Audio Interface, Cubase SE and SX

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

> Firstly I am looking for a decent multi-channel analogue audio interface to
> use with a laptop so I guell the best solution will be firewire based. I
> have been looking at the MOTU 896HD at about £700. Is this a good system?
> Is there something cheaper that you would recomend with 8 analogue mic
> inputs (with phantom power) and that works well with Cubase.

As far as features go, the MOTU units are great. They do support ASIO
and thus Cubase is quite happy with them. My only complaint is the
Windows drivers seem to be sub par. The OS-X drivers seem solid though
in my rather limited experience.

All in all they make good stuff, though if you are a Windows guy I'd
consider something from M-Audio or Echo first. I've used both and their
drivers are quite solid in Windows 2000/XP.

> Secondly, there seems to be several versions of Cubase - e.g. SE and SX at 3
> times the price. What are the main additional featured of SX that make it
> worth the additional cost?

Ummmm I'm not really sure. I think it may mainly be the removal of some
limits. SE only supports 48 audio tracks, for example.

> Thirdly, is Cubase the best product set for recording or is there other
> packages that might be better?

Kinda depends on what you like. I personally like Cubase a whole lot.
Another option is Sonar from Cakewalk. It's fairly popular, though I've
had problems with it. Windows only. Another good (in some ways) Windows
only solution is Sony Vegas. It's actually a video program, as well as
audio. However it's extremely intutitve and has very fast plugins.
Quality is a little lacking though, and it's not all that advanced. I
know lots of Mac people love Digital Performer, that's MOTU's software.
It also, of course, loves MOTU cards. Never played much with it myself,
but seems powerful.