RE: Firewire interface recommendations

["Dean, Hal" <HDean@wcupa.edu>]

Per, you are right of course that the FF 800 would be perfect - in fact, 
for awhile I had it in the mobile rack. But now I have the Fireface in a 
rack, fully integrated into the studio, and it is a royal pain to pull it 
out and incorporate into the mobile rig. I also use a DAW with the 
Fireface running Cubase or Live, while looping in studio is done with a 
synced laptop. That works splendidly with the Layla, aside from the issues 
originally reported.

I left out two things in the original bill of requirements - MIDI, for the 
purpose of syncing, and another input for the Trace acoustic through which 
I run my classical guitar.  The Focusrite actually falls short in the 
input department, I have realized, but I could forego the "future analog 
synth" inputs, and make a requirement for that be digital outputs.

As for MOTU, I have to say that I got a bad taste in my mouth about them 
when I had an 828 for about 2 weeks and it was a monstrous pain with poor 
sound. I returned it to Sweetwater and got the Layla. At the time there 
was a lot of chatter online about pros and cons of the 828.  All that 
said, I will indeed look into the Ultra Lite, sonce MOTU get high marks 
usually, and this is years later with a different computer.

This feedback is appreciated! 

Hal 

-----Original Message-----
From: Oldfolks Home Music [mailto:oldfolkshomemusic@gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 10:49 AM
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Subject: Re: Firewire interface recommendations

MOTU makes really great cards with a good chunck of DSP and decent
pres.  I believe the Motu Ultra Lite might be best. I can't remember
how much it is, but it has 2 mic/line inputs, 6 TRS ins and 8 outs.
Look into it, I think it was ADAT in and out too.  I have a Saphire
Pro 40 and it works well, but isn't very portable.

On 2/4/10, Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com> wrote:
> Why not using the FF800 with pre mixing?
>
> Greetings from Sweden
>
> Per Boysen
> www.boysen.se
> www.perboysen.com
>
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 4:21 PM, Dean, Hal <HDean@wcupa.edu> wrote:
>> Hi folks, I'm hoping a few of you can share your thoughts about what to
>> buy
>> to replace my Layla PCIcardbus audio interface, which just can't keep up
>> with what I'm doing now. It's gain structure is inadequate and it is
>> choking
>> when I get a lot of stuff happening all at once in the computer. And 
>yes,
>> I
>> do realize that every audio interface has its limits. Perhaps the 
>problem
>> with the Layla is that the drivers have not been updated for years. It 
>was
>> great for a long time but time to move on.
>>
>>
>>
>> I have a laptop setup with Mobius running in Bidule, with a bunch of VST
>> effects and VST instruments. I've been slowly putting together a live 
>rig
>> but have realized I need to replace the Layla and that, for reasons 
>having
>> to do with ease of pulling it out of the studio where it will usually
>> live,
>> the audio interface should NOT be mounted in the rack with other stuff.
>>
>>
>>
>>  The new audio interface will be fed:
>>
>> ·         Electric Guitar signal from a floorboard with a few effect
>> pedals
>> and a Framptone switcher that send signal to a guitar amp, bypassing
>> computer, and to the audio interface
>>
>> ·         Output from a Grace microphone pre-amp to which is connected 
>an
>> AKG mic that picks up flute and miscellaneous percussion
>>
>> ·          Two Belkat contact pickups, running through a stereo ¼" cable
>> to
>> a TRS, that need to be serious pre-amped.  These are attached to a 
>variety
>> of things - classical guitar body for percussive thwacking, rubbing and
>> the
>> like, and various homemade noisies.  They sound great through the Grace,
>> so
>> maybe switching the AKG mic to a pre-amp on the audio interface would be
>> best.
>>
>> ·         Mono Output from an Echoplex (for anyone curious about this, I
>> am
>> at this point using the Echoplex as a failsafe for when the computer
>> crashes. I have a MIDI box that takes FCB output and sends it to both
>> Mobius
>> and E'plex; the assignments are mostly the same so the E'plex mostly
>> replicates what I'm doing with Mobius, though of course it is not 1:1.
>> makes
>> for some interesting "emergency modulations". Obviously there are more
>> inventive things one could do with this, I just have not gotten around 
>to
>> it.)
>>
>> ·         Stereo output from future purchase analog synth
>>
>> ·         SPDIF from the Fireface 800 that is my studio audio engine
>>
>>
>>
>> The audio interface will send mono to the echoplex, stereo to a pair of
>> powered speakers, and SPDIF to the F'face 800. Being able to send a
>> separate
>> mix to, say, a drummer across the stage would be nice too.
>>
>>
>>
>> Small and lightweight is good too.
>>
>>
>>
>> There are obviously a lot of  interfaces for more than $400 that would 
>fit
>> the bill.. how about another Fireface?... but I want to keep the cost 
>down
>> below 400, and it looks like that should not be hard to do. The 
>Focusrite
>> Saffire Pro 24 DSP seems to fit the bill, for instance.
>>
>>
>>
>> Any input on this would be much appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Hal
>
>

-- 
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Ricardo Lopez-Aguilar
Oldfolks Home / Solomon Records Music
http://www.myspace.com/oldfolkshomemusic
http://www.sonicbids.com/oldfolkshome