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#1
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
Can anyone recommend a good multi-input (a minimum of 6 inputs,
preferably 8-16, 1/4" OK, XLRs even better) USB2 sound interface that works with Windows XP and applications like Cubase SX2 or SX3? If it has a mixer (ie can be used as a control surface) that would be even better. I previously was using a Tascam US-428 for a long time, but the thing developed a noise problem that seems to be a hardware failure. It had 4 in and I would really like 6 or more. The control surface was pretty nice. I went to musican's friend and was surprised there is nothing similar (USB, control surface, 4+ inputs) being sold. Tascam has a firewire unit but it's twice the price I paid for the US-428 and but then I would have to buy an express card (at least $50 for a decent one) if I want to use it with my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer/model I may have overlooked? Thanks |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
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#3
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
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#4
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
wrote in message
... Can anyone recommend a good multi-input (a minimum of 6 inputs, preferably 8-16, 1/4" OK, XLRs even better) USB2 sound interface that works with Windows XP and applications like Cubase SX2 or SX3? If it has a mixer (ie can be used as a control surface) that would be even better. I previously was using a Tascam US-428 for a long time, but the thing developed a noise problem that seems to be a hardware failure. It had 4 in and I would really like 6 or more. The control surface was pretty nice. I went to musican's friend and was surprised there is nothing similar (USB, control surface, 4+ inputs) being sold. Tascam has a firewire unit but it's twice the price I paid for the US-428 and but then I would have to buy an express card (at least $50 for a decent one) if I want to use it with my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer/model I may have overlooked? Thanks The Edirol UA-101 fits the bill (but without a control surface). 8 analog ins/outs with two of them having mic preamps. It also has additional S/PDIF I/O if you need it and midi I/O on standard 5-pin DINs. And, it's USB2 rather than FireWire, which is pretty rare these days for this kind of unit. I've found the Edirol drivers to be pretty darn solid too, which is what makes or breaks an audio interface IMHO. Bill. ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB beforefirewire)
Thanks everyone for your replies - these all look like good units, in
a variety of prices / configurations. I think this Alesis may be what I'm looking for - it lets you record 16 channels simultaneously to your computer... How does the mixer part work though - does it function as a control surface for Cubase? Thanks again On Aug 26, 3:43*pm, Ant Moore wrote: wrote: Can anyone recommend a good multi-input (a minimum of 6 inputs, preferably 8-16, 1/4" OK, XLRs even better) USB2 sound interface that works with Windows XP and applications like Cubase SX2 or SX3? If it has a mixer (ie can be used as a control surface) that would be even better. I previously was using a Tascam US-428 for a long time, but the thing developed a noise problem that seems to be a hardware failure. It had 4 in and I would really like 6 or more. The control surface was pretty nice. I went to musican's friend and was surprised there is nothing similar (USB, control surface, 4+ inputs) being sold. Tascam has a firewire unit but it's twice the price I paid for the US-428 and but then I would have to buy an express card (at least $50 for a decent one) if I want to use it with my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer/model I may have overlooked? Thanks Alesis do a USB 2.0 mixing desk - the multimix 16. 8 XLR ins, 4 stereo pairs. Phantom power, built-in effects for vanity reverb if you don't monitor through the DAW. It reviewed reasonably well in Sound On Sound in August 2008. Might be worth a squint? Cheers! Ant. (Tamworth, UK) -- "Make me one with everything." The Dalai Lama at a hotdog stand. |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
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#7
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB beforefirewire)
The ability to record 16 channels at once is more important to me, I
