I have 3 of these daisy chained, so I can record 24 tracks via one Firewire cable. However this is legacy and on Win 7, and it would be a problem to use on my Win 11 machine, so I’m looking for an alternate, so I can also update my Cubase 8.5. Since I have the Roland TD-50x and not recording 8 tracks of live drums, maybe only need 16 inputs if that. Suggestions? I looked at UR816C but seems unavailable in US.
Today’s best tech is Dante or other AVB variants… but if your budget is more like mine, i.e. not infinite, you have a few nice options with recent USB-C (USB 3.2) interfaces.
(Note Thunderbolt is using USB 3 under the hood)
I’m considering this one myself:
You can cascade one or two SP8 to get 16 or 24 inputs
No problems running Firewire under Windows 11 here.
I understand that Firewire isn’t the ‘latest and greatest’ and most ‘popular’ in audio I/O technology these days. Still, it’s a mature and stable technology that just works. I wouldn’t invest in new Firewire-based interfaces, but if the ones you already have still work well and you are on a budget, Firewire I/O cards are easily available and are quite inexpensive too.
Do you have more than one? I have 3 daisy chained and when I searched the forum, I found where posters had problems with sync. One succeeded after changing cards, with 2 but didn’t specify which card, while another asked about 3, but were dead posts where I couldn’t follow up. If I could daisy chain with the right interface that would be could because I’m seeing that all these modern interfaces that boast 16 channels or 24 in/out, actually only have 8 channels recording at once, with either/or imputs and adding S/PDIF to get higher totals, unlike 24 simultaneous channels with 3 FSP.
I was looking at the Evo 16. I didn’t understand how it is 24 ins and outs with only 8 showing that seem either mike or line. Similarly I looked at Allen & Heath CQ-18T Compact 18-Channel Digital Mixer with Touchscreen, but only 8 channels record simultaneously. With the 3 FSP I could have 24 simultaneously.
It seems that Presonus’s Quantum interfaces are the successors to the FSP. I wonder how they compare to the Evo 16.
Sorry, I can’t help you there. I run just a single 8-channel Motu 896Mk3, so I can’t comment on daisy chained issues, except maybe to point out that the Firestudio units themselves are responsible for maintaining signal integrity down the chain. Not much you can do if one of them is malfunctioning.
Maybe it is time for an upgrade, but it’s your call.
Folks are right about Dante; it’s currently the most popular multi-channel interface and it’s way less of a cable hassle than Firewire.
It has 8 analog/XLRs plus 16 digital in/out through SPDIF.
To get 24 XLRs, you need to add two SP8 modules.
The end result is 24 XLRs integrated into a single user interface, with automated gain adjustment etc. And yes you can record all 24 simultaneously.
For half the price of the SP8, you could consider the ADA8200 from Behringer (with manual gain knobs instead).
It’s looking like an Evo 16. ADA8200 is discontinued and I don’t need another no-help situation as with Presonus FSP ‘end-of-line’. Warily, I was also considering the Presonus Quantum till I saw 2 horrible reviews. One sounded like the kinds of problems I was having with FSPs. The other wished it was as reliable as Firewire! I was reading about SPDIF in Wikipedia, and it seems it is mainly for CDs or DVDs, so I’m still wondering what device would input 16 channels. Is that another Evo 16?
Thanks for your suggestions, I ordered the Evo 16, and plan to get an SP8 expansion.
I can still buy the Behringer ADA8200 anywhere, so does not seem discontinued
When I googles Behringer ADA8200 that was the 1st thing I saw so I didn’t look further. I already ordered Evo 16. Since your reply I looked at B&H and that is what it says there too. I suppose if there is still inventory vendors want to sell.
But thanks to you and all for suggestions.
That probably means that particular shop does not selling the Behringer anymore.
I know a lot of shops still selling it.
Certainly unhappy with the EVO16. 1st day I downloaded drivers, updated firmware, had it recgonized in cubase 13, and put 8 audios from midi devices into it. Played a song whose audio was from those devices and could hear nothing in headphone. Hours of trying and nothing. Revisited the problem today, only for cubase to show ‘no device found’ for the EVO15. disappeared from device manager and reinstalling , setup completed and still not there. No help from Steinberg , B&H or Ambient and may have to return if it remains useless over the weekend.
I tried the EVO16 for a short while, it worked just fine in Cubase.
I wanted to sell my YR816C for this one because of the 24 ins and outs, but my main complaint was that the inputlevels only could be adjusted digitasl, so in steps of 1dB, no finetuning with an analog pot as is the case on the UR816C. I use the interface oinly for outboard gear. So returned the EVO and kept the STeinberg.
I googled UR816C. 1st came up on amazon, discontinued. then on Steinberg -no dealers in your country.
After a day, I got an email from Audient this morning, saying to unplug the Evo16 and plugging in again. I said I did that before and it didn’t work and why would it if it’s not even in the device manager. I said that I went to Apps & Features and uninstalled rebooted and reinstalled, and still not in device manager. 2 hours later and no followup. Lousy help typical of the computer age. I predict I won’t have it solved over the weekend and just have to return having wasted 5 days.
After getting help from B&H, it was determined that it should have sound in the headphones, defective, and a common issue and returning.
The URC was not available for a period of time, due to Chipshortage, now you can buy in a lot of shops. Maybe not in every country.
Regarding the EVO16 I received on Wednesday. After video chat help from B&H on Friday, it was determined defective and sent back. Audient replied on Monday, 6 days for another suggestion. I may have made a stupid mistake in having ordered a replacement instead of another interface. When it arrives today, I’ll find out.
I found out that with the replacement EVO16, I couldn’t even get as far as the previous one, with not even the mixers showing playback as I had before. I got B&H for video chat and he said they were having a lot of returns of them, 6 recently and the company wasn’t responding either and recommended returning, so I did. Stuck between 3 FSPs on Win7, Cubase 8, and only the Roland TD-50x in Win 11 , Cubase 13.