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Hey guys. I got myself a Firestudio Mobile a couple of years ago but now I'm set to upgrade my computer to something which won't have inputs for Firewire or even the Express card I've been using on my current computer for recording. It will have USB 3.0 inputs. I'm kind of steamed at having to replace my soon to be useless Firestudio Mobile with the basically equivalent Audiobox USB, but it is what it is. It seems to be that Firewire as a medium is getting phased out due to lack of support/interest.

So my question is an overall, is there a huge difference between the performance with firewire versus USB in recording (and with Audiobox USB and Firestudio Mobile, respectively)? I used to hear people say that data was able to flow without being inhibited with Firewire whereas you'd have more pops and data burps on your tracks with USB. Any truth to this?

Thanks for the help.

Comments

pcrecord Wed, 02/12/2014 - 18:02

I don't know any interface using Usb 3 yet. They are mostly Usb 2.
I don't know if firewire will fade out.. Today firewire units are still available.. focusrite makes a few honest choice :
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://global.focus…"]Firewire/Thunderbolt* Audio Interfaces | Focusrite[/]="http://global.focus…"]Firewire/Thunderbolt* Audio Interfaces | Focusrite[/]

As for the performance, until now, I tend to experience less latency with firewire than usb (with the interfaces I tried). But I'm conscient that is fairly due to driver design.

anonymous Fri, 02/14/2014 - 05:44

kmetal, post: 410412 wrote: Why not just get a FireWire card for your new computer?

Are those as efficient as the ones built directly into the MB? Or because you are installing them into the MB through a PCi slot, is this really one and the same?

I have a friend who just pulled the trigger on the Presonus 24-4-2 Studio/Live desk, and he contacted Presonus to see about adding a FW card to a PC that didn't have one.

They said it was "possible" but that he had to choose a particular chip-set from a list they sent him.