by JustynR » Sat Sep 29, 2012 3:29 am
From personal experience and the experience of a few other peers...
STAY AWAY from MOTU!!!
I (and peers at other companies) have had that MOTU unit on a few shows and it caused nothing but problems... HOURS to get working and to get PB to see it. Then it would crash nearly every hour on the hour (the MOTU unit would crash - in a live show environment or not)
This is using a Server with standard Coolux hardware - AND 3rd party hardware on Players. Just crashy!
I have recently purchased an amazing RME Fireface UFX - it only has 2 XLR outputs & the rest are balanced 1/4" - so you only need to adapt and not use a DI.
It is expensive yes, BUT it took about 3 minutes to setup - from plugging it in to installing the drivers to having audio coming out of the back end of it - literally 3 minutes... ok maybe 4...
I have had this unit on several shows with the same computers that I was using with the MOTU (which have since been ghosted and had all remnants of MOTU obliterated) and I have not had any stability issues with it at all - it works every time!
The MOTU requires that you install a whole bunch of FX programs and recording programs that you'll probably never use - and it has a lot of those features that could potentially mess up audio coming out of your system. (do we really need the option to put a delay or reverb on a subwoofer channel through the ASIO interface?) Extra options that just make it unstable and cluttered in a live show situation
The RME unit only installs a small GUI to control channels on the unit - most of things you can control on the front display but is much more convenient and faster on the GUI.
Stability is key for me so we made the sacrifice and spent the extra cash, but I haven't had a problem since.
I have it on a standalone 7.1 surround sound show that is happening as we speak.. and I'm comfortable being at home while it is running... not so with the MOTU...
This is just my experience and my opinion though,
I hope it helps,
J
Justyn Roy
Toronto Ontario Canada