mAudio Delta 1010 any good?
 

Hey Folks,

I am thinking about getting this PCI interface for use with my Mac running OS X 10.4

Has anyone any comments about it, or any recommendations for better interfaces for a similar price range (up to ?600)... I'd like the interface to be 19" rackmountable if that narrows it down some more.

Thanks in advance,

pseudo

I used the 1010 with my PC a few years back. Very well built....very stable...and the recording clarity can only be bettered by dedicated Pro-Tools gear. Seriously, for the money....you can't beat it. Vocals, synths and acoustic stuff all have a wonderful presence with zero noise. Put it this way....when I recorded something and then played it back on my friends ?4000 hifi system, it was very satisfying.

Do you have any specific questions regarding this unit?

DS

Well, to be honest I don't really know what I am looking for.

I can't find a solid explanation of the benefits of Firewire over a PCI board, or vice versa, and the Motu828 looks amazing, but has features I can't imagine ever needing, or wanting to bother with.

I have a pretty modest set up, Mac, 24 channel behringer eurodesk, couple of outboard processors... I want to be able to send tracks from logic out to my JP's Vocoder, the Virus TI's filters and vocoder (when it arrives) and my shiddy Korg Electribes (because they have some nice audio-in effects)..

So, I just want something which doesn't cause pops and clicks (like my EMI 2|6 does currently) and something which can be used to route a bunch of things to a bunch of other things. Simple and straightforward.

Thanks for your reply, it sounds like a good piece of kit...

delta1010 is rock solid. You can't go wrong!

I really like the Maudio stuff too. I've used their soundcards since owning a D-ManPCI years ago - it still get's used in my setup actually!

For the money they can't be beat.

and thats about it.
people say the same about behringer gear - so be careful :wink:
the m-audio ADC's are ok.

I see at the moment www.jrrshop.com has audiophile firewire units for $130(USD) - and prob free shipping if you hassled. You wont find a better deal on m-audio gear than that.

cheers

blay

Yeah, I'd go for the Delta 1010 (I'm actually getting one myself as I have an Audiophile 2496 at the moment but need more connections).

If you've got money to burn though, I'd go down the RME route, i.e. get an RME PCI card and also an RME Multiface box for all your connections.

does the 1010 have the same converters as the audiophile?

just curious...

cheers

blay

ta for all the info...

I think I'll pluck for the 1010... got a limited budget atm

Good luck with it Pseudonym.
Please give us a review after you have given it a bit of a hammering :wink:
Really interested to hear what the converters are like in the 1010.

cheers

blay

actually, I've just been steered in the direction of the RME fireface 800...

it's loads more expensive, but the comments about the 1010 AD converters being 'not bad, ok' etc... don't fill me with confidence...

whereas all the reviews I've read of the fireface have been gushing over how amazing it is... I find it hard not to want to wait for the best stuff... the reason I'm on this forum in the first place :)

If you have the money for the fireface I would say go for it.

Ive read nothing but good reviews on this unit, and it seems the converter quality is unquestionable.

56 simultaneous channels! its insane! just in case the local symphony decides to drop in i spose :wink:

cheers

blay

That's the thing isn't it - Money! Like I said, for the money maudio can't be beat. Going up to RME creates a different discussion though. :wink:

Let us know what you end up going with pseudonym.

Good choice Pseudo.......I would'nt buy M-Audio gear personally, cos I dont imagine their gear to be any more than budget project studio gear. I admit, I use the MOTU 2408mkIII, which you could say also is Project Studio gear, but it is more towards that higher end.

One day I will have those apogee converters.... :roll:

I hear great things about RME stuff too.....

The converters in the 1010 are excellant man.....and its leaps and bounds better than most modern shite. True, the 1010 came out quite a few years back....but unless your gonna go down the Pro-Tool digi002 route....your not going to find anything with better subjective sound quality than the 1010.

DS

Listen to some tracks recorded on the 1010 here >>> http://www.nukleon.com/Homewrecker.mp3

DS

The converters on the 002's are nothing to write home about....pretty standard for today. Nothing special, they do the job.

If the 1010 is beaten by the 002's....then they must be pretty standard.

Also worth a mention.....have a look at all the posts regarding Sound Diver, and most of the time the users had M-Audio interfaces (MIDI). Who owns M-Audio nowadays???? Is it Focusrite, or other way around???

I never had any probs with the Virus and 1010's. Although some people have had probs with M-audios USB cards...or something lol.

The important take home message is....dont let 192khz and all that type of marketing spule delude you into thinking better specs = better sounds. It doesnt. Get a solid, tied and tested sound card with decent converters and use that instead. Oh, and btw the digi 002 is perfectly fine you know....

DS

I reckon most of the soundcards these days, aimed at the project studio market will be pretty much on par with one another....it's only when you start spending big bucks that you would really notice a huge difference

The problem is that the price jump is huge! Specially considering the extra quality.

As far as quality goes, I don't think most of us could hear a huge difference with the electronic music that we are doing. If you are recording a heap of accoustical instruments, it may be a different story.

Maybe once/if we cross that barrier from demo creators to pros, then it's worth stepping up. It's just not worth the cash for hobbiests.

really appreciate all the comments on this...

Right now I can't afford either of them, which is probably a good thing, as I have time to continue reading reviews and talking to people who own them.

pseudo

Get a MOTU!!!!!

Whole different league

most reviews I have read say the converters in the RME fireface are much better than either the 828mkII, traveller or 2408 units.

thats what i have read - not what i have heard.

cheers

blay

Gopal: MOTU are great for MAC. I used to have a motu 828mk2 at work and it was GREAT, but on a PC the drivers arent great at all.