USB Vs Firewire Vs PCI

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kmontreuil

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Right now im trying to get a music production studio up and running but I just cant decide what audio interface to purchase. Still being in high school and not having a lot of money to buy some of the more expensive audio interfaces, my budget is around $200 max. Originally my plan was to buy either the:

M-Audio Fast Track Pro or
M-Audio Fast Track MKII (partly because of the price and all of my controllers are USB right now)

Then I discovered Firewire, and even more, PCI! This then made things alot more confusing, But my primary question is what is the best way to connect an audio interface with the least amount of latency in the DAW (FL Studio) I use, and what is the best audio interface for that connection? And would it be beneficial to get an audio interface with MIDI in/out, or do USB controllers work just fine when it comes to latency?

Thanks in advance!
 
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USB is great for 2-4 channels, but has more latency.
Firewire can handle a lot more channels and is pretty good with latency.
PCI can handle as many channels as your computer can and the latency is the least of all three.

USB might work fine for what you are doing especially since a lot of the interfaces have direct monitoring functions (where the audio you are recording goes straight to your headphones to avoid latency). They are also going to be in that $200 price range. There might be some firewire ones in that price range, but make sure your computer is compatible. I wouldn't even mess with PCI at this stage in the game.

USB keyboard interfaces are fine.

Good Luck!
 
The used audio market is a great way to get better quality. I personally don't feel u need to buy new. Its not necessary... and u can maybe get a better interface for your dollar. U can find some steals on ebay. If u prefer buying from a big company guitar center usually has some pretty damn good deals in their used section. Stores are trying to get their inventory off the shelves. Great way to grab good gear.

Right now I'm looking to grab an echo audiofire. The audiofire2 is in ur price range. Its said to have top notch stable drivers and overall great quality. Depending on your needs though. U can't hook up a condensor mic straight to it if I remember correctly, without other external gear which u probably don't have yet if ur just startin up.
 
Yea, all I really have hardware wise right now is a M-Audio KeyRig 49 and an Akai MPD18, which are both USB controllers. After I get an audio interface i'll be getting a condenser microphone. So for right now the only thing I need to hook up is a microphone, maybe two down the road, but I can probably upgrade later. I also might need midi in/out ports later as well, but that would probably be a later upgrade too. Right now I just need to keep the price low as possible without compromising for great quality, so all I need at this point is a single xlr port. Unless you guys think I should just go ahead and get one with 1-2 xlr and a midi in/out.


Edit: I just found a deal for a mic and an audio interface for $150 on craigslist, used of course. It includes a MXL v63m with a Lexicon Omega, is this a good deal or not?

Check it out: dayton.craigslist (dot) org/msg/2777241248.html (Sorry it wont let me post links yet, you have to C&P).
 
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PCI not only maximises the amount of ins and outs it's often cheaper and has a lower latency (it cuts out the USB and Firewire middleman by connecting directly to the PCI bus) unfortunately changes in computer design are pushing these cards to extinction as more and more people (mostly noobs) ditch modular systems that best suit music production in favor of girly systems that fit the basic needs of the average consumer such as laptops and all-in-one computers.

Just like PCI cards, Firewire is on the verge of being phased out from consumer machines and both will eventually be replaced by Thunder Bolt, while you can still use Firewire or a PCI card by using an expansion chassis connected to Thunder Bolt, you might not have any future driver updates, but nothing lasts forever.

USB will be around for a while yet as it is the standard used by so many basic consumer products and because the public have invested in so many USB devices dropping USB would be suicide for any computer manufacturer.
 
Yea "hollandturbine", from what I know about computers PCI seems like a definite winner yet a lot of others still recommend USB audio interfaces. I think this is because, like you said, USB is the standard used by so many basic consumer products. I'm also going to be making my own desktop computer for my studio setup, so I wouldn't have a problem installing a PCI card. On the motherboard i'm planning to get has 2 PCI slots and 3 PCIe. After taking a further look into PCI cards, I found that you can also connect an audio interface via PCIe, is that a better connection than PCI?
 
hollandturbine said:
PCI not only maximises the amount of ins and outs it's often cheaper and has a lower latency (it cuts out the USB and Firewire middleman by connecting directly to the PCI bus) unfortunately changes in computer design are pushing these cards to extinction as more and more people (mostly noobs) ditch modular systems that best suit music production in favor of girly systems that fit the basic needs of the average consumer such as laptops and all-in-one computers.

Just like PCI cards, Firewire is on the verge of being phased out from consumer machines and both will eventually be replaced by Thunder Bolt, while you can still use Firewire or a PCI card by using an expansion chassis connected to Thunder Bolt, you might not have any future driver updates, but nothing lasts forever.

USB will be around for a while yet as it is the standard used by so many basic consumer products and because the public have invested in so many USB devices dropping USB would be suicide for any computer manufacturer.
Click to expand...

But the thing is - advances in latency compensation and audio interface drivers have also pushed what once was a definitive edge for PCI into a, well, not-so-definitive situation. The best FW/USB systems already have latencies in the low single digits and the compensation systems in DAWs eradicate the remainder pretty efficiently. While PCI still wins on paper, using USB or FW isn't really a disadvantage anymore. Some super-critical applications such as playing guitar live through an amp sim can still benefit from shaving off a few ms but other than those, I think the choice of the bus type is a non-issue...of course the cheapest entry-level interfaces aren't gonna quite cut it, but even those are pretty decent (or let's say "workable in the absence of anything better") these days. Thunderbolt will be interesting when it actually takes off.
 
Okay, so what audio interface would you recommend in the $200 price range that has at least 1 XLR port and possibly midi in/out?

And again, does this look like a good deal? dayton.craigslist.org/msg/2777241248.html (Sorry it wont let me post links yet, you have to C&P).
 
Focusrite Saffire 6 USB is pretty nice.

And not that great a deal that - they don't cost that much more brand new (and they're very cheap to begin with; not the most attractive combination to buy used).
 
The usb is more slow that Firewire, and pci-e are more faster that firewire.
depending on how much you want to reduce your latency...
 
generally first choise is pci,then firewire and finally usb.but they are firewire interfaces with better performance than pci interfaces.it is also all about drivers..
 
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