Roland Octa-Capture Interface - Now with Conclusions

[Anderton]

The key phrase is "as low as." Yes, that will depend on your computer, the complexity of the project, etc. Also, they are not specifying round-trip latency, but rather, the sample buffer setting in your program; round-trip latency will always be longer. That said...I have been very surprised with the low latencies I've been able to get with the Octa-Capture. I have no problems with 64 samples on medium-sized projects with Sonar X1, whereas before (on Vista-64 instead of Windows 7-64, though), 128 was dicey and 256 was "safe." I was in fact able to get 48 samples but that was without lots of virtual instruments and such; it's doable, but not as practical for me as 64 or 96 samples.

From what I can tell, this is driver mojo more than anything else. When I updated the V-Studio to the new drivers, it performed much better than it had. It also brings up something interesting. Many years ago, I reviewed an Edirol interface and it had substantially lower latency than other interfaces of that time. I remarked on this to a tech at Roland and he said "yeah, we put a lot of time into the drivers" but didn't make a big deal out of it. For all I know, Roland has been on this path for a while, but it didn't really get any attention until they put out their own "flagship" interface.

As to 800 ms latency or even 125 ms - whoa!!! Something wrong there. The way I know the latency is as low as claimed is because if I'm singing and wearing headphones, or playing guitar and monitoring, the amount of "slapback" is barely noticeable. If there was 125 ms latency when playing guitar, I would either go insane, or consider it a "free" echo unit.

[zzzxtreme]

i think he meant the 125ms latency is reported by the latency monitor software, not the actual DAW thingy.

anyway, would be nice if octacapture users post which laptop model they are using that works for them.

for me, I'm using my office's Lenovo Ideapad U260. works great with the interface, however I need one for myself, hoping to get a much cheaper one.

[derFunkenstein]

Any indication that the Quad Capture or V-Studio 20 use the same hardware? I'm not interested in 8 mic pres, but I would be jazzed to get at least one of them in a home studio environment.

I have gotten stuck between getting one of the two (and a small control surface to go with the Quad Capture), being a Sonar user and digging the idea of getting everything from one vendor. Not looking forward to spending an hour with ACT mapping 4 banks of controllers if I go the Quad Capture/Korg Nano Kontrol route, but hey, I'll live.

edit: Also, just a general quick question about how your reviews work - I assume the RightMark results are just by creating a line loop from a TRS output back around to a line input on the interface. Is that right? Then does that tell us anything about the mic pres? I'm vaguely new to the technical side of things; I've been using a Fast Track Mk II for a little over a year because I had just been getting started and now I'd like some sort of quality improvement, and while I'm proficient with the DAW and whatnot, I'm not terribly well-versed on the technical side.

I'm leaning towards the V-Studio 20 just because it combines so much stuff I could use, but if it's going to be much better in the long run to go with a Quad Capture I surely will. I only have a use for one mic pre at a time, and could make use of a control surface and the electric guitar effects in the V-Studio, but if the pre is not good, I'd go separate components.

[zzzxtreme]

it does say it has same preamps + circuitry thingy like the Vstudio 700. so Im pretty sure the quality is on par with octacapture

[derFunkenstein]

Well that's kinda how I read it, too. Thanks for the confirmation.

(btw, I rewrote my post entirely, to try to explain my needs, and I'm looking for the right interface to fit my needs to be sure)

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by derFunkenstein

Any indication that the Quad Capture or V-Studio 20 use the same hardware?

 

Hopefully someone from Roland can chime in with a definitive answer, but I assume the Quad Capture uses the same hardware because it's part of the same family. I don't know whether the VS-20 does or not.

 

I assume the RightMark results are just by creating a line loop from a TRS output back around to a line input on the interface. Is that right?

 

No, I loop back into the mic pres on all the interfaces I test.

 

I'm leaning towards the V-Studio 20 just because it combines so much stuff I could use, but if it's going to be much better in the long run to go with a Quad Capture I surely will. I only have a use for one mic pre at a time, and could make use of a control surface and the electric guitar effects in the V-Studio, but if the pre is not good, I'd go separate components.

 

I haven't tested the VS-20 mic pre. The VS-20 is really a different kind of animal - the main feature is the hardware Boss effects units in it, and the fact that it's hardware, so you can use it with no latency and record its output to your DAW (along with the straight signal if you're into re-amping).

