Firewire Audio Interface, ~ $500

[floobie]

With my shiny new 15" Macbook Pro, I finally have access to a Firewire port (and considerably more power than my old Macbook). And the M-Audio Fasttrack Ultra USB 2.0 interface I'm using is somewhat of a weak point now. That's mainly because the OS X driver is pretty finnicky, and routinely causes kernel panics when I turn it on or off. It did this with the old Macbook, and it still does it with the new Macbook Pro. M-Audio is apparently working on a new driver, but people have been complaining about this for a while and nothing has really materialized yet. And, this interface is actually shared between myself and a few former band members, so I wouldn't mind getting one that's 100% mine at some point. So, I'd at least like to investigate this. The budget in the title is pretty flexible... I'll go higher if necessary.

What do I need?

- Firewire, as I previously stated.
- I don't need many inputs or outputs.
- MIDI functionality would be nice (presumably this allows me to run MIDI into the interface, instead of straight into my computer through USB?)
- Stable, reliable OS X Lion drivers.
- Compatible and stable in Logic.
- 24 bit. I've been recording at 88.2khz, so I don't need a mega-high sample rate. (Or do I? Feel free to address this.)
- Some day I'll finally get around to recording vocals, and will of course want the interface to handle that well.
- Good sound quality. I'm horrendously under-educated in how an audio interface achieves that, or really how good my current one is in the grand scheme of things, so any additional information on that would be much appreciated.
- This will be used completely in the "studio".

I've definitely looked around a bit and found a few candidates. But, I'll look at anything you can recommend. I have no brand loyalty or whatever else. If it's good, it's good. I'm in no real hurry on this. I'd just like to learn a few things on the matter.

And a quick appendix detailing what I'm currently using, in case it's relevant:

Macbook Pro 15" (Late 2011)
M-Audio Fasttrack Ultra
Mackie MR5 MKII monitors
Logic Pro 9
Native Instruments Komplete 7
Toontrack EZDrummer
Roland Juno-G (both for the built in sounds and as a midi controller via USB)
Ibanez RG1451 (Passive pickups, tuned to E standard)
ESP LTD MH400 (EMG pickups, tuned to Open C)
Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster
Ibanez BTB 6 string Bass
Fender Jazz Bass
(I go direct into the interface with all guitars and basses, and use Guitar Rig 4 as an amp sim)

[murf214]

I'm sure someone a lot smarter than me will chime in but FireWire is on the way out. I'm in the market for a new interface and after a lot of research I plan on getting the RME Babyface. Hope this helps

[floobie]

Originally Posted by murf214

I'm sure someone a lot smarter than me will chime in but FireWire is on the way out. I'm in the market for a new interface and after a lot of research I plan on getting the RME Babyface. Hope this helps

Yeah, any comments on that would also be appreciated.

I'd like to actually make this topic a bit more general and throw in another question:

What would it take for me, on the hardware end of things, to improve my guitar tone? As I said, I'm just going straight into the instrument input on the interface right now. No DI box, pre-amp, or all that other stuff I have no real understanding of. Driver stability and reliability aside, would a new audio interface actually improve my guitar tone, or would I be better off supplementing what I have now with some of the aforementioned "other stuff" I don't understand?

If anyone could explain a prospective signal chain to me, and what each component does, that would be extremely helpful.

And, I don't see myself deviating from the amp sim path I've chosen, so there's no point in addressing that. I know from countless albums I've heard in the past few years that results I'd be quite happy with are possible using amp sims. I'd say I'm about 60-70% "there" at this point, and I can only assume that a good portion of what's missing might be on the hardware end of things (the remainder being how I've dialled everything in and mixed it).

[chas19]

I'm also interested in this thread. Is firewire really going cold ? Alot of the best interfaces still use it don't they, and are the usb solutions just as good ? Currently using a fast track pro, and i will admit i get great results, but just want something better, with more expandability for pre-amps etc.

[projektk]

Hard to say, the 400 port is definetly on the way out. But see MOTU added the 800 port at 400 speeds, most will probably do the same... FireWire is more reliable and the only worthy replacement to FireWire is Thunderbolt.

Sent from my LG-P925 using Gearslutz.com

[adrianww]

Like projektk said, the FW400 port seems to be becoming less common, but that's just because FW800 ports are becoming more common. You can plug a FW400 device into a FW800 port, so it's not an issue.

