USB Audio Interface for software based FFT...

[Gavinator68]

trobbins............perhaps, but that is what I am trying to avoid. I know that my TEK sources will eventually need to be improved upon, likely by way of building a new one or building one of VK's oscillators. They are fixed, but virtually clean down to -145 or -150. After I put together a decent system that will allow me to see below the SG-505 then I will be happy until the measurement needs push the necessary equipment purchases further.

I know there is a TONNE to learn along the way, but I simply want to get started with a proper set up and see where the low noise shenanigans take me. I did find a PCB for the Sam Groner LNA, so that should be an interesting education in and of itself.

So far the Focusrite Clarett 2pre USB seems like a good place to start. It seems to offer decent specs for the price and it is new enough that it should be supported for sometime into the future. Is there anything that I should understand about the Clarett 2pre that would make it less appealing for this application vs the E-MU 0404?

Thanks again for the solid input!!!

Cheers,

David

 

[Gavinator68]

After a bit more reading I found some useful info regarding the E-MU 0404 drivers and Windows 10. The E-MU series need USB Audio Class 2 support and apparently Microsoft obliged in the fall of 2017 with the addition of native USB Audio Class 2 support for W10.

So that is a huge win for the 0404!!!!

I just thought there would be some performance improvement in the last 10-15 years since the E-MU series hit the street in the early 2000's.

Thoughts?

d

 

[trobbins]

I am pretty sure I just use asio driver with REW when using emu0404, as i am wanting 192khz sampling for better bandwidth.

 

[Gavinator68]

Alas..............I ended up getting an E-MU 0404. I have found the mods thread to fix channel one and a few other things.

I will try it on the newer Win10 machine in the lab. I am certain the learning curve is significant so I will take it slow, get to know my testing environment, connections and software settings to get that perfectly flat response out as far as I can and see where I land.

Thank you all for the trip down memory lane............and my apologies for digging up such a tired topic. I simply thought some new and more powerful audio interfaces might have been found for our measurement needs.

As I said earlier, I have found a thread about modding the 0204 and 0404 for measurement purposes ONLY. One thing mentioned in the discussion was swapping out the tiny switching psu with a proper linear PSU. Have any of you done this with actual positive results at reducing the noise floor?

There is another device I found in my search that is claimed to be identical in function as the 0404 for our purposes. I picked one up on the cheap and find out later if those claims are valid or not. It is the Toshiba Multimedia Center and old as all get out. Does way more than needed for measurement, but supposedly has the same chipset as the 0404 WITHOUT the switching DC-DC converters in circuit. I will post my findings when I get a solid grip on the new test set-up. Do a comparison, see how it goes.........it was five bucks!!!

Cheers,

David

 

[scott wurcer]

I modded an 0204 for DC operation, I downloaded the converter's DS and lifted one pin and tied it to Vcc. This might not interest you but I needed <.1Hz for a project.

 

[Rax]

A bit of an older thread, but hopefully there's knowledge here on how to get the E-MU0404 to work on Windows 10.
- which driver to use? The "Beta" 1.40 doesn't seem to get the device recognized
- any other tricks? It seems to me the current Win 10 version/updates may have gotten this good, but maybe there's s current way to get it working.
Mine is modded and having excellent performance, and I've used it for a long time with Windows XP successfully. Finally ditched XP and I can't get this back online.
Thanks!

 

[bohrok2610]

I've used this for e-mu 1212m: E-MU 1616m, 1212m, 1820m, 0404 Audio Interface - Complete Windows 10 (1903 & Above) Installation Guide - Computer Setup and System Configuration Forum - KVR Audio. Sometimes you may need to re-install the driver after Win10 updates.

 

[Rax]

I've used this for e-mu 1212m: E-MU 1616m, 1212m, 1820m, 0404 Audio Interface - Complete Windows 10 (1903 & Above) Installation Guide - Computer Setup and System Configuration Forum - KVR Audio. Sometimes you may need to re-install the driver after Win10 updates.

Thank you, but I tried it without much success and then realized it may not apply to a USB interface. Is yours USB?

 

[bohrok2610]

No, e-mu 1212m uses a pci-e card.

 

[gpapag]

Alas..............I
As I said earlier, I have found a thread about modding the 0204 and 0404 for measurement purposes ONLY. One thing mentioned in the discussion was swapping out the tiny switching psu with a proper linear PSU. Have any of you done this with actual positive results at reducing the noise floor?
David

Hi David

I ‘ve built a “proper” linear PSU for my E-Mu 0404. With the linear PSU, card measures as having 6 dB cleaner noise floor on the multitone test, otherwise no difference.
On board E-Mu 0404 there are some five switching DC-DC converters, don’t expect much of a change even with the best outboard 5V PSU.

George

 

[JensH]

To make it "proper" you might consider adding a fuse on the primary side

 

[gpapag]

That's correct Jens
The plan was to fit an IEC mains socket that incorporates a fuse holder but it remained in the unfused state. Now I will revisit it to add a USB female 5V outlet, so I will add that main's fuse too.

George