Hi, Dan,
Welcome to ARSC List and thanks for your comments. I use two RME
Multifaces with PCI hosts for my audio transfer business. The new
version is great as you can select +4/-10 without opening up the box
(wish mine did that, but I've got 4 Aphex 124A IHF interfaces that work fine).
Personally, I think the RME offers great value for money and has been
quite stable.
There are some points to consider:
How does the sound card connect to the computer?
There are several options:
-Internal PCI card with onboard converters (Digital Audio Labs
CardDeluxe-I don't have one, but
others on this list like these)
-Internal PCI/Cardbus card with external converter box (RME Multiface)
-IEEE 1394 (FireWire) with external box (MOTU 828 MK II is my example
of this--bought
for use with my laptop--I didn't want to pull the RMEs
and I didn't want to spend
1/3 of the price of the MOTU for the CardBus adapter, and
I could really use
the two extra inputs, especially with mic preamps)
-USB 2.0 with external box (I don't have one to recommend, but the
MOTU 828 MKII
may now be available in this configuration.
I would buy a third MultiFace if I was seriously considering 24
tracks (which I'm not, don't worry, Steve <smile>).
If I were buying new, I think I would only consider
industry-standard, serial interfaces like 1394 and USB 2.0. 1394 has
been the industry choice for a while.
If budget is important, I don't think you can go far wrong with the
DAL CardDeluxe. But how long will PCI be around? Yes, we all thought
ISA would be around for a while and it cratered pretty quickly.
Anyone want a Zefiro Acoustics ZA-2 digital audio ISA card? It's a
nice card. No converters.
How many channels do you want/need? If you have an 8-channel box,
there are many options open to you, including ingesting multiple
programs at once (yes, the converters are that isolated). I wouldn't
do this with high-quality music, but I would with oral histories.
Is the Digi Box a Mac box? If so, I don't know if there are Mac
drivers for all of the above.
Another useful resources is
http://www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/compare/index.htm
Cheers,
Richard
Tape Restoration Seminar: MAY 9-12, 2006; details at Web site.
Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
