Audio Interfaces & Controller recommended

I am about to upgrade to Sonar 4 and I am looking for advice on what type of audio Interface and controller will be best to maximize my capabilities. So far I have my eye on the Edirol UA-1000 audio interface and the Edirol PCR-300 Controller which I notice are used at sonar stations.

Before upgrading, you should seriously consider this thread first...

http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/tm.asp?m=235927

Then, as far as that goes..I would suggest the Mackie Control...It really depend o nhow much you want to spend. If you're goind pro and want to capability to expand, g with the mackie control. There are a number of threads that deal with this topic. Another consideration is maturity... As you grow, you will find your needs more suited to quality. If you can hold off and save, its better than getting cheap...running into problems...not being satisfied and then deciding after you spent the money, I want something better.

How manys tracks do you want to control at the same time? What is your price range?

HI there,

MagicBuss, did you have any trouble with the behringer BCF2000 ? I just bought it and i go through a bad dream... can you really configure it for anything else than the standard mixing stuff? i mean does it work with virtual instruments, because i, after a long fight could configure it for the mix, but then Stylus 's config (stored in Preset 3, manually from the console itself sending CCs) just won't work etc .... I've heard bad feedback also from ther people in the bcontrol forum when used with sonar ... so tell me, does it work and if yes, HOW?

Thanks,
Katja

ORIGINAL: larenzo_alexander

I am about to upgrade to Sonar 4 and I am looking for advice on what type of audio Interface and controller will be best to maximize my capabilities. So far I have my eye on the Edirol UA-1000 audio interface and the Edirol PCR-300 Controller which I notice are used at sonar stations.

You'll find as many opinions on interfaces as options. It is hard to go wrong if you buy an interface specifically for music production that meets your needs in terms of channels (i.e. not a sound blaster).

In terms of features my one pet peeve is not having a hardware monitor volume knob and headphone jack on the front of my unit.

My vote is is reguardless of what kind of interface you decide on, save a little cash for a good hardware compressor with peak limiting (dbx 166xl comes to mind). Nothing will blow a good take like digital clipping. All software compression is post A/D conversion and will do nothing to prevent digital clipping.

If you're shopping in the Mackie Control+Audio Interface market then you should also consider the TASCAM Fw1884. Control surface, analog and digital audio interface, and MIDI interface all in one. With native support plug-in for Sonar. Faders can be expanded if needed.

I'm right in there with the FW-1884. I first purchased it when I was running Digital Performer 4 on MAC, and sold off my MOTU 828 MKII, MOTU MICRO LITE 5x5, and Yamaha MG-16/4 board. Those three pieces are equivalent in price to the Tascam FW-1884, and you don't get the automation control surface interface. Like the MOTU 828, the FW can be expanded to 16 analog input/outputs with a Behringer ADA8000, for instance.

I've just switched to Cakewalk 3 and it is running beautifully. I've just updated the FW-1884 drivers to 1.30 that address the Hyper-Threading functionality that Sonar supports and everything is running great. I don't look back on the old gear at all, as the FW-1884 is one sweet piece of equipment.

LC