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Joined: Mar 2003
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Hi folks, Will be buying an usb audio in the new year. Just saw this one and it seems so cheap. do you think it might be any good? http://www.thomann.de/gb/swissonic_easy_usb.htmMany thanks Joe
joe
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I don't have experience with this particular interface, but my best guess at this price point is that you wouldn't be satisfied. USB interfaces can be buggy on much more expensive models, but I would recommend looking into Tascam or one the other major manufacturers. Possibly this or something similiar: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-US144-USB-MIDI-Interface-New-Open-Box?sku=583413Bob
Last edited by bobcflatpicker; 12/21/09 06:41 PM.
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Joe, I don't know about the product you mentioned. I do know about the Tascam, and I suggest you avoid it; the 144 has been replaced by the 144Mkii. There is no Windows 7 support for the 144. The Windows 7 drivers for the 144Mkii are not even available yet but Tascam says it is working on them.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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I have the TASCAM US-122 and it works like a dream for me
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Joe Accepted wisdom often repeated on these boards is that you get what you pays for. If it were me, taking a bit of a chance at a low price point I would rather go with the identically priced Behringer unit
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I have a toneport by Bose, usb from the computer. The rest of the gear is a bit pricey. Works well, except if you turn off the powerswitch you get a biab box that informs you Error 6, and you will have to kill the process with the ctl alt del thing and hunt down biab and terminate that.
Of course I'm good at terminating, I lived on the same street in Kapuskasing as James Cameron, though our Avatars are different.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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joemardo1..and other pg users.
well hold on a minute.
if that unit is by the same swissonic that makes
the very nice hi end swissonic convertor ADA's
it might be very good.
joe i would check on this.
in fact DEFINITELY check on this.
it might be junk...but it might be good also
if swissonic had a hand in it.
haveing said that you wont really know how good it is
untill you install and test it.
eg driver tests, and audio quality etc etc.
just make sure you can send it back n get your money back
if it dont play nice with your pc.
i frankly would keep an open mind till you get your mitts on it
and test it.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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update..
i searched for user reviews on this unit joe
without success.
cos i'm always being asked bout cheap gear.
so its a pot luck situation/buyer beware as the unit is new.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Joe, As you may know, Roland bought out Cakewalk. Roland was making a very good USB audio interface, and now appears to have updated it with the Cakewalk name. http://www.pgmusic.com/ua1g.htmIf this is anything like the UA-1X, I would highly recommend it. In fact, I'll probably get one for myself, since I have been looking for a USB interface for my laptop. Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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Garry recommended the Edirol UA-4X to me and it has performed flawlessly. I'm impressed with Roland products so far.
Stan
Cornet Curmudgeon
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To use a microphone with Line Inputs, you must also have a Microphone Preamplifier or a Mixer that has Mic Preamp(s) on it.
--Mac
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Hey Guys,
This is one topic I have a lot of sometimes painful experience in. I've had over 30 USB and Firewire interfaces over the years. Some good, some really bad.
Here are a few tips I've picked up by studying the posts on pro audio forums and personal experience>
1. There is no such thing as "You get what you pay for". For Example, Echo Audio makes some of the most bullet proof and musical interfaces around, and you can get the audiofire 2 for $200. Built very well, no driver issues, solid as a rock and sounds great. Or you spend $699 and get loads of trouble with M-audio stuff, some of their interfaces will work for a while, but for the most part the driver and reliability are not good (Read the M-audio or gearsluts forums, tons of posts on units not working, failing, glitches, etc). The absolute pinnacle for USB 2 interfaces is RME, they have a model called the UC. These things are built like a tank, they never go down, the converters and Mic preamps sound great. The downside is the price.....$1,300.
I always thought that Firewire interfaces were better for digital audio, but there is a new video on the RME site that discusses the built in latency in firewire (6ms) compared to USB 2 (2-4ms). I was also concerned about throughput(the amount of information ofTracks/plugins available) but it turns out that with USB 2, it is about the same. USB 3 should up the ante considerably. The only downside is the new high speed USB interfaces are NOT bussed powered, meaning you will need to plug in your power supply.
Being in the Market for a new interface for the last month, I've spent hours reading reviews and posts by musicians. Here are a few standouts that I can see.
>Budget.....Echo Audiofire 2, 4 or 8. Good build quality, great sounding converters, great driver support, no reports of problems.Tascam>can be hit or miss for both driver support and reliability(I have had the Fireone for 2 years with some driver issues), mic preamps are not musical.
>Midline......MOTU Ultralite (USB2 AND Firewire connectivity!) Focusrite Sapphire. On the Mac side>Apogee One (USB) or Duet (Firewire) Great sounding converters, Great preamps, rock solid drivers, etc.
>Pro...........RME UC or 400/800. Lynx Aurora. Mac only>Apogee Ensemble. Mac & PC>Prizm sound Orpheus. Metric Halo ULN 2/2828
The above are considered the best interfaces you can buy with pricetags to match ($3-5000) Outstanding converters, Sweet pure Mic Preamps, Solid drivers and overall the best sound you are going to get. In fact, with any of these you would not need an external Mic Preamp.
The following are interfaces that have a pattern of reliability, driver, or build issues.
M-audio>I've had 7 of these interfaces in the last 10 years, with trouble in each model. They either work ok for a while and then die, or they don't work at all. Some have had good success with them, but be careful. Also, their tech support is less than stellar.
Presonus>Driver issues, build quality is ok.
Hope this helps you, also the above is the conclusions I came too, I'm sure many people will disagree and that's ok, we are all here to get the best bang for the buck, I'm always ready to learn something new or be proven wrong!
Ed
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