Best Audio Interface for my situation

Hi guys,

I'm new around here!

I worked with cakewalk in the 90's and now I'm considering going back. But let me tell you my story, so that you can help me better.

I have a setup that fulfill my current needs. It's basically recording 2 mic/line audio chanels, audio editing/mixing and sometimes the production of playback tracks (through softsynths like BFD, Kontakt and Reason - need MIDI chanels for that). Well the devices in question are:

- Sony Vaio VPCF115FM (Windows 7 - 64 bits - 8 GB of RAM)
- SIIG 2-port firewire - 400 ExpressCard/34
- DIGIDESIGN DIGI 002

So, it's ok as long as I stay inside Pro Tools. No matter what I do it doesn't work with other softwares (like Sonar).

As I said above, those are my current needs. But one month from now, I'll be starting to produce some soundtracks for movies, theater and more complex playbacks. In order to do this I'll buy a collection from Vienna Symphonic Library. Well, it's a VST plugin and it's advisable to work in a 64bits system to take advantage of more than 4 GB of RAM (these libraries are memory suckers!). With these 2 presupositions, I'll have to abandon Pro Tools and my DIGI (those are only RTAS and 32 bits system). Finally, that brings me to SONAR.

I'll be really out of money after Vienna, so I'll only be able to by a sound card that costs around $880 (here in my country) and I wont be able change anything from the rest of the system. I searched thru the net and I found the Edirol FA 66 very interesting for this porpouse. But when I went to buy the FA 66 in my local music store, the guy told me they have horrible drivers under Win 7 and then he suggested the Presonus FireStudio Project.

I have to admit, they are both in the same price range around here and the Presonus offer much more than the FA 66. But as I said, I don't need more than 2 mic/line inputs at the moment. So, this is my question:

Which card has the best ASIO drivers in terms of stability and latency (very important for Vienna) under Windows 7 64 bits? The Presonus FireStudio Project or the Edirol FA 66?

Do you, guys have any other suggestions in that same price range taking into consideration specially the drivers?


Thanks in advance.

the lowest round trip latency drivers available today, as I understand it from a professional DAW builder, are the m-audio fast track ultra and fast track ultra 8R.

they're a little more than your needs, but the ultra (non-8R version) is only $350USD.

Hey Beagle!

Thanks for the reply.

I read some bad news about the stability of m-audio drivers. Have you used them under Windows 7??

How about the Fast Track Pro?? It's cheapper, and I could keep my DIGI.

Thanks.


At,

I'm on a laptop and right now I don't have the money to buy other PC. So, PCI is not an option.

It's very difficult to find TC stuff right here. Just found a second-hand Konneckt Live! for $530. Is it better than m-audio??

Thanks for the reply.

no, I haven't personally used it on a win7 machine, but the DAW builder I'm referring to is Jim Roseberry and he frequents the forum here usually in the Computer and Hardware subforums, so you could go ask him directly about it.  I trust his opinions.

but the fast track pro is not the same low latency drivers as the ultra series.  the pro series are OK, but they do not have the fastest drivers.

that's just because it's a different series - part of what you're paying the higher price for on the ultra series is the better drivers.  just an update to an older driver doesn't mean they are restructuring the drivers to be faster (for the pro).

ChuckC - thank you for that testimony!  would you do me a favor and post your experience in this thread:

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2133079

there are users in the SHS forum who are worried about m-audio and win7 because of a "product troll" bashing it.

MKibble


At,

I'm on a laptop and right now I don't have the money to buy other PC. So, PCI is not an option.

It's very difficult to find TC stuff right here. Just found a second-hand Konneckt Live! for $530. Is it better than m-audio??

Thanks for the reply.

I don't know where you are - most of the mail order places have just about everything.  All the TCK stuff basically use the same hardware and drivers - it is only the number of i/o's and dsp that differ.  That seems a bit pricey for a used Live! unit and more than its replacement, the Twin.
 
I've used the Presonus stuff and it is good sounding.  Not great, but good.  As CJ sez it uses the DiceII chipset for FW control.  It was from TC and was initially horrible.  TC's stuff, Focusrite and some other companies used it, too, and the problems were legion.  As said above, it has been sussed out and no more problems today than any other system.  I've heard people rag about RME, which is usually considered having the best drivers in the business.
 
