Recomended Hardware

Installation & Configuration Linux
#1

HI All,

I recently installed Ubuntu Studio on an icore7 desktop with 4GB Ram, two terrabyte hard drives, two nvidia gpus and three monitors.

I’ve been playing with jack, ardour, hydrogen, rakarrack, virtual key board, qsynth etc… and have been able to get things working with relatively low latencies using the mobo’s onboard sound.

In terms of audio hardware, I’ve got soundcard onboard the mobo and a pair of akg headphones.

I’d like to purchase enough hardware to enable some decent songwriting and demo production. In terms of soundcard and/or external box I’m looking for a couple of hi-z inputs, a couple of mic inputs, phenomenal a/d d/a conversion and full support for the hardware in linux – any other ins/outs would come in handy but aren’t required a straight digital out and midi would be great. There are a hundred products out there… I’m looking for recomendations.

Regards,

Nick

#2

Sound Devices Usbpre2…

…has everything you want except the hi-Z ins. I sort of think of that as the “Duet for linux”.

#3

FYI I’ve posted this sort of general question on the Ardour forum only because I intend to use Ardour as the center piece of the DAW and would like recomendations for hardware that best suit Ardour.

#4

@n_torenvliet: http://ardour.org/realfaq#audioio

#5

@paul : That’s what I was looking for… thanks Paul

#6

Paul: what do you think about updating that page to include the Usbpre 2 as a recommended interface? By all accounts it’s a high-quality device with good pres and conversion. The soundpure guys rated it as having more detail and clarity than a Duet, which is interesting – it’s certainly not a “nasty little usb thing”.

#7

Wow, for that price you could get into an RME interface!

#8

@mcgruff “more detail and clarity” … oh dear, i smell a non-blind test. but yeah, if it works well with ALSA, i can add it to the list.

#9

Well to be honest I would generally rate SoundDevices stuff as VERY good quality, and yes I would compare it to RME in much the same way that I would compare Apogee and RME. The USBPre is on my “To Get” list sometime myself and I may be able to do side by side comparisons, but that won’t happen for some time as other things preclude it, and likely it won’t happen till I get a new laptop.

 Seablade
#10

I’m thinking about getting a USBpre2 as well as I’m pretty much a Mac person, but I like some Linux audio apps still. Since Apogee and RME don’t work with Linux in the USB world, the USBPre2 seems like the very best.

On top of that, it’s made in the USA, works with the iPad, sounds great (according to most random people on the internet)…

So no Hi-Z inputs, but otherwise great.

I think it deserves to be in the recommended hardware list.

(just a bump post)