macbook, OSX or XP? What DAC?

[david.vondle]

I just got a 2ghz macbook and want to do video scratching on it. I need a DAC and software. Today I got XP running on it and it works without a hitch. So my question is, do I get Max for XP or OSX? In OSX it will have to run under rosetta (translating program for Intel Macs) which will slow it down, so it seems XP may run the fastest. Is this true? It seems weird. What is a good DAC to get? I want one with preamps, but the U46DJ is only for XP. Any insight is much appriciated



Thanks,

Dave

[dlpinkstah]

You're correct in observing that you can use WinXP on your Macbook in the meantime. You could run Maxi-Patch_AO/AV WinXP versions on your new machine, and use the U46DJ as your interface. But I would definitely recommend that you eventually switch to using Max/MSP/Jitter + Ms Pinky in Universal Binary format (Intel-compatible) under OSX. OSX, in my experience, is ten times more stable and reliable than WinXP. UB versions of all Ms Pinky software should be available in the next couple of months.



And even though there are officially no drivers for the U46DJ for OSX, as you'll see in other posts on this forum, you can certainly use the U46DJ under OSX. In fact, because ESI's drivers are so horribly bad, the U46DJ works much better under OSX!!

[david.vondle]

so Max/MSP/Jitter will run better on OSX? It won't have to use Rosetta? Do I need the latest version of Max for this? I was reading on a previous post that the U46DJ is not so good. What's your take on that?



Thanks,

Dave

[david.vondle]

They have tested Max/MSP/Jitter on XP and OSX on a macbook. Turns out it's faster on XP. They will be releasing a public beta for intel macs soon. So that clears up that issue.



What are the differences between getting a U46DJ and a higher priced DAC (MOTU 828)? Will I have latency problems with the U46DJ?



Thanks, Dave

[david.vondle]

after doing some research it seemed like the RME RPM was the way to go, but the macbook doesn't have a PCMCIA slot! Any other reccommendations?

[dlpinkstah]

In spite of all the complaints I have about the U46DJ, I would still recommend it as an entry-level audio converter for Ms Pinky. I have one and still use it regularly under both OSX and WinXP. Its physical construction at least is quite nice. Very solid and compact. And being able to directly connect the turntables is great. And its latency is pretty much undetectable. The big complaint I have is that STUPIDLY there are no input gain controls on channels 3&4. Unfortunately, this makes Ms Pinky's vinyl tracking error metric a bit higher than it should be. But thanks to her amazing Trellis-Coded modulation, Ms Pinky still works under these distorted conditions. ESI keeps promising new improved drivers. I can only hope someday they'll actually deliver what they promise.



For now I would suggest just go with the U46DJ. You can always sell it later when something better comes along.

[david.vondle]

So what is the issue with the gain? Does it need to be higher, lower or just adjustable? I am am electrical engineer and could build an amplifier (and post the results)



Thanks for the advice

-Dave

[dlpinkstah]

The problem is that the gain on channels 3&4 (which is not adjustable) is too high. The signal coming into the software is therefore distorted. Fortunately, with most cartridges, the distortion is not severe enough to cause the vinyl tracking to malfunction. But it's just not ideal.



One simple solution would be to just put a 100kOhm resistor in-line with each of the inputs to channels 3 & 4. A slightly better solution would be to wire in a potentiometer so that the input gain attenuation would be adjustable.