Audio interface options.... impending crisis?

this is probably of interest to many pro audio people.
I just noticed that the new macbookpro does not have firewire 800, only firewire 400. given that this machine is obviously a pro machine (the name is a giveaway) which would normally have implied including firewire 800, this doesn't bode well for the future of the inclusion of high end firewire..
given the paucity of options for audio hardware in the PCI-express world, and the fact that firewire 800 is currently the best option in the absence of PCI, it looks like we are truly headed for a drought in pro audio interface options until new cards and boxes start rolling out. IMO, this is not the greatest of situations.
opinions?

Check Harmony Central every day.
http://www.harmony-central.com
The Winter NAMM convention is in a week and a half and there should be lots of announcements from audio interface manufacturers about how they're going to stay compatible with Intel on Mac.
The MacBook Pro has a card slot that could host future SATA and FireWire 800 interfaces from third parties. Some are on the market already, so the question would be driver support.

Similar Messages

Is there an audio interface for Imac with Leopard???

Hi Guys,
Im new here. Just got my IMac 24" 2.8ghz 10.5.1 Leopard last week. I love everything about it but Im having a real hard time finding an audio interface to use with Garageband. I tried the M-Audio Firewire Solo...found out quick it is not compatible. So I figure what the ** i'll downgrade and go with the M-Audio Mobilepre USB audio interface...usb, no fuss no muss right...WRONG! It doesnt work either! I tried downloading the most current driver from M-audio's website but still no go. I guess Leopard and intel machines are hard to please. Also the audio interface has to have phantom power to run a condensor mic. So my questions to you guys is this:
1. Are there any other audio interface options out there with phantom power for $200 or less that will run with my Imac ?
2. If not, why in the ** would Apple design a machine with Garageband then not set it up to accept any reasonably priced audio interface currently on the market? Tell me Im just uninformed...say it isnt so!
Sorry if it sounds like Im aggravated...I am! I had hoped to get some recording time in this weekend but its looking doubtful now.
I did post this in the Garageband discussion as well...thanks.
Any help with the mobile preamp, other interface recommendations, etc. are greatly appreciated!
Paul

Dr. Pee wrote:
Any help with the mobile preamp, other interface recommendations
Could you be a little more specific about what you mean
by "not compatible" -- is it a lack of Leopard drivers,
or what?
I haven't fiddled with GarageBand, but I have been using
[M-Audio's Fast Track Pro|http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackPro-main.html] with audacity, and it seems to
work OK. (My beta-release ov audacity has some stability
problems, but I don't think they're M-Audio-related.)
Did you check M-Audio's web site for Leopard-compatible
drivers? The one for Fast Track Pro wasn't released 'til
mid December, if I remember correctly.
Although firewire is probably technically superior, I
went with USB to avoid conflicts between the audio box
and my Firewire external HD. There have been too many
reports of flakey operation with iMac firewire drivers.
I like the Fast Track Pro, but I'm not sure it would
be my first choice if I had it to do over. It's main
drawback is that it's USB 1.1 -- so, there are some
tradeoffs in the number of simultaneous I/O channels
versus data rate and resolution.
I've listed a few other USB options worth exploring
below -- I believe they all have phantom power:
[E-Mu 0404 USB|http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&produc t=15185]
[Edirol UA-25|http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=704&ParentI d=114]
[Line6 TonePort UX2|http://line6.com/toneportux2>
I'm not sure what the situation is WRT Leopard-compatible
drivers for any of the above -- you'll have to check the
manufacturers' web sites.
Check amazon.com and MusiciansFriend.com for prices; also,
be sure to check the customer comments on MusiciansFriend.
They're often very thorough and informative -- typically
much better than Amazon's.
...rock on!
Looby

Audio interface for recording 2 tracks at once

What are my Audio Interface options for recording two tracks at once on my Macbook? What have you had success with?
Thanks

I'm sure you will get numerous recommendations - what you want really is an Apogee Duet... it's the best thing you'll find for the price and it sounds great...
I use an Edirol FA-66 with a MacBook with no problems at all, except it sounds a bit "thin"...
Over to the rest of you...

Dolby Advanced Audio Interface software missing HP Pavilion Ultrabook 14-b003sa

I updated my HP Pavilion Ultrabook 14-boo3sa to windows 8.1 a couple months ago and since then the dolby advanced audio interface software is missing. The speakers are working and sound fine but I just want the option of the equaliser again. I have looked at the drivers available online and the most upto date driver for audio for this laptop is an IDT audio driver from 2012 for windows 8. Is there a more upto date driver that has the interface software? or is it just a case that the software has been removed on the update due to compatability issues? It sounds like dolby advanced audio is still active there is just no interface available as before I updated to windows 8.1. Please help. Thank you.

