Im desparately looking for better converters in my setup. I use a m-audio delta 44 right now and it sounds like ****.

Im able to get a 2nd hand rme multiface for a good price, but is this a smart thing to do keeping in mind that there will be a new windows system and other stuff?
Im not that much of a computer expert so what are the problems i should consider??

thanx

It looks like Vista won't ship until Jan - Feb of 07. So thats still a lot of time to use your rme when you get it. Not to mention, you probably won't go out and buy a new computer and operating system then anyway.

So I say get it and enjoy the upgrade for a year.

Beez

it took me 2 years after the release of XP to change from 2k to XP.. so.. never mind

and RME driversupport is very very good! you will at least have 1.5year fun then see what happens.

cheeers George

I hear that. I was forced to ditch Win2K when Steinberg decided to drop support for it. I still dont like XP as much and I'm still on SP1.

OS whor e-dom is a waste of time imo.

As for the interface.. you can't do any better for good sound + features in the budget end than EMU 1820M. Imo pisses all over RME, because RME are twice the price but not twice the sound.

Not shure about that. RME is definately a bigger improvement, not to mention rock solid driver support for both pc and mac (unlike EMU...wonder why???), as well as better than average build quality.

Have you heard them side by side?

There isnt £500 worth of difference in the sound. gizeh12 has a PC so MAC support is irrelevant. There's no more problems with the EMU drivers than any other interface assuming you're serious about music and have your PC setup accordingly.

Imo its the best sounding interface below £1000

Im on a Mac, and see no reason to AB it with my RME. It would be a waist of time. But i have heard recordings with it (both 1212 and 1820), and based on that alone, i wasnt too impressed.

Have you compared the EMU to a like for like RME?

You say the Mac / PC support is irrelevant for gizeh12, but lets just say he wants to go Mac in the near future. At least with an RME he is good to go.

I say if he is getting a good price on the Multiface, grab it.

Another thing for gizeh12 to consider might be to look at some FW options too, like the Echo, RME fireface 400, Motu 828 mk2, Focusrite Saffire / Le.

All of the above will be a bigger improvement over the muddy sounding m audio cards (i came from an Audiophile 2496)

Ah thanx for the replies poeple.

Maybe echo is interesting to because it is a lot cheaper than rme, so wich ones are good to go??

peace

Go with the RME route. Emu is not in that legaue.
Regards Tamas Dragon

Ive had one EMU for testing. if the sound you record is a cover it seems to have "holes".. not grainy or something, just with holes.. difficult to describe. I am not impressed with EMU.


cheers George

Also I think you will find some pci compatible slots even in the real brand new pc's, so don't afraid from that pci card. So if quality counts, than rme.
Regards Tamas Dragon

er.. if quality counts then Apogee or something.

Man! EMU is in the same league as RME.. it sounds great. We are certainly not talking MAJOR differences here. To beat the 1820M you have to go "high-end" imo, so why bother with the RME "stop gap".

Oh, and the ECHO Layla doesnt sound as good as the 1820M either. I'll say it again.. the 1820M is the best interface below £1000

sorry .. i started to give a **** then

Heres a few lines from EMU's site:

'The E-MU® 1820M is the flagship of E-MU's line of Digital Audio Systems, delivering everything you need to produce audio on a PC with professional results- 24-bit/192kHz converters (the same A/D converters used in Digidesign®'s ProTools® HD 192 I/O interface)'

Sounds like a load of marketing BS.

Look, its a decent card for what you get, and for the money its great value, but thats about it. Like i said before, its a PC based interface, very limited.

Many big engineers prefer rme over apogee, and vice versa. But I cannot mention a 'big name' who preferred emu over rme or apogee, but of course I can be wrong.
Rme is real pro quality from the drivers to the build quality.

Regards Tamas Dragon

I know its not fashionable to slag off RME, but if EMU charged double for the 1820M it would get taken seriously. It sounds good but because its 'budget' there MUST be something wrong with it. Forget that you've got Creative's marketing muscle, R&D etc behind it and forget you get a fully fledged software sampler with it with 3GB of sounds including many of EMU's (great?) Sound Modules.

and on paper its better.

ok..ok.. its not very expensive so it must suck. you're right and I'm wrong.

It's not about price, it's about sound quality. I love mackie 800r preamps, and I think they can beat some of the much higher priced ones. I auditioned some emus, didn't like it as much as the rme. If you ask Ted Perlman, and many others, they seems to feel the same about rme's quality. But of course if it's works better for your application, then it's better, go with it. As I felt with the onyx. Had the money for the higher priced, but didn't like it as much as the other. There are more right answer not only one.
Regards Tamas Dragon

I agree...stick with what works for you.

I use my RME Fireface 800 all the time for recording multiple sources in and out of my mac, it works great, no glitches, no fuss, and sounds better than i could ask for.

If you prefer the EMU, thats great.

I would, but I've mislaid his nunber right now...

another vote for RME here. I love my multiface. It works as well as it could. It is never a headach and sounds fantastic. Never any problems with RME. And when it comes to tech support they are the best. For example I sent an email to RME just today infact and they got back to me with an answer in under an hour!

I would like to see EMU pull that one off. I was a EMU fan for a LONG time. I owned some of there most expencive gear and there support sucks ass. Sorry has to be said. I wanted to love that company but I just grew to hate it over the last ten years.

yet another vote for RME. pristine sound, great drivers, great support. my questions were always answered by george at synthax (us distributer)

actually i'm planning to get a second multiface 2.

by the way i NEVER get an OS until at least 2 to 3 years after release. i have no desire to be a guinea pig.

so just go for the MF and stick with XP.

another "by the way".... i never had a problem with SP2... NEVER. but i reformat and reinstall every 9 months. like a new birth. heh

And another vote for rme. The converters are good for the money you pay, and it works flawless in my system since 4 years

I was like that for a long time but now I don’t reformat as often. I use Acronis true image instead. Works like a dream.