Eric,
A lot of people here at RO have reported great success with the Delta 1010. I suspect that you are having computer configuration problems rather than a problem with your hardware. Check out Opus's tweaks guide at the Steinberg web site. Never mid that it's on the Steinie site, it applies to all Windows machines running audio regardless of the software and hardware configuration. The Aardvark and Lucid converters both have superior clocking in comparison to competing products. It's hard to go wrong with either. I used an Apogee 24 /96 PSX 1000 converter once with an ADAT and with the bit splitting scheme it was 2 tracks of 24 / 96 audio spread across 8 tracks on the ADATS. It sounded reasonably good but when A / B-ing the signal from the 2-bus on the console and playback from the Apogee there was still discernable loss of stereo image and "air". It all gets sent out on 16 bit 44.1 or even worse MP3's and I say what's the point? PCM digital sucks and whether it sucks a little more or a little less seems to me, to be moot. I am using Frontiers Dakota card for light pipe in on my rig and I can say I am very happy with this companies product. The ASIO drivers work excellently and the way in which the system is implemented is straightforward and intuitive. Good product IMO and I am relatively difficult to please. Hope this helps .............. Fats

If you're going to be following Video, you may be better off with a Rosendahl Nanosync. About a couple hundred cheaper than the Aardsync and has better Video sync BUILT IN, not an EXTRA card. Clock jitter is reportedly as good as the Aard, which is saying a lot.

S-Mux, which is RME's bit splitting technique, gives you 4 channels of 24/96 out of 8 channels of light pipe.

RME's "anniversary model" converters have been downgraded with lesser converter chips from what I hear - however, I've read that you can send the unit to this guy

http://www.audioupgrades.com/

and he'll do a couple of mods, including upgrading the converters, that are said to be well worth the cost. (Not sure how much that is, you'd have to contact him for info)

As far as the sound between various lightpipe devices, I can't comment as I have nothing in my studio that uses lightpipe. (TDIF, AES, and SPDIF only)

Here's a link to the Nanosync FYI

http://www.nanosyncs.com/nanosyncs.html

and here's one possible source -

http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/product.cfm?Product_ID=634

HTH... Steve

Thanks guys- I've been thinking of this upgrade for awhile, not only to upgrade my converters but to add expandibility to my system-the 1010 is 10 channels, that's it, though with a Hammerfall/Digiface or other lightpipe interface I can get 16 or 24 at least. I struggled with the Delta 1010 through their driver changes and switched MOBO's a couple times(now a AMD 1.3 on a KK240-prorec setup basically). It's stable now at 16bit all 10 channels no prob, but at 24 bit I get the occasional pop/click, once every couple minutes or even once every 20 minutes, but one is too many in my mind. I've been doing this for over 10 years now and been on a DAW for the last 6 and never had so many problems and frustrations with anything as I did with the Delta. Maybe it was bad timing to be a beta tester with the via/amd/delta problems but when I got mine this wasn't mentioned anywhere. Anyways, the only good thing that came out of it is I am a frickin OS wizard now with all the tweaks, patches, registry changes, installations, drivers and versions of shit i've tried out. I've done PC tech work and built all my own computers since I was 10 so I consider myself pretty comfortable with most computer problems, but I bet I've installed Windows(98,98se,2000 and XP) more times in the last year than have in the previous 9...

So sleuthing around for more help in forums and spending countless nights configuring instead of recording isn't for me any more. I'd rather ask you guys questions about mic techniques, maybe favourite gear...anything else. It's gonna cost me some money to upgrade, but I think in the long run it will be worth it. I recorded 2 albums with the 1010, one came out pretty good I thought(there's a sample when you go to www.jomomma.ca) but both were done at 16 bit 44.1 in win98se as that's the only thing that would work.

Eric,
Check out the Frontier Dakota card, only 48K but I can light up 16 tracks at once with no problem. Great drivers…96K sounds good but throughput and storage are an issue. Like I said it all ends up on 16 /44.1 anyway, so what's the hub-bub? I wouldn't spend anymore on PCM at this point than I had to, gonna be a dead format in a year or two (at most). DSD writing is on the wall. Many here don't agree but it is evident to me, same exact scenario is playing out as when the jump to 20 and 24 bit from 16 happened a few years ago. Remember XT20 ADATS? Can't give 'em away! ........ Fats