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Joseph 9 October 2001

Hey y'all-I just bought an iMac SE. It has no PCI slot. It seems that USB interfaces are just not the way to go (latency, crashes etc.) Therefore, it appears my only options are to either use an iMic (cool little device check out Griffin Technology)or the MOTU 828 Firwire. Is this true? Am I missing something here? It seems that the MOTU 828 is not compatible with PT. Is there anyway around this? Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons (just thought I'd throw that in).

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Joseph Tue, 10/09/2001 - 11:10

Uh- oh! Did I just give ammo to the PC side of the MAC/ PC war??? Hey, the MOTU 828 sounds pretty damn cool. So, I guess I'm lucky I'm not totally stranded.Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda! Just sort of wounds my pride to think I missed a VERY important piece of info when I was researching which to buy. Oh well, a G4 was to expensive. Not to mention having to buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. in addition to buying a good condenser mic (or two?). Oh, and then there was that whole vision thing of the Blessed Mother descending from on high replete with a band of angels comin' after me singin',
"Joseph! Joseph! For the good of the world and all humankind you MUST buy an iMac! Graphite!" Okay, so I'm embellishing a little. I think all this researching of microphones, audio interfaces,and computers not to mention the stress of parting with a LOT (for this, not quite, starving artist at least) of money that was supposed to be a buffer from ruin in time of crisis, is starting to get to me. But Hell! "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all!" eh? - Helen Keller
I'll just try the iMic (only $35) and download some free software. STILL waiting for it- it's been two weeks- I wonder if that has to do w/ possible mail disruption due to the tragedies. It's supposed to be pretty good- 24 bit,only two inputs though. If the iMic doesn't cut it then it's payment plan city to buy the MOTU 828. Hard to find info on it though- I mean straightforward info from real people- not corporate whore writers sucking up to the man!!
My, how I do babble. Onward fellow artists/ musicians! We few, we daring band of brothers must persevere! To save the legacy of Western Civilization from the muck and the mire of Brittany 'n Sync with the Backstreet Dweebs! On this, St. Crispan's day let no man say that we faltered or failed in our noble quest for the almighty recording contract! (Actually- screw the contract! The internet will be our road to Zenith!) THUS WILL SHINE THE DAWN!!!!!

Joseph Thu, 10/11/2001 - 10:49

Yes, the iMac has a firewire slot, so I'm thinking MOTU 828. Apparently the pre-amps on that baby are only 40dB which just seems very weak to me. I was thinking about the Tascam but my Spidey sense just goes wild at the mention of Tascam. I've heard the Tascam (424?) breaks down a lot. I've also heard USB is just not good to use for an interface- unstable and high latency. Have you tried either of these? Any word?

lwilliam Fri, 10/12/2001 - 11:38

I guess I'm just in a nicky-picky mood, but technically, there are PCI "slots" and Firewire "ports".

IMacs have two firewire ports (and two USB ports). For about $1500, you get a monitor, 60GB drive and a 700Mhz G3. Most places that sell them will throw in an extra 256MB of RAM for a total of 384MB.

Of course, none of that helps at all if you want to use an 001.

Opus2000 Fri, 10/12/2001 - 14:31

I use the 428 a lot with my PC setup and Nuendo..I use an external Mackie mixer so I really dont notice any delays since I listen to the mixer and not the 428..latency for MIDI tho is very useable...the Tascam US428 is very stable..it's the system that it;s working on that is dependant upon it working properly..Because Mac's use USB for the mouse and the keyboard you get into a small bind..as long as you use one port for the keyboard and use the extra USB on the keyboard for the mouse you're all set for the US428..no HUBS!!! it not work that well going thru hubs!! Yes the 828 has very weak dynamic range and headroom...tsk tsk MOTU!!! lol
I caught a major manufacturing defect on that unit just before I left Sweetwater...I tested like 80+ units and only 13 or so had working SPDIF ports..they claim to have fixed it but I couldnt tell you first hand if they did or not..
Enjoy
Opus

Todd Farone Fri, 10/12/2001 - 20:18

The US 428 is a great machine! I bought one to bring audio in and out of an original iMac... worked great for that! Opus is right though, the performance of a system is going to depend heavily on the power of the computer, as far as native stuff goes... For me, the 428 was the machine that allowed me to bash around on all the demo versions of recording programs... It didn't take long before I realized YES, computer based recording is for me! I now have a Mix Plus set up ( upgraded to a G4 tower).. I'm still using the 428 ... It's my "whiskey Pro Contol"! Makes a nice midi interface too! Definitely worth looking into.

Joseph Wed, 10/17/2001 - 08:27

Hey Opus 2000-
Thanks for the reply (thanks to everyone else to)"Very weak dynamic range and headroom"? Okay at the risk of sounding like a newbie, what exactly does this mean? Dynamic range, is that the range of sound it picks up? The whole 20mhz-20,000mhz thing? I'd really your further input on this. Especially since I am just about to order the thing after I get off work tonight! I just might hold off though if this is a deal killer.

Opus2000 Wed, 10/17/2001 - 11:46

dynamic range has to do with loudness of material inputted into the unit as well as noise floor levels...so if you have a really loud input..you might get some artifacts you really dont want in the recording!! It will overload the inputs really easily..so if you got a device with a higher dynamic range..quiter recordings and a safe bet you wont overload it..I remember Crest was coming out with a FireWire input device that looked really hot..I'm going to look to see if I can find that again....I'll post the link when I find it again..
Opus

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