Behringer Podcastudio USB

[Jim Ayson]

Any opinions of this product? It's either this or something from m-Audio like Fasttrack USB or Podcast factory.



http://www.music123.com/Behringer-Podcastudio-USB-631003-i1176041.Music123

[xjepoyx]

better get a firewire interface boss jim

[killswitch]

better get a firewire interface boss jim

yeah, like the alesis firewire interface, i'd go for them instead of the usb behringers

[Jecster25]

Hey Jim, Just let me know if your interested witht the Podcast factory or a frirewire. Ill hook you up with a good deal. Just call Bel and let me know. Jerico F.

[Jim Ayson]

Alas too late for m-audio! I got the Behringer podcastudio (USB)... Comes with a real (albeit tiny) mixer and a USB interface. Managed to get it working with Audacity but am experiencing some latency issues. I can't monitor a recording from the computer in real time, to do this, I need to monitor from the mixer.  Is this is a hardware or software issue? Or the ASIO2KS driver? Quite vexing.

Maybe I shoulda got the Samson USB condenser mic.

[xjepoyx]

Managed to get it working with Audacity but am experiencing some latency issues. I can't monitor a recording from the computer in real time, to do this, I need to monitor from the mixer.  Is this is a hardware or software issue? Or the ASIO2KS driver? Quite vexing.

With a USB or firewire Mixer... Monitoring is really connected to the mixer itself because the mixer will serves as your audio interface not the onboard sound card anymore.

heres how my old firewire mixer setup looks like:






Re: Latency...Behringer still uses usb 1.1 thats why there are some latency issues... but with some tweaks on your PC and with Audacity i think you can get away with atleast 10ms

[KitC]

Alas too late for m-audio! I got the Behringer podcastudio (USB)... Comes with a real (albeit tiny) mixer and a USB interface. Managed to get it working with Audacity but am experiencing some latency issues. I can't monitor a recording from the computer in real time, to do this, I need to monitor from the mixer.  Is this is a hardware or software issue? Or the ASIO2KS driver? Quite vexing.

Maybe I shoulda got the Samson USB condenser mic.

If you have a mic already, forget the Samson for now. Use the mixer to monitor with instead of thru the laptop, you will always have latency issues when monitoring thru software. FYI, the best soundcard interfaces for laptops are either PCMCIA based, or the newer firewire interfaces. Mind you that firewire is not exempt from latency, but the interfaces that offer hardware monitoring are the ones to watch out for (although usually pricey).

[skin]

Managed to get it working with Audacity but am experiencing some latency issues. I can't monitor a recording from the computer in real time, to do this, I need to monitor from the mixer.  Is this is a hardware or software issue? Or the ASIO2KS driver? Quite vexing.

With a USB or firewire Mixer... Monitoring is really connected to the mixer itself because the mixer will serves as your audio interface not the onboard sound card anymore.

heres how my old firewire mixer setup looks like:






Re: Latency...Behringer still uses usb 1.1 thats why there are some latency issues... but with some tweaks on your PC and with Audacity i think you can get away with atleast 10ms

i don't think usb 1.1 is the issue with latency...i have a tascam us-428 and i don't have issues with latency...

[KitC]

i don't think usb 1.1 is the issue with latency...i have a tascam us-428 and i don't have issues with latency...

Of course you don't. The US428 features direct input monitoring freeing you from the shackles of monitoring through software, which some inexpensive interfaces unfortunately force you to do. I agree that it's possible other factors may be at work thereby causing Jim's latency issues, but he did specifically mention monitoring through his laptop which is practically software monitoring, hence the latency. The solution is to usually monitor from the hardware while periodically checking the software's meters for possible input distortion; as long as the meters are not always in the red, a momentary OL indication is sometimes inaudible.

[skin]

yup with audio recording but most of the time i use soft synths at okay naman lahat...

[KitC]

yup with audio recording but most of the time i use soft synths at okay naman lahat...

Softsynths are only concerned with output latency, hence only 1/2 (approx.) of the total system latency. Not usually a problem at values below 10 ms, but when combined with input latency, that's when it becomes disconcerting, especially when recording vocals. It's usually a combination of hardware and driver efficiency, plus DAW software that determines what extent your system will experience latency.

With USB devices, the issue often becomes data bandwidth. Most usb 1.1 devices experience a difficulty when routing more than 4 individual channels combined, input and output, that's why it's usually advisable to limit USB 1.1 to merely stereo in and out simultaneously. Even the US428 is pushing the boundaries a bit at 4 in and 2 out simultaneously, which they artificially limit - 2-in/2-out - with the included DAW software (Cubasis LE?). On the other side of the coin, the US428 does sound good, in line with their other usb interfaces and the added controller capability and midi I/O are an added plus.

[skin]

ah no wonder you won't see soundcards with more than 4 inputs for usb 1.1...

[Jim Ayson]

If you have a mic already, forget the Samson for now. Use the mixer to monitor with instead of thru the laptop, you will always have latency issues when monitoring thru software. FYI, the best soundcard interfaces for laptops are either PCMCIA based, or the newer firewire interfaces. Mind you that firewire is not exempt from latency, but the interfaces that offer hardware monitoring are the ones to watch out for (although usually pricey).

Thanks - right now my only digital recording application is podcasting, so it looks like it does the job as an all-in-one bundle. I also have a Sennheiser mic and I think there is a SM58 lying around here somewhere. If I decide to go back into MIDI and need an interface that handles both audio and MIDI that might be the time to get a more capable interface. Right now I've got my hands full learning the editing software packages.

I'm still thinking of the Samson as an all-in-one solution for remote recording, primarily interviews, but if it sounds good enough, why not gigs as well. Just laptop and USB-mic, no other hardware. Chette has a Fujitsu notebook that looks like  a fairly large PDA, that would be even more portable.

By the way great work on the BAMF interview! There should be a follow up with less talking and more Scalarized demos. 

[KitC]

By the way great work on the BAMF interview! There should be a follow up with less talking and more Scalarized demos. 

We'll get to work on it. 

[BAMF]

Ahhh yes. We wanted to do that since February of this year.

Here comes the kick-in-the-butt, get-off-your-lazy-ass impetus to do this chore

[Jim Ayson]

Well Jobet now that the recording setup's all done, just schedule it and I can do the interview and coax them sounds out.

[BAMF]

The interview, we can do it at where your setup's at. But I guess for the soundclips, we might have to do it at the PIMP studio as well. It might entail miking a voiceless, characterless guitar amp (my Yamaha J25), or using a DI box.