HELP! USB OR FIREWIRE SOUNDCARD

caihooligan · Post by **caihooligan** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:00 am

Can anybody tell me which one is better mixing with Live and the reason why would you say that?

Thanx in advance.

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:27 am

Firewire - it's on a dedicated bus and is not dependent on cpu cycles so it will not be fucked with.

While you're at it get an Ultralite. You'll never look back.

Carl Lofgren · Post by **Carl Lofgren** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:33 am

Everybody is wrong.

In theory Firewire is king - but it all comes down to what kind of firewire controller chip you have in your computer. In my laptop (Dell - shivers!) I got Ricoh = the suck = an USB 1 audio interface can run circles around my firewire interface.

Check out your controller. As far as I've heard, the controllers made by Texas Instruments are the ones working best.

gjm · Post by **gjm** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:48 am

You are using a macbook. I have one coming and intend to use my Alesis iO/14 FW card. I have asked on a few forums about macbook firewire issues. There seem to be none to speak of. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

shai · Post by **shai** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:00 am

the question should not be which performs better, but rather which one will survive.
i have a white macbook with firewire that gets slowly old. so i suppose, it will need to be upgraded this year sometime. i dont feel like buying a MBP. but also, psychologically, just cant bring myself to buy a USB interface. it's not because i know for sure it's less good.
it's a tough decision. especially if you throw 500 bucks on something you like to keep longer than a year. .

and.. USB 3 is coming in a year or two.....

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:02 am

Carl Lofgren wrote:Everybody is wrong.

Everybody's wrong because you bought a Dell with a ricoh chip in it ?

TI's are best but the new agere chips seem to be working on the new macbook/pro.

Judging by the OS on that Macbook it most probably has a TI chip, when Tiger was shipping they were mostly TI.

Arnold-Rimmer · Post by **Arnold-Rimmer** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:14 am

I have used nothing but USB soundcards and they have all performed well and problem free. I have never used firewire so can't compare, but what put me off firewire is that Windows machines don't have bus powered interfaces, whereas for USB they do.

Carl Lofgren · Post by **Carl Lofgren** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:02 pm

beatpoet wrote:
Carl Lofgren wrote:Everybody is wrong.
Everybody's wrong because you bought a Dell with a ricoh chip in it ?

How you can interpret my words like that is beyond me.

If somebody is recommending firewire without first checking out what firewire controller their computer is using, then yes. That is wrong.

A computer with a good firewire controller = lovely
A computer with a bad firewire controller = horror

Do you understand me better now?

rjbourc · Post by **rjbourc** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Carl,

Give it up. Of course you're right. But you're arguing with this:

Do you see the problem?

Carl Lofgren · Post by **Carl Lofgren** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:17 pm

rjbourc wrote:Carl,

Give it up. Of course you're right. But you're arguing with this:

Do you see the problem?

Dude. I don't know what it is with your sig but it's just so damn good. Seriously. I would probably need a few of those in my flat right now.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:30 pm

I was surprised that Audio kontrol 1 having better latency then any FW interface except RME.
After Apple giving up FW there will be definitely more USB 2 cards coming.

gjm · Post by **gjm** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:17 pm

Arnold-Rimmer wrote:... but what put me off firewire is that Windows machines don't have bus powered interfaces, whereas for USB they do.

That would be mainly PC laptops. Desktops are a different story, especially if you are building one yourself. My PC desktop has 3 bus powered (6 pin) FW400 connections.

Harmonic Canon · Post by **Harmonic Canon** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:39 am

What about esata connections?

Its early days yet but how long before this becomes the standard bearing in mind the increased transfer rates over USB & firewire?

Da hand · Post by **Da hand** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:11 am

gjm wrote:
Arnold-Rimmer wrote:... but what put me off firewire is that Windows machines don't have bus powered interfaces, whereas for USB they do.
That would be mainly PC laptops. Desktops are a different story, especially if you are building one yourself. My PC desktop has 3 bus powered (6 pin) FW400 connections.

True, but for a desktop you would be much better off getting a PCI card with a breakout box.

gjm · Post by **gjm** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:26 am

Da hand wrote:
gjm wrote:
Arnold-Rimmer wrote:... but what put me off firewire is that Windows machines don't have bus powered interfaces, whereas for USB they do.
That would be mainly PC laptops. Desktops are a different story, especially if you are building one yourself. My PC desktop has 3 bus powered (6 pin) FW400 connections.
True, but for a desktop you would be much better off getting a PCI card with a breakout box.

Why?