can probably live without the control surface for now and spend $200 on one like Behringer BCF2000 or Evolution UC33e down the road. There is also this Korg nanoKONTROL but I don't see a price. Nope. That's what costs lots of money. I haven't studied the Alesis USB2 mixer out thoroughly, but I suspect that it works pretty much like the Mackie Onyx with the Firewire option - that there's only two playback channels that come back to the mixer, so you can't even send multiple tracks back to the mixer to mix with the real knobs. On Aug 27, 7:15*pm, Mike Rivers wrote: wrote: I think this Alesis may be what I'm looking for - it lets you record 16 channels simultaneously to your computer... How does the mixer part work though - does it function as a control surface for Cubase? Nope. That's what costs lots of money. I haven't studied the Alesis USB2 mixer out thoroughly, but I suspect that it works pretty much like the Mackie Onyx with the Firewire option - that there's only two playback channels that come back to the mixer, so you can't even send multiple tracks back to the mixer to mix with the real knobs. Yamaha has a couple of new Firewire mixers that are very closely integrated with Cubase and allow you to actually mix tracks on the mixer as well as use the knobs as a control surface for Cubase. The N8 and N12, $1000 and $1500 respectively. -- If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers ) |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
mad.scientist.jr:
Thanks everyone for your replies - these all look like good units, in a variety of prices / configurations. I think this Alesis may be what I'm looking for - it lets you record 16 channels simultaneously to your computer... How does the mixer part work though - does it function as a control surface for Cubase? Thanks again Ant Moo Alesis do a USB 2.0 mixing desk - the multimix 16. 8 XLR ins, 4 stereo pairs. Phantom power, built-in effects for vanity reverb if you don't monitor through the DAW. It reviewed reasonably well in Sound On Sound in August 2008. Might be worth a squint? I would check out, if the USB version sends out individual channels or just the "main out L-R" (=2 tracks). Their smaller mixers are built this way! The "Multimix16 Firewire" does send out 16 individual channels (+ 17-18 = L-R) and works stable with the notebook, that some friends of mine use in their rehearsal space to record. Itīs basically a standard small-sized analog mixer with fixed direct outs to Firewire and a built-in fx unit. Some experiences, Iīve had with the Multimix 16 FW: - the signal level for the outputs is post-fader (i. e., EQ settings affect the sound going to the DAW); - the output signal is "dry", so e.g. you can send a reverb to a singerīs headphone mix, but not record the reverb; - the output level (to the DAW) is always set by the channel fader, no matter, if the channel is set to "Mute / Alt 3-4" or "L-R"; - DAW output return is 2-track only and (as far as Iīve understood) only possible by pressing a button (like 2-track to mix for analog ins). The level is controlled by the L-R fader, meaning there is NO dedicated level control knob/fader for the 2-track DAW returns; AFAIK thereīs also no MIDI controller or even connectors for external MIDI devices on the Alesis Multimix series. And since itīs actually a normal analog mixer, it can NOT be used as a MIDI controller surface for a DAW. If you want an external controller, you might additionally get something like this: http://behringer.de/BCF2000-WH http://behringer.de/BCF2000 http://behringer.de/BCR2000 but an additional controller means you need extra space for it... Just to make it clear: I donīt own that mixer myself. A friendīs band has one, that Iīve used a few times to help them with recording at their rehearsal space. All in all, itīs an "okay" mixer, but there are some downsides to it - youīll need to consider, if you can live with these or not. For that price, I think, one canīt really expect more - especially, compared to the prices of bigger and more versatile FW audio interfaces. Anyway, Iīd suggest you download the PDF manuals for every mixer/audio interface you consider to buy and look for relevant passages and functions. Phil |
#9
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB before firewire)
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#10
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB beforefirewire)
Thanks for you rreplies...
