USB or FIREWIRE MOTU

cram33 · Post by **cram33** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:36 am

Hi all,

Not sure if this has been asked before (a search yields too many results),
but i'm purchasing a new laptop and a new audiocard. My question is about the Motu 828 MKII. There are two versions; USB and Firewire. Is USB 2.0 suitable for multitrack recording (max 10 tracks at a time)? When not recording the band, i'm dj-ing with ableton. I have 3 midi-controllers; both the BCF and BCR en the PadKontrol. I read that USB shares bandwidth, so when I hook up my controllers, does that affect the performance of the MOTU USB? Or should i go for the Firewire after all? There is a big difference in price, USB being the cheapest (in the Netherlands). I'm also considering buying the MOTU ULtralite. Anyone used one of the MOTU's? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Marc

DarkMatter · Post by **DarkMatter** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:15 pm

I have the ultralite and love it. Its hooked up to my desktop right no now but cant wait to try it out as part of my gigging gear once I get my new laptop and start playing live. Its small and its built like a tank. Sometimes it crackles when the microwave is going but other than that I dont have any problems and it does everything i need it to do. Plenty of inputs/outups for what I need to do. Always choose firewire over USB. Make sure you have a texas instruments firewire port though if you are going to get the ultralite.

robleighton22 · Post by **robleighton22** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:41 pm

cram33 wrote:Hi all,

Not sure if this has been asked before (a search yields too many results),
but i'm purchasing a new laptop and a new audiocard. My question is about the Motu 828 MKII. There are two versions; USB and Firewire. Is USB 2.0 suitable for multitrack recording (max 10 tracks at a time)? When not recording the band, i'm dj-ing with ableton. I have 3 midi-controllers; both the BCF and BCR en the PadKontrol. I read that USB shares bandwidth, so when I hook up my controllers, does that affect the performance of the MOTU USB? Or should i go for the Firewire after all? There is a big difference in price, USB being the cheapest (in the Netherlands). I'm also considering buying the MOTU ULtralite. Anyone used one of the MOTU's? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Marc

i hav the usb motu 828 on a vista machine. the card sound quality is ace, the amount of ports lets u connect everything up. got two stereo outs going into each channel of my dj mixer so i can mix vinyl with mp3s via ableton, and also got my mpc plugged in all the possible combinations so i hav full control. the setup is perfect, the card handles everything well. it does everything and more. and i dont think ive noticed a problem it being usb (i hav no firewire, so this was the best option).

however, im experiencing a few probs. i get audio dropouts and occasional blue screen crashes. i think its a vista issue with the motu drivers. it is very annoying, and hopefully the drivers will get updated soon. the motu 828 is a really well built product tho. worth considering, but bear in mind possible vista issues.

4.33 · Post by **4.33** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:44 pm

i ditched m-audio firewire 410 for an e-mu 0404 usb
i opted for a stronger line signal and better sound quality
plus i really needed the master output level knob for live use
and on top of that - i also got much lower latency
felt like fuckin xmas

however it only has 2 i/o, so that might not be exactly what you're after

but check their e-mu 1616m pcmcia if you have the port

4.33 · Post by **4.33** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 8:47 pm

oopth

wollej · Post by **wollej** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:40 pm

Hi cram33,

I've bought the USB 828 and never had any problems with it under Mac OS. The latency is very low, but I've heard that latency is higher on Windows. I had never dropouts using 8 channels for the outputs of my SuperNova II and 1 channel for a microphone, sharing the USB-Port with the Axiom and the BCR.

If you are using an external HDD, it should be connected to a dedicated USB port or via Firewire (a PCMCIA Card for FW400 costs 50 €).

You can also upgrade the 828 to 18 Ins / 18 Outs with a Fostex VC-8 (about 170€) or a Behringer ADA8000 (about 235€) if you want to use external effects.

cram33 · Post by **cram33** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:38 am

Thanx guys for the replies. I think i will go USB, best reason being that my new laptop doesn't have a firewire port

...first it had, then that specific model disappeared and the rest doesn't have firewire, so.....
Usb 2.0 will probably do, i will have to buy an external HD though.

Cheerz!

USB or FIREWIRE MOTU

USB or FIREWIRE MOTU

Re: USB or FIREWIRE MOTU