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Dear Rainer, If you could only go firewire. I've had tremendous success with the pre-sonus Firebox. Bus powered, midi, spdif, 4 in, 6 out, leaving room for a send/return This is a fine fine box, even to the point of feeling really great in the hand. Inexpensive as well @ $299 Of course, if you can't do firewire, then I guess this doesn't work. It's the best laptop box I've found, and I perform with it endlessly with no regrets. It performs all my routing, even to the point of doing a surround show with live and logic. All best, todd On 10/22/05 11:57 AM, "Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill" <rs@moinlabs.de> wrote: > I've decided to go laptop. At least to compile one setup that is > entirely laptop. Now I need an USB audio interface - my Phase26 wouldn't > do here. I'm looking for a laptop-based system with maximum portability. > > My requriements: > > Hard requirements: > (1) at least one phantom-powered mic in and one Hi-Z in or two > phantom-powered mic ins > (2) two analogue 1/4 or XLR outs > (3) headphone out > (4) USB > > Would-be-nice: > (5) a pair of SPDI/F connectors > (6) a MIDI pair > (7) possibility to create an effect send/return > (8) no wallwart necessary > (9) bus-powered > (A) symmetrical outs > (B) USB2 > (C) ADAT connectors > (D) 24/96 > > I've come up with a few devices: > > M-Audio Fast Track Pro > Edirol UA-25 > Mackie Spike > Lexicon Omega > Alesis IO/2 > Tascam US-122 > Behringer BCA2000 > The requirements tracking matrix looks like this: > > 1 2 3 4 5 > 6 7 8 9 A B C D Price > M-Audio Fast Track Pro X X X X X > X X X X X X 229 > Edirol UA-25 X X X X X > X X X X X X 225 > Mackie Spike X X X X X > X X X 229 > Lexicon Omega X X X X X > X X 278 > Alesis IO/2 X X X X X > X X X X X X 159 > Tascam US-122 X X X X > X X X 208 > Behringer BCA2000 X X X X X > X X X X X X 195 > > > Ok, so what is the conclusion? The price is a standard in the 200-230€ > range - the only exceptions being the Alesis and the Lexicon. The > Behringer does win the flexibility price, with its lots of outputs, its > 1in-2out-MIDI interface and its ADAT connector. Plus it's the only > device with USB2, hence it can transmit in 24/96 both ways (if that's > what you need). And it's the only device where you could create an > external effects send/return (e.g. to put your favourite > outboard/stompbox stuff into the setup). And it's cheaper than all > competitors safe for the Alesis. The Alesis on the other hand is the > cheapest, and that without standing behind the Edirol/M-Audio/Tascam > competitors that much. Finally, the Lexicon looks the most > "professional", with the most powerful included mixer and micpres that > at least have a fairly "pro" (sic!) name. But you can't power it via the > bus AND it uses a wallwart... > > So, I'm as wise as before. Any suggestions? Any experiences with the > three devices I mentioned in the last paragraph? Any words on the other > devices (Edirol, Tascam, Mackie, M-Audio) that should make me > reconsider? Any other products I didn't even think about? > > > Thanks, > > Rainer > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- “Virtue is just repression waiting to go bad” - Trevor Exter “Classical music is related to the past more than it is related to the creative part of sound” - Ornette Coleman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Todd Reynolds 42-09 47th Ave 1C Sunnyside, NY 11104 Ph. 718 392-3773 Mob. 917 576-6166 Fax 419 781-5502 http://www.toddreynolds.com http://www.ethelcentral.com todd@toddreynolds.com 9175766166@vtext.com (155 characters or less) AIM ID: toddreyn