Which USB audio interface?, Which USB audio interface? Options

[rickenbacker]

Anyone got any suggestions on the best USB audio interface to use? I'd like to hear other people's opinions on the various options - Edirol UA-5, Midiman's Quattro and Duo, Tascam US428, Roland U8 and anything I might have missed. How about the MBox? Anyone tried that yet?

Basically, I need a USB audio solution for my iBook and I want to hopefully get it right first time!

Thanks for your help.

i have the quattro and i hate it - bugged drivers, ugly, heavy, overheats, badly designed.
i haven't tried any other usb interface but they simply can't be worse than this one!

[rickenbacker]

Right, that's the Quattro off the list - thanks for the honest tip. I had heard a few negative comments about it already, but your post has really put the tin lid on it!

[rickparis75]

i use a digi001 and i am very happy with it....

I would bet the M box is fine. plus ProTools software 5.1 is great!!!!

Hope this helps
Rick

[lepetitmartien]

About the Quattro there are other threads (in french maybe) about it… It doesn't seem to be positive… hum. The least that can be said.

The digidesign is excellent but as everything with digidesign it has its idiosyncrasies (check for threads). To be fair, it's not the quality of the interface, but how to use it outside PT…

[rickenbacker]

Thanks for all the replies so far, people. It's been emotional.

Rick - you like Pro Tools, then? Any major drawbacks to it? What do you like about it most? I am definitely moving towards the MBox system. It looks great, has all the connections I need, Focusrite preamps, all very nice. The only concern I have is that I'm going to lay out £400 or so on a box that ties me to Pro Tools LE.

I realise that in using a Mac I should be well used to being in the minority :-) But there's a lot of cool VST stuff out there - Kontakt and Reason, for instance. No way of using them with Pro Tools LE, or is there?

Saying that, I read a magazine test of the MBox earlier today in which they tried using it with other sequencers and Cubase got a reasonable report. So maybe things aren't so final in buying an MBox and I can always try other sequencers as well as PT LE.

Basically, I'm more live audio than MIDI, so Pro Tools seemed like the more appropriate for me. That's why I'm interested to hear from people who are actually using it now.

As for the Quattro, I've heard enough!

[sanric]

What about a Swissonic USB Studio D ?
It's really great, it has digital ports, cannom ports for microphones and there 's even a limited stock offer on their website (www.swissonic.com)

[rickenbacker]

Hey Sanric, this Swissonic machine is completely new to me. Do you use one? I've looked at their website and it certainly looks like a pretty cool machine with all the necessary ins and outs. Can I presume it will work with whichever sequencer I opt for - Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic, whatever?

It looks like the best 'free-standing' USB audio option I've seen so far, but I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used one day to day. What are the preamps like? Good recording sound generally?

Thanks for the tip. Any more info gratefully consumed!

[rickenbacker]

Oops.. I meant to ask whether you know if the Swissonic Studio D works under OS X. I've got one eye on Cubase SX for later this summer...

[sanric]

I've bought it some days ago. It seems very easy to understand with good ASIO driver (to be downloaded from Swissonic website)
It boasts a lot of inputs for a very low price.
I've tried it with Logic with no problems.
It's really sturd made and, most of all, it's a rack !! which is necessary for my studio setup.
I've no regrets in my choice.
One last things: I don't know if it's a problem with electric sockets, but I can feel a little hum of noise. I'll have to check it.

Hope this helps you.