noynekker
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Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
My new PC Laptop came with two Thunderbolt 3 connectors, so I bought a cheap M-Audio USB2 audio interface just to keep me running, while researching the Thunderbolt Audio interfaces available . . . there's not that many . . . but I'm trying to find a reason not to like the "Resident Audio T2"
Bus Powered, no power cord required, Asio drivers, Midi interface, very compact for portable recording.
Resident Audio appear to be a newish company, and PC Thunderbolt interfaces are also a newish phenomenon.
Anybody out there have any "Thunderbolt audio interface on PC" experiences to share ?
Especially, those actually using one with Sonar Platinum.
Cakewalk by Bandlab, Cubase, RME Babyface Pro, Intel i7 3770K @3.5Ghz, Asus P8Z77-VPro/Thunderbolt, 32GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 250 GB OS SSD, 2TB HDD samples, Win 10 Pro 64 bit, backed up by Macrium Reflect, Novation Impulse 61 Midi Key Controller, Tannoy Active Near Field Monitors, Guitars by Vantage, Gibson, Yamaki and Ovation.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
2016/06/16 10:09:31
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"PCIe via Thunderbolt" was just very recently supported by Microsoft. - You have to be running one of the very latest Z170x or x99p motherboards that support Thunderbolt-3 via USB-C port
- You have to be running Win10
Thunderbolt audio interfaces are currently all Thunderbolt-2. IOW, You'll need a USB-C to Thunderbolt-2 adapter (~$85). These adapters just hit the streets and can be hard to find in stock. Finally, you need the audio interface manufacturer to deliver "PCIe via Thunderbolt drivers" for Win10. Make sure you have *all* of these things in place before buying the audio interface. Right now, MOTU is the only company to officially announce the availability of "PCIe via Thunderbolt drivers" for their newest AVB series. Note the Ultralite AVB does not support Thunderbolt... just the larger AVB units.
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noynekker
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Re: Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
2016/06/16 21:54:31
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Thanks for responding Jim, you hardware knowledge is truly amazing, as I've seen in your many posts here for years and years. So, Z170 is the chipset ?
My motherboard is the Intel Core i7 6700HQ (2.5khz), though only the Core i7 6700 (3.5khz) is listed in compatible devices with the Z170 chipset drivers. My laptop manual says the Thunderbolt 3 connectors are compatible with the USB_C standard . . . so as you say, I may need the USB_C to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
Of course my inquiry to Resident Audio got a response . . .
"If your computer has Windows 8 and higher as well as a Thunderbolt port, the T2 or T4 should be compatible with your setup. Although we have not tested with Cakewalk, I fully expect our devices to be compatible."
It's a $400 gamble + plus the cost of the adapter
I wish RME or MOTU had a smaller portable product like this that would be compatible with my new system, since they are more established audio industry names.
Cakewalk by Bandlab, Cubase, RME Babyface Pro, Intel i7 3770K @3.5Ghz, Asus P8Z77-VPro/Thunderbolt, 32GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 250 GB OS SSD, 2TB HDD samples, Win 10 Pro 64 bit, backed up by Macrium Reflect, Novation Impulse 61 Midi Key Controller, Tannoy Active Near Field Monitors, Guitars by Vantage, Gibson, Yamaki and Ovation.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
2016/06/19 16:20:56
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FWIW, If the Resident driver is not "PCIe via Thunderbolt" (running Firewire protocol over Thunderbolt)... there is zero advantage to running it vs. a USB2 or USB3 unit.
Their response tells me the driver is not "PCIe via Thunderbolt"... as Microsoft just recently added support for it in Win10 (with Z170x or X99p motherboards - very recently released hardware).
Any Thunderbolt audio interface connected to a Windows machine running Win7 or Win8 is running Firewire protocol via Thunderbolt.
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noynekker
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Re: Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
2016/06/19 22:25:08
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What about the bus-powered advantage ? . . . no power chord required, that's huge in a portable interface.
Are there any USB audio interfaces that require no DC power ?
From what I've read online, there's tons of thunderbolt 3 devices available, that's why the newer laptops are equipped with thunderbolt 3 . . . but it seems the audio world is lagging behind in getting on board. Guess they need to sell off all their old USB/Firewire stock first. Hopefully, it won't be another year before thunderbolt 3 audio interfaces are more widely available.
Cakewalk by Bandlab, Cubase, RME Babyface Pro, Intel i7 3770K @3.5Ghz, Asus P8Z77-VPro/Thunderbolt, 32GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce GTX 660 Ti, 250 GB OS SSD, 2TB HDD samples, Win 10 Pro 64 bit, backed up by Macrium Reflect, Novation Impulse 61 Midi Key Controller, Tannoy Active Near Field Monitors, Guitars by Vantage, Gibson, Yamaki and Ovation.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Thunderbolt Audio Interface for a Laptop
2016/06/20 11:12:15
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FWIW, I wouldn't get too caught up in bus-powered audio interfaces.  If you use phantom powered condenser mics, bus-powered units often don't deliver enough voltage for maximum fidelity. Always use dedicated power if available. USB and Firewire bus-powered audio interfaces have been available for a long while... I'd use dedicated power with this also (for same reason) Thunderbolt 3 literally just came out. At this moment, few (if any) Thunderbolt-3 specific peripherals are actually available. All the Thunderbolt audio interfaces you see are Thunderbolt-2. With a single peripheral, it's somewhat a moot point if it's Thunderbolt 1, 2 or 3. ie: A conventional HD sustains say 180MB/Sec. Thunderbolt-1 has plenty of bandwidth to accomodate. If you have a PC with Thunderbolt-3, it's using a USB-C port. You would absolutely need a USB-C to Thunderbolt-2 (often just called Thunderbolt) adapter.
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