I wrote an eBook about the VS-20 that was sponsored by Cakewalk, and is available on their web site for free. It might give you a better idea of some of its "real-world" applications compared to just checking out the specs. I think it's a very clever piece of gear for guitar players, and you might also find the vocal effects handy as well. It all depends whether you're more into a general purpose interface like the Capture series, or something more guitar-specific.

[derFunkenstein]

Well, I'm certainly more guitar-centric. I'm a terrible singer, and 98% of the vocals I capture are someone else, and those vocals have sounded pretty decent on my cheapy interface. Still, I'm yearning for MOAR AUSUM now that I know more about what I'm doing and I've proven to myself that I will stick with it.

Thanks for the input, Craig. Especially for clarifying how your RightMark tests are being run - that takes the information from merely "useful" to "insanely, incredibly, indescribably informative".

I didn't realize you wrote that eBook - I'd seen it advertised in a thread title on the Cakewalk forums, but never clicked on it. I had assumed it was more "advertisement parading as eBook" and not something written by an outside expert.

Reading the foreward, I see that you got a prototype to test out - you didn't run the RightMark tests, that's fine. Did you use the pre at all? Were you pleased with it? as long as it's no worse than my Fast Track (and I have every reason to believe it's considerably better, based on published specs) then that's the route I'm going to go.

edit: also, sorry for getting a little off topic, if asking those questions here is a bad idea. I can go post them elsewhere if you'd prefer.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by derFunkenstein

I didn't realize you wrote that eBook - I'd seen it advertised in a thread title on the Cakewalk forums, but never clicked on it. I had assumed it was more "advertisement parading as eBook" and not something written by an outside expert.

 

Cakewalk was very cool about it, they just wanted applications, no marketing-speak. It came about because I got a sneak preview of the VS-20 at a Frankfurt show before it was released, and started spewing all these ideas about how it could be used...they kind of looked at each other, and basically said, "hey, want to put all that in a book?" I really do think it's a very clever box. I still use it from time to time when I want to get a song down fast, then switch over to the V-Studio when I want to use the Fantom, the moving faders, etc.

 

Reading the foreward, I see that you got a prototype to test out - you didn't run the RightMark tests, that's fine. Did you use the pre at all? Were you pleased with it? as long as it's no worse than my Fast Track (and I have every reason to believe it's considerably better, based on published specs) then that's the route I'm going to go.

 

Well, I've stated this before...AFAIC, there are three kinds of preamps: Cheapo consumer stuff (like you find in sound cards and sound chips on laptops) and which can safely be ignored, "middle class" preamps, and boutique preamps. A lot of the middle class preamps use similar chips, with the main difference being the support components. Within that range, you'll get good results; I'd put the Octa-Capture as "upper middle class." These days, mic pre quality has improved to the point where usually, the limiting factor in a home recording setup will be the microphone more than the pre. Even the pres in my Line 6 KB37 are more than adequate for capturing decent vocals.

For singing into a decent mic at reasonable levels, or recording acoustic guitar (which I tried), I don't think you'll have any problems with the VS-20 mic pre. BTW - one VERY cool thing about the VS-20 are the built-in mics. While they're not for "real" recording, if you want to capture a vocal/guitar really quickly while your in the throes of inspiration, just select them as inputs and go.

[derFunkenstein]

In that case, I think in my case the room is actually the biggest problem in my signal chain. My wife (the singer I mentioned) currently sings into a closet full of clothes for a vocal booth. I set my home studio up in that room specifically for this purpose.

Thanks again, sir. You've been quite patient with my questions, and I greatly appreciate it. It certainly sounds like the VS-20 is along where my needs are, more than a general-purpose interface.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by derFunkenstein

In that case, I think in my case the room is actually the biggest problem in my signal chain. My wife (the singer I mentioned) currently sings into a closet full of clothes for a vocal booth.

 

You're not the only one, and that can actually work quite well - at least for vocals!

[Anderton]

So...I was re-arranging some gear in my studio, then needed to record narration. But there was a faint whine in the audio, both on recording and playback.

I cut a length of wire, and attached it to the grounding post on the back. I then tried connecting the end to various places - the computer chassis, V-Studio chassis, etc. Eventually, I found that connecting it the AC ground helped get rid of it, but connecting it to the BNC satellite cable connectors on my uninterruptible power supply got rid of it COMPLETELY. Cool!

