Hi zd,

I have just recently aquired a MOTU 1296.

Have not used it for any very serious work yet, but my impression so far are very good. It is easy to set up and use, and the control console is comprehensive and flexible.
I looked around carefully before getting it, and was pursuaded from the reviews that the converters are pretty decent. I choose it also because although I like the digital domain, I still like to mix down though a console (Midas) and this is ideally suited for that.

As for the computer end, you will need some pretty decent writing capability and CPU width if you want to record and edit 12 tracks @96Khz reliably and effectively (is about 8.7 M/s data rate for this, which is pretty high)

I am very pleased so far, and will let you know how I get on with some projects that are soming up. I will be using it in quite a general way, some drum loop recording, some classical recording etc. I heard from a few reviewers that although 96khz is a subtle difference, the stereo image is a bit better at this rate, and my experiences so far back this up.

Hello Ed
Thank you very much for your comments. I am pretty sold to the 1296, altough I still hesitate. The 896 has all these digital ins and I find it very tempting. A fellow musician just bought it for his laptop and when he will have installed it, I will chek it out.
According to the specs, the 1296's headroom is much more higher than the 896. This is why I would prefer the 1296.
Please let me know what you think when you will have done a few recordings with the 1296.
Did you have a chance to hear the RME and the Delta 1010?
Thanks again for your comments! :roll: :roll: :w: :w:

Hi!

I own a MOTU 2408 mkII, 1224 and 1296 as well as a Lucid AD9624. I think the 1296 sounds fantastic. Definitely superior to the other MOTU interfaces. I prefer the sound of the Lucid by a small margin, but the difference is really subtle. I generally clock everything with a Lucid GENx6 (which I find closes the gap somewhat), but just using the internal clock, the 1296 sounds great also. Highly recommended.

I'm using a Mac with Cubase, so I can't comment on compatibility with your system, but I've never experienced any issues whatsoever with my setup.

Haven't tried the RME or Delta 1010, so I'm unable to comment. Sorry...

Hope this helps.

Brent

Hi Brent,
Your feedback on the 1296 compared with the Lucid is very interesting. I suspected that the Lucid was better but the sound difference was not dramatic. Right now, I am pretty sold to the idea of getting the 1296.
I would love to hear an A/B comparison between the 1296, the RME and the Delta 1010. Of course, the 1296 is the sexiest of them all but I am looking for sound quality and bang for the buck.
I'm getting there, I will make up my mind soon! !

Originally posted by zdpinet:

Your feedback on the 1296 compared with the Lucid is very interesting. I suspected that the Lucid was better but the sound difference was not dramatic.

What I've found is that the differences between converters comes into play the more tracks you record with them. For instance, if you're only recording, say, 4 tracks, the difference between the 1296 and the Lucid, while audible, is fairly negligible, IMO. I don't think anyone would listen to the recording and say "Oh, you should have used the Lucid" or vice versa. OTOH, I think you'd hear a fairly substantial difference between the two converters in a 64 track mix. Having said that, I'm not convinced that one sounds "better" than the other, just a little different. The Lucid's a little smoother, and a little sweeter in the top end to my ears, and the 1296 sounds a little darker and maybe "tougher". Both are great, and I'd happily make an entire record with either.

I would check out an external clock though. To my ears the Lucid GENx6 improves the sound of all my converters significantly.

Hope this helps.

Brent

I use two 1296's, with channels 11-12 of each replaced with PSX-100's. I think they sound great (mostly multi-mics from the drums and maybe a guitar or two), but still use the PSX-100 on critical tracks.

Mike