Choosing the right audio interface

[qipi]

 

Hi,

I sent this to Craig, I guess he did not see it, so I post it here:

 

I wrote to Focusrite the following question, and got an answer:

 

 

"

Hi,

I am in big dilemma.

I am in the process of renewing my professional recording studio,

and I need to choose an audio interface.

 

I am going to use a LOT of very heavy vst/vsti effects, including WAVES plug-ins suite,

EQWL, NI INSTRUMENTS,GARITTAN,SOUND TOYS , etc.

All this things will be used on a high end PC with CUBASE 5 WIN 7 64BIT.

There will be projects which will have at least 66 channels of VSTI and VST effects on each of them, and many vocals audio tracks

[MikeRivers]

 

---

qipi wrote:

 

I am going to use a LOT of very heavy vst/vsti effects

The only thing I am going to record is vocals and maybe a guitar, but mostly

Vocals

[Anderton]

To which I would add...latency is a moving target. The bigger the project and the more work the computer has to do, the greater you'll need to set the latency. One workaround is a DAW's freeze function, another is to create a stereo premix of your tracks, open a new project, insert the premix, record your part that requires really low latency, then import that part back in your original project.

Another issue is delay compensation for resource-hungry plug-ins, which can also affect latency if the signal has to be delayed significantly to compensate for processing time through a plug-in.

Finally, how an interface performs also relates to other components in the computer. Go to the RME forums, or any interface company's forums, and you'll find people who are having problems. For example some people don't know that having wi-fi turned on can degrade audio performance. Once I reviewed a Focusrite interface that simply wouldn't work until I updated my graphics card drivers, which admittedly were pretty old. Conversely, I've heard of people having problems with the PreSonus VSL1818, but I tried it with three different computers (one Mac, one Vista, one Windows 7 64-bit) and it worked perfectly. This is why it's so difficult to give a "one size fits all" answer, especially for Windows machines, which can have huge variations in hardware.

Interestingly, Rain computers is trying to remedy this situation by selling what they call a "RainPAK" system. It's a computer designed around specific software and a specific interface that's sold as part of the system, and there's also a hand-holding level of support. So basically, you buy a Cubase-centric "appliance" that's optimized for running music software and hardware, not Doom frame rates.

[nat whilk II]

You're asking a lot of questions that can only be fully answered by someone with extensive knowledge of the various hardwares you're looking at, plus detailed knowledge of your actual DAW and studio setup. And your budget. And your own level of expertise.

 

But your questions are all certainly valid. We all have these same questions when trying to upgrade our setups.

 

My advice is that you find as many reviews of the equipment you're looking at as you can. Reviews written by acknowledged experts, mainly. Articles that appear in Mix Magazine, or Sound on Sound, or are written by experts such as Craig (and Mike Rivers, and others you can find with time and patience.) Download the manuals of the gear you're considering and study them, too.

 

In other words, you'll have to piece your new setup together item by item, and I guarantee that you won't really ever absolutely know if you bought the "best" equipment or not. But you'll know what it can and can't do, and how you can make the most of it. Whether or not it will sound "professional" or not will be 99% up to your own skills and knowledge in using the gear.

 

I can't say this with too much emphasis - don't buy a lot of new gear all at once. One or two things at most is all I can handle, incorporating them into my little studio.

 

The way I buy is this -

 

1 - first I identify the next piece of gear that can make the biggest difference in improving my output. That might be an instrument, might be a preamp, might be a good technical book, might be singing lessons. But the deal is to identify the one thing that will make the biggest difference, and work on that, hard.

 

2 - when I'm actually ready to buy, I pick the thing that does the basics with similar quality as the expensive stuff, but usually lacks the fancier features. For example, I'd pick a great sounding mixer without motorized faders over an "ok" sounding mixer with motorized faders. I'll end up paying a lot less, getting the great basic sound, and working a bit more to make up for the lack of bells and whistles.

 

3 - So when I go to the next item to work on - I've got a foundation of quality from the prior things I've purchased and worked with. The next thing to buy should not compromise the quality of the prior things you've bought.

 

Every studio is a custom job - a unique setup that evolves over time and has endless little twists and angles and glitches and sweet spots all it's own. Takes bloody forever unless you've got a few hundred thousand to pay other people to put it together and run it for you....

 

best of luck - and take your time.

 

nat whilk ii

[Philter]

 

 

1) Can any of the interfaces

(Saffire 56 DSP 24) can handle the massive amount of VST and audio channels?

What about **latency**?

[MikeRivers]

Let me add one more thing. I apologize in advance if I'm totally wrong about this, but I get the sense that you're pretty new to digital recording with a computer. Here are some words to live by:

 

1. It's hard to go totally wrong with anything you buy these days as long as you stay out of the darkest corners of the bargain basement. Though it's an important link in the chain, there are many more things standing in the way of making a high quality recording than the audio interface. Your 30 years of recording (if that's your background) should have taught you this, but it's easy to lose sight of the rest of the real world when you're faced with a decision to buy technology with which you're not totally familiar or comfortable.

 

2. Don't think that your first (or this) purchase will be your last one. Both technology and requirements change very rapidly. Buy a good quality interface today and you can probably count on it for the next five years and by then you'll need to start learning all over again. But at least in the time working with what you have, you'll learn what you need to learn more about.

[qipi]

Thank you very very very much!

 

You helped me a lot to make order in the chaos in my poor brain!

 

Thanks to everyone who answered and helped me,

keep the good work!

 

Edit: By the the way I choose the MBOX PRO 3.

 

After searching reviews I saw Craig's review this card!!! - Seems to best feet my needs at the

moment to get used to the digital world!!!