Ableton Forum

Ok I am uber pissed ...

I went out and got an Alesis io2 USB audio interface that DOESNT WORK FOR EFFIN SHITE. All I'm getting when using a microphone through it is horrendous noise, and if not just clicks pops, and extreme lag and latency in my entire track.

I can only return this piece of crap to the store for store credit, and they can order me something else ... what should I get ?

I use Ableton Live EXCLUSIVELY to produce and master my music, and I do so on an iMac G5.

What would be the best, most cost-efficient interface that ACTUALLY WORKS ?

Any ideas ? I'm really at wits end here, I'd love some help

I've been an Echo fan for a while --I do run XP, however.
I think a number of people here have had experience with their products on OSX (the Indigo IO PCMIA card was pretty popular). I currently have an Echo Audiofire4 and am very pleased. There's an Audiofire2 out now, and I think it's less than $200 US.

http://www.echoaudio.com

my god bathyscaff you're an angel sent to rescue me lol .



the ECHO audiofire 2 looks amazingly small and the reviews are flippin excellent !!!!! i payed 150 for this io2 but i would gladly pay the extra 50 for the audiofire 2 at 200 US !!! hopefully the store i got this garbage form can order it though

"Best" and "cheapest" tend to be mutually exclusive. They normally don't come together in the same sentence.

IMO, ya gets what ya pays for!

check out the PreSonus Inspire,,
I have a Firebox that sounds great and i've just ordered the inspire
to throw in my bag when i'm on the move,, could do the same with my
FB,, but i like it so much i didn't bother getting anything "Better" for my desk top
and so it's kinda hard to plumb and unplumb it every time i want to go mobile with my lap top,,

vikingjay wrote:my god bathyscaff you're an angel sent to rescue me lol .



the ECHO audiofire 2 looks amazingly small and the reviews are flippin excellent !!!!! i payed 150 for this io2 but i would gladly pay the extra 50 for the audiofire 2 at 200 US !!! hopefully the store i got this garbage form can order it though

I have an Audiofire2 (had it for 8 months). I love it. It does everything I need it to do and it sounds good to my ears. (I use it with a macbook c2d).

I have a tascam fw 1804

got it from musicians friend for 279, excellent deal

MF is out of them but sweetwater still has them


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FW1804/

for a hundred more you can get the presonus firepod....well soon to not be called the firepod anymore do to apple, which is also why it's 400. and trust me , for your statement of cheapest and best, that is the one

i'd go a firewire interface before the usb and would run an external hard drive off the usb port .. i use a presonus firebox myelf but have heard good stuff about the echo units.. keep away from behringer alesis and m-audio have some nasty units though they are imporving
you dont mention how many in's and outs yu need if u need audio and midi .. well i assume midi. In face if yu have some real basic input for audio needs the built in audio is surprisingly good I have used it quite a few times n my macbookpro and it has done a very god jb so that has to be the best value for money. Have you ever tried playing back a midi file through quicktime on a mac... again the internal sund interface is very good and definitly better than any laptop pc sound card I have heard

in the SOS magazine they review the io 26 and there were no cons!

Ruud wrote:in the SOS magazine they review the io 26 and there were no cons!

so what? have you used it?

speak on what you know, not what you have read.

No.
I haven't used it.
Isn't it a shame?
I am thinking of buying one
I am so sorry for writing this !

uh surely the best and cheapest sound interface to use would be the one that is built into your g5? (as in you already own it)

echo gina pci card. works perfect. inexpensive.

checkout the very versatile EDIROL fa-66 (roland),firewire,6in and 6out, 2 xlr/trs ins, bus power option, phantom power, portable, metal casing, sweetwater.com has the details usually goes for 280 new...i'm selling mine for about 200 cause i need to get something with more xlr inputs like the presonus firepod ...you don't even need the drivers w/ mac osX.....