jscomposer
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 15:31:25
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If you only need two audio in/out have a look at the Steinberg UR22. We recorded our latest album with that interface, the pre's are excellent.....great litle unit for $150. The coolest thing is it has zero latency monitoring.
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TStranger
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 16:01:14
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Sanderxpander
Always good to hear from multiple sides. Though your results perhaps say more about MOTU than about USB. So far I've used succesfully on USB:
Very good point. I had to skip a number of very attractive I/O units with excellent customer feedback simply because they did not have the inputs and output flexibility I need for my studio. I have a pic of the studio schematic below - but the MOTU and Focusrite series seemed to be the only ones which could handle the I/O count I needed at about the $1000 price point. Here is a cut and paste from my schematic. (As you can see I have promiscuously financed the entire speaker making industry ...  LOL!!! but gosh the power of the system is awe-striking..)  I route my surround sound buses solely to the Optical output, and compress/triple-route percussion buses through the optical output, the surround bus and to the Main bus feeding the Yamaha reference speakers and JBL subwoof. Then take my instrument tracks and triple route them to the specific applicable amp, and to the Main bus which hits the Yamaha/JBL Subwoof primary sound, and finally to the surround bus feeding the Optical Out. This provides for a strong, deep and present 'live band' sound in my studio. I love it. 
post edited by TStranger - 2013/12/03 19:35:18
TS _________________________ Dell 4th Gen i7 12Gigram Win 8.1 (x64) - MOTU 828 MkIII Firewire 800 - Akai MPK49 Sonar X3c Producer (64) - SoundForge Pro 10c Guitar Rig Pro 5.2 - Dimension Pro 1.5 - iZotope Alloy Nectar Ozone 1970 Gibson L5 - Taylor Custom GS - PRS Hollowbody II - Surh Strat and Tele - PRS 305 - 1968 Fender Tele
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Splat 
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 16:13:50
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Actually that's why I initially got the focusrite, for zero latency. Funily enough I don't use it as much as I should nowadays (doesn't seem to make any perceptual difference esp when most of the time im using reverbs or amp sims when recording).
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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karma1959
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 16:40:15
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☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2013/12/03 21:57:02
I echo some comments from above that you should not fear USB2 at all - particularly if you have a PC (at least somewhat) dedicated as a DAW. I have a dedicated DAW (not used for common office stuff) running an RME UFX, which has both Firewire AND USB2 - RME recommends USB2 (and the unit uses USB2 by default) over FW as others have outlined above.
I've never had any throughput issues, even with large projects (75 tracks playign back while recording & live monitoring, etc).
My only caveat would be if you have a PC which serves as both a DAW and an office / standard home PC, and you have all kinds of peripherals connected via USB (printers, scanners, WLAN, etc etc etc).. I would exercise caution, as you'll have a significant chance of contention.
Hope that helps.
Russ
Sonar Platinum x64 on Win10 64, Dell T7400 w/ 8 Xeon cores, 8 Gbyte RAM, 3 hard drives, RME Fireface UFX, UAD-1, Mackie Control, Adam A7X
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denverdrummer
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 19:02:53
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I just got the Scarlett 18i20, and it is a great interface. The only difference between it and the Saffire pro 40 is that it's USB and not FW. I can't believe how quiet the preamps are!
On the subject of USB, the only interface I would tell people to stay away from is the PreSonus AudioBox 1818vsl. I had that interface, and really loved it the first few months I had it. I then upgraded my computer and found that their drivers are incompatible with Intel USB 3.0 chipsets. The scoop is that Intel USB 3.0 chipsets are not fully backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices and don't support isochronous streming. But it really has to do with the way that PreSonus wrote the VSL driver and now refuse to put out any updates for it. PreSonus makes some great hardware, but their software support is terrible.
Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Dell Inspiron 15, core i7, 16GB RAM, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, Mackie MR5 Mark 1 speakers
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Mojo3432
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 19:02:53
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Thanks for the input everyone. This has really turned into a VERY helpful discussion. You all make excellent points. Too excellent in fact. :)
The truth is that it all boils down to what works best for your particular system and preference. It will be different for all. So, I have to say I now feel much more educated after digesting all of your comments...however, I also feel quite dumb about my confusion over which format to go with. Haha.
