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Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

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Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

2 Apr 2010, 17:24
I recently bought a new PC and Sonar Producer 8.5. I am looking for a new interface. On my old PC I used an EMU 1616m PCI interface, which worked well on an old PC that could not be upgraded to anything more than 1GB RAM, but EMU has no drivers for Windows 7. They claim that the Vista drivers will work just fine but that's an outright lie because I've tried it and they don't. The 1616 can record at a max 192 k bitrate on the Win XP PC but with the Win7 machine and the Vista drivers I can only get it to record at 44.1. And I think that sucks. And the DSP effects are entirely greyed out. It's like buying a Porsche without an engine. Everything the 1616m is designed to do it won't do on a Win 7 machine. END RANT

I've decided to skip PCI and go firewire. I will be using the interface to connect my Fantom via MIDI and SPDIF, as well as connecting a Roland VS880 via SPDIF(though not necessarily at the same time--I've been able to route the signal from the VS through the Fantom and into the interface with some interesting results). Well, I'm starting to ramble. I will also be recording electric guitar through 1/4 inch cable, acoustic guitar through microphone and vocal through microphone. I can get by with two 1/4 inch (TRS) inputs. One MIDI input/output is acceptable. SPDIF is a must.

What interface do you use, how do you use it, and what kind of results does it give you? I am especially interested in hearing about any latency issues. I am grateful for anyone who can take the time to answer this. Thanks in advance.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

3 Apr 2010, 11:10
I use a Firestudio Project from Presonus and I've found it to be extremely stable. Latency on my rig (Intel i5 750, P55 chipset, running Windows 7 64 bit) is 6-7 ms with a buffer of 128, and a ms less when I run the ASIO4ALL drivers instead of the native ones.

The Presonus stuff does have it's drawbacks though. They only work well with certain firewire chipsets (my motherboard has the VIA 6308P chipset and it works great, however another machine I have with a VIA 6307 chipset barely communicates with the device.) They also don't play well with Soundblaster cards, sometimes causing pops and clicks. Plus the Windows 7 64 bit drivers have been in beta for around 5 months now, but they work.

All in all a great interface for my setup, but without the proper firewire connection I hear it can be nothing but headaches.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

5 Apr 2010, 12:34
Focusrite PRO 24 is all you would need...

http://www.focusrite.com/us/products/audio_interfaces/saffire_pro_24

...but I installed a PRO 40 for my cousin last week and I was jealous afterward.. ;)

http://www.focusrite.com/us/products/audio_interfaces/saffire_pro_40

Easy and it has better reviews by users then the presonus mentioned.. and it is a more solid and stable piece... But we still considered them both...

Read up on them...
Septimo ,'^)
X6
XT
MV-8800!!!!!!!

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

8 Apr 2010, 12:37
Septimo, have you actually used the Focusrite PRO 24? Odd that you would mention that one because so far it's at the top of my list. I was especially interested in the VRM function and the ability to mix with headphones, which frankly seems too good to be true, and rather than take the manufacturer's word for it I would prefer input from somebody who's actually used one of these.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

10 Apr 2010, 18:02
I've been using the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 for a year.
First with Windows Vista, lately I switched to Windows 7 64-bit.

The machine is rock solid in terms of driver stability, plus it sports many different kinds of inputs and outputs, including Mic/Instrument/Line analog inputs and analog outputs (2 headphone outputs with separate volume knobs as well), plus ADAT , SPDIF and MIDI I/O. The most important thing is the audio quality, which is up to Focusrite's well known standards.

The machine is a really good choice at its price range. I recommend it without doubt.

p.s.: The only "minus" is that it really needs a Firewire adapter with Texas Instruments chipset to work properly. After all, Focusrite recommends the owner to do so.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

13 Apr 2010, 05:58
I would recommend against the M-Audio Profire series, at least for a Windows based DAW.

There are a lot of driver stability issues generating BSOD. This is generating numerous threads on forums (even on the M-Audio support forum) and, as of today, M-Audio has not been able to provide their users with a workaround/resolution.

I've also struggled against those problems as I own one of these devices, and never really solved it after trying different PCI Firewire card (one with a TI chipset, another with a LSI/Agere one, even trying the onboard TI firewire port), changing the OS (even making a fresh install on a new disk). There are no IRQ conflicts in the system, and the computer never crashed when the Profire wasn't in use.

RME is top notch, and for half the price Focusrite is a very good compromise.

All Firewire audio interfaces need to be attached to a dedicated PCI board with a Texas Instruments chipset. This is just not an option. I would recommend LaCie Firewire 400 PCI Card : http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=11161

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

13 Apr 2010, 08:39
So far I'm perfectly happy with my Edirol FA-101. It gives me stability, very high sound quality and 10 simultaneous audio channels for both recording and playback.
Make Music and be Happy !!
PauloF

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

13 Apr 2010, 13:03
Rear View (again) LoL

+++ Please delete, wrong file
Make Music and be Happy !!
PauloF

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

13 Apr 2010, 13:08
Now the Front View
Make Music and be Happy !!
PauloF

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

14 Apr 2010, 09:54
Those Mackies are wicked boards, I used to use one in a live recording setup. We kicked that board to hell and back and it still kept working. Congrats on the purchase.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

19 May 2010, 19:52
Much thanks to everybody for the input. I considered everything you said in reference to my needs. I eventually decided on the Saffire Pro24 DSP, and have bought it, installed it, and it works like a charm. I was skeptical about the headphone mixing(I have nearfields anyway), but to my surprise, everything I have heard is true. I'm sure there are purists who would scoff at the idea of modelled sound space but the mixes that I've done so far with headphones have needed few(if any)tweaks with the nearfields. Living in an apartment and being able to mix late at night is a dream come true.

The problem with upgrading all your equipment is that the better you can record, the worse your microphones can sound. I want to buy two large diaphragm condensers but it won't be anytime soon.

Re: Can anyone recommend firewire interfaces for PC

19 May 2010, 21:50
A neverending quest, that's for sure.

I may be looking at a Saffire 24 for my next project interface too, until I can justify something vastly bigger. I've been interested in something with internal(loopback) routing capability. I wasn't really aware of the DSP option. Is that just for monitoring/recording chain or can you use the EQ/Compression as VST FX in the DAW too, ie: a UAD card?

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