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My intent here is to not deter anyone from the gear in this topic but rather share my own experience.
Let me preface by saying I am PC savvy, maybe more than the average person, configuring PC's and running various technical software is part of my "real job". I'm also one who researches over the net all the time to see what others are doing or "how" they are doing it. I am a technical geeky reader.
I did purchase a USB-144 with Cubase LE in a package a year or so back with the intention of loading it up and using it as an alternative to the 16 track workstation . It was $150 at GC , seemed like a great deal.
Cubase LE, the configuration and setup made no sense to me, I did get the 144 to work and be recognized but never really knew why. Cubase LE operation at first seemed easy and strait forward until it was time to edit, then it was like using an original version of an '80's Word Processor. It made no sense, to me. Maybe others "got it' right away, I didn't.
The Tascam interface, until I started to actually use it for tracking guitars ( recording and monitoring thru the PC ) it seemed fine then all of a sudden a new phrase entered my vocabulary, "USB Chatter" of which these interface's was prone. Not all of them, it appears that some did and others didn't. This USB Chatter is an oscillating feedback that starts and doesn't stop until you shut it down and reset it. It's quite nasty in the cans. It sounds like something you would hear as a sound effect on the "Outer Limits" TV show. I learned about this on the Tascam forums.
Latency, I could never get the latency issue resolved so I stopped using the entire system for easily 6 months. It didn't matter which drivers but I suspected it was my primary PC . Yes, I used the ASIO drivers.
Late last year I decided to try this "PC recording " thing again, this time I purchased a copy of Cakewalk Sonar v7 and set it up an an independent PC, nothing running in the background and no internet connection. I plugged in all the do dads and low and behold Cakewalk found the USB 144 interface and auto configured it. That took all of a few minutes after loading the software from scratch. I started fooling with a stock track which I loaded into Sonar and although I still think it is "goofy" in the editing department, it is functional . The $90 I paid for the software was not a waste of money, I could actually use it !
Ok back to the 144 interface, I had all the appropriate drivers selected ( ASIO) and started tracking guitars and guess what came back, yep, the USB Chatter. It was really strange, I could track for maybe 30 minutes then all of a sudden the latency went to hell and the chatter arrived. I fooled with this on and off for a few weeks before I did some more research. Turns out the the chatter was something that these Tascam interfaces are prone to, some experience it , some do not. Some folks took them back to the store and had them replaced and that fixed it for them, mine was too old a so I was stuck. So now I have Cubase LE and an Interface which I am not going to use...$150 down the drain but I still wanted to use the PC based system for recording. More research and I found that many folks are having great success with a hard card ( PCI Slot ) MAudio interface, so I bought a 2 in , 2 out , with midi and a other stuff , plugged it in , Sonar found it, configured it and I am in business, all the issues went away, latency, chatter, blah blah blah...I still need to add 2 gig of memory to my recording PC but at the end of the day I am fully functional and can track, I have finished a few projects and have even provided a few "over the internet " projects for some clients for real money. ( not a lot) .
I am not sure I can say that Cakewalk Sonar is the answer as some of the editing still appears "goofy" to me but at least it is capable and functional.
I never had any success with the Cubase LE and Tascam USB Interface , I know others have, this is just my experience. Take it or leave it.
Happy Sunday
t
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