VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Leslie Humble

First, my apologies for being so long between posts.I got sidetracked by going back into Radio 1 year as a News Anchor and another year as a DJ. I think I finally have that pitiful profession out of my system. And it only took 30 years.

And so I come, hat in hand, to ask the advice of the technically brilliant that abound on this site. I'm setting up a second work station besides my booth. I have a laptop without a Firewire port and need to join it with to my ECHO Firewire2. My problem is further complicated in that my HP Probook 4540s core i5 does not have an Expresscard slot to use with a Firewire adapter. And even further complicated by the fact that the ECHO doesn't seem to play well unless the chipset is from Texas Instruments. So I may be limited there too.

Can anyone advise me on whether a USB 3 to Firewire adapter is likely to work?
Or suggest another solution on getting Firwire into the laptop from the ECHO Firewire 2? If any group has the solution I know it would be someone here. And if there is NO solution ...well then reccommend a reasonably priced substitute for the Audiofire that has no preamps or they are easily bypassed so nothing will color my Avalon M5.
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georgethetech · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 11:40 pm Post subject:

Boy, that's a tough thing to find: A/D conversion into USB with no pre-amp coloration. Most find my answers to this question either too low end or too high end: Behringer UCA202 or Audient iD22. Haven't found anything in the middle yet that fills the bill.

Right smack in the middle, I just found this device:
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-66437-hrt-linestreamer43-ad-converter.aspx
Surely has only unbalanced I/O on RCA jacks, but not really an issue for the needs of connecting direct to a pre-amp with the right cables.

This looks interesting, too (out of production):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aardvark-Direct-Mix-USB3-Digital-Audio-Mic-Headphone-Line-USB-ADC-I-O-Box-Win-7-/281304283343?pt=US_Sound_Card_External&hash=item417f0ab8cf

And this is drop-dead sexy for $400 (although I now read it can't bypass the preamps):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1038076-REG/tascam_uh_7000_high_resolution_usb.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA0O2lBRDOrPX4oJP3t2oSJACjpaHAfzftWI5XXCw4XwO-66cPsGJgE4nUWbFTdycPthMQ3RoCG7Pw_wcB
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

Leslie Humble · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:34 am Post subject:

George I was certainly wanting to hear from you. Thanks for some options to look at. I suspected after my own research it might not be doable to connect the laptop I have with the ECHO Firewire. That is what you're telling me right?
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There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

heyguido · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:41 am Post subject:

The problem with usb to firewire conversion is that data speeds default to less than optimum.

Time to join the future and shop for a USB 2.0 interface.... Or take a look at RME's new USB 3.0 interface.... It's a little pricey, but it's also the first to market. Others will follow, at more reasonable prices, but probably not til next year.

Good luck. Inoccent

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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

Leslie Humble · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:36 am Post subject:

Thanks Don. I have been using a RME BabyFace in my booth for sometime with the 416 and Avalon M5 and in wanting to set up a second workstation was going to use the Firewire 2 I had in the closet. When it worked right I loved it but its been a tricky and balky converter. I guess I also liked it because it had no preamps to bypass. . I agree with the thought that USB is less trouble. Love you guys and the way you know equipment. I just pulled the trigger on a cheap Lexicon Alpha like Beau Weaver uses for my second workstation.
_________________
There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

heyguido · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:14 am Post subject:

Yup. Good enough is good enough. Wink

_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

georgethetech · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:13 pm Post subject:

The Alpha was one I didn't list because people whine about it having preamps and being too cheap... but Beau Weaver. And Chris Fries. And Jason Hildebrandt. And Rick Wasserman. And 'fill in the blank' Promo voice actors use it.
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

vkuehn · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 1:46 pm Post subject:

Leslie Humble · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:41 pm Post subject:

I had thought that using the instument or line in instead of the mic in on most converter/pre combinations would bypass the preamps. So thanks for bringing that up. True or false?
_________________
There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

You might check out the Focusrite Forte as an interface.
us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/forte

georgethetech · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 4:25 pm Post subject:

Leslie: Pay no attention to the guts of the gear, the topology, the signal path, all that crap. If it sounds good, it is good. If not, spend more.
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

Leslie Humble · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 7:58 am Post subject:

I like your Mantra George. If it sounds good, it is good. Is it your personal opinion the high end converters are overkill for VO?
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There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

Leslie Humble · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:05 am Post subject:

And Eddie the Focusrite Forte was and still is on my list if I detect any signal degradation with the little Alpha. I thought it was worth a try at just $50 and free shipping at Sweetwater. And of course theres the lengthy list of top level VO actors that use it. When I get it in a few days I'll let you guys know. I fully expect to sound just like Beau Weaver when it arrives.
_________________
There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

The ONLY issue I have with the Forte is that if your computer is set to go into sleep mode after a certain length of inactivity, when you log it back on, about half the time the Forte has to be re-booted (unplugged and plugged back in)
to get it working again. A minor inconvenience but just FYI.

EDIT: I just found a software update for the Forte on the website. We'll see if it fixes that small bug.

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

okay so far since installing the software update (2014) for Forte the little bug that I mentioned has not been a problem