Haven’t registered my copy yet, but does anyone know if ntrack is compatible with m-audio fast track usb? or can someone recommend a good usb audio interface that’d work well with ntrack?
Haven’t used m-audio devices with n but I’m sure others here have done so.
I use a Line6 Toneport USB and it works flawlessly with n.
Hi Gents:
I would tend to think that … if your Operating System identifies the audio hardware and accepts the drivers-and-software then n-Track and your hardware… along with the Operating System and Desk will tolerate each other just fine…
Bill…
M-Audio is a popular manufacturer, I’d pretty much assume it’ll work- be surprised if it won’t.
Hi sloom and Gents:
If you had a choice of M-Audio hardware models, what is the Top-of-the-Line model?
and how does that model compare …
in your opinion with other competing audio cards?
e.g. RME stuff…
or something like that?
Is there any links to pages that discuss that sort of topic?
I’m thinking about the possibility of maybe, moving on from all this out-dated Lexicon hardware…
and moving beyond the '98SE and Xp dual boot DAW setup I have to contend with, in the Studio…
It’s a tough decision to make, considering the quality of the converters in that Lexicon hardware…
Bill…
Sound interfaces hook into the Operating System.
Audio programs hook into the Operating System.
So you don’t have to worry about ‘compatibility’; if the OS sees it, N-Track and other programs can use it.
(Only ProTools is fussy about what it uses; that’s mostly a copy-protection thing.)
My daughter gave me an M-Audio Fast Track USB that she got on clearance at Target. I hooked it up and it works just fine with n. It shows up on n’s device list just like my M-Audio Delta 410 and my Audigy 2ZS. Only thing is, it’s ASIO only. And 16-bit only, IIRC. No WDM (or WMD’s either!) 
Don
So it shouldn’t really matter what sort of interface i use. Thanks for your answers guys.
Bill,
I hear only raves about RME. I did have a MOTU that I couldn’t get to work with my PC, as it didn’t have the updated pci card, or some trip. But I did manage to get it working for playback, and it sounded very nice indeed. I don’t know how that translates to a final product on your home stereo, but it was a pleasant moment in the midst of a dissatisfactory episode! Too bad. But updated stuff may be great wity your PC.
Are you moving on to Vista?
Hi Sloom:
What’s going on with you these days…
The guys up here missed your going’s-on while you were away…
It’s nice to see you back here and posting, and all…
Where are you DAW wise?..
and what kind of hardware is taking your attention, these days?
I know it was way back when…
but RADAR Wayne and I would get on this subject of Audio Cards… RME would come into the arguments and there was this audio card that is now defunct…
The company went under…
But He raved their A-D and D-A converters BIG Time…
He said they represented little-if-any JITTER to the audio sample…
It had something to do with the design and frequency of the internal clock frequency, or something… AND these cards put little demands on the computer’s stability and CPU LOAD…
Something like the Lexicon’s CORE-32 design.
but way ahead of what they were trying to do…
Remember, this stuff was designed way back in the P-11 days…
Bill…
[EDIT]
Isn’t that something… I really gotta get some sleep… I forgot to say this about that… I don’t think and until the audio world of hardware design and drivers improve that a VISTA Desk will occupy any more than token use when it comes to working with audio files and audio people… That’s my opinion, of course… There’s a lot of Mastering Hardware still in use that never got out of '95-and-'98 as the operating system… don’t ask those guys to plug a modem into their machines…
Does this Board work nice? OR What??
Thank you Flavio for fixing this EDIT issue…
If you had a choice of M-Audio hardware models, what is the Top-of-the-Line model?
Hey Bill, I just did a test on my M-Audio Delta 1010 where I attempted to see how much it affected the signal. I put a post over on the TapeOp board about this and here's the link if you want to check it out; How Accurate Are Your Converters
Basically, I can't hear the difference between a raw analog signal and the same signal that has been run through the A/D/A of my Delta 1010. I don't know how much better a converter can be if you can't hear any effect from the round-trip conversion.