CUSTOM AUDIO PC:- Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, ASUS Z87 PRO Motherboard, 32GB RAM
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition Running Sonar Platinum
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Interface, Focusrite ISA Two Premp and Blue Robbie - Mic Preamp
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mettelus
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 22:18:44
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Good points interjected here! I am very similar in that I rarely run more that two audio inputs simultaneously. Russ' point above is about the only thing I would worry for with USB (other than brand), and you have already addressed that. For me, I do (very much so) use this machine for everything, and leave things connected, so the "dedicated and unused FW port" became an attractive option as I upgraded the audio interface (the heart of any DAW). When the mood strikes to record, I can simply turn it on, and off I go.
I think the "Focusrite" feedback zeroed me in on brand quickly... I have yet to see anyone "bad mouth" them, and now that I own the interface, I can confirm the "solid as a rock" (and heavy as one too!). The "MixControl" software it comes with is incredible and once that is understood (specifically routing), the rest has been simply "Have an idea, turn in on, pop open MixControl/X3 and have at it."
I love TStranger's schematic! That is so awesome and thank you for sharing.
As I tailored this system, I had a simpler idea in mind (sort of corny in a way, but important to me)... I wanted to be able to record an idea without losing it in "under 2 minutes" from a powered down condition, and have achieved that 100%.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC), i7-8700k, 16GB RAM, GTX-1070Ti, Win 10 Pro, Saffire PRO 24 DSP, A-300 PRO, plus numerous gadgets and gizmos that make or manipulate sound in some way.
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RobertB
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 22:28:53
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Don't feel dumb. We are faced with a staggering array of options, and you posted a valid question.
Recently, I was faced with getting a USB interface. I was less than thrilled with the proposition, because USB interfaces I had been exposed to in the past had dismal low latency performance.
For the past several years, I had been using a PCI interface, which smoked the USB options at the time. But my trusty XP PC died, and I was faced with making it work with a newer, but still dated Vista laptop. High track count has more to do with the CPU and hard drive, so that was going to be what it was. But I rely heavily on soft synths (triggered live via controllers) and amp sims, so low latency performance was an absolute must. And I have limited faith in USB bus power. 500 ma only goes so far.
I gambled on the AKAI EIE PRO because it had 3 USB inputs, 1 MIDI, and 4 audio inputs (w/48v phantom power available). This thing sucks some power. 6v 3a. USB can't touch that.
When I roll from direct monitoring to DAW output, there is no perceptible increase in latency.
The point being that with today's state of the art, a USB2 device and a current computer should perform quite well. 5 years ago, I was skeptical of USB. Today, I an rather impressed.
My Soundclick Page SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
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Splat
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 23:23:19
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The truth is there will be far less confusion in a year :)
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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mixmkr
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/03 23:36:09
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and Win7pro won't be top dawg either...?
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Mojo3432
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 05:15:27
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mixmkr
and Win7pro won't be top dawg either...?
Haha...while you've brought it up..... Does anyone have a preference between Windows 7 or 8 for their DAW? I've been VERY pleased with the stability of Windows 7 so far, but didn't know if I should upgrade my OS while I'm doing everything else.
CUSTOM AUDIO PC:- Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, ASUS Z87 PRO Motherboard, 32GB RAM
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition Running Sonar Platinum
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Interface, Focusrite ISA Two Premp and Blue Robbie - Mic Preamp
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guigz2000
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 07:39:45
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My thoughts about that:
Firewire is obsolete....Yes it does works well, but no laptop has it anymore.
So...usb is better choice since it will work on any computer to come.
Since you speak about 4 inputs at max,just go on with usb....I have a focusrite scarlett 2i2...Works very well.
Considering bandwidth, well, RME UFX is both firewire and USB2.0 and is a pro soundcard. It's advertised for 36 channels at 192k, so USB should be able to manage what you wanna do quite easily. Just plug your soundcard on a dedicated USB port.
