Buying a New Audio Interface?

[teddyfarkas]

Hi Folks,

I'm the recording studio manager at my college's recording studio and we desperately need a new audio interface for our recording studio and are running off a rather tight budget. We are currently running off of a Digidesign 003 (8 Channel) that is going through an old Ramsa WR-S4416 (16 Channel) board. We mix everything digitally on a Pro Tools 10 set-up and have been running off of 8 channels through 003. (We also have an old Mac Pro as our machine we run pro tools off of)

I don't think we'll need more than 8 channels at the moment and so we've been looking at used RME Fireface 800s or maybe trying to find an affordable used Apogee Ensemble, but I was wondering if anyone here had suggestions of what to look at and where to do so, for those as well as any others you think would work for our set up.

To be honest, my co-manager recently left and he was much more tech savvy than myself and is a pretty active members on the Tape-Op boards and is how I found out about Tape-Op in the first place. Please feel free to post in this forum for suggestions but also message me if you're SELLING something that you think might work for us at a reasonable price. Thanks so much!

[Nick Sevilla]

Look at Motu. They also might have a school support program, and/or discounts for schools.
They will work with ProTools 10, and you can eventually daisy chain them if you need more IO.

Cheers

[teddyfarkas]

Thanks! I'll take a look at that! Any suggestions for a specific interface? (our old mac pro only does FireWire, not Thunderbolt)

[ott0bot]

Thanks! I'll take a look at that! Any suggestions for a specific interface? (our old mac pro only does FireWire, not Thunderbolt)

I have the same issue, but I saw in the motu website that their interfaces support using a Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 conversion cable. they have both options for most of their interfaces now, but buying a T-bolt device may help you future-proof the purchase for a few extra years. now, I have NOT used that set up personally, just something I'm considering.

[comfortstarr]

Not sure how much scratch you're willing to part with, but Metric Halo is having a sale right now:

http://mhsecure.com/metric_halo/

If money were no concern to me, I'd get a ULN8.

[Nick Sevilla]

Thanks! I'll take a look at that! Any suggestions for a specific interface? (our old mac pro only does FireWire, not Thunderbolt)

Hi Ted,

Most of the Motu interfaces also have USB, and the newest ones have Ethernet AVB, which is the latest audio/video protocol over ethernet wire.

Since I have no idea how you'll use these, you really have to do your own homework on what protocol will handle the needs you will have at your school.

Cheers

[teddyfarkas]

Thanks so far for the input guys, although I think I'm definitely looking used cause I don't know if I can go above 1000-1100. But I'll keep looking!!