Firstly,if I buy an audio interface am I stuck with the DAW that comes with the AI ? As a relative novice I,m bewildered by the various AI,s on offer. All I want to do is be able to assign Channel 1 on my mixing desk to Audio track 1 on my MC3 on my PC. So from what I can gather,I need an AI. I think firewire is the way to go as I need at least 4 I/O,s. I play guitar,bass,drums etc myself and use a reel to reel too,for FX etc,and have hit on the problem of being unable to Solo the drum track to my headfones. As a result if I monitor the drums on my monitors,the mike I,m using to record guitar picks up the drums,if you see what I mean.
 
I know I could get rid of the mixing desk,but it has a reasonble EQ section and I like the hands on,physical touch. I,m also bl**dy useless with computors. I have my eyes on a Focusrite LE Saffire Firewire soundcard. I also like the Alesis I/O 14 or 26. As money is a big consideration (£100 GBP ) I,ll have to buy SH. Ive also looked at the PCI soundcard type with breakout box,such as the M- Audio 44/66.
 
Sorry for the waffle. Basicly I need a no frills,simple to use device that allows me to assign 8 tracks max. No midi etc. I,m just using the PC as a replacement for an 8 track R2R.Any advice would be welcome,thanks in advance chaps,Andy

no, you're not stuck with the DAW that comes with the "AI" or soundcard unless you buy into something proprietary like ProTools HD (which I doubt you're talking about).

you can't have 4 I/O channels working simultaneously with MC3. Music Creator only allows 2 simultaneous inputs and outputs.  you'd need to buy a software DAW package that allows more I/O.  you can upgrade from MC3 to Sonar X1 Essentials for about $70 that would allow you to use more than 2 inputs at the same time.

I don't like the Alesis I/O - their drivers are "iffy"  the focusrite saffire is a good card, but make sure you have a TI Firewire chipset in your computer.  if you don't have TI chipset, you may have problems with any firewire soundcard.

the m-audio delta 44 and 66 are great cards.  I had a 44 for 5 years until it had a physical problem that was more expensive to fix than it was to replace with something else.

check my website in my signature for more information on buying a soundcard and some recommendations.

Thanks for your reply MR B. It looks like I,ve got to upgrade from MC3. I can already get two channels-ish by using left and right channels of my soundcard to two audio tracks. But its obviously ideal.

The reason I like MC3 is that it has a relatively simple layout and is easy to use. I tried a couple of Ableton,s platforms,but wasnt happy with them. Thanks for the heads up on Sonar X1.  Thats about £35 GBP I think.How does this compare ease of use wise with MC3 ? Lastly does anyone have a copy to sell ? Many thanks,Andy.

I was going to point you to Beagle's site but he did it already.

A good interface can work with any DAW... I would not use the DAW software that comes packaged with the interface since it is normally one of the LE versions.... like a demo version with limited abilities. 

The USB interfaces are very good now. Since you are using Music Creator 3 (did I see that correctly?) I would say you don't need any more then a 2 audio channel interface because MC only supports 2 inputs at a time.

I'd recommend an upgrade to MC6 now, or to X1e. The price is reasonable, AND..... it has some real performance improvements over MC3...and it also has some nice sampled sounds in it. Cakewalk Sound Center alone is worth the price IMHO. 

I just upgraded (they call it a crossgrade) to X1essentials and it is sweet.  Worth the cost for sure. That allows more inputs then the limit of 2 with MC.  Look at Beagle's site and see what interface will give you what you need. 

Be aware that firewire doesn't always work with chipsets other then the TI chipset.  Also USB 2 & 3 are now faster then the Firewire ports.... when I bought my firewire Saffire, that was not the case. 

My suggestion, visit a music store and have a look at the interfaces they sell. Take with the staff and see what they recommend... but be educated BEFORE you walk in, so you don't buy something that is not what you really need. 


Edit: one more thing.... all my mixing is done in the box. I have no need for an external mixing desk. All my stuff goes straight to the interface..... if you get one that has good preamps, you will not need any external mixer...unless you really just want to use one from old habit. 

just to clarify something - MC6 is cheaper to "upgrade to" and guitarhacker suggested it, but MC6 still only allows 2 simultaneous inputs, so that wouldn't fit your needs.

X1 (and MC6 BTW) are very different from MC3, however.  the interface and workflow are very very different.  I suggest you download the X1 demo and try it out.  it's crippled some in functionality and very "slimmed down" as far as plugins and synths, but the basic GUI and functionality are there and would give you an idea what it would take to learn X1 Essentials for your multi-input purposes.
 
and if you're asking if anyone has a copy of X1 to sell, that's not supposed to happen.  the licensing agreement does not allow transfer of the software license to anyone.  once you pay for it - it's yours forever.  upgrade prices are here, tho:
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/

Thanks chaps. I never thought to check if MC3,s I/O capacity. Sorry,yes it was cheeky of me to ask if anyone has a copy to sell. I think Ive found a copy of X1 for about 50 quid. Its just the basic X1, not the producer version. Thanks for the link Mr B,I,ll try the trial version and see how I get on.

I,m also intrigued that USB 2 AI,s are faster than FW. Although the latest AI I,ve been looking at is within my budget and looks simple to use ( M- Audio Delta 1010 ) As to popping in a shop to peruse the wares,the nearest shop that has a good selection,would be down in London,over 100 miles from me and involving a epic journey. I live way out in the sticks and have only a thumb for transport.

Also I have lots learn. still dont know what dithering is,or why its tri-angular,amongst many other things like latency. But your help/advice helps immensly,thanks again,Andy.

I've not said that the USB soundcards are faster than firewire.  it really depends on the way the soundcard hardware and software was created as to whether they are faster or not, and mostly it's about the software (drivers).

I used to have an m-audio 1010LT.  they are older technology, but should work great.  the non-LT version has balaced I/O and wordclock available.  the LT version has RCA connectors instead of 1/4" balanced (which I didn't like).  but don't count on the mic pres in the LT for anything.  use them as LINE inputs only and use your mixer for MIC pres.

dithering is just a way to add noise to the export instead of allowing the export to have empty zeros in the digital realm.  honestly, I don't think it's that important.  I can't hear any difference between any of the different types.

Sorry MR B,didnt meen to infer that you said USB faster than FW. Guitarhacker said that USB 2 + 3 are faster than FW ports,Andy.

That is what I have heard.... I will not mention the source, suffice it to say the guy knows his stuff. 

The newer USB2 &3  ports have the ability to be faster then firewire in data transfer.   

A better reason to consider USB rather then  firewire is that firewire ports are not being put on all new computers AND the chipset that runs the firewire port is sometimes not compatible with the firewire interfaces. 

I also noticed that the new Focusrite Saffire interface is not firewire, it's USB so the manufacturers are moving towards the more common USB port. 

It is for those reasons as opposed to speed alone that I recommend a USB port based interface. If my firewire Saffire died, I would replace it with a USB interface.



Since you live so far out in the sticks, ....100 miles and no car , yeah that's an epic journey....check the ones available from the online outlets, research on Mr B's web site, ask questions here, and buy the one you find to be compatible with your needs. Let the delivery man make that journey to you. 

there are no USB 3 soundcard devices on the market yet.