making the jump from PCI to firewire

[bibleboy3]

Hi All

I am looking to make the jump from PCI to firewire and still keep the versatility I have with my old PCI system I have a st audio c-port system 2 rack boxes ( 8 channels in / out each box) daisy chained then to pci card this lets me have complete independent control of each channel in and out and I have 16 channels is there a firewire interface that would give me the same flexibility but wouldn't break the bank???


Bill

[fastlanestoner]

Focusrite makes some great interfaces. Please be aware of the TI chipset. If your computer isn't equipped with it the chances of your FW working properly are pretty slim

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

i just did the opposite... moved from firewire to PCIe.

Why? Firewire appears to be going away. Why invest in firewire today?

But there are plenty of firewire interfaces, my favorite being the RME Fireface800. Sound On Sound liked it enough to give it an award, so it is better thought of than much of it's competition.

There are some extra features and conveniences to the firewire interfaces (external boxes in general, USB included) that, though I do not miss them, they were darned handy to have. And I had to get used to working a different way. But you may find that you have more versatility, not less.

[bibleboy3]

maybe its just a different perception but to me it seems like firewire is here to stay

[JonesH]

Yeah, I'd also agree that fw is here to stay. If anything its been given new lease because of thunderbolt.
Anyhow that is not the question here.
I reviewed and really liked the de facto successor to the FF800, the FF SFX. It is a very versatile piece of engineering and sounds good.

[fastlanestoner]

FireWire is in a state of transition. Most new consumer pcs aren't equipped to handle it, but there are still a TON of pro and prosumer firewire interfaces.

The problem is getting it to work well on your machine.

[bibleboy3]

same head aches with PCI and USB correct??

[bibleboy3]

let me toss this into the mix I have seen an adapter that you can plug a PCI card into then it has a USB cable on the other end I wonder what this would do??

[DavidMadeIt]

firewire for me seems like the last option bc i'll be using a Dell inspiron with no native firewire ports. I find usb more enticing but then many ppl on here say that there will be noticable negative latency differences. But is this the case if Im only going to be using 1 microphone at a time? Ive recently been forced to forge a home-recording option bc my producer moved 6 states away so I need to just record bare vocals and send to him for all mixing.

Im hoping to only spend about $1000-$1200 initially to get this going. Treated room is already accomplished here. And I have this Dell desktop which is a year old and not being otherwise used. With him I was using mostly a SP T3 through an avalon but honestly I'd like to try out a different mic just out of interest and i dnt think i can afford to splurge on the avalon. Ive gotta see how this goes first. My music is hiphop/r&b/poppish (very diverse). Voice isnt too high. Kinda Drake-ish really. (although not a big fan)

Anyway, Ive read enough on here to know better than to ask for specific pieces. However, Im wondering if anyone would be willing to advise me on a proper dispersment of that $1100 in my situation. In regards to importance, how much should I allot for mic, interface pre/standalone pre or whatever else Im missing. (wires and stands are irrelevant to that budget, I will get them in addition to that budget).

Am starving to order something but im having an aweful time trying to make the best choice. Any and ALL advise is welcome.

(sorry for crashin your thread but i dont think any1 would respond if i started my own as a 1st post)

[fastlanestoner]

When considering a computer-based setup ALWAYS remember that converters are MUCH more important than preamps/mic selection.

Your interface determines how good your projects sound.

A-D-A conversion.

[6strings]

Originally Posted by JonesH

Yeah, I'd also agree that fw is here to stay. If anything its been given new lease because of thunderbolt.

+1

All new macs have Thunderbolt and Firewire. Don't expect Firewire ports to go until Thunderbolt has market penetration and there are ample choices of Firewire-to-Thunderbolt cables and hubs available. And I wouldn't expect manufacturers like Apogee, RME, and MOTU to stop producing Firewire interfaces before Thunderbolt totally takes over. Even then, I imagine a multi-connector scenario like we're seeing come out with RME and MOTU's Firewire/USB devices.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by fastlanestoner

When considering a computer-based setup ALWAYS remember that converters are MUCH more important than preamps/mic selection.

Your interface determines how good your projects sound.

A-D-A conversion.

Let me guess, you have invested in some really expensive converters.

Im curious about how all those great records were made in the late 90's,
considering they were done through relatively crappy, outdated converters.
How did that happen?? hmmmm

[samueljones779]

steinberg 816 is mostly stable, it loses drivers every now and then mostly because i forget to turn the computer on after turning the unit on - other than that, it's been very dependable

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by bibleboy3

same head aches with PCI and USB correct??

no. and PCI/PCIe are faster.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by Todd

Im curious about how all those great records were made in the late 90's,
considering they were done through relatively crappy, outdated converters.
How did that happen?? hmmmm

who says they were crappy? You find a Weiss, Prism, or other high end converter from the 90s and within their response range they stand up well today. (But they usually top out at 96k.) I'm still using Myteks from about 2000. I'm betting a lot of DC Tech (Lavrys previous company) are still in use, too. They are about as outdated as a U47.