Hi 8th_note:
Thanks for that reply…
I haven’t been over to that Board for a while…
There’s some pretty clever guys over there…
I am somewhat surprised there was no replies discussing the topic of “JITTER” when converting A-to-D and D-to-A…
I’m not the authority on this subject, but one of the replies eluded to the idea of converters and the difference of what one converter costs compared to another…
Lets say we compare the quality of digital cameras…
and the difference in a 5 mega-pixel camera versus a 7 mega-pixel camera…
If you blow-up the images of the two files they create the difference can be seen…
The same goes with audio converters…
The difference can be heard…
RADAR Wayne and I used to have lots of battles over that subject matter…
I don’t think you hear converters and their differences until you get into the 3rd and 4th generation…
of audio reproduction…
analogue and digital…
Analogue generation is very subtle…
Digital generation doesn’t appear subtle to the ears…
Anyway, it’s this “JITTER” that’s important to conversion…
There is amplitude “JITTER” and frequency “JITTER” so I understand…
The frequency “JITTER” is much more noticeable at lower frequencies…
I think it’s described as “Staircase” effect…or interpolation EFFECT…
I think that’s the term…
Anyway, this is all too interesting…
AND so on
AND so forth…
So RADAR Wayne says…
Bill…
Basically, I can't hear the difference between a raw analog signal and the same signal that has been run through the A/D/A of my Delta 1010. I don't know how much better a converter can be if you can't hear any effect from the round-trip conversion.
The general opinion at tapeop.com though, seems to be that either your test or your ears or both are flawed....
Hi Gents:
I’m sure that the reference that’s being made is how the quality of the converters are, as they apply to Creative Labs and Sound Blaster types of audio cards…
You’re not gonna find those converters in RME audio cards…
for example…
Bill…
Hey Bill, folks,
I keep forgetting to check the “Track This Topic” box!
I’ve read, and heard, and blah blah blah… that the Delta 1010 is the **** as far as the M-Audio stuff goes. I also have read from some big-wig recording mag that the Tascam converters are very good.
If you’re going to be A/D / D/A’ing a lot, you’re headed for trouble anyway, I think. There are personal ethics about this, but going between “worlds” too many times is going to start to compromise your signal integrity no matter what you use. That’s a consensus, generally.
Bill, why do you want to switch if the Lexicon gear is so good? Is it less compatible with other aspects of the newer software?
Hi Sloom:
What's going on with you these days..
The guys up here missed your going's-on while you were away..
It's nice to see you back here and posting, and all..
Where are you DAW wise?..
and what kind of hardware is taking your attention, these days?
Addendum...
Hey Bill, I've been fixing my danged house!
Family and concerned peripherals... life has been all about it, of late.
I've also been playing bass (i.e., "work") with a reggae band, a (poseur) jazz band, and other music gigs, as well as banging nails.
DAW-wise I've been doing little- but am recording some stuff live from time to time with a Tascam 788.
It's got a SCSI CD/ROM drive that you can burn CDs or raw .wav files to after you're done recording, and import into your editing PC.
It's a reliable system that I'm now front-ending with an old re-furbished Tascam M-30 mixer.
The 788's also got a reasonable mixing surface with 8 (+Master) faders and some cheese-y effects.
Pretty cool solution for quickie sessions.
I was into Sonar HS4 for a while, and then Reaper... I'm back to see about this v5 thing.
I really liked n-Track, but v4 put me off for a while.
I'm giving Flavio another chance!
But as far as purely musical endeavors, I've been playing my bass like a true dedicated obsessor.
I recently got handed an upright, which needed some repair.
Did the repairs, and as soon as I have my house finished I'm going to start playing it.
And nothing else, probably!
My kids are musical too, and that's taken up a good bit of muy attention.
I'm psyched about that!
I wish I had my elder daughter's ears!
Thanks for asking.
