Tuesday, November 17, 2009

audio interface - to usB or not usB


if i could choose again i would definitely go for USB over FireWire (IEEE 1394 interface). sure FireWire has a faster sustained throughput but it's very finicky as well. it will give you way more problems if you haven't got a Texas Instruments FireWire chipset. which means that if i upgrade to a new Macbook Pro, i'll be stuffed because Mac doesn't use Texas Instruments FireWire chipsets anymore. and that means that i'll struggle with pops and clicks again. now if i had a USB audio interface i wouldn't even have noticed the transition to a new machine. if i knew this when i first bought my gear i would have picked USB. sure FireWire will provide the fastest performance - if you've got a compatible chipset and if it's 800 and not 400 - but for convenience and compatibility between multiple computers and audio interfaces USB 2.0 would probably be the better choice because FireWire's extra speed is just not worth the hassle.

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