KVR Audio

audiorules · Post by **audiorules** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:27 pm

No external slot? Are you sure? I've not seen a laptop in several years without them?

Time for a new laptop. While there are some USB2.0 interfaces, FW400 is definitely the industry protocol, and for good reason. USB2.0, while capable of 8Mb/s more than FW400, cannot sustain the throughput of FW400, makeing FW400 a more efficient format.

NER · Post by **NER** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:03 am

I have an 0404 pci, and I've had lots of problems recording with it. Part of this is because the patch mix software is very complicated and nonintuitive.

audiorules · Post by **audiorules** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:19 pm

What do you have for a laptop that doesn't have a card slot?
Could be time to conider a new laptop as well.

While there are a few USB2.0 devices out there, the protocol the industry uses is by far FW400, and for good reason. While USB2.0 is capable of slightly higher transfer rates, it cannot sustain the throughput that FW400 can, making FW400 the more efficient and overall faster protocol. This is especially important for such applications as audio and video, where there is large amounts of information being accessed at once.

umd · Post by **umd** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:35 pm

NER wrote:I have an 0404 pci, and I've had lots of problems recording with it. Part of this is because the patch mix software is very complicated and nonintuitive.

I'm not playing the fan-boy, but believe me... once you get into it, you'll love it.

NER · Post by **NER** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:51 pm

johnny1982 wrote:
NER wrote:I have an 0404 pci, and I've had lots of problems recording with it. Part of this is because the patch mix software is very complicated and nonintuitive.
I'm not playing the fan-boy, but believe me... once you get into it, you'll love it.

Well, I avoided saying it was 'bad' for that reason. it is powerful software, but it isn't for the faint of heart. My problem is that the recording level on the line-in is just ridiculously low, and I've yet to find a way to work around it. I think its a hardware problem - but the complex software isn't helping either.

~ I think its weird of EMU to include such deep software with an entry level card. Most would prefer 'plug-play'.

umd · Post by **umd** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:24 pm

Hum... what are you recording and how are you connecting it to the card?

NER · Post by **NER** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:24 pm

johnny1982 wrote:Hum... what are you recording and how are you connecting it to the card?

Electric guitar from the direct out on my tech 21 amp into the 1/4 in-L on the 0404. I have newest drivers (patchmix: 1.81 driver: 5.12.01), using ASIO - I've tried messing with all sort of levels and trim pots, nothing has worked.

umd · Post by **umd** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:26 pm

There must be an hardware fault somewhere then. That's not normal.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:19 am

It completely depends what you want to get from it. The KB37 is the 6th USB audio device I've owned and I absolutely love it! It is the perfect tool for my needs. The assignable VU meters are a lot more useful than I expected they would be and the GearBox software is hugely flexible, sounds amazing and, because it sits outside the Windoze audio system, it has extremely low latency. It allows you to record clean whilst monitoring with effects, or vice-versa, and it even allows you to run two parallel effects chains [for mono sources, e.g. vocals and guitar].
The downsides to the KB37? It only transmits on MIDI Channel 1. This was almost a show-stopper for me but it really didn't take too long to switch my MIDI channels around in our songs to get it working and it was well worth the effort. The other thing is that it doesn't have any MIDI in/out so you'll need a separate MIDI device if you want to use it with hardware instruments and stuff. We use a MIDIsport 1x1, which was the first USB device of any kind I ever purchased and it's still hummin' along after 7 or 8 years of abuse.
I've never had any issues with USB audio. I currently run the KB37 with a 512 sample buffer, which is enough for us to use drum-pads to trigger drum sounds from the PC live, and it is rock-solid. If Edirol can build a 10-in/out USB 2.0 device, I don't see how using USB 2.0 with one or two audio streams can possibly tax the bus at all.
Of course, the AD/DA converters will only affect recording and play-out. If you are working entirely within your PC and rendering to a file for uploading or burning to a CD, you will only ever use the converters to monitor the sound so it won't have any real impact on the quality of your recording. The only time we rely on the converters is when we're recording vocals and, given that they sit quite low in our mixes and have plenty of effects on 'em, I don't worry about the AD/DA stage at all. 90% of the sound remains within the digital realm for the entire process so any tiny difference between converters is going to have a vanishingly small impact on the final result. I'd happily make do with cheap AD/DA converters and spend the money I saved on a better microphone but if you are recording more parts than you are generating from your PC, it might become more important.
The other good thing about the KB37 is that it looks so damned cool sitting on my keyboard stand.

Any better USB 2.0 interfaces than EMU 0404 USB?