New - Pls Help. Confused About Hardware, iMac with 10.5 - need USB MIDI interface Options

[pigletto78]

Hi
I've been surfing the net to find a USB MIDI interface which will work with my Intel iMac using 10.5. I'm a bit confused and would welcome any advice.

I would like to connect my Yamaha PSR 550 to the Mac and use Garageband. I also have an acoustic guitar and would like to buy a mic and also be able to connect this and also record vocals. I think I need a 'condensor' mic for this?

So in short, I need a USB Midi device with Mic for vocal (and mic for acoustic guitar without a pickup), and Midi input.

I would rather spend a bit more on something with all these features than a 1 MIDI in/ 1 MIDI out cheapo wire, but I don't want to end up paying for things I will never use as a beginner amateur.

I've seen some bad feedback on some models which don't yet have drivers for 10.5.

Can anyone help recommend some hardware?! Thanks in advance.

Hannah

[FastEddy]

" ... The main difference/issue was one of stability. USB in the "Beginning" was not as reliable as "Firewire". My knowledge is based on what was several years ago. I am certain USB has fixed this problem, still I would recommend Firewire... "

Demise: There is absolutely nothing wrong with most modern USB connected "sound cards" and other USB 2.0 connected audio devices.

"In the beginning" USB was not as fast as FireWire or as reliable. Now USB 2.0 connected audio interfaces ("sound cards") are every bit as good as any FireWire device ... IF these are used only as a playback devices.

There is a peculiar wrinkle that USB has that FireWire does not. This is the USB "latency" problem that troubles professional musicians and recording studio engineers the most (long technical details go here). Suffice to say that, if you are a pro singing into a microphone and listening to the other tracks on your headset, there is a slight but bothersome delay that will throw a professional's timing off ... FireWire does not have this problem (more techie details go here).

For us mortal lay listeners, most modern USB 2.0 connected sound equipment can and does playback and reproduce full 24 bit / 96k / Dolby 5.1 and 192k MP3 sound files. The "magic" specification is that 24 bit / 96k number = full fidelity, and about as good as it gets, even from DVD-Audio and DVD-Video tracks.

This same "magic" specification applies to those built in and plug in sound cards: the 24 bit / 96k playback is the base line for modern, quality audio playback.

(As for the 16bit / 44k CD music that most of us listen to, well, as Bob Dylan has said in Rolling Stone Magazine: "CD's suck" and that difference IMOP and His is the 24 bit magic.)

This post has been edited by FastEddy: Wed 6 May 2009, 22:18