Hi Lhawley91,
I understand you are having issues with the Dolby Advanced Audio Interface software missing HP Pavilion Ultrabook 14-b003sa. This package contains the driver that enables the IDT High-Definition (HD) Audio for Windows 8.1.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-112631-1&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en...
Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom to say “Thanks” for helping!

Hard-drive and audio interface set-up - Advice please

Hello,
Please offer me some advice if you can. I have the new 13" macbook pro 2.26Ghz with Logic Studio. I am going to get a hard-drive that has both usb and firewire 800 interfaces and need to decide whether to get a usb or firewire audio interface. The crux of my problem is in what configuration to use the devices, which will determine which audio interface I choose. E.g.
1. Firewire 800 hard-drive to record tracks onto and back-up + usb audio interface; or
2. Firewire 800 hard-drive as above + firewire 400 audio interface daisy-chained; or
3. Record onto the internal hard-drive and use a usb audio interface; or
4. Record onto the internal hard-drive and use a firewire 400 interface.
FYI, the audio interfaces I'm looking at are the E-Mu 0404 USB or Focusrite Saffire LE, both of which have had excellent reviews.
Questions to consider, please, are: Which configuration will offer the best performance and least latency? Is it worth recording onto external hard-drive (7,200) or will the internal drive (5,200) be faster/as fast? Will daisy-chaining cause a significant drop in performance? Do you have any alternative configuration suggestions? Plus any other comments you can think of.
Thank you in advance
Jamie

The good thing about #2, if the drive enclosure also has a USB 2.0 interface you have the option of using/trying that configuration as well. I know a few that get away with using USB drives for recording.
Make sure the audio drive is formatted Mac OS Extended, with Journaling OFF.
Don't trust the drive formatting as it's delivered.
pancenter-

Setting External Audio Interface as default output

Hi.
I have a MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion 1.8.5 with the following audio output options:
Built-In Output
MOTU UltraLite Audio Interface
Bluetooth speaker.
I have the UltraLite setup as my default for "Use this device for sound output" and "Play alerts and sound effects through this device". And it works flawless. On occassion I have to play the audio to the Bluetooth speaker. And that works great too. However if I turn off the spearker the Mac defaults back to "Built-In Output". How can I set it to default back to the UltraLite instead? (Ps-I don't mind messing with files deep in the system).
Thanks,
David

Hi.
I assume you created WAD template.
In this WAD you inserted 2 webitems:
1. analysis item with dataprovider assigned to your query
2. chart item with the same dataprovider
If so you should set, as mentioned above, HIDDEN for analysis item (analysis item shows you query data - table) and VISIBLE fro chart item.
So by default your report data will be hidden and chart visible.
If you want to switch within WAD you should create any button "show/hide table" and attach command "SET_WEBITEM_PROPERTIES" and set visible for analysis item.
Regards.

What kind of audio interface do I need for audio out from MainStage 3?

I have a Yamaha MO8 that I use for playing in the worship band at my church. In the past, I've just directly routed audio from the MO8 through a direct box and into the sound system.
I'm looking to switch my setup and use the Yamaha MO8 as a midi controller in MainStage 3. I have this part working — the problem is getting the audio from my MacBook Pro.
The audio output sounds fine through the MacBook Pro speakers or through headphones plugged into the audio out / headphone jack; however, if I plug the direct box into the MacBook Pro's audio out / headphone jack, the signal the sound system gets is very pretty weak and very distorted.
I'm assuming I need an audio interface between my MacBook Pro and the direct box / sound system. Since it's a 2010 MacBook Pro, I'm assuming my only output option is USB (unless the digital audio out can be used). If that's correct, would something like the Scarlet 2i2 work for me?
Thanks…

Yes, you'll need some sort of audio interface to get a good signal back to your mixer.
The Scarlet 2i2 would work for you but you may find a few limitations. I use a MOTU Audio Express and it has the advantage of being a mixer as well, so I can mix in a backup signal from the onboard audio outs of my controller (Kurzweil PC3x) in case MainStage goes down (it happens on rare occasion). Firewire is my preference so the MOTU checks that box. I also like that I can connect my MIDI cables to the MOTU and have one cable going into the computer.
If you need this sort of compact redundancy, I would shoot a little higher than the Scarlet. If you don't feel the need for a backup line and USB works for you, then the Scarlet unit would be an excellent value.

