[linux-audio-user] Audio interface recommendations

[Jon B]

Recommendations so far:

1. Echo Indigo I/O

Looks good.  Only thing I'm worried about is the converters being
inside the computer.  Is it really well-shielded and flat noise floor?
 I guess if there's some whine but it's *much* lower than a typical
sound card, I could live with that.  They look pretty inexpensive,
regardless.  $180 or so.  Maybe I should just get one and try it.

> They deliver real-time performance at 96kHz, 24 bit
> down to 32 samples.

By "down to 32 samples" are you talking buffer size?  Is this what
JACK calls "frames/period"?

> USB works well, but most people have to really coax it to get it working with
> lower latencies. That may change with USB 2.0 support coming for new cards,
> but I'd hold off for now.

Yeah, that is the experience I had with the Edirol and M-Audio I
tried.  Usable, but I can do better...

I was looking at FireWire devices, but if they aren't supported in
Linux yet, I'll hold off on that, too.

So PCMCIA is definitely capable of low latency, comparable to an
internal sound card?  (Comparable to PCI, I  guess?)

2. Echo Mona/Layla/Gina/Darla/other girl names

Looks good, but a little overkill.  The newer smaller ones would be
great, but don't have the PC card interface.

Layla24 $550

Mona $650?

PC card $200

If the Gina 3G had a PC card (that didn't cost 10 times its
components) and was well-supported, I would get that.  Or something
like M audio's Firewire 410 or Firewire Audiophile.  That is the range
I am looking at.

3. > RME HDSP Multiface - you won't ever look back. Linux support is superb.

Looks good, but overkill.  I can't imagine I would need all those ins
and outs.  Maybe in 5 years I will, but I will also be able to afford
it more easily then.  $650 for the multiface and $300(!) for the PC
card.

I am looking for something in between these in price range.  $300 or
so.  The Indigo would probably be ok, but maybe better than that... 
Is there anything with MIDI, too?  I haven't learned enough about MIDI
interfaces to understand the kind of latency involved, or used it very
much with ALSA, but something that could handle both at low latencies
would be great.  (Or two separate things, but I only have one PCMCIA
slot.)  I have a Midisport 1x1, but it has bad latency in windows, and
I haven't bothered to figure out how to get it working in Linux.

Why do they make things that go up to 96 kHz but with frequency
response cut off at 20?  I don't get it.  I would love to be able to
record ultrasound for like science experiments or for maintaining all
audible frequencies when slowing sounds down.  And audiophiles think
they can hear it.  Sounds like the manufacturers would want to have it
go up to at least 35 or so in their interfaces, but nooo...

Maybe I should just make my own...