Hi and thanks for your two bits.
In your opinion, who's making the best sound cards for Mac Laptops with minimal impact on the CPU? In terms of low latency and multiple outputs (8+), MIDI accuracy and good software drivers for OSX.3, what are your thoughts? What's most flexible for live application and most reliable?
Here's the set up we're trying to achieve in a live setting:
1 vocal run through Ableton channel & some effects
1 instrument run through the same scenario
1 midi input routed to Reason instruments
Typically 4 tracks of stereo audio as backing from Live
We'd like to give our sound engineer some live mix options such as separate channels for Drums, Bass, Mids and Backing Vocals, as well as Solo instrumental & Solo vocal.
Does anyone think this is risky using a Mac Laptop and that the latency issues would be too great, or is it possible with a good sound card and optimization?
We're coming from trying to use a Firewire 410 which has not been up to the task and we need to upgrade if it is indeed possible and reliable - otherwise we're going to have to re-think our set up.
Thanks so much for any insight, cheers - Ed
Comments
One band I know had something like this going on. They did a bun
One band I know had something like this going on. They did a bunch of pad and synth stuff in Reason, and had it coming out in groups of channels from a firewire interface. It gave the FOH guy some versatility with the groups and what not. I remember the big thing that helped them as far as latency is concerned was having a click track sent to the drummer. it gave him 8 clicks before the song started (for a 4/4 song) so he could stay in time and know what was happening. The rest of the band just played off him then. Also lots of rehearsing.
Oh yeah, and I think they were using a motu interface, but at the time it was one of the only ones that had enough channels, and it was from their home studio.