My macbook with GarageBand '08 won't recognize my audio interface (Alesis iO 26) connected by firewire. any suggestions?

my macbook with GarageBand '08 won't recognize my audio interface (Alesis iO 26) connected by firewire. any suggestions?

srjinx wrote:
i have a firewire connected. so should i select "built-in" or "system settings" from garageband?
not if you want to use your interface
srjinx wrote:
there is no option on either the main mac system preferences audio input menu nor the garageband preferences menu to select my audio interface as the input.
does the iO 26 require a driver? check the Alesis web site to make sure you have the latest, if it does.
if not, the first suspect would be the cable, try another FW cable.
less likely is one of the FW ports, if you have another FW device you might see if it works on the Mac, for the interface you might need to visit a music store to test it

Audio-interface unavailable after system update

I use a Behringer FCA202 firewire audio-interface.
After updating to 10.4.10 it is unavailable.
Profiler tells me it is there, but I can not see it in either application nor in the sound-settings.
Any help appreciated...

If you run /Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup does it appear there ?
Try unplugging all devices then reset Parameter RAM (hold apple/option/p/r keys at boot and don't let go until the third chime) then re-connect the Firewire cable.

What is the best audio interface?

Hi,
I want an audio interface for around £100 to allow me to record vocals and guitar into my macbook pro.
I was wondering if anyone on this forum would be able to help me decide which is best (latency/quality) etc.
So far, i've found these two which i think one of them is probably my best option - i just don't know which one:
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/alesis-io-2-portable-usb-audio-interface/624
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/m-audio-fast-track-usb-v2/30573
Oh, and i will only be playing my guitar through a jack, not mic'ed up. So that won't be an issue with the M Audio.
Thank you in advance,
Tom.

Before doing anything, might be a good idea to try a couple of things.
First, re-install the control panel software then repair permissions.
try the fp10's
If that fails, reboot the Mac, set the Fp10's up the way you normally use them, then open Activity Monitor and Quit or Force Quit and running Presonus applications.
Try the fp10s.

Do i need an audio interface? HELP!!!

Do i need an audio interface for logic to connect m audio speakers, a novation launchpad, and an akai mpk 25 keyboard?, Do i need an audio interface for logic to connect m audio speakers, a novation launchpad, and an akai mpk 25 keyboard?

Wow. You have in your hands some of the most advanced and powerful music production software on the planet. Surely you would want an audio interface to make it sing rather than limp along. How are you going to control momitor level, headphone level, etc. If you are going to connect a mic, it is essential (unles you are going to opt for a USB mic. There are very few pros who would choose that option). Any audio interface will sound better than the sound card inside the mac, but if you go for something like Native Instruments Komlete 6, it's affordable, user friendly and sounds amazing. There are other good ones, like Focusrite and MOTU, but M audio and the lower range of Presonus are not in the same league and the more advanced users would avoid them.
Hope this helps.

Is an audio interface still necessary?

I am using
Logic Pro X, Samson L2400 24 channel mixer connected via USB, is an audio interface still necessary to record all 24 tracks separately?
Noob hardly expresses my incompetence here so thank you for your patience.

MacDyver wrote:
I am very appreciative for the assistance however it confuses me slightly more in that I do have a Roland Octa-Capture however it also connects via USB. I guess it is also useless
Articles I read state USB can theoretically carry 255 channels but everything else points to L/R Stereo.
It appears a fire sale is in order and purchase of a firewire mixer or interface may be my only option
Thanks everyone hope I can find a solution
I don't quite get your conclusion: the fact that an interface connects via USB, does not make it useless. And according to a quick look at specs the octacapture aka UA1010 has 10 inputs; you could aggregate that with the Samson and another interface with at least 12 inputs, and there you have your 24 inputs: 10 from the UA1010, 2 from the Samson itself, and 12 from whatever extra interface you'd use.
Getting one interface with 24 or more inputs may be a more secure and simpler route to take though.
I also don't get why you almost blame our appreciated assistance - by "howevering" it - for confusing you about your 10-input audio interface, when you never even mentioned you had it in the first place?

