Low Latency Soundcards

[veggieryan]

i am on mac and love it but i would bet the fast track ultra has better drivers on windoze than motu stuff easily.

the fast track ultra's are cheap on ebay.

you've got to be kidding ...right?

no, i'm dead serious. many people complain about motu drivers on windoze.

maudio has seriously turned a corner with their new devices and the fast track ultra has been a very pleasant surprise for me on the mac side. I work at 32 samples of latency with no pops or clicks.

pretty much anything is going to be better than motu on windoze..

[leedsquietman]

The fast Track Ultra actually does have fairly decent performance (on Windows it's performance is not quite in the same league as a Fireface UC, but is still good - The Fireface UC can also be run at 14 samples on a Mac Pro octacore, although 14, 32 samples, we're splitting hairs here, anything 128 samples or under is fine for 99% of tracking needs). The pres are decent too. One criticism I've read about The Fast Track Ultra several times, including the Sound On Sound review, is that the headphone output is weak and in some cases you might need a seperate powered headphone amp.

The Fast Track PRO however, is little better than it was before, being a budget end interface, it does not achieve latencies as low and suffers various build quality issues. The Ultra being a more expensive product than the Pro is the one to have if you are buying M-Audio (or the Profire 2626 if you can afford it).

M-Audio are doing a better job with drivers too, they always used to be the last and their early drivers always sucked, but are getting better.

I still say on a Mac, MOTU is a better product (and yes, MOTU's drivers, even the legendary original 828 mkI, always perform significantly better on Mac than windows). If you have the money for RME then it is always a solid investment.

[BoxDJ]

Fast Track Ultra or Motu Ultralite? I have the money for the Motu Ultralite and I've heard it works fine with Win 7. I've heard a lot of bad reviews on the Fast Track Ultra though. Do guys think its worth buying over the Ultralite?

[chris vine]

Fast Track Ultra or Motu Ultralite? I have the money for the Motu Ultralite and I've heard it works fine with Win 7. I've heard a lot of bad reviews on the Fast Track Ultra though. Do guys think its worth buying over the Ultralite?

I think you answered your question............

[veggieryan]

Fast Track Ultra or Motu Ultralite? I have the money for the Motu Ultralite and I've heard it works fine with Win 7. I've heard a lot of bad reviews on the Fast Track Ultra though. Do guys think its worth buying over the Ultralite?

I think you answered your question............

I've not seen any bad reviews of the fast track ultra outside the headphone output level.

You may be confused with the fast track pro which is entirely different and older usb1 technology.

The only downside of the fast track ultra thus far is weak headphone output which I personally don't find as a problem.. I don't even turn it up all the way but I have very good headphones (beyer dt770).

Shouldn't be an issue unless you are recording drums or something like that.

Given that the fast track ultra goes for under 300 on ebay and the motu ultralite hybrid usb is always 550.. that is quite a difference for a very similar latency performance, thus I went with the fast track ultra and don't regret it.

[BoxDJ]

The Ultralite is also somewhat a mixer as well with the software. Isn't the Ultralite more future proof as well?

[3dot...]

Fast Track Ultra or Motu Ultralite? I have the money for the Motu Ultralite and I've heard it works fine with Win 7. I've heard a lot of bad reviews on the Fast Track Ultra though. Do guys think its worth buying over the Ultralite?

I think you answered your question............

I've not seen any bad reviews of the fast track ultra outside the headphone output level.

You may be confused with the fast track pro which is entirely different and older usb1 technology.

The only downside of the fast track ultra thus far is weak headphone output which I personally don't find as a problem.. I don't even turn it up all the way but I have very good headphones (beyer dt770).

Shouldn't be an issue unless you are recording drums or something like that.

Given that the fast track ultra goes for under 300 on ebay and the motu ultralite hybrid usb is always 550.. that is quite a difference for a very similar latency performance, thus I went with the fast track ultra and don't regret it.

ok.. I'm realizing you're for reals...

...man.. it's nice that M-audio is working for you...
but you should really COMPARE..
before you recommend one over the other...
seems to me you don't really know the differences ..

from my experience (owned 2 MOTU cards(2408 and 24i/o ON WINDOWS)...and 2 M-audio ones(fw1814/delta4x4)...)
and from that experience :
1. I will never (ever)recommend an M-audio device .
(I would actually recommend staying away...
if you're anything but a hobbyist)
2.I've had 0 problems with MOTU drivers+windows ..
both with xp and w7...drivers are superb and steady...
3.'Ultra Lite' is a veteran line/M-audio change their product line almost yearly.

conclusion :
most chances are that not even one M-audio product can hold up against any of the MOTU products...
not in drivers ..
or a/d d/a converters..
or build quality...
design...
or support...

[veggieryan]

ok.. I'm realizing you're for reals...

