Please recommend an Audio Interface for me

[finalcut]

Odds are I may return my Focusrite Saffire 56.
It's so buggy I can't stand it and I don't care how great Focusrite thinks it is - if I can't get it up and running it's useless.
here is the thread that describes the trouble I am having with the focusrite http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=317302

I am using a brand new creation station from Sweetwater Music.
Win 7 / PT 10
It works fin with my old Digi 002. I want to upgrade it though (which is why I bought this fail Saffire unit)

I just need a RELIABLE unit that has basically the same ins and outs as a digi 002 or 003 - but with better pres and converters.
Any suggestions?

[Joe.LoDuca]

I've been here! I too tried to get my focusrite gear to operate, and the same with my original 002 rack. Both had different issues but the common reason why I don't use it today is, you can't record music this way. The stuff is unusable.

Anyway, I went to RME audio and I got to tell you, I can't say enough good things about it! I am going to warn you though, compared to Focusrite, RME should cost you more cash. But well worth it in my case. Like you, I needed something that is at least as equivilent on I/O. I use ADAT a lot too so, RME does that! I am using a RME proprietary PCIe card with an external unit they call "Multiface" -- its 8 analog ins and outs plus 8 ADATs. Look up a "Multiface 2" if you consider this.. My one and only complant about what I have is that there are no input gain controls on the multiface. I wired my mix console to do that job but not everyone knows how to do that stuff.

In terms of sound, can't beat it! You can kiss those audio errors good bye too that are so famous with focusrite.

Good luck!

[albee1952]

RME and MOTU are worth checking out.

[TCM]

Rme ufx?

[groundcontrol]

The rme ff800/ufx or metric halo if interested in fw.

A great combo in pcie land right now is the ssl madi-64 card and madi converters.

Great for live recording too since a lot of people are going madi too.

[DarylG]

I doubt that Metric Halo will be of much use in Windows 7 though.

D

[mbourque]

I use a TC Electronic Konnekt 48 and I'm very happy with it. My system is a PC with Win7 64bit and PT 9. I really enjoy the remote that comes with it, there's a talkback mic included on the remote, and you can control your monitoring easily. It has a great number of ins and outs and good pres and converters. The software mixer allows you to do bass management (I've never tested it though).

I think the fireface is a good choice too.

[TCM]

Originally Posted by groundcontrol

The rme ff800/ufx or metric halo if interested in fw.

A great combo in pcie land right now is the ssl madi-64 card and madi converters.

Great for live recording too since a lot of people are going madi too.

From what I read on the BLA website, it leads me to believe that the RME is the better product:
The UFX Premium Mod is only $750, and we feel is the best sounding of all the modifications within this performance range (Ensemble, UFX, and SSL).
That means to me that the basic product before the mod is already good.

[finalcut]

Is the Mbox Pro any good at all.
After all this BS I just need a box that will WORK.
I am ready to sacrifice a lot of what I want at this point just to ensure stability.

The RME I could possibly afford would be the RME Fireface 400:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Fireface400/


And the only other unit I see that might work is the Mbox Pro:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTMboxPro/

[groundcontrol]

I was quite pleasantly surprised by the new MBox3 when I put together a 2nd portable writing system for a client of mine recently. His main system is built around an Apogee Rosetta 800 to give you a reference.

In the past when putting together these kind of setups I mostly specified Apogee Duets. Most of my clients who I've prepared Duet/MBP setups for have either Apogee AD/DA16X or Lynx Aurora as converters for their main rigs.