trusspin Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hi Blueroomers, I'm looking for a converter with Phono/jack inputs so that I can record to laptop from PA(Spirit FX8), and also from analogue sources(cassette/md). The laptop PC(Presario v6000 - Vista) will accept Firewire or USB. What are the pros and cons of each?I'm looking for a budget option and have looked at a few products e.g. Edirol UA-1EX USB (£47.99 from soundslive.co.uk). Is this a good choice or would anyone recommend a different option at a similar price? I've searched the forum and wiki but can't find a relevant thread, so if you could point me in the right direction I'd be grateful. Thanks,Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Nothing to do with quality or data rate, but while the firewire 6-pin connector is fairly robust (and includes power) many laptops only fit the miniature 4-pin version, which is prone to falling out. USB is a little better in this respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusspin Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Nothing to do with quality or data rate, but while the firewire 6-pin connector is fairly robust (and includes power) many laptops only fit the miniature 4-pin version, which is prone to falling out. USB is a little better in this respect. Thanks Revbob,Don't have laptop handy so not sure which Firewire type I have, but sounds like I should go for USB. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 We've had a few topics on this, and it doesn't really matter that much with USB2 or firewire. I've not found any of these connectors a major issue, but if you have to plug and unplug frequently, USB and 6 pin firwire are, as has been said, mechanically more solid. There are loads of interfaces around now, and my personal choice is the Lexicon models, as I like the chunky solid box, with decent headphone outlet plus mic with phantom power and line in's and outs. It also has simple pot to let the ins route direct to the outs, making monitoring simpler in some circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusspin Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 We've had a few topics on this, and it doesn't really matter that much with USB2 or firewire. I've not found any of these connectors a major issue, but if you have to plug and unplug frequently, USB and 6 pin firwire are, as has been said, mechanically more solid. There are loads of interfaces around now, and my personal choice is the Lexicon models, as I like the chunky solid box, with decent headphone outlet plus mic with phantom power and line in's and outs. It also has simple pot to let the ins route direct to the outs, making monitoring simpler in some circumstances. Lexicon Alpha looks good, but at £80 is higher than some other options. Would I be losing much in quality by going for a cheaper option such as the Edirol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The Edirols are built for student use (being the education arm of Roland) and have a decent reputation. Audio quality on the ones I listen to seem pretty good - I'd not have any qualms at using one myself. The various music technology forums I'm a member of that are populated by Music Tec teachers and examiners have a liking for them - and they're all quite picky people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusspin Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Many thanks for your useful and informed advice. I've gone for the Lexicon Alpha, as I found it for £60 (turnkey.co.uk) and think the included Cubase LE software is probably worth the little bit extra.It should arrive by Monday. I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers,Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I've used Edirol adaptors before and they've been fine. As for the USB vs. Firewire question, for basic 2 track stuff it probably won't make any difference. When you get up to serious multitrack working, Firewire tends to have a consistantly higher throughput and is the interface of choice. Although the USB2 spec is, in itself, fine, don't forget the buss is often shared with other devices. If you have, say, a mouse and an external hard drive also connected via USB, the bandwidth has to be shared. In my home studio set up, I use Firewire for the "audio" (actually ADAT, in theory up to 32 channels but rarely more than 16) and put an external hard drive and a mouse on USB. I have a mental image of the PC groaning under the strain but, so far, it seems stable. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Turnkey - when they were the Soho Soundhouse went into receivership. To the best of my knowledge the Charing Cross Rd shop isn't trading any longer, although the website is up and running. The shop in Charing Cross Rd road is closed, and the media dealership around the corner is also closed. They have suddenly remerged from the ashes, phoenix like - I would give them a ring to check that somebody really is on the other end of the website. S&T audio Ltd are listed as the owner of the trading name, and they seem to be trading on the companies house website - and are not a new company, suggesting all is well, whereas the Media Tools Ltd is in receivership, but used to be called Soho Soundhouse (again, detailed on the Government website) It could well be that the mail order business was bought by S&T - I've bought mail order from Turnkey before - and all is well. The web site does say "welcome back to Turnkey". The web site has no contact details for them - so there is not even an address. The company number produces this information:S & T AUDIO LIMITEDSUITE 3 WARREN HOUSE10-20 MAIN ROADHOCKLEYESSEXSS5 4QS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusspin Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Turnkey - when they were the Soho Soundhouse went into receivership. To the best of my knowledge the Charing Cross Rd shop isn't trading any longer, although the website is up and running. The shop in Charing Cross Rd road is closed, and the media dealership around the corner is also closed. They have suddenly remerged from the ashes, phoenix like - I would give them a ring to check that somebody really is on the other end of the website. S&T audio Ltd are listed as the owner of the trading name, and they seem to be trading on the companies house website - and are not a new company, suggesting all is well, whereas the Media Tools Ltd is in receivership, but used to be called Soho Soundhouse (again, detailed on the Government website) It could well be that the mail order business was bought by S&T - I've bought mail order from Turnkey before - and all is well. The web site does say "welcome back to Turnkey". The web site has no contact details for them - so there is not even an address. The company number produces this information:S & T AUDIO LIMITEDSUITE 3 WARREN HOUSE10-20 MAIN ROADHOCKLEYESSEXSS5 4QS Thanks for the research Paul. Just to let you know where they are, my order was cancelled as the box is out of stock. I called them, and they sound as though they're trading.They expect the Lexicon back in, but not for at least a month, and more than likely at the £80 price point quoted by other retailers. So, since I won't be using it for anything complex, the Edirol it is. (EDIT-Edirol seems to be sold out at most well-priced retailers, but found a Lexicon Alpha for £60(ex VAT) - again from livesound.co.uk) Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Lexicon Alpha looks good, but at £80 is higher than some other options. Would I be losing much in quality by going for a cheaper option such as the Edirol? I doubt you would hear much difference, however the lexicon has balanced inputs and outputs on quarter inch jacks, rather than unbalanced phonos. I've got several Alphas. No real complaints. One windows machine didn't like loading the drivers, and it took a bit of fiddling. Other windows and linux machines have been fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusspin Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 I doubt you would hear much difference, however the lexicon has balanced inputs and outputs on quarter inch jacks, rather than unbalanced phonos. I've got several Alphas. No real complaints. One windows machine didn't like loading the drivers, and it took a bit of fiddling. Other windows and linux machines have been fine. Thanks Bruce.Glad I got a good price on the Alpha. I agree that the balanced inputs are an advantage. (btw were you involved in celtic music radio's Danny Kyle session at GRCH on Monday? I was there to see my pal Jake Cogan - and thence began a serious session of drinking and blagging) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion Tamer Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I would give them a ring to check that somebody really is on the other end of the website. For your Info I can say that there is definitely someone at the other end of the website as I was dealing with them only last week concerning an order that I had placed at the beginning of December (It had been out of stock). They appear to be looking after their customers as they were able to identify exactly what I had ordered and at what stage it was at very quickly with minimal information. Jem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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