Audio is easy and straightforward stuff... no hard calculations needed.....

a synth has to be processed differently. The factory cards simply can not handle the calculations needed to get the sound to the speakers in a reasonable time.....so you end up with skipped notes, latency, pops and clicks and even a complete shutdown of the processing engine. 

we all are using one brand or another of the external sound card/interfaces and really... if you want to do this right, there is no other way to get it done. 

In other words, the stock sound card has inferior digital-to-audio converters.

57Gregy


In other words, the stock sound card has inferior digital-to-audio converters.

you said that so...eloquently 

Hi woul anyone mind taking a look at this audio interface and advise as to whether it will allow my softsynths to work in MC6?

Many thanks - and also what you think of it generally.

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/recording-studio/detail.asp?stock=11012510125132

I would not buy any audio interface that doesn't have true ASIO drivers. The io4 doesn't have them. On their Docs and Downloads page, the have a link for the ASIO4All driver, but that's not really ASIO, just a wrapper for the WDM driver, which is really weird since they include Steinberg's Cubase recording software and Steinberg created ASIO.
But, many folks do get satisfactory performance with ASIO4All. It's just not for me.
Avoid anything that says "plug and play".
I would keep shopping.
 

I am inclined to agree.
I have no experience with the iO4, but the lack of native ASIO drivers gives me pause.
I've been considering the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 in that price range and it looks like a contender.
You might also want to look at the Cakewalk/Roland UA1-G. It is lean on audio inputs, but it has ASIO drivers and may serve your needs.
I'm happy with the Alesis gear I have, but I can't really get behind their interfaces.

Greg nailed it, as did Robert .... I also saw on the last page on the Alesis site that it has "optional asio4all drivers"   ....

NO.... do not purchase this interface. 

I am partial to the Focusrite product line because I have one and know how well it works. 

If you are using softsynths, that means you are working with MIDI. If your synth/keyboard has USB output you do not need to have a midi input on the interface, however, if the synth/keyboard is old school and has the 5 pin midi output you will be better served to find an interface which also supports midi in/out with the 5 pin connector. 

Look around and find something with the inputs and outputs you need and running native ASIO drivers. You will appreciate it. Consider the interface to be the heart of the studio. It should not be short changed. 

Cheers guys certainly some good advice there.

Would any of you consider the Zoom R24 to be good as an audio interface as it is something i am probably going to buy anyway and if it will double up then wahay:-)

http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/r24

Seriously... you can get what you want... and some of the things like the Zoom can be quite useful.... 

However, I prefer not to use a multi function device like this. It does 4 things. recorder, interface, controller and sampler. 

I may simply be "old school" but I like the interface to be simply "the interface". You have the ability to use more tracks internally in MC6 and keep everything inside the box.  

Ultimately, it is your choice and if the Zoom works for you then that's your option. 

For the money you would spend on the zoom, you can get a really nice dedicated interface with audio & midi and have some change left over.

The R-24 looks like a nice unit, but I couldn't find out anything about what driver modes it uses, not even on their pages.
It may be a great recorder and sampler and drum machine, but I'm not sure it would be a great audio interface. All the reviews I read all seem to be talking about it's recording capabilities and audio effects, not how well it interacts with a DAW.
And for $500 US, I'm pretty sure I could get all those things seperately and an audio interface known to work well with my operating system and has ASIO drivers. The audio interface is the most important part of computer recording, in my opinion.
Get Focusrite. There, I said it.