Selecting an Audio Interface

Hi,
I recently purchased Logic Pro 9 on my 2011 13" Macbook Pro, and am in need of a new audio interface. I am using it to record with my band (using synthetic drums so I am usually recording one track at a time). We used to use Sonar Home Studio with an Alesis Multimix 8 USB 2.0, but felt we needed something with more power and options so we switched to Logic. Also, we had some problems with the Alesis with quality among other things. I need an audio interface that will give me good sound quality with at lease one XLR input, a guitar input, a MIDI input and an output or two, one of which that can be used for headphones while tracking vocals and such. I don't have a set price range but I do want something that will give us good audio quality and something that will work well with logic.
Any help and suggestions are much appreciated and please let me know if there is any more information you need from me.
Thanks!

Presonus makes good quality equipment and they're always wheeling & dealing with various music retailers (ie Sweetwater, Musicians Friend) to offer package deals with, say, an audio interface + heavy discount on Studio One Pro which is their relatively new DAW (btw, it is a nice app and has defaulted to my secondary after Logic).
I'd avoid M-Audio. I once owned their 2496 card which was worth every penny I paid: $15 + a six pack of Sam Adams to a friend moving out of state.
Can't really go wrong with Focusrite hardware but someone needs to get their plug-in developers to step up.
Good luck.

Recommend me an audio interface

I need an audio interface - PCI, Firewire or USB-2 - with a bunch of inputs and outputs (min. 6 in, 4 out), a couple of universal XLR/minijack input jacks with good pre-amps and, here's the clincher, separate level controls for headphones and monitor output.
Does anyone know of anything that suits my needs?

I agree, I would stay away from M-Audio and definitely from Digidesign. I really want to recommend Metric Halo and the RME Fireface, but they are both out of your budget and do not give you separate headphone and monitor knobs on the physical interface (except the ULN2 which is limited in i/o options).
I would look into Presonus first, and MOTU second. I think the converters on the Presonus interfaces are slightly better. But MOTU interfaces are pretty solid and have good drivers.
Good luck.

Using an audio interface with multiple inputs

Hi,
I'm currently facing an issue where I need to be able to use the audio from a microphone and a keyboard through Skype calling. I have them both plugged in to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 audio interface. The problem is that only the microphone plugged into input 1 seems to be coming through, as if Skype will only address one channel of the interface. Is there any way around this or a different method you have used in a similar situation?
Thanks,

I stumbled upon this thread in searching for some deeply hidden feature in Skype, but alas, there may not be a fix within Skype. I realize the parent topic is very old, but I hope this can hope anyone in need of a solution (or get skype to incorporate some sort of summing feature).
That being said, there is an alternative for those of us with interfaces that have fully customizable routing. Fully customizable routing, and more than your standard two (stereo) outputs, and at least one more input than you need in total for microphones.
What we're going to have to do for our podcast (one member is on vacation, states away), is hook all microphones into inputs that are not input 1. As far as I can tell, Skype will only recognize input 1. In your interface's output routing software, you will need to create a submix/monitor mix (whatever they will call it) that sums (combines) all of the microphones together. While you have the ability to add the software/daw return to this mix, you typically will not want to, as it could create feedback for the person joining the conversation via skype.
After you have created this submix/monitor mix (and be sure to double/triple check that input 1 is not involved with this mix at all) you will assign this to an auxiliary output... so say, your interface has 4 outputs, assign it to output 3. Then lead a cable from the physical output 3 into the physical input 1 on your interface.
What this accomplishes is we're effectively sending all microphones into input 1, so your Skype recipient will be able to hear a mixdown of all microphones. Certain interfaces will also allow you to do this routing without cabling.
There are more things to keep in mind, like if you're recording the call, you'll want to run a parallel output from your Main DAW/Software return into another physical input, but again, quadruple-check that you are not monitoring that track into your main buss as it would create a horrible feedback loop. Generally I'd have the caller record their audio through Audacity or something free, but getting their recording on my end makes for syncing the call to the room recording so much easier... SO MUCH.
TL;DR
1) Make sure you have more than 2 outputs, and 1 more input than you would normally need for mic's.
2) Plug microphones into inputs 2 and on, saving input 1.
3) Use interface's software/routing mixer to sum all microphone inputs (EXCEPT 1) to an unused physical output.
4) Route or connect that output into Input 1.
0-5) For the love of all audio gods, make sure you are double checking to avoid feedback.
I also recognize that with the appearance of things like WavTap and Soundflower that there are other solutions -- but this is one option for those of us that do not wish to explore those options.

Audio interface options.... impending crisis?

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