I have had my Alesis io26 audio interface for a year or two now, and I've been using it with Sonar 7. However, I think my io26 is dying. A couple months ago, the right channel just completely stopped outputting sound. The meter wouldn't even go up, but it did for the left channel. I fixed this by reinstalling the firmware. I have no idea why this would have occurred.
Furthermore, as of two weeks ago, I have started to have an issue where, while listening to music in Winamp, the music will abruptly stop for one second, then resume where it left off after a little pop in the speakers. I have no clue what is causing this. It will happen at leats once every two minutes. Raising the "system latency compensation" in the io26 preferences seemed to help, but I was just playing Left 4 Dead on my PC and I got the audio dropping out problem again. What confuses me is that this problem started so suddenly (I didn't attach/install any new hardware or anything), and it wont go away. Now, you may argue I shouldn't expect an audio interface to perform perfectly for PC games, but I don't see why it shouldn't. Either way, the issue with the music playback in Winamp is unacceptable.
There's also driver issues with the io26. Half the time when I hit play or record in Sonar, the audio is completely garbled and crackling, and I have done tests and figured out it has nothing to do with the buffer setting in the io26 preferences. Furthermore, this crackling does not occur if you use the June 2007 drivers. Thus, the problem seems to be all the drivers since June of '07. Alesis has not updated the firmware or drivers for the io26 since March of 2008, and this wouldn't be an issue, except that clearly the unit still has issues.
Basically, I am fed up with this shit, so I think it's time to get a new audio interface. However, there's a new decision I need to make. I've been using ProTools a lot at college, so I've actually gotten fairly comfortable with it, and am now considering switching from Sonar to ProTools. There's certain editing features in ProTools that seem easier to me (perhaps just b/c I am ignorant of all of Sonar's features), but there are certain things about Sonar which I really like in comparison to the ProTools experience I've had. Thus, I have a few questions:
In Sonar, when you overdub on top of a track that already has an audio clip on it, you can hear the audio clip that's already there, which is awesome if you're trying to punch something in. In ProTools, it automatically records over the clip you already have there, and you can't hear that clip while you're recording. You have to make a new audio track and record onto that track if you want to hear the previous clip while tracking. Is there some way around this, to make ProTools more like Sonar?
Does ProTools have plugin delay compensation? I know Sonar does, but I am very confused as to whether ProTools does or not. My professors seem to put plugins on tracks, but essentially bypass them, in order to "enable delay compensation." For example, if they use the Trim plugin on a track to raise the volume, they'll put Trim on the other tracks, but leave the settings at default so it's not actually doing anything, but the track is still "delayed" by the same amount of samples since it is processed through the plugin. If this is how you get "delay compensation" in ProTools, it seems Sonar is far more advanced in this area.
If I got ProTools, it would have to be LE. I wish I could get HD, since it doesn't have track limits, etc. However, HD is far too expensive (I'm assuming here. You have to buy at least one of those 192s, and then a pci card with those 10 DSP chips on it, right?). Since I'd be getting LE, the 003+ is the only interface that really makes sense. Anything else would be a downgrade. I need at least 8 preamps, and more would be preferable. How good are the preamps in the 003+? Iirc, the 003+ has one ADAT In port, so I could attach 8 more preamps. That's cool, but still, I feel so limited only being able record 16 preamped inputs at once (ignoring the 2 SPDIF), let alone only 8 of those preamps being able to be my own choice, since the other 8 have to be the built-in 003+ preamps. That's another reason to go HD--it seems I'd have way more flexibility. But it's just too much money for a dude like myself.
On the subject of HD, do you think these native systems are going to go by the wayside? One of my professors seems to think so. He thinks the new 003+ is a huge step in terms of ProTools technology, as it is capable of what was once only possible with an HD2 system. Plus, as he says (and other computer-savvy friends have told me), PCI slots are being phased out in computers. Is ProTools HD going to die in the near future, or will native systems become obsolete?
What are your general thoughts on switching to ProTools? I like the idea of using the "industry standard," but I'm also fully aware that "industry standard" doesn't mean "best." While I have recorded a few bands for money (mostly for the fun of it, of course), I am certainly not at the point in my audio life where clients are coming to me with ProTools sessions they want me to work on, and thus me needing ProTools. So, switching to ProTools would be out of desire, not any sort of necessity.
Excuse my ignorance, but ProTools uses RTAS plugins, rather than VST. So I don't need to buy special plugins for ProTools, I can use at least most of the ones I already have?
I could just get an M-Box so I could run ProTools. Then I could record in Sonar, and edit in ProTools. However, this isn't so appealing to me. It seems needlessly contrived.
Can the 003+ preamps be used only with Protools? Could I use the 003+ as my audio interface with Sonar? If so, that might be the best choice, as I could choose whether to use Sonar or Protools whenever I felt like it. Would I be able to plugin my io26 through firewire as well, along with the 003+, and use those preamps too, or would the syncing be off?
If I don't switch to ProTools, I can get whatever audio interface. I have heard the RME interfaces are basically the top-of-the-line when it comes to audio interfaces, but I definitely want something with more than 4 preamps (the Fireface 800 only has 4 preamps). Any suggestions? I want at least 8 preamps, or some way to easily expand with ADAT.
I appreciate any input you can give me at all. Thanks a lot.