For win8 or win7:
If you use firewire devices,stick to win7 (for legacy drivers availability)...Otherwise it should be irrelevant (sonar should support win8.1)
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auto_da_fe
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 07:44:44
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I upgraded to USB (Octa Capture) and got a laptop. Runs fine for what I do.
Forgot my KRK Ergo was still firewire (for doing room analysis).....so if I ever want to re-do room analysis I will have to spark up one of the old PCs with a FW interface. D'oh....
JR
HP DV6T - 2670QM, 8 GB RAM, Sonar Platypus, Octa Capture, BFD2 & Jamstix3, Komplete 10 and Komplete Kontrol Win 10 64 SLS PS8R Monitors and KRK Ergo https://soundcloud.com/airportface
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mmorgan
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 07:51:27
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Regarding Win 7/8, just be aware that some drivers are not Win 8 compatible and in Win 8.1 this problem is worse. Undoubtedly the drivers will get there in time.
Great comments in this thread.
Regards,
Mike Win8(64), Sonar X3e(64) w/ RME Fireface UFX.
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Mojo3432
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 08:51:29
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Funny thing...Many mentions about FW becoming obsolete, oddly enough the new motherboard I will be installing has even omitted USB 2.0. It has 6 USB inputs and they are all 3.0. I realize Thanksgiving was last week, but I would like to give thanks right now for backwards compatibility. :) CakeAlexS
The truth is there will be far less confusion in a year :)
Alex, you couldn't be more right!!
CUSTOM AUDIO PC:- Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, ASUS Z87 PRO Motherboard, 32GB RAM
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition Running Sonar Platinum
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Interface, Focusrite ISA Two Premp and Blue Robbie - Mic Preamp
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karma1959
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 12:01:04
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First step is to check if your audio interface manufacturer (and any other peripherals you use) have properly functioning Win 8 drivers. If they don't - Win 7 would be my choice. If they do - I'd go Win 8.1 for a new DAW now.
I currently run Win 7 x64 - it runs well and will be supported for many years to come, however the vast majority of Microsoft OS development resource focus is on Win 8 going forward. Win 8 is the future and most people outlined it's working fine w/ Sonar and some have even outlined performance improvements over Win 7.
Provided your peripheral / audio interface work properly with Win 8 - I guess I'd ask, what's the point in going with Win 7 at this stage of the game? The 8.1 update now enables you to boot directly into the desktop, bypassing the Metro Tile start screen, so there's virtually no difference from an operational / learning curve perspective.
Russ
Sonar Platinum x64 on Win10 64, Dell T7400 w/ 8 Xeon cores, 8 Gbyte RAM, 3 hard drives, RME Fireface UFX, UAD-1, Mackie Control, Adam A7X
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karma1959
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 12:02:25
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Sorry .. one additional point of clarity - you mentioned earlier you use this PC for both DAW and Home office functions - so in addition to checking peripherals & audio card manufactures for Win 8 compatibiltiy - also check all your key software programs as well. I know that's belaboring the obvious a bit, but just wanted to be clear.
Russ
Sonar Platinum x64 on Win10 64, Dell T7400 w/ 8 Xeon cores, 8 Gbyte RAM, 3 hard drives, RME Fireface UFX, UAD-1, Mackie Control, Adam A7X
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arachnaut
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 12:41:13
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Mojo3432
Thanks for the input everyone. This has really turned into a VERY helpful discussion. You all make excellent points. Too excellent in fact. :)
The truth is that it all boils down to what works best for your particular system and preference. It will be different for all. So, I have to say I now feel much more educated after digesting all of your comments...however, I also feel quite dumb about my confusion over which format to go with. Haha.
This is one thing that makes PCs different from Macs.
- Jim Hurley - SONAR Platinum - x64 - Windows 10 Pro ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0; Core i7-2600K@4.4GHz; 16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X; GeForce GT 740; Saffire Pro14 MixControl 3.7; Axiom 61 64-Bit audio, SR: 48kHz, ASIO 256 samples latency, Rec/Play I/O Buffers 512k, Total Round Trip Latency 13 ms, Pow-r 3 dither
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arachnaut
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 12:52:04
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Regarding Win 7 versus Win 8(.1).