That's true (about desk space) but a nice thing about the Alesis model is the inputs are positioned all in a row up top where they are easy to reach, and also the 1st 8 let you plug in 1/4" as well as XLR. I see it includes digital effects - does that mean you can assign effects separately to each input? (ps I am aware it is considered better practice to track each instrument dry and add effects during mixdown, however recording the tracks with the effects is a heck of a lot simpler.) Thanks again On Aug 28, 4:47*am, Laurence Payne wrote: On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:19:45 -0700 (PDT), wrote: The ability to record 16 channels at once is more important to me, I can probably live without the control surface for now and spend $200 on one like Behringer BCF2000 or Evolution UC33e down the road. There is also this Korg nanoKONTROL but I don't see a price. I can't quite see the point in putting that much mixer at theINPUT end of your DAW. *There are much more compact ways of getting 16 channels into the computer. *Keep the desk space for your control surface. |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.pro,alt.steinberg.cubase
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good multi-input PC sound interface (preferably USB beforefirewire)
I haven't made a final decision for a multichannel interface, but I
thought I had a few good USB2 choices for 8 or 16 simultaneous ins to the computer (Win XP Pro w/Cubase SX3): * Alesis Multimix 16 * TASCAM US-1641 * Edirol UA-101 However a recent discussion about USB2 vs Firewire (see below) has me wondering if the firewire route is better. Can anyone confirm this? Has anyone had any throughput issues with any of the above USB2 interfaces when recording 8-16 tracks simultaneously? Can anyone recommend a good firewire equivalent of the above, in a comparable price range? Thanks... Newsgroups: rec.video.production, rec.video.desktop From: "Richard Crowley" Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:47:37 -0700 Local: Fri, Sep 5 2008 1:47 pm Subject: transferring VHS to digital video on computer? "Mad Scientist Jr" wrote ... USB2 is 480 mbps, whereas Firewire is only 400 mbps. How is Firewire faster? Please explain... Firewire is... 1) Full-duplex. It has an independent and concurrent data path in EACH direction. This means that continuous stream of video data can be flowing from the video gadget into the computer without having to be interrupted to send commands, handshaking protocol, etc back the other direction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duplex_communication OTOH, USB has only one data path and it must be interrupted and turned around to send data, commands, etc. the other way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplex_communication 2) IEEE1394 (aka "Firewire") was designed from the ground up to be *isosynchronous*. This means it is capable of an uninterrupted, sustained stream of data for an indefinite period of time. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/isosynchronous http://www.allwords.com/word-isosynchronous.html OTOH, USB is designed for burst-mode signaling which is quite appropriate for most kinds of data transfer. Except for high-speed, real-time data such as DV video. The actual throughput (in 2006) attained with real devices is about two thirds of the maximum theoretical bulk data transfer rate of 53.248 MB/s. Typical hi-speed USB devices operate at lower speeds, often about 3 MB/s overall, sometimes up to 10-20 MB/s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Univers...#USB_signaling Mike Rivers: If you aren't sik of TASCAM yet, their model 1641 fits your requirements. It even comes with a copy of Cubase, so at least they think the two will work together. If it has a mixer (ie can be used as a control surface) that would be even better. That costs more money. Lots more. And most of those that I can recall use Firewire rather than USB. On Aug 26, 3:43*pm, Ant Moore wrote: wrote: Can anyone recommend a good multi-input (a minimum of 6 inputs, preferably 8-16, 1/4" OK, XLRs even better) USB2 sound interface that works with Windows XP and applications like Cubase SX2 or SX3? If it has a mixer (ie can be used as a control surface) that would be even better. I previously was using a Tascam US-428 for a long time, but the thing developed a noise problem that seems to be a hardware failure. It had 4 in and I would really like 6 or more. The control surface was pretty nice. I went to musican's friend and was surprised there is nothing similar (USB, control surface, 4+ inputs) being sold. Tascam has a firewire unit but it's twice the price I paid for the US-428 and but then I would have to buy an express card (at least $50 for a decent one) if I want to use it with my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer/model I may have overlooked? Thanks Alesisdo a USB 2.0 mixing desk - the multimix 16. 8 XLR ins, 4 stereo pairs. Phantom power, built-in effects for vanity reverb if you don't monitor through the DAW. It reviewed reasonably well in Sound On Sound in August 2008. Might be worth a squint? Cheers! Ant. (Tamworth, UK) -- "Make me one with everything." The Dalai Lama at a hotdog stand. |
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