USB/FireWire recording interface options for laptop.

Hey All,

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron e1505 and I want to be able to do some recording on the thing. I have been using Cakewalk and other recording gear for a while but I'm relatively new to the world of USB and FireWire recording interfaces, and need some help finding a solution.

First of all, let me say that I just purchased a Presonus Firebox and a SIIG Expresscard with 2 FireWire ports. After wasting many hours tweaking the system, I finally gave up in frustration. I never got beyond some awful clicking noises. Couldn't record or playback anything. And YES I did check the fourms and everywhere else on the net, tweaked the hell out of my machine as Presonus and others have suggested.

Anyway here I am with my Firebox paperweight and expresscard, and I don't know if it's incompatibility with something in my system, with the expresscard or with the the way Sonar is setup (HS4XL BTW).

I guess my question is a two-parter:

A. Do you have any idea if I should keep trying to deal with the Firebox or is this a lost cause? I'm kinda ready to smash it.

and

2. What laptop solutions work for you? What can you recommend? I'm thinking of trying either the M-Audio FireWire 1814 or moving to a USB solution, like the Lexicon Lambda. Just so you know, I'm wanting to record acoustic guitar and vocals mostly, so sound quality is important to me, however I do have a budget of about $500.00.

Hope you all can help me out, looking foward to your replies.
John Horne

Not good with what all the specs are but:

Dell Inspiron E1505
Centrino Duo
T2400 @1.83GHz
1 GB Ram
WinXP Pro SP2
Sonar HS4XL

If that helps.

Okay, fair enough.

I need at least two XLR inputs with 48V Phantom power available.
A couple of 1/4-inch inputs would be good too and seem pretty standard.
Don't really need MIDI or SPDIF.
as stated above $500.00 or less.

That's it.

BTW you may have only seen my incomplete post. I accidentally hit the post button early and had to add the rest of my tale...

Uh, I hate to ask but how do I do that? Do I have to do that?

Thanks though, greatly appreciate your time.

Thanks,

I'm not gonna hold my breath, but I'll try it now an report back.

Can you return the Presonus? If not, that sucks. It's very possible that the Presonus and your system just don't get along well, although it is also possible that you have a strange Firewire issue with your machine and other firewire cards may have similar problems. This is where a purpose-built DAW laptop is key. However, that's probably not in the picture. It could also be your Firewire card. Consider these interfaces:

• Mackie Spike, 2 in 2 out, USB, $250. Also comes with Mackie's Tracktion DAW software. This has been around a while and would almost certainly work for you.
  
• Edirol UA1000, 10 in 10 out, 4 XLRs, USB 2, $450. I just came across this and it looks sweet. It is also available as the UA 101 at around $500. Edirol's website gives me a headache, so linked to American Musical Suply instead.
  
• MOTU UltraLight, 10 in 14 out, Firewire, $550. Lots of folks around here use and like MOTU.
  

I have an M-Audio Firewire 410. Honestly, I am not that impressed and I would not buy it again. It works, but it has several nagging issues and it is not very strongly constructed. The 1814 may be better. It is a second generation product, so some issues may be resolved. Lots of people like their M-Audios more than I do, too.

You didnt mention, if you tried w/ onboard controller --> if the issue you had w/ FireBox were related to your SIIG FireWire controller, you may have exact the same issues w/ other FireWire devices as well. Also, did you remove the Windows FireWire driver for onboard controller when disabled controller?

One possible alternative - E-MU 1616M - www.emu.com

Junski

ORIGINAL: johnny 2001

If I understand what you're asking: the onboard Firewire port is some mini connector thingy that I have no idea what it's good for. I've neer seen a recording interface with a Firewire connector like this. And yes, I am quite concerned that my Firewire card may have also been a complete waste of funds if I can't get anything to work with it

...

Least it's good for to test if the FireBox is OK. Actually, it's a normal IEEE1394 port but only w/ mini connector. If FireBox can be connected through 4 pin port, I would at least try that (though, you perhaps need an adapter).

Junski

And in regard to your previous post, it looks like the Firebox does require the 6-pin connector.

ORIGINAL: johnny 2001
Thanks for the ideas and links. Yes, I can send the Presonus back, it was a Musician's Friend purchase for just that reason.

That, at least, is good news.

The Mackie Spike and Edirol UA1000 seem to get the same reviews as the Presonus: it either works for you and you love it, or it doesn't an you hate it. The MOTU Ultralight looks sexy with it's glowing green lights and all, but the Firewire thing leaves me a little leery at this point. And why the hell did they decide to put one of the XLR inputs on the back of the unit? I'm plan to do a lot of stereo micing and that just seems weird. So I'm still not sure what I'm gonna try next.

As you probably well know at this point, different hardware doesn't always work with everybody's system.

I would be interested in hearing exactly what you don't like about the M-Audio 410 and would love to hear from someone using the M-Audio 1814 or Lexicon Lambda. Also, the Edirol UA-101 looks interesting...

• I got the M-Audio 410 shortly after it came out. Every once in a while, I turn my computer on and it does not initialize. I believe it is the actual 410 that does not come around, not a driver issue. Power cycling the 410 or my computer seems to help.
  
• The 410 is poorly constructed. One of my headphone jacks started to crackle and now does not work now and the unit does not have a solidly-built feel.
  
• There is a little knob on the unit that can be assigned to control different parameters through the software, such as the output volume to your monitors. This just doesn't work and it never has. Lots of reviews mention the same thing.
  
• The preamps on the 410 do not allow you to connect anything to them before the A/D converters, such as a compressor. I'm not sure how many interfaces suffer from the same design limitation, but it makes the pres and phantom power a good deal less useful. If you want to use a compressor, you need an external pre.
  
• You can only record 2 tracks at a time on the analog inputs. It is billed as a 4-in unit, and technically it is. Two of those ins are S/PDIF. It is more like a 2-in, 8-out unit for practical purposes.
  
• You are supposed to be able to chain several units together. To my knowledge, and I could be incorrect, this has yet to be supported in the M-Audio drivers, despite being promised years ago.
  
• M-Audio hasn't released any new drivers for this unit in quite some time and I found their tech support to leave something to be desired.
  

With all those complaints, there are things I like, too. It sounds pretty good and it is portable. It is pleasant to look at and packs quite a few features into a small package (mic pres, phantom power, MIDI). That it can be powered via Firewire is very convenient.

BTW Love the nod to Frank Herbert!

Many thanks.

The 410 works for me, for the most part. Most of my gripes are small, but I probably would not get it again. I would spend a bit more money and get something more satisfying. At the time I bought it, however, it was about the best I could do given my limitiations. I cannot say how the 1814 compares.

ORIGINAL: Thomas Campitelli

It is pleasant to look at...

That's what I like best about my Presonus so far too.

I'll check out the compatibility with a 4-pin adapter. Thanks!

Okay, I have one more question, kind of a tangent.

Now that this is working on the 4-to-6 pin cable, does anyone know if I will I still be able to piggyback an external hard drive off of the firebox if I want/need to?