usb audio devices

[zeeky deek]

easy guys, as a few of u know, i'm jus getting into production and have jus acquired meself a apple laptop, now wat i was wondering is if people reckon i should get some kind of USB sound device, will it give me better quality? if so which one should i look at?

bare in mind, i jus bought this laptop so money is kinda tight...

 

[Affliction]

does your laptop have a firewire port aswell??? if so that'll certainly open up many more options for you...

 

[rmt]

if its a new powerbook / ibook it most def will have 8pin..

 

[zeeky deek]

yer it does but will buyin a USB device make my music sound better?

 

[Affliction]

yer it does but will buyin a USB device make my music sound better?

The quick answer.... no, a USB device will not make your music sound better.

What a USB device will do:

Provide you with multiple inputs and/or outputs
Provide you with high performance audio drivers such as ASIO, GSIF etc etc
Provide you with low latency for real time synth control
Give you better recording performance.... SNR, Dynamic Rage, Frequency Response etc

All of the above depend on the specific device.
It's also worth mentioning a USB audio device doesnt do anything that a PCI or firewire device couldnt also do, the sole advantage of USB is it's portability (which is why it's great for laptops)

A Couple of examples:

Edirol UA-20
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 USB
Novation SpeedIO