time for a new audio I/O...what should I buy??

[zalo]

so here is another related question, I have a MBP

i run through the vocoder for live shows, this means i need as low of a latency as possible

which will give me a lower latency FFUC over USB2 or FF800 over FW800?

the RME website compares the UC to the 400 but there is no mention compared to the 800

also, everyone says MOTU is good for macs, is MOTU better than RME on macs?

after some googling it seems like the consensus is that RME is better, 500 dollars better?

thanks, my korg zero8 died after 13 monthes (couldnt have planned it better) and i borrowed my friends tascam US122 to play a show the next day and realized how bad the zero8 actually sounded

all desire to pay to get the zero8 fixed went out the window and now im back to shopping again, seems like RME is a quality brand, and i cant see paying for an apogee ensemble so any help is going to be greatly appreciated

thanks again

[leedsquietman]

MOTU is not better, either latency wise or performance wise, but the drivers are pretty solid and arguably it offers better bang for buck while remaining a high quality unit (the s/n ratio and distortion figures very nearly match RME, the jitter and MIDI clock are also very close). In terms of portability, the Ultralite is less bulky and a better option for live performance. On a MAC a MOTU represents good quality and only those with real golden ears might notice the performance differential against RME.

MOTU's PC drivers are not as optimized, the included audio programs also do not work, although if you have live or another DAW that's no biggie. I've also heard it in forums (but don't know through personal experience) that MOTU tech support is very flaky and could be better.

[gtodd876]

Even though many people are completely happy with MOTU..... I had a MOTU ultralite and their tech support was the worst I've ever encountered with any product. I could have been the exception to the rule but I thought I would throw that out there.

I also A/B'd the motu ultralite and Apogee Duet about a year ago and the Duet sounded much better than the Ultralite for my purposes. (Bowed and plucked strings) Although I didn't keep the Duet because the latency was much higher than the ultralite and I wouldn't have been able to use it for live performance.(using ableton as an effects processor) It would be perfect for me for recording purposes.
If the Apogee One's ($250) one mic pre ends up sounding as good as the Duet I might pick one of those up to just use it for recording. As I only record 1-2 channels at a time.

How many ins/outs do you need?

[zalo]

ok, RME it is, i dont mind spending a few more dollars if it means quality in the long run

our set up changes constantly, haven't found the "right" setup yet

the 400/UC have enough ins and outs from my best figuring

my biggest concerns are latency and connections, MBP has 2 USB2, 1 FW400 and 1 FW800

before the zero8 died i controlled live with a lemur, korg k61p, and a korg nanopad (ethernet, and both USB2 connections) with the zero8 going through firewire400

i liked this set up since the lemur isnt velocity sensitive and the keyboard emulations are very weak for live playing, so im naturally drawn to wanting to use the one of the firewire ports for my sound card, (but honestly i could give up the nanopad if the UC did reign king, i dont want to deal with a hub on my stand)

now thinking about it im sure the FF400/800 are using the same basic innards so the latency wont be different, just more bandwidth for more tracks that i dont need

im going to try to find a store around here with both the 400 and the UC, its probably going to be a latency off and which ever wins ill buy

thanks again!

[zalo]

ok, so i couldnt find anyplace with a UC so i purchased the 400 today

wow

my live set takes very little CPU (drums, a few loops, and vocoder, everything else is external synths) and i rarely hit 25% CPU usage up top

i can run the FF400 41kHz at 64 samples with 0 clicks

overall latency is below 7ms at this setting as opposed to the zero8 which required 256 and over 17ms

if the UC really can beat that then i will be super impressed

when testing 80% CPU only required 128-140 range to stop clicks

im blown away

thanks everyone, i havent even tested the mic pres, just the 1/4 inches in the back with the synths, but if everything is true then im sure im in for a treat