Thinking about obsolescence of hardware - don't forget about software obsolescence. Win 7 should be around for a long time but 8 will be out much longer as it is MS's road map to the future.
It is a new kernel and the OS thread scheduling algorithms seem much better for multi-core, multi-threaded applications.
I think Windows 8.1 is rather stable by now - it's had at least one major update fix. Another new version update is due out in early 2014.
Still, Windows 7 is a very fine release of stable software.
Eventually, I suppose Touch could take off much like the mouse did and we will soon find lots of different types of touch interfaces.
Why not have a keyboard controller that is touch-enabled? If the touch panel has pressure sensitivity so much the better.
However, all being said, we generally need only think about the next 5 years. That is about two software and hardware generations. Everything older than 5 years is blown away by the newer stuff - that is practically a universal fact.
- Jim Hurley - SONAR Platinum - x64 - Windows 10 Pro ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0; Core i7-2600K@4.4GHz; 16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X; GeForce GT 740; Saffire Pro14 MixControl 3.7; Axiom 61 64-Bit audio, SR: 48kHz, ASIO 256 samples latency, Rec/Play I/O Buffers 512k, Total Round Trip Latency 13 ms, Pow-r 3 dither
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Mojo3432
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 13:07:12
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arachnaut
Everything older than 5 years is blown away by the newer stuff - that is practically a universal fact.
Very true. That's just the way of the tech world no matter what you're using it for. We'd better embrace it - we sure can't fight it!! :)
CUSTOM AUDIO PC:- Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, ASUS Z87 PRO Motherboard, 32GB RAM
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition Running Sonar Platinum
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Interface, Focusrite ISA Two Premp and Blue Robbie - Mic Preamp
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Mojo3432
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 13:14:47
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karma1959
Sorry .. one additional point of clarity - you mentioned earlier you use this PC for both DAW and Home office functions. Hey Karma. If I stated that, it was by error. I apologize...That's not true. My DAW PC is STRICTLY that....DAW ONLY. I only have 3 programs installed on it. Sonar, Amplitube 3 and BFD2. No Office, Outlook...nothing. I don't even have it hooked up to the internet. I only connect it when I need to update drivers or download a new plugin, etc. Too much research, time, money and effort spent on that machine to clutter it with anything else. You know how it is. :)
CUSTOM AUDIO PC:- Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, ASUS Z87 PRO Motherboard, 32GB RAM
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition Running Sonar Platinum
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Interface, Focusrite ISA Two Premp and Blue Robbie - Mic Preamp
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Splat
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 13:33:38
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Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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Splat
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 13:34:57
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Mojo3432
Does anyone have a preference between Windows 7 or 8 for their DAW?
Nope either will do.
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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guigz2000
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 14:54:48
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CakeAlexS
guigz2000
My thoughts about that:
Firewire is obsolete....Yes it does works well, but no laptop has it anymore.
Wrong, no more than say USB3 and USB2. Firewire and thunderbolt are related :)
Saffire Pro 40 (Firewire) will run on Thunderbolt for example, further discussions about thunderbolt here:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Is-Thunderbolt-Ever-Going-to-Take-Off-for-Windows-Machines-m2942119.aspx
Are you serious? TBolt and firewire aren't in any way related...You're just talking about an adapter and as Firewire won't evolve anymore (no firewire1600), I even doubt this kind of adapter will still be available in a not so distant future. Today, no "new" laptop provides firewire and TBolt is just marginal. On the other end,there's USB. USB 3 is just backward compatible with USB2 and USB1. Next USB iteration (USB 3.1) will still be backward compatible with a 10Gb bandwidth. So you can fairly think USB will be there for at least 10 years and that you'll be able to plug your soundcard on any computer you may buy in the next 5 years. It's already not the case for firewire.
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Splat
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 16:11:24
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Yes of course I'm serious ;) And don't call me Shirley. Apple adopted firewire and now apple is adopting thunderbolt.... see why? Thunderbolt is firewires natural successor, and it is backwards compatible with adapter. > I even doubt this kind of adapter will still be available in a not so distant future.