Furthermore, as of two weeks ago, I have started to have an issue where, while listening to music in Winamp, the music will abruptly stop for one second, then resume where it left off after a little pop in the speakers. I have no clue what is causing this. It will happen at leats once every two minutes. Raising the "system latency compensation" in the io26 preferences seemed to help, but I was just playing Left 4 Dead on my PC and I got the audio dropping out problem again. What confuses me is that this problem started so suddenly (I didn't attach/install any new hardware or anything), and it wont go away. Now, you may argue I shouldn't expect an audio interface to perform perfectly for PC games, but I don't see why it shouldn't. Either way, the issue with the music playback in Winamp is unacceptable.
There's also driver issues with the io26. Half the time when I hit play or record in Sonar, the audio is completely garbled and crackling, and I have done tests and figured out it has nothing to do with the buffer setting in the io26 preferences. Furthermore, this crackling does not occur if you use the June 2007 drivers. Thus, the problem seems to be all the drivers since June of '07. Alesis has not updated the firmware or drivers for the io26 since March of 2008, and this wouldn't be an issue, except that clearly the unit still has issues.
Basically, I am fed up with this shit, so I think it's time to get a new audio interface. However, there's a new decision I need to make. I've been using ProTools a lot at college, so I've actually gotten fairly comfortable with it, and am now considering switching from Sonar to ProTools. There's certain editing features in ProTools that seem easier to me (perhaps just b/c I am ignorant of all of Sonar's features), but there are certain things about Sonar which I really like in comparison to the ProTools experience I've had. Thus, I have a few questions:
In Sonar, when you overdub on top of a track that already has an audio clip on it, you can hear the audio clip that's already there, which is awesome if you're trying to punch something in. In ProTools, it automatically records over the clip you already have there, and you can't hear that clip while you're recording. You have to make a new audio track and record onto that track if you want to hear the previous clip while tracking. Is there some way around this, to make ProTools more like Sonar?
Does ProTools have plugin delay compensation? I know Sonar does, but I am very confused as to whether ProTools does or not. My professors seem to put plugins on tracks, but essentially bypass them, in order to "enable delay compensation." For example, if they use the Trim plugin on a track to raise the volume, they'll put Trim on the other tracks, but leave the settings at default so it's not actually doing anything, but the track is still "delayed" by the same amount of samples since it is processed through the plugin. If this is how you get "delay compensation" in ProTools, it seems Sonar is far more advanced in this area.
If I got ProTools, it would have to be LE. I wish I could get HD, since it doesn't have track limits, etc. However, HD is far too expensive (I'm assuming here. You have to buy at least one of those 192s, and then a pci card with those 10 DSP chips on it, right?). Since I'd be getting LE, the 003+ is the only interface that really makes sense. Anything else would be a downgrade. I need at least 8 preamps, and more would be preferable. How good are the preamps in the 003+? Iirc, the 003+ has one ADAT In port, so I could attach 8 more preamps. That's cool, but still, I feel so limited only being able record 16 preamped inputs at once (ignoring the 2 SPDIF), let alone only 8 of those preamps being able to be my own choice, since the other 8 have to be the built-in 003+ preamps. That's another reason to go HD--it seems I'd have way more flexibility. But it's just too much money for a dude like myself.
On the subject of HD, do you think these native systems are going to go by the wayside? One of my professors seems to think so. He thinks the new 003+ is a huge step in terms of ProTools technology, as it is capable of what was once only possible with an HD2 system. Plus, as he says (and other computer-savvy friends have told me), PCI slots are being phased out in computers. Is ProTools HD going to die in the near future, or will native systems become obsolete?
What are your general thoughts on switching to ProTools? I like the idea of using the "industry standard," but I'm also fully aware that "industry standard" doesn't mean "best." While I have recorded a few bands for money (mostly for the fun of it, of course), I am certainly not at the point in my audio life where clients are coming to me with ProTools sessions they want me to work on, and thus me needing ProTools. So, switching to ProTools would be out of desire, not any sort of necessity.
Excuse my ignorance, but ProTools uses RTAS plugins, rather than VST. So I don't need to buy special plugins for ProTools, I can use at least most of the ones I already have?
I could just get an M-Box so I could run ProTools. Then I could record in Sonar, and edit in ProTools. However, this isn't so appealing to me. It seems needlessly contrived.
Can the 003+ preamps be used only with Protools? Could I use the 003+ as my audio interface with Sonar? If so, that might be the best choice, as I could choose whether to use Sonar or Protools whenever I felt like it. Would I be able to plugin my io26 through firewire as well, along with the 003+, and use those preamps too, or would the syncing be off?
If I don't switch to ProTools, I can get whatever audio interface. I have heard the RME interfaces are basically the top-of-the-line when it comes to audio interfaces, but I definitely want something with more than 4 preamps (the Fireface 800 only has 4 preamps). Any suggestions? I want at least 8 preamps, or some way to easily expand with ADAT.
I appreciate any input you can give me at all. Thanks a lot.
I would TOTALLY go for the 2626 over the 003 in a heartbeat, if nothing else cuz digidesign drivers SUCK ASS for WDM stuff (meaning you can't use their interfaces as your sound card for mp3 listening, youtube watching, etc., without tons of bugs and glitches - maybe they solved it on the 003, but I know it's that way on the 002 and MBOX2)
