[LAU] Successor/replacement for RME HDSP+Multiface?

[Len Ovens]

On Fri, 29 Aug 2014, Kaza Kore wrote:

> Anyway it's probably more important to talk about the standardised DV25 and DV50
> protocol all these commercial/prosumer products use for communication that
> tape/card formats. There are some Sony and Panasonic camera that do this fine
> over USB so it's not impossible or a problem with USB itself. I see yours (and
> apparently many others) claim to have some kind of USB Streaming but for some
> reason it's not usually full quality, as you would get from Firewire. Wonder
> why...

Intel says that nobody really needs that low of a latency anyway in 
response some sound cards problems with one of their implementations of 
USB3. (the problem was USB2 cards with USB3 ports which are supposed to be 
compatable)

In recording latency is not the issue it is with live work. For recording 
latency needs to known and constant and reasonably low for monitoring. I 
have heard/read people who say what does it matter if you move your head a 
foot or two closer or father from the speaker? But in live work if the 
same audio comes from different places it is called a filter.

Looking at some of the computers around and their latency spec, there is 
no reason they should not be able to be used as a live mix engine for FOH 
except the audio IF is too slow. Often this is because the IF includes an 
internal router/mixer/effects section which I find useless anyway.

Looked at from a different POV, the cost of a digital mixer makes it an 
atractive audio interface. For ~$2k you can have:
 	- 22 digital i/o (USB as happens)
 	- 16 mic/line preamps
 	- a 16 motor fader DAW control (can be MCP)
 	- 16 digital channel strips with complete eq+
 	- low enough internal latency for live work
 	- can be used as an on site live digital recorder (18 tracks)
 	- 32 track/channel available (for more money)
( http://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/qu-16/ )

That looks very attractive for a small working studio. For specialty mics 
I would still use a dedicated pre if I could. The presence of eq and other 
effects in this box should not preclude the use of other plugins in the 
DAW as these are live related (make an sm58 sound good) and there may be 
better plugins available in some cases.

I am sure there are other digital live mixers around with similar 
features.

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net