Re: Sooperlooper or Mobius? Going back to software.

[kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com]

Quoting Jeffrey Larson <jeff@zonemobius.com>:
>
>
>> There were some other problems too (my video chipset and the
>> Firepod's chipset didn't peacefully co-exist on the PCI bus -- this
>> could have caused bandwidth/latency issues, too.)
>
> I think you've nailed it.  Video chips/cards are a common source of
> contention that can cause delays which require larger buffer sizes to
> avoid clicks.  I don't doubt that swapping the PCI interface for a
> Firewire interface solved this problem, but so too could have swapping
> the video interface for a higher-end card with dedicated memory.
>
Just to clarify, both devices utilize the same firewire port (which  
is, in turn, connected to the PCI bus).

Unfortunately, given that I have a laptop computer, I can't swap out  
the video chipset.  Wish I could, though.
>
> The RME is a very fine device and they seem to be very good at
> writing device drivers.  But we can't make blanket statements
> like "the RME has lower latency than the Firebox".  It worked
> for you, but there may be no difference on another machine.
>

I probably should add the disclaimer: your results may vary.

Indeed, there are too many variables with computers to make a blanket  
statement about any one component.

However, the general concepts -- to reduce the load on the PCI bus, to  
minimize uneeded loads on the CPU and memory, and the notion that some  
perephiral/computer combinations are better than others -- can be  
useful when setting up a computer system for music-making.

-- Kevin