Assuming thunderbolt takes off of course it will. That is the whole idea. And guess what... Apple are selling them (I don't see Apple going bust any time soon) and all new apple PC's have thunderbolt: http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD464ZM/A/thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter?afid=p219%7CGOUK&cid=AOS-UK-KWG-PLA-PLA_UK_BTB So I think we can safely say that firewire won't be dead in just the same way USB 2 won't be dead either ;) USB 3 is a great solution too. The real question is really will thunderbolt and USB 3 survive, and rather debate it here I gave you a link in my previous post. My opinion is we shall see a similar situation with thunderbolt and USB 3 as we will currently have with firewire and USB 2. There will not be one ring to rule them all. Remember desktops sales are going down and tablet sales are going up... there are other factors nowadays. But that is just my own opinion, the reality is you don't know what will happen nor will I... there's no use it pretending otherwise... we shall see in a year shall we? Right now it's simple fact firewire is the superior interface when it comes to latency, even though USB is far more popular and can work nicely as well (I'm not saying USB is unusable, far from it). Next year sure, all may change. Cheers Alex
post edited by CakeAlexS - 2013/12/04 16:24:54
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 16:32:38
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I'm sorry but Firewire and Thunderbolt are not in any way technically related. To equate their relation to the one between USB 2 and 3 is a gross misrepresentation.
I think offering and showing multiple options is a good idea when someone asks for advice. But to pretend Thunderbolt is simply the new Firewire is incorrect and it may lead to wrong decisions to assume so.
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shmuelyosef
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 16:35:42
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CakeAlexSHaving said that I love my saffire Pro 40, and one of these days I will also buy a scarlett-18i20. You can hook them both up together for double the channels... that means you can adopt Firewire AND USB 2 standard.
If you can wait another 6 to 12 months there will be USB 3 interfaces. Hold out for that if I were you.
Echo everything above. The other important consideration is if you use USB external hard drives. Unless you have two separate internal USB interfaces your Audio Interface will compete for bandwidth. If you are using a desktop machine for connecting with your audio interface, then you will be able to get Firewire interfaces for a long time (certainly at least 5 years). I have a Pro 40 as well (had it >4 years), and it has been flawless compared to every audio interface I used previously, from ADAT converters to M-Audio and DigiDesign products...all were finicky until the FR. My desktop has onboard Firewire, but if I were to build a new one (probably in the next year or two to get around RAM limitations), it would have an internal FW card and I would use my Pro 40. I still have an external ADAT (just use it as A/D converters) so I can do 16 channels with my FW setup. I rarely go beyond the 8 channels as I either work alone or record my trio 'in studio'. I would also re-emphasize to wait for USB3 which will be throughput competitive with FW and have a different memory channel from the USB2 noise.
- Sonar Platinum 64-bit; Reaper; Ableton Live 9; Samplitude - PugetSystems Serenity Mini: WIN 10-PRO 64-bit; Intel Quad i7-4670 turbo to 3.8GHz; 16GB RAM; ASUS Gryphon Z89 - Antec P180 case. - Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 - DSI OB-6 (love child of a Prophet and an Oberheim) - NORD Electro 3HP - Roland XP-10 - Customized Fender-Rhodes Dyno Stage 73
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Splat
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/04 21:33:18
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Nobody is pretending anything... Gawd why are people so stuck in schematics. Let me be clear. For 25 quid you can plug in an interface which will go to your FireWire box. It then works just was well as a generic one not just some bs pretend adapter. This is backed by apple, and this is part of apples master plan. Apple are selling adapters because they know their existing user base is popular with FireWire. On the basis of that FireWire is not dead, in exactly the same way as USB 2 is not dead.... Assuming USB 3 will still be around or thunderbolt will still be around.... And that is the big IF... I don't think there's too much chance of a dead standard here, all we are talking about is adoption. And we know thunderbolt is used by apple and Intel machines do a lot of USB 3. Any other analysis is just noise and irrelevant, only Mr Spock gives a damn. Nobody gives a sh*t about how it works, they just want it to work and work well. In a years time we will know more. I believe both will be around in a year much like FireWire and USB 2 is now. Others may disagree and that's fine by me. (Lord this reminds me of arguments people had with BBC vs Spectrum vs Commadore when we were 14).
