Firewire cards vs firewire cards

Author
Post
Essentials Only Full Version
deslecat
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 49
  • Joined: 2006/02/17 10:54:15
  • Status: offline
2006/08/21 16:19:26 (permalink)

Firewire cards vs firewire cards

OK, now in a position to narrow down my search for a new soundcard towards the firewire end and was hoping to start some debate and get people's thoughts. The boxes I'm looking at must have instrument inputs but aside from that I'm not too bothered about loads of inputs but rather wanted to steer this discussion around quality of recorded sound. So...what do people think of the m-audio 410 (which looks cool but has lots of reported problems on the forums), presonus firebox and the cheap and cheerful presonus inspire 1394. Really like the presonus website which explains things in plain English for those on a learning curve. If there's other cards you can think of then please join in.
#1

7 Replies Related Threads
    boten
    Max Output Level: -31.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 4353
    • Joined: 2004/05/10 09:49:02
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/21 16:59:42 (permalink)
    One generic piece of advice: Look into the technical specifications of the device and compare among them if you're focused on quality, especially SNR, dynamic range, support for different bit rates and sampling rates, THD %, support for ASIO 2.0 and one thing also important: make sure the device has 64 bit drivers available, this is the next generation in audio and it's very powerful just to make sure you can upgrade your DAW and enjoy the maximum capabilities (even if you need to do some changes on your system down the road to support this - mobo, CPU, etc.)
    In general m-audio products are pretty damn good, esp. the 410.
    #2
    Beagle
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 50621
    • Joined: 2006/03/29 11:03:12
    • Location: Fort Worth, TX
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/21 17:06:29 (permalink)
    I have not personally used any of the firewire products since I do not have a computer with a firewire port. I can tell you, however, that I love the m-audio devices - their drivers are very stable and their software is fairly easy to navigate/understand.

    I second boten's opinion that you should pay close attention to the specs of anything you plan to consider as a purchase! Don't forget to look at the reviews of any "preamps" or "A/D converters" on this forum (do a search - lots of discussion on those!), or on reseller's websites, etc.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
    i7, 16G DDR3, Win10x64, MOTU Ultralite Hybrid MK3
    Yamaha MOXF6, Hammond XK3c, other stuff.
    #3
    deslecat
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 49
    • Joined: 2006/02/17 10:54:15
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/21 18:54:06 (permalink)
    Think after an evening of research that I'm leaning towards Presonus firebox. I much prefer the aesthetics of the m-audio stuff and it does have more inputs and outputs but I'm a little worried (after all my recent sound card problems) about driver issues and reliablity. Cubase forum users are unanimous towards firebox and claim it has a better preamp. Anyway going to sign off for the evening before I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about!
    #4
    macflooze
    Max Output Level: -80 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 544
    • Joined: 2006/05/27 18:23:06
    • Location: Glasgow, Scotland
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/21 19:42:45 (permalink)
    I don't have the Firebox, but do have its big brother, the Firepod. It works pretty well hassle-free, and the quality/price point is very satisfactory

    Pmac
    ToneZone

    Information spreads at the speed of light, while ignorance is instantaneous at all points in the known universe - Dmitry Orlov
    #5
    papa2004
    Max Output Level: -10.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 6475
    • Joined: 2005/03/23 12:40:47
    • Location: Southeastern U.S.
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/21 21:19:37 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: deslecat

    Think after an evening of research that I'm leaning towards Presonus firebox. I much prefer the aesthetics of the m-audio stuff and it does have more inputs and outputs but I'm a little worried (after all my recent sound card problems) about driver issues and reliablity. Cubase forum users are unanimous towards firebox and claim it has a better preamp. Anyway going to sign off for the evening before I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about!


    As I'm not a Cubase user, I can't comment about any problems they might have had, but I have (and still do) used M-Audio devices with SONAR, Adobe's Auditionas and Mackie's Tracktion and haven't encountered any problems...FWIW, I use an extensive array of soft-synths on most of my projects and have never had a problem with the quality or response that my M-Audio devices provide...

    Regards,
    Papa
    #6
    Robomusic
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 8943
    • Joined: 2004/05/30 00:54:24
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/22 01:19:16 (permalink)
    Wait a month or so and check out the presonus firestudio (firepod with software mixer), the firebox also has the SW mixer. though personally i would get the E-MU 1616 M PCI setup it has the first rate Convertors and the nice Pres with the built in soft limiters. A hard act to beat.

    I'd Seize the day but i can't quite reach it!

    http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?AID=33477&T=1260
    Music Town
    #7
    Rick McNab
    Max Output Level: -70 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1047
    • Joined: 2005/12/20 02:33:16
    • Status: offline
    RE: Firewire cards vs firewire cards 2006/08/22 01:26:38 (permalink)
    I have a Presonus 1394 and it's worked out great for me. The price is right and you can cascade additional units if you want more inputs later on. I don't think you can go wrong for the money. There have been a few "niggles" here and there, but nothing that the occasional reboot doesn't solve.
    #8
    Jump to:
    © 2025 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1