EDIT:
Hardware... Terratec EWS88MT; Tasvam M-30; Studiomaster Logic Twelve- for phantom-power and sub-mixing; a small assortment of mediocre-to-nic mics; Tascam 788 all-in-one recorder/mixer...
For live playing I'm using a GK 800RB or a Crest CA9/BBE383 preamp, and for bass cabs a DIY modded Peavey 2x15 cab, and an Avatar NEO 210 cab. Schecter Stiletto Elite-4 (modded), Burns Marquee, and an old Peavey Dyna-Bass Untiy Series.
You asked!
Hi Sloom:
The downfall of Lexicon happened back in the mid '90’s…
It was a shame for the company…
Lexicon at the time was the leaders in the Hardware Digital world. I only assume that the story I heard back then was accurate and first-hand…
There developed a riff-or-separation with-in Lexicon as to weather the company should develop a Turn-Key System…
Things developed so fast in the digital world at that time that the design engineers and developers couldn’t keep pace with the wants of the potential buying people… or their market place.
As I understand, the company known as Lexicon had all the correct minds in place to take the market place and not look back…
The hardware end of Lexicon began to take the CORE-32 system in a direction that the Software group thought should be in another direction…
AND
there and at that point in it’s development a separation developed within Lexicon…
As I understand it took Lexicon to the point of receivership…
The Harmon/Kardon Group attempted a take-over of Lexicon just before this happened…
I think it is known as a Hostile Take-over… They bought out the commanding shares… and fired all the MINDS that was connected to the project…
These were the best minds in the digital Audio world…
Software-and-Hardware…
As a result of this split, the MINDS ended up all over the Digital world…
RADAR…
RME…
and you name the other companies.
In my opinion, this dividing of Digital Minds diluted the whole Digital world of knowledge… The two companies that gained the most from this split was RME and RADAR…
for the Hardware…
and Steinburg for the Software…
Of course. this is only my idea and observations…
Someone may have a better recall of the History of what really happened.
But as far as the CORE-32 project…
it was all over…
I bought into the CORE-32 when this was going on…
Then, it became public knowledge and the Product Development for CORE-32 stopped…
at Windows 2000…
The drivers work best on a '98SE Desk…
But…
that Desk is flaky to begin with…
If I could only find a “Smart Ass” that could write a set of drivers for XP
or
VISTA… The converters are still World Class… The audio pre-amps are transformer less World class. That’s if you like NO-Transformers…
If you like transformers…
a transformer winder can make transformers for the set-up for maybe, 10 g’s… That’s a close estimate…
What do you do with audio design that’s now close to 15 years old?
Bill…
[EDIT]
I got side-tracked…
The long and the short of the CORE-32 hardware is… with no further development regarding drivers it very difficult switching between Operating systems of Tracking and Repro’ing and Latencies and… and…and… It just doesn’t stop… No wonder I have Tracker’s Block… I’ve been up-and-down the road so many times that I know in advance the problems of Procedure versus Creativity becomes the Bottle-Neck… to the End-Product…
In '96 and '97 I would raise Support questions at Lexicon… I would get return mail by one of their remaining Engineer/Developers asking me how I got it to work on a P-166 mhz. '95 machine… ? using n-Track? Needless to say, It was pretty dis-heartening…
That’s a pretty sad story, actually.
I have no such deep ecperience as you with these things, only the chatter ‘on the air’ about it all. I can only listen for the most experienced voices, and those who seem to make the nost sense.
But considering that what you can do now with the lower-end gear compared with the “good old days” is hilarious, myself wouldn’t sweat that hard over it- I’d just move on to putting together a new chain of components. If I could afford 'em, that is!
Sloom, did you get the bugs ironed out with that EWS88MT that you were having troubles with (quite awhile ago)??
BTW those rings are still sitting in my garage waiting patiently for me to rig those up with your design. Unfortunately, I’m in the same boat as you. My mom just broke her hip and now I have to work with my brother to retro-fit her house so that she can get around, etc. And I have to get my sound gear ready for wedding reception gig in Toronto. “tyranny of the urgent” as always.
Paul