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Post by ninworks on Dec 11, 2021 14:33:33 GMT -5
I ordered a RME DCX audio interface today for my studio computer. I found a brand new demo model on Ebay for almost half retail price. I have been wanting to upgrade my converters for some time. I sold one of my Leslies last week so it gave me some cash to play with. After I get the new one I can sell my old Focusrite and probably get around $300 for it to help lessen the sting a bit. Another advantage of the higher quality interface is that latency problems will no longer be an issue. Less than 5ms. That's almost undetectable.
Just when I get my rack all wired and working I'll have to change it around to accommodate the new device. It's always something.
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Post by Ricketi on Dec 11, 2021 14:42:50 GMT -5
Just curious what model Focusrite do you have?
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Post by ninworks on Dec 11, 2021 20:49:55 GMT -5
It's a Scarlett 18i20 2nd generation. It's about 2 - 3 years old. It works very well and sounds great. It's just not in the same league as the RME's converters and drivers. I have work-arounds in place to address the latency issues with the Focusrite. It's not extreme and usable but it bugs me. It has a direct monitoring feature that bypasses the DAW when tracking that will eliminate the latency but I never took the time to figure out how to make that work in it's control software.
If you're interested in it shoot me a message and we can talk. I just looked it up and I bought it from Sweetwater in May of 2018.
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Post by Ricketi on Dec 13, 2021 1:40:03 GMT -5
Oh, no thank you, I was just curious on which one you had as I just purchased the 4i4 3rd gen . I haven’t so far experienced any latency with it.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 13, 2021 9:27:56 GMT -5
The only time I have latency problems is when I am overdubbing and have session with many tracks open or, are using a plugin on the channel I am overdubbing to such as a reverb or delay. They are minimal but still bother me. The main reason I am upgrading is for the quality of the converters.
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Post by roly on Dec 16, 2021 2:52:56 GMT -5
My interface and converters are OLD!!
They sound great to me and if something doesn't sound good out the front door, that's me, not the gear.
Apogee AD 16 in.
RME HDSP 9624 card.
Lucid DA 9624 out to Adam A7 nearfields.
A Berringer 8 channel thingy for talkback and monitor sends.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 16, 2021 5:54:15 GMT -5
Those are all some great pieces of gear.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 17, 2021 21:21:58 GMT -5
The interface was delivered this evening. The shipper said, "By 9:00 PM." It was 8:00 when the dropped it off and they left the package out in the rain on the walkway next to the driveway because they didn't want to take the time to walk it up to the covered front porch which was 40 feet away. It's a good thing I was looking for it. I received an email this afternoon stating it would require a signature for delivery. Apparently they didn't think that was important either. I know they're busy this time of year but Geese, that thing was expensive. Kind of makes me wonder if they even got out of the truck and just chucked it out onto the sidewalk.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Dec 18, 2021 11:14:23 GMT -5
Yikes. Its one of those things where you initially think filing a complaint is the right course of action. I've had a few issues with our USPS carrier and a certain Amazon driver who is particularly aggressive in the handling of the package. Almost a deliberate performance for the Ring doorbell cam. Fortunately that Dbag hasn't been around, probably fired. But my concern is retaliation, especially with the USPS and their unmitigated incompetence.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 23, 2021 10:27:03 GMT -5
I spent the afternoon making some rack ears for the RME a few days ago. I didn't want to spend $60 for the ones they make for it. I had all the materials but some of the screws needed. I spent about 5 hours to save $60 but my time is free. I thought they turned out well. Now I'm waiting for a MIDI breakout cable to be delivered before I mount it in the rack. In my original post I stated it was a Fireface DCX model. It is not. It's a Fireface UC model. i.postimg.cc/hG6y5t6X/RME-Rack-Ears-Completed.jpg |
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Post by ninworks on Jan 1, 2022 7:46:43 GMT -5
I awoke at 1:30 this morning and had to lower my fluid level. The new puppy let me know he wanted out so I had to take advantage of that. He's still figuring out how to go to the bathroom outside. After that I couldn't go back to sleep. I decided it was time to install the RME into the rack and get it working. I had to move a couple devices to new locations to get good ventilation to the new interface. I have heard they run pretty warm. I pulled the multi-conductor Mogami snakes from the rack and patch bay that were connected to the old interface. At that point I decided I needed to clean up the wiring in the rack. Since I'm configuring my setup differently I had to cut a bunch of zip ties anyway. the rack's wiring was all neat and tidy when I first put it together but it got messy over the last couple years when I would keep changing out gear and such. I didn't take the time to keep it tidy when I was doing that. I was in a hurry. Now is the time to do it and start over with a better organized mess. I got everything screwed into the rack, all of the digital and analog connections made, and was ready to connect the power to the RME. I had left the external power supply lying in the floor and when I went to plug it in the puppy thought it was a toy and had chewed the wire in two. RATS! Now I have to fix it. He actually did me a favor. I was going to just bundle up the excess wire with zip ties and stuff it into the rack. Since I have to fix it anyway I'll cut about 4 feet out of it so there's not as much to clutter up the installation. Thanks but no thanks little buddy. Now he's checking out what he's going to munch on later. i.postimg.cc/26MTWQgj/PD-in-the-rack.jpg |
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Post by reverendrob on Jan 6, 2022 0:21:18 GMT -5
New recording toys are important!
I've been very happy with my now aging Tascam US16-08; it solved all the driver issues I consistently had with the US-1800 and I got the initial Sweetwater demo model for about half of the current post-COVID market rate (plus the joy of using it all this time).
Been very happy with the sound quality and converters but I'm ok with 24/96 and the onboard pres are serviceable. If I want GOOD I'll run it through some of hte outboard gear!
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Post by ninworks on Jan 6, 2022 7:05:18 GMT -5
Sometimes I feel like such an idiot. Yesterday I was trying to get the S-PDIF connection between my Eleven Rack and the RME working so I could play some guitar. I wasn't getting any indication on the RME that there was a digital signal from the Eleven Rack. There was no sound coming from the it either. I thought it was because I wasn't doing something correctly with the driver software with it being new and me being completely unfamiliar with it. I had computer audio just no S-PDIF. I went through the manual a number of times following all the instructions. I even Googled it and searched on there for a lot longer than I wanted to and was getting the same answers the manual was giving. I was so frustrated. I was convinced I was not operating the software correctly.
I decided to walk away from it and come back later. I did my tri-weekly workout and came back to about an hour and a half later. I decided to change out the cables one at a time to see if that was it. DUH!!! I had a bad 70 ohm coax cable in the patch bay. It was the exact same combination of cables I had been using on my Focusrite interface for the S-PDIF connection so I was certain they were working. I even checked the bad cable after finding it and it checked good. It was a cheap cable and I suppose the RME required a cleaner signal in order to communicate and that cable just wasn't good enough. It turns out that I am dumber than I thought I was. The first order of business when having connection problems is ALWAYS check the cables first. I feel like a complete dufus. Hey, but at least I was operating the software correctly.
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