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theroms « Functional but odd »
Published on 01/26/11 at 14:40I bought it to use it with a laptop PC (recent, DPC latency check: <300 µs) on the road. I use virtual synths + MIDI piano or guitar/bass + VST effects. I like the balanced I/Os, the instrument and mic inputs with a small preamp and the USB connections because I don't have any Firewire ports to use my old interface. 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling is enough to play live, but not for studio (not due to the sampling itself, but rather to the working frequency within the DAW).
UTILIZATION
Strangely enough, the drivers included perform worse than asio4all. On a PC, ASIO provides only an imprecise setting: "low latency" -> "high stability." It's actually 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048 samples. I compared the latency with Live at 48kHz for "lexicon": 128 samples, 9.25ms in + 9.25ms out and "asio4all": 256 samples, 9.33ms in + 7.33ms out. It's clear that asio4all is better with a lower latency, despite buffers twice as high and, thus, more stable. In short, I'll keep asio4all. It's strange, all the same!
A small disadvantage in relation to my ESI Juli@ on a desktop PC is that I can't use the WDM drivers at the same time as the ASIO (lexicon or asio4all). It probably has to do with "DirectWire" on the Juli@. It doesn't work even if I "free" the ASIO driver. It's not easy to play along with an mp3.
Otherwise, it works perfectly.
GETTING STARTED
It is sold with a VST reverb, but you have to copy the dll into the appropriate folder and it can only be used with Cubase, it's blocked under Live. Otherwise, you need to install first, then connect and it works.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought it one week ago, but I have used audio interfaces for quite some time.
+ Instrument + mic I/O combo + balanced lines
+ USB powered
+ Price, unbeatable in this category (you won't find such a combination for less than $200)
- Odd driver
- Limited to 48 kHz
Ideal for me (I prefer mobility over studio features). If you have $250 extra, get a Tascam US-1641, which isn't expensive because it's an end-of-life product.
UTILIZATION
Strangely enough, the drivers included perform worse than asio4all. On a PC, ASIO provides only an imprecise setting: "low latency" -> "high stability." It's actually 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048 samples. I compared the latency with Live at 48kHz for "lexicon": 128 samples, 9.25ms in + 9.25ms out and "asio4all": 256 samples, 9.33ms in + 7.33ms out. It's clear that asio4all is better with a lower latency, despite buffers twice as high and, thus, more stable. In short, I'll keep asio4all. It's strange, all the same!
A small disadvantage in relation to my ESI Juli@ on a desktop PC is that I can't use the WDM drivers at the same time as the ASIO (lexicon or asio4all). It probably has to do with "DirectWire" on the Juli@. It doesn't work even if I "free" the ASIO driver. It's not easy to play along with an mp3.
Otherwise, it works perfectly.
GETTING STARTED
It is sold with a VST reverb, but you have to copy the dll into the appropriate folder and it can only be used with Cubase, it's blocked under Live. Otherwise, you need to install first, then connect and it works.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought it one week ago, but I have used audio interfaces for quite some time.
+ Instrument + mic I/O combo + balanced lines
+ USB powered
+ Price, unbeatable in this category (you won't find such a combination for less than $200)
- Odd driver
- Limited to 48 kHz
Ideal for me (I prefer mobility over studio features). If you have $250 extra, get a Tascam US-1641, which isn't expensive because it's an end-of-life product.