post edited by CakeAlexS - 2013/12/04 22:00:28
Sell by date at 9000 posts. Do not feed. @48/24 & 128 buffers latency is 367 with offset of 38. Sonar Platinum(64 bit),Win 8.1(64 bit),Saffire Pro 40(Firewire),Mix Control = 3.4,Firewire=VIA,Dell Studio XPS 8100(Intel Core i7 CPU 2.93 Ghz/16 Gb),4 x Seagate ST31500341AS (mirrored),GeForce GTX 460,Yamaha DGX-505 keyboard,Roland A-300PRO,Roland SPD-30 V2,FD-8,Triggera Krigg,Shure SM7B,Yamaha HS5.Maschine Studio+Komplete 9 Ultimate+Kontrol Z1.Addictive Keys,Izotope Nectar elements,Overloud Bundle,Geist.Acronis True Image 2014.
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denverdrummer
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/05 01:19:55
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Mojo3432
mixmkr
and Win7pro won't be top dawg either...?
Haha...while you've brought it up..... Does anyone have a preference between Windows 7 or 8 for their DAW?
I've been VERY pleased with the stability of Windows 7 so far, but didn't know if I should upgrade my OS while I'm doing everything else.
I'm using Windows 8.1 and I find it extremely stable. The big flack over Windows 8 was some people didn't like the UI changes, but performance wise Windows 8 in general runs faster than Win 7. They got rid of most of the Aero stuff on the desktop which looks pretty, but really just ate up CPU, for something unnecessary. I think the changes in 8.1 really make it more of a smooth transition from Windows 7. There's a lot more fluidity, and to be honest I spend most of my time in the desktop. Specifically for DAW use, I love the 10point touch that is in Windows 8, and Sonar X2b/X3 really take advantage of the touch features. More than a control surface, I just find it much easier to navigate in the project when I'm editing. I can just drag the track view around and pinch zoom, just like you would on a tablet. Having said all that, if Windows 7 is working for you, there's no real need to upgrade unless you want to. But if you're worried that Windows 8 won't be stable, there's no worry about that.
Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Dell Inspiron 15, core i7, 16GB RAM, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, Mackie MR5 Mark 1 speakers
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Any reason I SHOULDN'T move to a USB interface??
2013/12/05 04:54:19
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CakeAlexS
Nobody is pretending anything...
Gawd why are people so stuck in schematics. Let me be clear. For 25 quid you can plug in an interface which will go to your FireWire box. It then works just was well as a generic one not just some bs pretend adapter. This is backed by apple, and this is part of apples master plan. Apple are selling adapters because they know their existing user base is popular with FireWire. On the basis of that FireWire is not dead, in exactly the same way as USB 2 is not dead.... Assuming USB 3 will still be around or thunderbolt will still be around.... And that is the big IF... I don't think there's too much chance of a dead standard here, all we are talking about is adoption. And we know thunderbolt is used by apple and Intel machines do a lot of USB 3.
Any other analysis is just noise and irrelevant, only Mr Spock gives a damn. Nobody gives a sh*t about how it works, they just want it to work and work well.
In a years time we will know more. I believe both will be around in a year much like FireWire and USB 2 is now. Others may disagree and that's fine by me.
(Lord this reminds me of arguments people had with BBC vs Spectrum vs Commadore when we were 14).
I do disagree, the technical basis is very important. As you yourself have pointed out, Firewire can be quite finicky about chipsets. While this is currently a nice solution from Apple, that company does not have the best track record for providing backwards compatibility. If next year's Thunderbolt devices decide to not support the Firewire connection anymore, Apple will just shrug and say "move on". Yes, next year we will know more about USB3 performance, currently only RME has a USB3 card out. But in the mean time, it looks pretty sure that USB will be around for a long time on all computers.
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