...man.. it's nice that M-audio is working for you...
but you should really COMPARE..
before you recommend one over the other...
seems to me you don't really know the differences ..

from my experience (owned 2 MOTU cards(2408 and 24i/o ON WINDOWS)...and 2 M-audio ones(fw1814/delta4x4)...)
and from that experience :
1. I will never (ever)recommend an M-audio device .
(I would actually recommend staying away...
if you're anything but a hobbyist)
2.I've had 0 problems with MOTU drivers+windows ..
both with xp and w7...drivers are superb and steady...
3.'Ultra Lite' is a veteran line/M-audio change their product line almost yearly.

conclusion :
most chances are that not even one M-audio product can hold up against any of the MOTU products...
not in drivers ..
or a/d d/a converters..
or build quality...
design...
or support...

No worries

I certainly agree with you that older m-audio products like the fw1814, fw410 and project mix i/o were TOTAL pieces of crap and their drivers were even crappier.

All I'm saying is that m-audio have really turned a corner and hired a bunch of new engineers who designed quality stuff in the new profire and usb ultra line with solid drivers. they are even open and willing to post the detailed specs of their components on the gearslutz forum so times are a changin.

as for motu, ive never been a fan of the mk1 or mk2 sound quality though people say the mk3 sound better... I suspect the converters, preamps and clock are about on par with the usb ultra or profire series from motu and that they do not justify the 250 vs 550 price difference. many people have said the profire series matches up to the mighty rme fireface 800 in sound quality/clock/convertors... something to think about at a fraction of the price given that the profire and usb ultra are very similar except for a lower quality clock in the usb ultra.

to each his own though and yes the ultralite has a built in mixer which most people won't need, but a few will find it very useful.

all i really wanted was decent sound quality, half rack portability, solid drivers and the ability to work at 32 samples, which the usb ultra is delivering in spades.

[EliasG]

I'm about to hit the road and start gigging here in the US with a band using ableton live and this conversation is helpful. I plan on being alot more serious about music and I need a backup system to the one that I have and I guess I may have to save gig money to get the RME...I want something that will last for years, and not leave me without a back track in the middle of a gig in Montpelier.

[zalo]

I'm about to hit the road and start gigging here in the US with a band using ableton live and this conversation is helpful. I plan on being alot more serious about music and I need a backup system to the one that I have and I guess I may have to save gig money to get the RME...I want something that will last for years, and not leave me without a back track in the middle of a gig in Montpelier.

vermont is notorious for bad draws, at least from my experience

i dont think you are going to make any money stopping there

good luck though

wait, do you play hippy music?

[blakbeltjonez]

Just go RME, best soundcards on the planet bar none. Best thing in my studio and i never even notice its there.

Which one have you got? 400 or 800
The 800 has two firewire 800 ports on it.
Could i daisy chain my 800 hard drive with it?
Would/could this replace my yamaha 01v?

95% sure that this works

the FF 800 does not like to share the FW buss with drives, the manual in fact addresses this - you CAN do it, but be prepared for a reboot of your Mac and FF every now and then - the audio output will suddenly mute and the front panel lights will start blinking. there seems to be no rhyme or reason when it does, it doesn't seem to do it exclusively when the FW drive is active. at any rate, it's certainly something you would NOT WANT TO DO for a live show.

best thing if you have the right machine (G5, Pro, etc) is to put another FW card in it and hang your external FW drives off of that, or if you're using a Macbook/Mini/iMac, switch to USB 2.0 enclosure for your drives.

personally, i don't think the FF800 is a replacement for a mixer, not by a long shot - i use mine with an 02R and it's a beautiful thing if you have the ADAT cards to utilize the 2 Lightpipe I/O's. having a real mixer interface makes all the difference in the world to me - YMMV, of course.

[EliasG]

I'm about to hit the road and start gigging here in the US with a band using ableton live and this conversation is helpful. I plan on being alot more serious about music and I need a backup system to the one that I have and I guess I may have to save gig money to get the RME...I want something that will last for years, and not leave me without a back track in the middle of a gig in Montpelier.

vermont is notorious for bad draws, at least from my experience

i dont think you are going to make any money stopping there

good luck though

wait, do you play hippy music?

Actually no. I'll be playing mostly here in the Los Angeles area and in Hollywood. But I have gigs in places like Montpelier, France and Paris as well. I wouldn't mind playing Vermont though. I hear its beautiful.

Still researching and talking to folks though about the best options for a backup system though. I think I know what to get and then I get confused with new information...

[zalo]

I'm about to hit the road and start gigging here in the US with a band using ableton live and this conversation is helpful. I plan on being alot more serious about music and I need a backup system to the one that I have and I guess I may have to save gig money to get the RME...I want something that will last for years, and not leave me without a back track in the middle of a gig in Montpelier.

vermont is notorious for bad draws, at least from my experience

i dont think you are going to make any money stopping there

good luck though

wait, do you play hippy music?

Actually no. I'll be playing mostly here in the Los Angeles area and in Hollywood. But I have gigs in places like Montpelier, France and Paris as well. I wouldn't mind playing Vermont though. I hear its beautiful.

Still researching and talking to folks though about the best options for a backup system though. I think I know what to get and then I get confused with new information...

i got confused, Montpelier is the capital of Vermont also.

[EliasG]

I'm the one that is confusing you..haha. I have a band here in the US that I am tyring to use ableton live with and gig with in the LA/Hollywood area and beyond and I'm also in a band in Europe that plays really well n France an is signing with a French Label, so I'm often there too....