my imac does a pretty good job about handling midi information real-time, but when playing a lot of big chords, i get a noticeable delay while using pianoteq. can i buy an audio interface to correct this? and if so, can someone recommend one? i was looking at the apogee 1, but i don't even know if it will make a difference. i used to have an emu 0404usb and had so many problems getting it to work that i just gave up and sold it.
thanks.
I use this one:
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/pr...r-audio-2/
works great with pianoteq, nice sound quality and low latency driver.
There are so many to choose from! Check all the "big names" if you can: I'm using various models from Motu, Focusrite and Tascam and they all do a good job. No big difference in latency.
BTW, MIDI isn't a problem for any PC/Mac: it's a very, very "light" and "slow" protocol. Building a tone from a model in real-time, like Pianoteq does, is another story!
Ehudk, the one you mentioned is, i think, cheaper than the one i was looking at.
If they all give about the same latency, what is the benefit of having one over the other? Some are quite expensive, after all. If i'm basically using it for pianoteq and nothing else, is there any real benefit to getting the expensive ones?
Generally speaking what you pay for is quality analog-digital conversion (and vice-versa) and possibly quality of preamp (if any), and number of I/O channels. Even very cheap interfaces can do low-latency so that is not very good selection critiera. You should make sure you have configured your mac for low-latency also. There is some setup panel for that, though I don't know the details because I'm not a mac user.
now the analog-digital converter: if i have a bad one, pianoteq will sound like a toy piano, and if i have a good one, pianteq will sound more realistic? is that over-simplifying? i never really noticed a difference in the pianoteq sound with the various sound cards i've had.
great experience with fast track pro (M-audio).....
Ehudk, the one you mentioned is, i think, cheaper than the one i was looking at.
If they all give about the same latency, what is the benefit of having one over the other? Some are quite expensive, after all. If i'm basically using it for pianoteq and nothing else, is there any real benefit to getting the expensive ones?
Some of them do have latency problems.
The thing with the trakror audio 2 is that you don't pay for things you don't need. It has only 2 stereo outputs for speakers and headphones and thats it. The DA converters are not bad.
If you want to go higher, the RME babyface is a very good option. For better sound quality, put your money on good high end headphones.
i'll look into those. thanks for the advice.
Any experience with Linux ? I'm looking for a compatible USB audio card with at least 2 or 3 stereo line inputs...
Just get an RME Babyface.
It's not the cheapest option out there but sounds great and has rock-solid drivers with very low latency.
I use with my PC (Win XP) this:
- external USB DAC made by Nuforce, the model is Icon HDP.
it is a very good headphone amplifier, has small dimensions, and it is not a toy (as others I used in the past) and can be used as a multi-purpose external sound card x the PC as an output for a preamp.(via RCA)
It is a very fine and detailed amp for Pianoteq.
I use it with these headphones:
- Sennheiser HD595
- AKG 501
same impedence: 120 ohm
talking about price is stays in the middle, not cheap, but not too expensive. it has indeed first-class components. if you search the reviews are all very positive.