What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

[Sly_D]

I'm so sick and tired of being told by some gear geeks to avoid USB because of latency when so many people are actually using their USB device and say they have no problem with recording (UX2, Tascam US-122L, M-Audio Fast Track or MobilePre).

For guitarists, USB devices are a lot more interesting, offering better inputs, phantom power, etc.

So is it really the case? From what I read, the new USB 2.0 is actually slightly faster than Firewire. Why is it so hard to get an OBJECTIVE truth about this?

I can actually get a M-Audio Firewire Solo for the same price as the Fast Track Pro USB, yet the latter is more interesting, more feature-rich. I wish I could have a straight answer about USB. Why does several people still trash USB and in which circumstances, if any, is really not suitable?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

The people getting 'good' results with the Tascam and M-Audio units aren't recording anything very seriously... just a few tracks to test tones or to play a lead over a backing track, maybe get guitar parts down for a song they're writing, etc.

When only looking at mbps transfer rates, yes - USB is faster, at 480mbps, where FW400 is only 400mbps.

That said, USB is a buffered stream - it sends pieces of the signal at a time. FW is a constant flow, and is actually faster in transfer of large pieces of data, like audio recording.

Also, FireWire is daisy-chainable with no adverse effects - you can hook up 2 audio interfaces and a couple external HDD's if you wish, and it'll work just fine!

That said, I'd stay away from M-Audio. You really get what you pay for with them.

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

OK, now that's a more sound answer. In other word, if the recording task is minimal, then USB will be fine, but as it gets more intense, firewire will be better.

If I should go with Firewire, is it possible to get a good unit for around $250 or do I have to spend more? Is PCI more economical and as good as Firewire?

Sorry for the numerous questions, but I really don't want to buy something I'll regret later.

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

But If we're talking about recordind stuff with less than 10 tracks, including drums, bass and various guitars, will USB be enough? I'm not talking pro sutff, just good quality demo... after all, the mbox is USB and thousands of people use it.

*edit* I just saw that the mbox pro is actually firewire, not USB...

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

Is PCI more economical and as good as Firewire?

Sorry for the numerous questions, but I really don't want to buy something I'll regret later.

If you want to look at straight throughput, Firewire can carry a maximum of 800 Mbits per second (100 Mega Bytes, or MB per second) of data. PCI-X (which is found in almost all motherboards released in the last few years) has a peak transfer rate of about 1000 MB per second. More throughput means less latency issues. The only real drawback with a PCI card is that you have to install it in your computer. . . many people are uncomfortable doing this.

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

Thanks! Problem with PCI is that I need a good card to use Speech recognition for work, so something like an Audiophile wouldn't work, I'd need another card with a quality 1/8 computer mic input. That's why I was thinking USB or Firewire to free up the internal card.

I guess I'll have to stop asking and dive in... I can always sell and buy something else if it doesn't suite my needs.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

I'm using a first generation mbox for putting together relativley simpe compositions, usually around 10 tracks. I'm pretty happy with it. Does what it says on the tin.

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

That's a good example... for many, USB works just fine. I don't think anything I'll do will ever be intense enough to require more than a good USB interface. If USB was complete crap, Line 6 wouldn't have base the tone port on it and likely choose Firewire.

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

I am happy with my UX2 ,but Jeff is absolutely right!i like tom play directly my guitar without micing it.Bit if i where going to record everything with the sakme interface ,i would use a firewire box like firepod!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

Plus firewire do not load the cpu
Modern times SCSI
A stroke of genious from Apples side, plus it has not topped out yet!

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

OK then, since I'm ready to invest the same amount of money, I guess I should go with firewire... thanks a bunch guys!

 

[Sly_D]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

OK, form what I can buy in Canada, here's what I have in my price range:

Presonus Firebox
M-Audio Firewire 410
M-Audio Audiophile Firewire
M-Audio Firewire Solo
Edirol FA101
TC Electronics Konnect 8

Any sugestions?

Thanks!

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

I'd go for the FireBox, personally, or look into the MOTU Ultralite. It's a bit more expensive, but has more i/o's.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

Thanks! Problem with PCI is that I need a good card to use Speech recognition for work, so something like an Audiophile wouldn't work, I'd need another card with a quality 1/8 computer mic input. That's why I was thinking USB or Firewire to free up the internal card.

I guess I'll have to stop asking and dive in... I can always sell and buy something else if it doesn't suite my needs.

Don't you already have a sound card in your computer? The odds are you have a free PCI slot . . . which means you can install your new PCI audio interface along with your old sound card. That's what I have running on my computer . . . I have a Soundblaster Live which runs my computer speakers and computer mic, and a Delta 66 which is hooked up to my preamps and monitors.

 

[Carl762]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

Great info. Kinda what I was looking for. Think I have a firewire port.

Might have to rethink my Black Box purchase.

 

[Smilemon]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

So is it really the case? From what I read, the new USB 2.0 is actually slightly faster than Firewire. Why is it so hard to get an OBJECTIVE truth about this?

Ill give you the subjective opinion, firewire is faster, firewire was designed by apple, so microsoft pushes for usb, which has slower rates, ive tried them both, doing same size transfers, on the same harddrive. the firewire beats it by a long shot.

 

[vinterland]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

I've never had a problem with USB

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: What's the CURRENT status on USB audio latency?

I'm so sick and tired of being told by some gear geeks to avoid USB because of latency when so many people are actually using their USB device and say they have no problem with recording (UX2, Tascam US-122L, M-Audio Fast Track or MobilePre).

So is it really the case? From what I read, the new USB 2.0 is actually slightly faster than Firewire. Why is it so hard to get an OBJECTIVE truth about this?

Why does several people still trash USB and in which circumstances, if any, is really not suitable?

It's suitable. However, computers aren't an exact thing. First, yeah, some of it might be people who tried USB stuff at first and were upset with sucky performance. Some of it could be people who had sucky computers with laggy USB controllers, or a lot of krap connected via USB, and then wondered why they got bad performance, versus the firewire card they had to buy just to connect to their new firewire device. In summary:

1) Old rumors
2) People with sucky computers
3) People with too many USB devices and USB hubs
4) Possible confusion with USB 2.0 versus 1.x (i.e. maybe they thought they had 2.0 when they didn't, so performance sucked and they blamed USB rather than themselves)
5) Possibly their drivers were sucky and/or broken

There may be more reasons than this.