USB Audio – The Second Wave
Much has been going on. Lately, I’ve been working on ASP.NET but the majority of my free time has been spent on the “Pod Studio”. In December I assembled a new PC for audio and media production. This time I decided to go with the small form factor of a Shuttle. Although the outside may be small, it’s got plenty of horsepower on the inside. Just last week I added a new video card and a second monitor.
Since it’s going to be used for audio production I have installed Sonar X1 Producer by Cakewalk as my digital audio workstation (DAW) software. The mixer might be software but it’s still easier to work with physical faders and transport controls. The Mackie Control Universal Pro would have been the ideal MIDI control surface but budget considerations led me to the Behringer BCF2000. It may not be perfect but it’s tried and true and should get the job done.
Behringer BCF2000
The control surface controls the mix but I also needed an audio interface. For that, I chose the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R. All microphones, guitar, bass, and keyboard audio feed into it. It will also serve as a MIDI instrument source. It feeds the PC via USB. Digital audio from the PC comes back through the USB for monitors. It took me awhile working out issues with crackling and distortion on playback but a new driver for the Fast Track took care of it and now I’m ready to start recording.
M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R