Choices, choices.
I’m window-shopping for a new audio interface. Right now, I have the M-Audio Firewire Solo, and it is, truly, nothing fancy. Can’t do surround, and the drivers are usually late. For example, I upgrade to Snow Leopard a while ago, as I posted, totally forgetting the fact that I should check my drivers before doing so. Sure enough, The last ones to be released at that time were for 10.5.7 or .8. I’ve been using some sort of weird work-around that someone posted on their forums, and it’s actually treating me better than 10.4.11’s drivers ever could. For example, no longer does my sound totally fail me me if I put the computer to sleep while a program that’s using audio is currently running (like Safari, if I’m on a youtube page or something). I haven’t had to restart the system (for that reason) since I’ve upgraded. That’s just one problem fixed, though.
Anyway, I’m tired of the FW Solo, I’m tired of buggy software and unreliable hardware. I’m tired of not even having the option to create a surround sound mix, regardless of whether or not I have the monitors to support it (that’ll be a post for another day). I want to upgrade, and when I get the money for the studio, I’ll be doing so! My criteria are as follows:
- Must already be supported in 10.6/Snow Leopard (shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s definitely a requirement)
Must have more than 5 outputs for surround sound support.
Must have ADAT optical IO, in the event that I need it later on.
Must be less than $2,000 CDN, as that’s the maximum I’m allowing myself to possibly budget for, but I’d like it to be cheaper.
So, with that criteria in place, the main contenders are:
- Motu 828 MKIII ($870)
- RME Fireface 400 ($1,469)
- Apogee Ensemble ($1,984)
For prices, I’ve taken them all from Saved By Technology, a fantastic site that caters to both US and Canadian residents for pretty much all of their digital audio needs.
Wow, while I was looking all of this up, I also found that SbT is selling a Mackie Control Universal Pro for $1,367! Well, I think that cuts a LOT of this short, since I’ve heard excellent things about the MOTU 828 MKIII, and have always really really wanted the MCU Pro.
So, thoughts?