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Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards
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Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards


  • Subject: Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards
  • From: Cyril Blanc <email@hidden>
  • Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 04:54:56 +0200

Hi Rick

In a way you are right in another way you are wrong, if you buy a FW audio today you interface will not benefit of FW1600 nor FW3200 (this is coming very very soon)
With PCI, you pay 300 $, but you benefit of the faster bus and of improvements on the card.
The number of tracks will depends of the sample rate you will use. 44 ? 96 ? 192 khz ?
Best


Cyril

On Jul 31, 2008, at 7:03 PM, Richard Burnett wrote:

Regarding FW, I've actually done some research with people working with the MOTU FW versus PCI cards and I find the performance from what I have gathered from the MOTU user base online is that the performance is similar. I use 2 MOTU 896HDs giving me 36 inputs and have absolutely no problem on a Mac Pro 4x2.6Ghz system.

I recommend Firewire to everyone who needs less or equal to 36 ins/ outs because you are not tied to a PCI card incase the bus technology changes and the performance of the Firewire works great. I also use 4 external drives and no extra FireWire card. In Logic8 and DP6 I can consistently work on projects using multiple live inputs (I've tested all 36 in at once) with 40+ audio and instrument tracks in addition and the system has worked wonderfully.

I do time everything in my studio with a Lucid GenX6 and get no pops or clicks ever.

At a time, I have used MOTU's PCI interface, as I have owned a few of them. Word of warning, NEVER accidentally pop out the connection to it from the PCI card or you will hear a scream from your speakers like no other!

:)

And the cost to upgrade a registered interface right now is $300 for the new card, that's something you can avoid with FW.

Rick Burnett
Asylum Studio Productions




On Thursday, July 31, 2008, at 12:42PM, "Cyril Blanc" <email@hidden > wrote:
Hello Mike,

Motu PCI card is one format. You buy either  a PCI 424 a PCI 424 X or
a PCI 424 E

The Motu solution is great as if the PCI bus changes, you replace for
a reasonable price only the card, not the input/output units, you have
a great choice of input/output units and they are compatible since
Motu started this line 10 years ago


I have moved from PCI to PCI X to PCI E ;)

Using a USB audio is ok if you dont have too much tracks, same as FW
audio

If you use a FW audio and a FW disk  it is better to have two FW bus
(you can have clicks and pops if you dont)

If you have PCI card, it's the best solution as you can expand your
system, my Motu system has started with one Motu 2048 MK II and now
has 84 ins/ 48 outs (see more details after)

you can find second hand nits for reasonable price ;)

On Jul 31, 2008, at 5:35 PM, Mike Stoddard wrote:

Bob, if you consider a PCI-buss card solution, be
very careful about buss compatibility. Apple's PCI
designs evolved through many hybrid versions of the
PCI standard, starting with old 5-volt V.2.0 in G4's,
then evolving to 3-volt PCI-X, and then on to PCI-E.
Many card manufacturers (M-Audio being one) failed
to design correctly for this evolution, and their
cards will work in some Macs and not others. MOTU
by comparison seems to have done the right things,
and their PCI card (I think they have only one)
adapts itself to all the various voltages, etc.,
and works across all PCI and PCI-X busses. Sadly,
my G5 PM is one of the weird Macs that most PCI
cards will not work in.

My solution was to stick with FireWire interfaces.

Good luck,
-Mike Stoddard



Bob Lang wrote:
Hi everyone
Sorry if this question is a bit off-topic but I'm sure that the
people here will know the answer.
I'm considering a project which will require a Mac compatible 5.1
sound card for output.  Currently I own a Griffin FireWave but I'm
sad to say that this great piece of kit is being discontinued.
I've done some web searching and found that there are a number of
5.1 sound cards available: internal cards using PCI, and external
interfaces mainly using USB but some with FireWire, plus a
collection of higher spec interfaces offering 8, 10 or more
channels.  Some of these cards claim to be OS X compatible, but
most are silent on this issue; however, in my searching I've found
some comments stating that you can plug any USB 5.1 sound card into
a Mac and it work (despite the manufacturer's silence) whilst other
comments complain that some of these cards some don't work
correctly despite appearing as 5.1 devices in Audio/Midi Setup
(e.g. Creative  SB XFi Surround 5.1 is allegedly one such culprit).
I'm completely confused.  What is the state of play with Macs and
the range of surround cards etc now on the market?  Can I plug in
any PCI and expect the Mac to use it?  Likewise for any USB or
FireWire device?  Clearly there's no point embarking on a project
which inherently requires a 5.1 card/interface if there are no
longer any usable purchase options for prospective users!  Can
anyone shed any light on this confused situation?
Perhaps I should mention that my project is output only - there's
no sound capture required.
Many thanks in advance.
Bob
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Best

Cyril

IChat/AIM : cyrillindablanc
Skype : cyrillinda
MSN : email@hidden


------------------------------------------------------- Audio and Video Configuration :

Macpro 8 core 3 ghz 13 GB, 2 X 1Tb + 74 WD Raptor
Raid 0 for the libraries made with Rocket Raid  and 6 x 36 gb raptor
10 000 rmp
+ 160+250 GB + FW 800 Lacie + 2x22" Iiyama

Motu system including : PCI 424 E + 24i + 2408 MKII + 1296  + 2408
MKIII (84 ins 40 outs)
Logic Control + 4 Logic Control XT
Midi interfaces : Stealth + OPCODE STUDIO 4 + MOTU MTP I ; USB
EMAGICAMT 8

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Orchestra, Symphonic Choir
Final Cut Pro, Vienna Appassionata string
Sony Digital Camera


My Mail is filtered by Personal Antispam.

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  • Follow-Ups:
    • Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards
      • From: Richard Burnett <email@hidden>
References: 
 >Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards (From: Bob Lang <email@hidden>)
 >Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards (From: Mike Stoddard <email@hidden>)
 >Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards (From: Cyril Blanc <email@hidden>)
 >Re: Mac compatible 5.1 audio sound cards (From: Richard Burnett <email@hidden>)

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