The next generation of the FireWire/IEEE1394 spec goes up to 3.2 Gbps (if I remember right) but I suspect it's going to be thoroughly overshadowed by Thunderbolt/Lightpeak so it's quite possible that the faster 1394 spec won't take off other than in some specialised areas.

Overall, I wouldn't worry about FireWire going away in the short to medium term. There are enough FireWire audio interfaces and other FireWire devices out there that no-one in their right mind is just going to drop support for it. And, in my limited experience, I come away with the feeling that I'm now seeing more new PCs and Windows laptops with some kind of built-in IEEE1394 port than I used to five to ten years ago. Yes, it's still not as common as USB, but I don't think it's dead just yet.

[Soundsgoodtome]

Steinberg Mr816x.For 700$ brand new on Sweetwater great bang for the bucks

[Boschen]

Used focusrite pro10.

Proven and solid mac integration, great pres (the green line), and quite decent converters. Less than $200 used on ebay.

I would recommend you add a decent DI between your guitar and interface, or better yet, plug into a real amp and mic it. Even in a bad room and with cheap mics, this can sound better than a sim, when placed into the context of a mix. The mic'd rig may sound messier, angrier, and sloppier than the sim, which will sound so clean and shiny, but for some reason I find these tracks easier to mix. Give it a whirl and see. Plugging straight into the interface with any stringed instrument is rarely the best route, albeit the easiest. You're also more likely to perform at your usual ability level when you play through your usual rig, amp'ed up, and often without headphones.

Hey, man, you asked the question about improving your tone, and the fastest way to improve your guitar tone is to use a real amp, not a sim. If you're not willing to go that route, cool. If not, also cool; it's your workflow. But the fact that you asked the question shows you're not completely happy with that sim tone. Your best second option is a real amp, not fiddling with your sim amp settings.

You own the macbook, so if firewire goes away, you're already committed. So don't fuss over that; everyone on GS has been predicting the death of firewire for years now and the connector is still around, going strong. Don't worry about it, when FW starts to go away, there will be adapters for thunderbolt and other workarounds. You will have a couple of years of production before this is likely to hit you; at that point you will have other options.

[floobie]

Originally Posted by Boschen

Used focusrite pro10.

Proven and solid mac integration, great pres (the green line), and quite decent converters. Less than $200 used on ebay.

I would recommend you add a decent DI between your guitar and interface, or better yet, plug into a real amp and mic it. Even in a bad room and with cheap mics, this can sound better than a sim, when placed into the context of a mix. The mic'd rig may sound messier, angrier, and sloppier than the sim, which will sound so clean and shiny, but for some reason I find these tracks easier to mix. Give it a whirl and see. Plugging straight into the interface with any stringed instrument is rarely the best route, albeit the easiest. You're also more likely to perform at your usual ability level when you play through your usual rig, amp'ed up, and often without headphones.

Hey, man, you asked the question about improving your tone, and the fastest way to improve your guitar tone is to use a real amp, not a sim. If you're not willing to go that route, cool. If not, also cool; it's your workflow. But the fact that you asked the question shows you're not completely happy with that sim tone. Your best second option is a real amp, not fiddling with your sim amp settings.

You own the macbook, so if firewire goes away, you're already committed. So don't fuss over that; everyone on GS has been predicting the death of firewire for years now and the connector is still around, going strong. Don't worry about it, when FW starts to go away, there will be adapters for thunderbolt and other workarounds. You will have a couple of years of production before this is likely to hit you; at that point you will have other options.

I don't actually own an amp, so I doubt I'll be going that route any time soon. To practice, I literally plug into my interface and load up the standalone version of Guitar Rig :p. I'm sure a real amp is the best way to do it. But, from listening to recordings done by some of my favourite artists who have used Guitar Rig or a POD or an AxeFX, I am quite confident that I can get a result I'd be happy with with an amp sim. And, my current living situation isn't particularly conducive to recording a sufficiently cranked rectifier. I'm pretty sure my technical knowledge is what's mainly holding me back at this point. I do appreciate the advice, though!

I'm not too worried about Firewire disappearing. Even if it does, I'm sure Thunderbolt will takes its place, and my computer has that as well. I'll check out that interface you suggested. Any suggestions on a DI box?