hello,

On the Macintosh, Logic is only able to talk to one CoreAudio device at a time, so although you could put two LynxTWO-B's in a single Mac, and they would be work, you could only talk to one of them at a time from any one application.
We are planning a work-around for this CoreAudio problem
in a future version of our driver.

Thank you"

I guess we have to wait for this future driver release....

Regards,

Radiance

[bigbaby987]

i have the l22 and i love it....you can acheive a buffer of 512 for most situations in osx, but if your using vsti's like atmosphere or reactor...you'll have to go to 1024...lynx is working to get their core audio drivers a little tigher.... if you're not using any of these plugs you have nothing to worry about

have fun...you love it!!!!

[Radiance]

512 is a fairly large buffer setting for todays standarts.
@Bigbaby987: May a ask what kind (how fast)of mac you're using?
I'm asking this because I'm considering to replace my Motu 828 with two Lynx Two model B cards.
I'm only waiting for the next core audio driver to be released so I can address two cards from within Logic.
This new driver should also take care of the buffer size issue because a 1024 buffer size is not workable for me.
I'm mainly using vsti's and I'm plannig to use them even more when I get a G5.
It seems that audio quality comes at a price...

Radiance

[cannikin]

I emailed LynxStudios today and this what he had to say:

Thanks for the questions.

At this time you can use multiple cards in Windows computers, but not Macs.

We are currently working on new drivers for OSX that will include the
ability to use multiple cards.

In the current OSX drivers the latency is good, but this will be greatly
improved with future revisions.

So at this point, the LynxTWO-C can offer you excellent conversion and
audio, with six input channels and future capability to run multiple cards.

We do not have an exact date for release of the new OSX drivers. It is
however a primary objective for us.

Thanks, Phil

[cannikin]

This is posted on their website of Frequently asked questions:

What kind of latency can I expect when using a Lynx Audio Card?


"This is not an easy question for us to answer for you._ Latency is determined by buffer size and sample rate._ As an example, if you are running with a buffer size of 256 (samples) and a sample rate of 44.1kHz, your latency will be about 5.8ms (256/44100)._ If you increase the sample rate to 192kHz and leave the buffer size at 256, the latency decreases to 1.33ms._ The question is: Is your computer fast enough to process the 1.33ms of audio in less than 1.33ms?_ Since each computer is completely unique (which application you are running, processor speed, hard disk speed, number of tracks, number and type of plug-ins) even with the fastest of computers, the answer maybe no._ The LynxTWO/L22/AES16 all have a 16-channel scatter-gather DMA engine that makes transferring audio to and from the application as fast as possible with virtually no CPU load._ The application still has to process the audio once it has it in memory, so the CPU is involved at that point._ If the CPU isn't fast enough to process the audio (plug-ins, effects, virtual instruments, read audio from the hard disk, write audio to the hard disk) the result may be broken up audio (glitches) that require the use of a larger buffer size._ Larger buffers give the CPU more time to do its work, since the CPU is more efficient at processing larger chunks of data at once._ Other audio card manufactures may quote latency numbers to you, but the simple fact is you will have to determine the latency that is useable on your computer with your software for yourself._ Rest assured that our drivers and hardware are very efficient and will give excellent latency performance."

Hope this helps too.

I took a leap of faith today and bought the Lynx2 card Version C, hopefully soon they will support multiple card for MAC and I can get another one.

I think its going to be good.

[bigbaby987]

radiance...i have a mdd 867. with a gig of ram. i ditched my 828 for the l22 card....one of the best decisions i've made pertaining to my studio.

[flexoffset]

You'll be happy with it, but don't expect a 256 sample buffer size in Logic in OS X till they get the updates out. All you'll probably get is crackling and digital-sounding junk.

I posted my numbers somewhere else, but I can't find it for some reason. If I connect the output of my L22 into the input of the same card and record the delay, I get a consistent 663 samples at 48kHz sample rate.

The quality of conversion is worth the wait.