[LAU] CPUs for low latency

[Len Ovens]

On Sun, 20 Dec 2015, Brent Busby wrote:

> Yeah, I've noticed that.  If you look at this list just a few years ago,
> USB was considered "avoid like the bubonic plague."  The best option was
> PCI(E), from RME if you could, with M-Audio Delta-1010 as a nice second.
...
> Now, we're all singing the praises of USB.  Could that be because there
> are no longer a lot of PCI or firewire interfaces being made?  Seems
> like sour grapes logic -- "I can't get those nice PCI/firewire
> interfaces anymore, so maybe they weren't so nice after all..."

The AudioScience ASI5640 (8i/o) Lists pretty close to the original 
delta1010 (not LT) maybe less with inflation. Comes with Linux drivers, 
controller and API if you want something different. But it doesn't compete 
with things like the 1818vsl with no MIDI and only 8 i/o at Line level. It 
does have lots of neat wizz bang stuff if you are doing audio mixing on 
the card... think playlist automation in a radio station (what it's 
designed for).

In early computer audio days, the cost of a computer (desktop not ever 
laptop) was $2k ish (that could do much with audio) 300meg drives were 
some hundreds of dollars and you would need two to track very much. Most 
of the people getting into it already had at least an 8 track 1/4in open 
reel machine and (more importantly) a mixer with mic pres. They had 
already, even as a hobbiest, spent probably $5k minimum just to record on 
tape (and tape was $30 a reel too). The computer would have started as a 
sequencer that was more versatile than the QX7 (for example) because it 
could take one track and give 16 sounds at the same time (or 64 with the 
401). So it was a limited entry deal.

It was some time after that with gigabyte plus hard drives for less than 
$200 and faster computers for less than $1000 that it was possible for 
people to get into the game with an internal card (AudioPCI, Soundblaster 
or knock-off) and a game port. That let a lot more people in. Todays PCs 
are way cheaper and the laptop is pretty much as capable as the desktop. 
There are a lot more people doing music with computers and a great 
percentage are using entrylevel stuff.

Laptop, now means USB is the only expansion game in town... The 
manufactures have worked hard to make it so. Even many desktops are hard 
to expand... and besides that, many fewer people (percentage wise) are 
willing to take two screws out of the cover to actually change something 
inside. For less than $500 one can have the computer and USB mic and make 
music. Manufactures do not want to make two kinds of audio boxes if they 
can make one... the USB box works everywhere. Raise latency a bit and it 
just works (even in windows). Raise the latency a bit because USB requires 
it, because we don't want complaints from the owner of the "super 
computer" buyer who has a very fast machine with 32 cores and 64GB ram and 
poor latency. So really, the USB IF fits in with everything else pretty 
good. (It is the best compromise for the market)

Has anyone noticed that mother boards still have a printer and two (or 
four) serial headers?


--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net