Mbox Vs. Digi 002 Rack Options

[JPSpecial]

I'm wondering which audio interface would be better for my needs. I'd like to record voice and acoustic guitar using two different mics and afterward doing some harmony vocals and perhaps a second guitar track and some bass. The real problem I want to avoid is major latency. Will I have substantially less with the firewire digi 002r than with the mbox. Some users have said that the latency with mbox is not a problem while others have said it is a true annoyance. Just wondering what some of you users of either audio interface have to say. Also, how many audio inputs can the digi 002r take at a time? I know the mbox can only take two, which of course is pretty limited.

[kolo]

Look, you only get latency if you are using the computer to monitor your input. Most setups, sound cards, etc (I don't know the Mbox specifically) allow you to monitor your live sources directly, mixed with the already recorded tracks(s). In other words you hear your live singing/playing before it goes "in" to the system. Pretty much virtually all recorders (soft or hardware) "line up" the tracks for you so that what you sing is synced with what you are hearing upon playback. I use cubase and turn set it up so I don't hear my performance as I do it returning back with the delay produced by the processing time of the computer. I listen to it from my mixer directly.
Mostly when you read about latency it's for when you are using the computer as a sound source, as in virtual instruments, when you depend on the computer to playback/create the actual sound, so that there is no way to hear it prior to the computer's processing lag.

But of course, as someone just wrote, the great thing is you can nudge the tracks to your hearts content. Good luck.

• latency la ten c y