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Hi folks, I’m hoping a few of you can share your thoughts
about what to buy to replace my Layla PCIcardbus audio interface, which just
can’t keep up with what I’m doing now. It’s gain structure is
inadequate and it is choking when I get a lot of stuff happening all at once in
the computer. And yes, I do realize that every audio interface has its limits. Perhaps
the problem with the Layla is that the drivers have not been updated for years.
It was great for a long time but time to move on. I have a laptop setup with Mobius running in Bidule, with a
bunch of VST effects and VST instruments. I’ve been slowly putting
together a live rig but have realized I need to replace the Layla and that, for
reasons having to do with ease of pulling it out of the studio where it will
usually live, the audio interface should NOT be mounted in the rack with other
stuff. The new audio interface will be fed: ·
Electric Guitar signal from a floorboard with a few effect pedals
and a Framptone switcher that send signal to a guitar amp, bypassing computer,
and to the audio interface ·
Output from a Grace microphone pre-amp to which is connected an
AKG mic that picks up flute and miscellaneous percussion ·
Two Belkat contact pickups, running through a stereo ¼”
cable to a TRS, that need to be serious pre-amped. These are attached to
a variety of things – classical guitar body for percussive thwacking,
rubbing and the like, and various homemade noisies. They sound great
through the Grace, so maybe switching the AKG mic to a pre-amp on the audio
interface would be best. ·
Mono Output from an Echoplex (for anyone curious about this, I
am at this point using the Echoplex as a failsafe for when the computer crashes…
I have a MIDI box that takes FCB output and sends it to both Mobius and E’plex;
the assignments are mostly the same so the E’plex mostly replicates what
I’m doing with Mobius, though of course it is not 1:1… makes for
some interesting “emergency modulations”. Obviously there are more
inventive things one could do with this, I just have not gotten around to it.)
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Stereo output from future purchase analog synth ·
SPDIF from the Fireface 800 that is my studio audio engine The audio interface will send mono to the echoplex, stereo to a
pair of powered speakers, and SPDIF to the F’face 800. Being able to send
a separate mix to, say, a drummer across the stage would be nice too. Small and lightweight is good too. There are obviously a lot of interfaces for more than $400
that would fit the bill…. how about another Fireface?... but I want to
keep the cost down below 400, and it looks like that should not be hard to do. The
Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP seems to fit the bill, for instance. Any input on this would be much appreciated. Hal |