The Best One?

[Matthew]

What, in your own opinion, is the best multi track recording interface. Mainly for recording 8 or more tracks at the same time. I am trying to get a feel for what is out there and get the best bang for the buck. Thank in advance.


P.S. Don't really care how it connects to my computer, but I would rather it be U.S.B. or Firewire. Don't really want to have to deal with a P.C.I. card (I want to run it on my mac book when I get it)

[dagosto]

From my experience the best interface has been the RME Fireface 800. It only has four built-in preamps but you could easily use outboard pre's to record up to 10 tracks.

What makes the RME the choice for me is the stability of the drivers, excellent routing capabilities, and the sound. It is up there with Apogee when it comes to sound quality. I've used it with multiple computers both mac and PC and have never had a single problem from it.

[Matthew]

Thats pretty much exactly what I wanted...I saw yall using the lexicon omega in one of the Cross-Talk sessions...what do you think about that? Also, have you ever worked with firepod?


Thanks...

[dagosto]

Well, I've had very few problems from the Lexicon Omega. I think it is a good piece. However, that PC we use in the podcast is running totally bare bones and tweaked for media. I don't even connect it to the internet. We have had some problems making it work consistently with another, less tweaked machine. The signal path is obviously not as high quality as the RME and there are fewer muxed tracks overall (I believe only 4 A/D plus 2 SPDIF).

I have used the Firepod only on one or two occasions helping out a former roomate who had one. The obvious upside is the feature of 8 on-board preamps. The preamps on the Firepod will not be as clear as the RME (although I'm not a huge fan of the RME pres) but they are decent.

The RME basically has better components for both the analog and digital stages. The analog stages provide clearness to the audio and the conversion and clock components make for lower noise and distortion. For some folks the price difference might make the Presonus a better choice.

[Matthew]

Yeah, I am not exactly rich...and the price is more appealing to me at this point (And at this stage in my recording life).

Thanks for your help. This has really made things a lot more clear to me.

What are the specs of that computer you where using in the podcast if you don't mind me asking?