[VJFranzK]

ha ha, at last a use for that thing ;-)

the lack of a bus power mode is the only major flaw i can see with the octa

(and i guess a lot of the things id want to record need wall power anyway.)

one of these years, im going to get a "power conditioner"...

any recs there for a first unit?

 

Originally Posted by Anderton

So...I was re-arranging some gear in my studio, then needed to record narration. But ......Eventually, I found that connecting it the AC ground helped get rid of it, but connecting it to the BNC satellite cable connectors on my uninterruptible power supply got rid of it COMPLETELY. Cool!

 

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by VJFranzK

ha ha, at last a use for that thing ;-)

the lack of a bus power mode is the only major flaw i can see with the octa

(and i guess a lot of the things id want to record need wall power anyway.)

 

You won't get bus power with eight Class A preamps. They sound better, but draw more current...more than the bus can provide.

 

one of these years, im going to get a "power conditioner"...

any recs there for a first unit?

 

I just went to Best Buy and got one...cost about $130 or so for one that could power two computers.

[ezang]

Can the OC mixer parameters be controlled via midi?

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by ezang

Can the OC mixer parameters be controlled via midi?

 

If they can, it's really well-hidden...I don't see any evidence that this is an automatable mixer. I think the assumption is that you use this with a DAW, which has its own automation, or if you take it out as a stand-alone digital mixer, you're basically using it as something like a keyboard mixer that's more or less set-and-forget.

[zzzxtreme]

happy to report the cheap lenovo g470 works well with this unit

i5 sandy bridge, 2gb ram, 5400rpm drive. tested 5 simultaneous recording , 64 samples, less than 10ms roundtrip

[Anderton]

Cool! Thanks for the update. 10 ms roundtrip and 64 samples...pretty darn good!

[CME]

Just wanted to mention that you might want to try again with pt9. Specifically 9.0.3. It was mentioned in the update "read me" that you can now run the M-Audio 2626 at a 32 sample buffer. But it was mentioned on the DUC that as of the new update it will run at any buffer size the interface reports it is capable of. However I don't have anything to test this with right now.

[VJFranzK]

quick mention - I have been using my new Octa Capture for the past week with Ableton Live on MacBook pro. I'm pleased with the results! ;-) Review is partially filmed.

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by CME

Just wanted to mention that you might want to try again with pt9. Specifically 9.0.3..

 

I'll give it a shot as soon as the 1.2GB download is finished...which will be at least tomorrow...

[zzzxtreme]

i must admit i posted the same question at bass subforum. but im going crazy. here goes nothing

recording bass - noise

hello, i just setup a simple home studio. but have some trouble recording bass, I get plenty noise

i'll try to explain

a) elec guitar

b) bass guitar

c) line input with high-z tuned on

d) line input with higz-z turned off

e) mono cable 1

f) mono cable 2

the soundcard is roland octacapture. when i plug in A with E or F into C, I get a clean clear sound. when i plug in B with E or F into C or D, I get a consistent noise pattern - up down up down noise. set the line input level to zero, still get noise. What are the possible problem with my test ? is bass guitar output the same impedance-class as elec guitar ? must i use somekind of bass preamp?

any advice greatly appreciated

thanks in advance

[Anderton]

Only Inputs 1 and 2 have hi-Z inputs. Does that help?

[Lucky #9]

Craig:

I took a quick look through the posts but did not see the answer to this, unless I missed it:

--- Just curious, why would the unit record/playback at 44/48/96/192 khz but not the 88 khz rate?

Is there any particular reason, since all other rates seem to be covered?

Thanks

[Anderton]

 

Originally Posted by Lucky #9

Craig:

I took a quick look through the posts but did not see the answer to this, unless I missed it:

--- Just curious, why would the unit record/playback at 44/48/96/192 khz but not the 88 khz rate?

Is there any particular reason, since all other rates seem to be covered?

 

I have no idea why it's not included (neither is 176.4, although 192kHz is available). My guess is that because 88.2kHz isn't as common as 96kHz, it wasn't a priority to include it. But really, you'd have to ask Roland.

[zzzxtreme]

anyone knows about the digital input? I'm getting low volume, I set my kurzweil's digital output volumed to "fixed" instead of variable. there doesn't seem to be a way to set the digital recording input volume. a bit confused about this SPDIF thingey. does the cable make a difference? I'm using a normal A/V rca cable