Focusrite Saffire 6 or M-Audio Fast Track Pro?

[Maxadax]

I'm looking for a USB audio interface with at least 2 ins (XLR or Unbalanced, it really doesn't matter seeing as I have a 12 channel Behringer mixer) and 2 outs and MIDI IN/OUT and is priced at £140 at the most. So far, I have seen the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB and the M-Audio Fast Track Pro. They are the same price and have the same specifications apart from the M-Audio one has 4 inputs whereas the Focusrite has 2, they are also roughly the same size. They are both from good, trustworthy brands too, and they get decent reviews.

http://www.focusrite.com/products/audio ... ire_6_usb/

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackPro.html

Does anyone here have any experience with these interfaces and if so, how do you like them?

[Occupied Error]

iv got the sapphire 6 and iam really happy with it, its got its own asio driver which are preety good so u dnt need to use asio4all, had no issues with it on cubase 5 with windows 7, only thing that put me of was tha fact that its usb 1.1 so it cant acutally send that much data down the cable i think the limits like 15 mbs i havent had any problems with latency so i suppose it dont matter

and its an english company

[chopsui]

I have a fast track pro that I hate if you wanna buy it. Got a focusrite 2i2 to replace it since the converters and preamps are way better, got it for $115. It has one less out than you wanted but you can always buy a $20 midi box if you need the midi.

If I had the money I would get the 14 because it's usb 2.0 but I'm pretty happy with this 2i2 for my purposes.

[Blazer]

I'm glad there was a topic for this, I couldn't decide between the two soundcards in question myself. I've heard that the saffire is the superior card in other forums/around the 'net, but i've used the Fast Track pro myself and it doesn't seem bad.

[Maxadax]

I have a fast track pro that I hate if you wanna buy it. Got a focusrite 2i2 to replace it since the converters and preamps are way better, got it for $115. It has one less out than you wanted but you can always buy a $20 midi box if you need the midi.

If I had the money I would get the 14 because it's usb 2.0 but I'm pretty happy with this 2i2 for my purposes.

Thanks, I wanted MIDI to be in the interface itself because I already have a cheap MIDI cable. The problem is that I have a MacBook and it has only got 2 USB ports, so I want more in a single unit.

[benjam]

Focusrite no contest, had a cheap M-audio interface once had loads of problems. Cant remember having any problems with my focusrite

[chopsui]

Ok, well I have some more input on this topic. The reason I hated the FTP was because I would get random pops and glitches, not because of latency, it would just randomly start glitching out of nowhere for unil I reset it. Ran some tests with DPC latency checker and it was interference from my wireless network adapter. Ran the same tests with the Focusrite and got the same spikes, so in that respect the interfaces are the same.

I got the 2i2 to replace the FTP but it's lack of midi in/out and only having one real output... I use it to DJ with Traktor and you can't use the headphone on the front... some bs I don't want to get technical but it's a 1x2 so outputs, it doesn't have a dedicated 2nd output so I can't monitor in Traktor.

Given that, the converters and preamps are supposedly better, but I spent like 30 mins switching back and forth between the two interfaces and couldn't tell much of a difference. The preamps might be a different story, as well as the converters, I'm sure the audio quality is better, just barely though, I honestly couldnt tell if I was blindfolded.

With these low-end interfaces, I don't think theres much noticable difference unless you get like an Apogee or RME interface. You will definitely notice, but honestly if I can't tell the audio quality difference there's no reason to get the 2i2.

Since I fixed the problem with the FTP that made me get the 2i2 in the first place, I feel like I'm downgrading. I'd have to buy a seperate midi box, as well as a seperate I/O box if I want to be able to A/B between the two outputs... and I'm paying $125 for this downgrade. I'll probably end up returning it and keeping my FTP, since I fixed the issues I was having.

The 2i2 is a better interface but it really should be compared to the Fast Track, The Fast Track Pro does have more features that put it a class above. The converters, preamps, and driver stability is supposedly better, but honestly I couldn't tell the difference at this price point. I'll probably put that $120 toward getting a good set of Monitors, probably the Yamaha HS80

[chopsui]

Honestly all money aside, you can get a single midi hookup cable for $5, unless you got 2 pairs of monitors you don't need a/b, as there's also the headphone jack. I think I'm gonna end up sticking with the 2i2 it's quality is just too damn good. Selling the FTP on ebay if you're interested =P

Also: Those are both usb 1.0 interfaces, should go for at least a usb 2.0, there's way more options than just those 2 brands. Between those 2? Focusrite... although without usb 2.0 I dunno you might be better off with something else... M-box, scarlet 8, do some googling it really depends on what you need. Focusrite usually has the best quality for stuff under $350-$400 tho.

[samurai]

I'm grabbing a 2i2 myself as my cheap old lexicon alpha has started to malfunction.

[Coolschmid]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but the saffire 6 usb I got off of amazon was usb 2.0, says so on the product box, the metal casing of the device itself, and on the connection chord.

It said it was usb 1.1 on amazon for some reason, if people don't believe me i can take pictures.

[samurai]

please take pictures if you can because all the information I can find on it online states it as a USB 1.1 device.

[Coolschmid]

Alright, im out of my house for about a week but when I get back i'll bump this thread with the pics.

Edit: I probably threw out the product box by now but I know it says it on the device.