If I was you and had $800 for a non pci interface, I'd look at the new RME babyface, the Steinberg(yamaha) mr16, TC for sound quality.  Look around, there are lots of threads about what people use or have heard and Beale's site has some good info, too.  Whatever you buy, get it from someone who you can return to it and switch out for a second choice.  On the PC someone can have no problems and the next guy does with a specific unit.  It doesn't happen too much, but ...  Unless you want to spend time turning into self help tech support, it is often easier to just try the next unit.  there isn't too much difference between the sound quality of modern units, some, but not deal killing.  Esp if you are using soft synths, the DA is usually good enough to work w/ .  If the unit doesn't work, it doesn't matter how good it sounds.
 
@

Well guys, I came to give a feedback.

First of all, thanks for all the replies.

Unfortunatelly I made the wrong choice! I decided to give FA 66 a shot. My thoughts were: hey, Sonar and the FA 66 are from the same company, they can't be incompatible (this reminds my previous expiriences with a DVD drive from Samsung that doesn't accept DVD-Rs from Samsung)!!! And they're not, but...

When I came back from store, I openned the box, read the manual and downloaded the driver form www.roland.com (by the way, in www.cakewalk.com there's no driver for the FA 66). Installed the driver and plugged the interface when asked. So far, so good.

Opened Sonar, and inserted some instrument and some audio tracks. Tried all the combinations and always heard a strange ROBOTIC sound (which happened sometimes with my DIGI inside Sonar).

After a moment of disappointment, I had the brillant idea of changing the firewire port. I was using my SIIG (which has a TI chipset - most indicated for audio purpuses) and changed to the onboard port (which is Ricoh, I think). It worked, but there were a few problems:

- A very light hiss through my monitors (when compared to DIGI - same cables used, same no-break). Only noticed when you stay very close to the speakers;

- Another light strange noise on the monitors (when compared to DIGI - same cables used, same no-break). I don't know how to describe, like eletric pulses togheter with some crackles. Only noticed when you stay very close to the speakers;

Anyways, I was accepting these minor flaws. But the came the big issue: LATENCY:

- It was ok (at best) for slow passages, but could not play fast tempo arrangements. Then I tried to change the settings for the ASIO panel. Another disappointment. Very few controls and it doesn't show actual latency values (it looks like a cheap old windows software). Tried the "smaller" under the ASIO for buffer settings. Nothing happened! Tried to move the buffer size slider. Anything under "normal" makes the driver very unstable and causes "Engine Off" on Sonar or the sound just stops.

- Tried WDM. Same thing (and the recomendation for Vienna is ASIO, so I wouldn't bother if it didn't work)!!!!

Other pains in the neck:

- Changing sample rate requires to power off the unit;

- Changing buffer settings requires to power off the unit;

- When there's too much time without activity from the FA 66 it just isn't recognized by the system anymore. This requires to power off the unit AND restarting the computer;

- When you unplug the interface from electricity (after powering off, of course!), the FA 66 it just isn't recognized by the system anymore. This requires to power off the unit AND restarting the computer;

All this I tried using soft synths. Then I tried to record something from the mic inputs:

- Tried monitor with Echo Input (from Sonar) to listen to real time effects (which I do with DIGI on the same computer). Latency doesn't allow to make good takes (and there are the issues described above when trying to change settings in the ASIO panel). Then tried the way it's supposed to work (through the monitoring knob). Well, all I can say is that it's possible, but it's very difficult to set the levels because when you find a good input gain level, you are stucked with it to monitor also. If you turn the Director Monitor knob to the right too much you'll won't be able to listen to your computer tracks. I mean, the mixing of the signals is very strange, couldn't find confortable levels (which are done extremely easy on the DIGI). The pre-amps are ok - tranparent, but you have to set high levels of gain introcucing a bit of noise (when compared to the DIGI). Other issues:

- The same knob that controls your monitor controls your headphones;

- There's no mute the monitor button (which is very good if you have just one room), so everytime you will record something you have to turn off the monitors;

- The Heaphone output doesn't supply good power to your headphones (the level is very low even with the knob almost in the maximum position - when compared to the DIGI - the headphone is a very good one);

- Input 1 just monitors on the left side, input 2, just on the right. Which makes you turn on and off the MONO button lots of time if you are recording and checking the results.

But, I didn't intend to use it to record, I'm just writing it to help others.


Summing-up:

- Very compatible with Sonar;
- Poor drivers;
- Latency is an issue;
- Stable untill you change the Buffer Settings;
- Problems with the construction of the device (cause noise through the monitors);
- Makes difficult to record live inputs.

So, for my situation it's not a good interface. Thanks God I bought it on a big store that gives me the possibility to exchange.

The only model you guys posted here they have is the Fast Track Ultra (and they only have the 8r). I'll have to pay the differece, but do you think I should go for it?? Will it solve the issues?? Or is it better to ask money back??


Thanks.