Firewire Interface Help Needed, i88x, motu, 002, etc.

[tubeman]

hi everyone, i have had 828 mk1 for a few years now, and was looking to potentially upgrade. i'm not very flattered with the preamps or the ad/da converters on the 828

i'm looking at the mkii and the traveler (both of which i hope have improved converters) because i use digital performer, and i have this notion that i'll get the most track/cpu/plugin power with a motu interface — am i wrong about this? i guess i'm nervous about a dimished max track playback capability, etc. i use an older mdd G4 dual 867 G4 and a powerbook 1.5 ghz G4.

if i'm wrong about motu optimization, would the i88x, 400f, or fireface be significant upgrades over any motu firewire interface? i saw a thread mentioning that the i88x takes cpu power away...but would the i88x take any more power than the 828?

i'm also looking at just taking the plunge into digidesign and getting the 002. seems like that would get rid of the omf/digitranslator/import headaches that i've experienced.

would really appreciate some input!

[gearjunky]

I have a Fireface 800 and a Metric Halo ULN-2.

Fireface=great converters, decent preamps, stable drivers, and lots of I/O

ULN-2= great converters, excellent preamps, stable drivers, but limited I/O

I use both of these units with Logic 7 Fireface/G5 and ULN-2/Powerbook. Both work very well and sound incredible! IMHO the only way you could have better is going with Apogee, Lynx, Lavry, etc. but these are converters only(no mic pres).

I used to run DP with a MOTU 2408. Also a great system but Logic suits me better.

I have read of DP users having some porblems with the Fireface. Not sure about Metric Halo. I would do some research on DP users using RME and Metric Halo products. Go to Unicornnation.com and check around.

I can tell you from my own experience that the mic pres and converters in RME/Metric Halo are superior to the MOTU units.

With that said MOTU interfaces still sound very good. You may find more stability with DP going with a current MOTU interface. Stability is very important to me.

If you don't have to have Pro Tools DO NOT USE A DIGI INTERFACE! I had a Digi 002 as well. Great for Pro Tools but not with other software. Worst core audio drivers on the market!

Good Luck!

[theblue1]

I don't know how the mic pre's were on the original 828 -- but I do know that I found the pre's on my 828mkII what I would call "veiled" and "dark." Someone else might be so uncharitable as to call them "dull" or "muffled."

Otherwise, the 828 has been entirely adequate. While I haven't intentionally avoided it, exactly, I've never A/B'd the converters against the Event (PCI card) Mia in my old desktop... but my initial impression was that the MOTU's converters were not in any way noticeably better than the somewhat older unit's (which I've always liked). In fact, I wasn't so sure the Event's converters might not be a bit better. (But I have NOT sat down to test.)

[tubeman]

hi, thanks for the responses.

the unicornnation forum doesn't seem to work unfortuantely, are there any other forums? i do want to start using pro tools, but havn't decided yet if now is the time.

anyone else been able to a/b the 828 and 828mkII, or any other interface with dp?

[heathen]

The 828 mk2 does not represent low frequencies well at all on the da,but the ad seems alright,though I only use my 828mk2 for its firewire with my apogee Rosetta 200's optical in/outs.You will do much better than an 828mk2.Try Rme or Lynx,they have much better reviews,though I've never used either,but my I just cant stand the conversion in my 828mk2,it is poor quality,though very versatile and stable unit.

[podxtking]

I have a Rme Fireface 800, it sounds really good to me. For 828mkII and the digi 002, I tired both, and I am very disappointed about the sound quality of both units. According to some of my friends, Metric halo will be a good choice too.

[gearjunky]

Sorry. Gave you the wrong link. Try this...

http://www.unicornation.com/

[tubeman]

no problem, that's a pretty cool site...never knew about it and lotsa information.

maybe i should just hold onto the 828, and maybe pick up an 003 if it ever comes out. that way i can have dp/pro tools capabilities (though it's a bit of a pain to get dp sessions into pro tools).

but perhaps there are other priorities that should be dealt with first:

my whole signal path is pretty weak from mic to computer. the strong points in the circles i run in are live gear since we all gig a ton — instruments, cables, amps, organs/synths are all pretty good. the bands i play with tend to record everything live in studios and overdub vocals, but try to do as much other overdubs as possible on our own. so...i wanna upgrade my signal path a bit while continuing to work on good mic techniques.

i only have two 57s, 58, audix om-5, and a nasty, tons-of-high-end rode nt-1 going into the 828, into a G4 dual 867 mhz or powerbook G4 1.5 mhz using digital performer.

i just picked up a sennheiser 421u5 and am waiting on an optimized ampex 351 preamp. would like to get a stereo pre and a couple other mics if i ever get $$.

what would you all recommend i save up for next? monitors (and ditch headphones)? better interface? better ad/da converters? more powerful desktop? another pre? concentrate on mics? the overdubs sound decent with what i have, but i can hear a difference when i record the same stuff at a studio with a good room. unfortunately, the rehearsal space i use isn't the best sound-wise, but i'd like to improve the overdubs by another 10-20 percent to be more on par with studio takes.

perhaps the 421u5/ampex 351 would be enough of an improvement over the 57/828, though getting a good ribbon or ldc would be a nice replacement for the rode.

i realize that this field is like anything else is a lifetime of improvements, but some tips on where to start on the material end would be great.