I'm hoping to get some user feedback on which USB or Firewire interface device to buy to direct sound into my MacBook Pro for speaker testing (frequency sweeps, etc). I am using an Earthworks M30 measuring microphone with an Earthworks pre-amp/phantom power supply. Naturally, the USB or Firewire interface should, as best as possible, provide a signal that is true and not colored.
Suggestions anyone?
Thanks.
Suggestions anyone?
Thanks.
Hi Black Gate,
I use an M-audio Fast Track Pro over USB, with Speaker Workshop, and it performs very well. They have great mac support too (driver wise).
There's a built in phantom supply and mic preamp, as well as balanced out and input and 24/96 sampling. I use it everyday as a sound card, and it works great for measurements when I need it for that.
Cheers,
Owen
I use an M-audio Fast Track Pro over USB, with Speaker Workshop, and it performs very well. They have great mac support too (driver wise).
There's a built in phantom supply and mic preamp, as well as balanced out and input and 24/96 sampling. I use it everyday as a sound card, and it works great for measurements when I need it for that.
Cheers,
Owen
I bought an Edirol FA-66 to use with my Macs.
EDIROL FA-66 24Bit/192kHz FireWire Audio Capture :: Overview
If i had the budget i'd have gotten a Metric Halo
Metric Halo Mobile I/O ULN-2
With all the pro Firewire interfaces i see no reason to limit yourself with a USB device.
dave
EDIROL FA-66 24Bit/192kHz FireWire Audio Capture :: Overview
If i had the budget i'd have gotten a Metric Halo
Metric Halo Mobile I/O ULN-2
With all the pro Firewire interfaces i see no reason to limit yourself with a USB device.
dave
Last time I checked out firewire for a windows laptop there were problems. The Presonus Firebox just couldn't do glitch free audio for more than a minute or so. Tried half a dozen firewire PCMCIA cards but it never worked. Maybe I should have gotten a new laptop as well
<edit> see your a maccie so no prob's then.
<edit> see your a maccie so no prob's then.
But Iain, he has a proper computer
BTW "Mr Gate", are you getting FuzzMeasure to go along with the rest of your kit?
Well Dave, I am not certain yet. I've tried the demo version of Mac The Scope by Wavebox and soon plan to give FuzzMeasure a shot. Any recommendations?
Mac-the-Scope is really more suited to electronics (granted my copy is the OS 9 version and the new version is likely more versatile -- no budget to afford an upgrade). Wavebox is a really good signal generator. The company is ChannlD (a really nice guy, i met him at AES 1999). I think his breakout hit may well be Pure Vinyl.
Fuzzmeasure is more aimed at speaker applications. I've not got a Leopard machine yet, so still use 1.3.5 for impedance/TSP and FM 2 for FR measures.
dave
Yes. Firewire 400 is superior to USB 2 in this kind of ap. USB 3 may change things, but i wouldn't count on it.
dave
More recently, I have been looking at the Apogee Duet. Although it incorporates a good pre-amp (which I already have), it has a Firewire interface, it is designed for Mac, it reportedly has a very good analogue to digital converter and is relatively inexpensive. I only need 2 mic inputs and am not paying for other features not required. Has anyone used one of these units with Mac-the-Scope or Fuzzmeasure? Feedback on its suitability for speaker testing would be appreciated.
Last time I checked out firewire for a windows laptop there were problems. The Presonus Firebox just couldn't do glitch free audio for more than a minute or so. Tried half a dozen firewire PCMCIA cards but it never worked. Maybe I should have gotten a new laptop as well
<edit> see your a maccie so no prob's then.
Heya Iain,
It's not the card or your laptop, it's the incompetent drivers written for them.
Check to see if there are open source Windows drivers for it, they are lean and fast
Cheers!
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