Ideas about the most stable interface for PT 9?

[GordonFreeman]

Hey! I'm a composer with a small project studio. A while ago, I moved from an MBox 2, into an 003 Rack, to run away from USB in a time when the MBox caused kernel panics in Mac OS X. This issue was solved by Avid with a driver update, but only after I bought a used 003 Rack on craigslist Then, the 003 brought me more problems: power cycling issues that hang PT and force me to restart the computer, everytime I forget to reboot the 003 every 20 hours. Booting up an 003, with the clackitty clicks, feels like waiting for tubes to warmup in an old radio Right now I'm typing this message with PT off, because since the 003 lost power while a session was open, now everytime I open a session, it won't play by pressing space bar. I probably have to reboot the Mac again.

This brings me to my question: now that Pro Tools 9 supports tons of interfaces, would it do any good to get a PCI interface inside this mac, like an Audiophile 192?
Would I be less troubled with random power issues and error messages?

I'm asking because I remember reading here about performance differences between USB and Firewire, and someone mentioned that the reason why HD (and the old Digi 001) seemed to run with less trouble than the new toys, was because the connection was PCI, not through a FW/USB bus. Valid question? Tell me your thoughts, folks!

[tamasdragon]

We've got sucess with rme interfaces. Even with the latest ones like ufx, etc. Stability with rme is really top notch.

[GordonFreeman]

You're right, and RME seems to be one of the lowest budget options - apparently these new Mac Pros don't have PCI slots, only PCIe. And considering E-MU cards are PC only, I'd have to go with RME, or maybe a MOTU 2408 Core MkIII PCIe, which goes for about $1000.

I'd love to try it first though, and see if it's worth the money. If it is, I'll sell all my LE interfaces, probably at a loss now that PT 9 is out

Still, I'd like to hear more PCIe vs FW stories. It makes logical sense for PCIe to be better, but nowadays firewire is so impossibly popular that it must have been improved. Any workarounds or pirate drivers to "revive" a glitchy, clicky 003 rack that needs a post-it saying "reboot before starting pro tools"? lol. Sorry for venting, but I get tired of pro tools stalling on boot with weird error messages due to FW. When it happens, I know I'll be spending the next 10-20 minutes rebooting or troubleshooting instead of making music.

[Carl Lie]

I just switched from an Apogee Duet/Mac Optical aggregate device to an RME PCie interface. Major difference in stability.

I did this for the very reason you bring up and it paid off however I don't know if it's just that RME writes better drivers or PCIe is more effective.

My guess is its a little of both

Carl

[Goldencd]

Any Pcie connection will be better.

I run a apogee symphony 32 pcie card with a rosetta 800 and it is rock solid.

[GordonFreeman]

Originally Posted by Carl Lie

I just switched from an Apogee Duet/Mac Optical aggregate device to an RME PCie interface. Major difference in stability.

I did this for the very reason you bring up and it paid off however I don't know if it's just that RME writes better drivers or PCIe is more effective.

My guess is its a little of both

Carl

Originally Posted by Goldencd

Any Pcie connection will be better.

I run a apogee symphony 32 pcie card with a rosetta 800 and it is rock solid.

That's great to know. After some research, I'm actually wondering about the MOTU 2408 Core MkIII PCIe. Seems to be an amazing piece of hardware, especially for the price (under $1k). RME or Apogee solutions usually start at $2k or more, it seems.

[getz76]

Originally Posted by GordonFreeman

I'm actually wondering about the MOTU 2408 Core MkIII PCIe. Seems to be an amazing piece of hardware, especially for the price (under $1k). RME or Apogee solutions usually start at $2k or more, it seems.

MOTU makes some nice stuff. None of it will knock your socks off when you compare it to very high-end gear, but I think they occupy a space between the bargain and the high-end that does not have that much direct competition at their price points.

MOTU makes great drivers for Mac OS X. They have been doing it for a long time. When I had my issues with the 828mkII, it was down to the drivers for Windows XP at the time (actually, with my Firewire controller in my Windows machine).

If the 2408 meets your input/output needs, it's worth a punt. Hard to go wrong for that kind of money.

[GordonFreeman]

Originally Posted by getz76

MOTU makes some nice stuff. None of it will knock your socks off when you compare it to very high-end gear, but I think they occupy a space between the bargain and the high-end that does not have that much direct competition at their price points.

MOTU makes great drivers for Mac OS X. They have been doing it for a long time. When I had my issues with the 828mkII, it was down to the drivers for Windows XP at the time (actually, with my Firewire controller in my Windows machine).

If the 2408 meets your input/output needs, it's worth a punt. Hard to go wrong for that kind of money.

Exactly, heard great things about MOTUs Mac drivers as well, and I don't care about I/O, I just need a couple of inputs and 2 outs, honestly. I do everything in the box and the max channels I'd use is 8 to record maybe a drum set.

I'm wondering about the 2408 converters, compared to 003 Rs. But even if they're a step down, I'd probably be happier - it REALLY annoys me to have an unstable FW/USB studio, and I have anxiety, so it's not good for my stress levels, and it's not good for my creativity, because I end up avoiding PT altogether, subconsciously

[getz76]

Originally Posted by GordonFreeman

I'm wondering about the 2408 converters, compared to 003 Rs. But even if they're a step down

I don't think they'll be a set down. I don't think you will hear a significant difference, actually.

I have never had any issue with my 003R. I also have a Mbox 2 and I have never had any issue.

[GordonFreeman]

Originally Posted by getz76

I don't think they'll be a set down. I don't think you will hear a significant difference, actually.

I have never had any issue with my 003R. I also have a Mbox 2 and I have never had any issue.

Yeah probably not, they seem to be on a similar level.

I have tons of issues with my MBox 2 (kernel panics, power loss), and now with the 003 R it's actually even worse - There's at least a 60% possibility that if I start pro tools right now, the 003 will start clicking repeatedly, and the software will spit out an error. I spent more time yesterday rebooting my Mac, 003 and re-checking connections than actually working. I just want always-on, rock solid stability so I can start it up anytime and know PT will work, at least 90% of the time :) And unfortunately I've spent some money upgrading interfaces, but it wasn't enough.