Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

For topics specifically about audio interfaces (USB, MFi, Camera Connection Kit)

Moderators: Corey W, Rim

Post Reply
qbolec
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:02 am

Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by qbolec » Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:19 am

Hi

Great to have possibility to ask about AURIA support interfaces.

I have to buy next interface to use with auria, after thinking about rme ufx (because direct USB recording) – which is currently not supported CC mode, and rme allow max 10 inputs in their products now in CC mode); I think about Presonus 1818 vs Scarlet 18i6.

Both give me 18 inputs (same connectors), but presonus also have more outputs.
So presonus is tempting, but personally I always imagined focusrite products as better quality of audio than presonus.

Question : which will offer better performance (less latency with better stability)?

Second question: I think scarlet from focusrite have better quality of analog dac and mics pre than presonus, but maybe it is myth. Is presonus totally bad in terms of quality (noise etc?)

Sorry if questions are somehow funny, but I have nobody to ask, who can compare both mentioned interfaces, and know them.

Please help to choose.

I need it for project home studio, personally I could choose focusrite, but 18 outs in presonus – if it working good – can be usable. If only difference is better quality of audio in saffire, and higher count of outs in presonus – then I will think more what is more important for me.
But if presonus offers worst latency and stability, then only saffire is option for me now.

Of course I can think about rme ucx also for performance and quality of sound, but then I pay at least twice more money, and have no 18 inputs , but 8 - which is still good ... please help :-)
Thanks for reading!

trupro
Expert
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by trupro » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:27 pm

They are all different applications. You much choose based on budget,
how much quality in the a/d and d/a converters you require, and how many inputs you need.

RME:
You may want to rethink the RME, because this will offer you the highest quality audio conversion of these three. However, firstly, someone else will have to chime in on the performance of the RME, but its main advantage is, it will have the best audio quality of any of the interfaces that work with Auria, in my oppinion. A while ago, they bought the Hammerfall DSP system, which has rivaled Appogee converters since their inception, and now working under another name, RME converters are still amazing for the price. That bieng said, the RMEs main drawback is that for a relatively high pricepoint, you get very few live inputs. If you are using this for 2 mic at a time, plus bass, guitar and 2 synths, all live, you good to go. If you want to track drums tho, you are out of luck with both the RME and the Sapphire.

The RME and the Saffire have adat lightpipe i/o. If you have a breakout system in your studio, such as a mixer or rackmount bank of preamps with lightpipe/adat I/O, that means you've got all the live mic pres you need and all the inputs. My yamaha O1V has 8 ins/outs simultaniously via lightpipte. If I would have bought the RME, i would now have an additonal 8 mic and/or 1/4inch jacks. However i got this for locations recording, so that was not a factor for me. If you are only using this in your fixed studio location, consider the other gear in your rig that would supplement the interface you are going to buy. If you are doing recording offsite, you need as many inputs as you can get including mic pres, that means you will have to buy an external adat lightpipe compatible bank of preamps, or alternatively go with the Presonus.

The Saffire:
etc The Saffire is reported to have very good performance with Auria, and several engineers including Lynn here have maxed it out with iPad4 with no trouble. I am not a fan of Focusrite mic preamps, but they are at least as good as the presonus. Again this also has the adat lightpipe, so you could expand the number of preamps in the future with additional gear.
There are alot of good stories about this piece, however alot of those folks are using the newer ipads so i am not aware of that performance mark myself.

The Presonus:
The most onboard mic preamps. I use this with an iPad 2 and it is okay. The preamps are good but i wish i had a newer iPad to get better performance. I may be using it wrong, but also i did do a 96K session and track a whole drumkit, retracking the drums to a song i important to Auria. I could not do this with the other interfaces, and so this is why i own the Presonus.

Hope this helps, cheers!

ldavis3663
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:04 am

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by ldavis3663 » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:52 pm

Can you record all tracks with the Presonus on the new iPad without using a usb hub?

Rim
Site Admin
Posts: 8476
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 11:08 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by Rim » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:09 pm

Presonus still hasn't released their promised update, so you still need a powered USB hub.

Rim

drock
Expert
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:11 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by drock » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:24 pm

I am using the presonus. I keep 8 XLR mics connected at all times while I track live drums this month in my pseudo home studio. The presonus only has 8 XLR inputs anyways, the rest are quarter inch. I'm recording 8 tracks at a time in 96k on an iPad 4 with no other apps installed, just the default. Space becomes an issue quickly when you're recording like that so I basically just dedicate that iPad to recording only. I have to be the only one up here that's pushing the limits of the iPad but I can say that the iPad 4, Auria and the presonus are working well together.

ldavis3663
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:04 am

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by ldavis3663 » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:03 pm

Sorry...but is that a yes you can record all presonus channels without a hub or no you can't record with a presonus without a hub..guess I'm just getting old.
ld

trupro
Expert
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by trupro » Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:10 pm

drock wrote:I am using the presonus. I keep 8 XLR mics connected at all times while I track live drums this month in my pseudo home studio. The presonus only has 8 XLR inputs anyways, the rest are quarter inch. I'm recording 8 tracks at a time in 96k on an iPad 4 with no other apps installed, just the default. Space becomes an issue quickly when you're recording like that so I basically just dedicate that iPad to recording only. I have to be the only one up here that's pushing the limits of the iPad but I can say that the iPad 4, Auria and the presonus are working well together.

dRock:
this is good news! Not to hijack the OPs thread, but could you tell us if you are able to monitor in realtime while you have all those inputs going? I am able to get about five tracks at 96k, but the latency while monitor the live inputs is unbearable.

Please also tell me what your latency and i/o matrix settings are set to, so that i can duplicate.
Perhaps my iPad2 is just too slow, but i've a feeling that my settings are off and will improve this situation. maybe the fact i dont power my usb/iOS dock connector is detracting from performance as well?

For the OP: i have been using a hub (which is also the dock connector) but do not have to plug it into any power supply, just the hub/dock itself into the iPad.

Rim
Site Admin
Posts: 8476
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 11:08 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by Rim » Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:28 pm

Most audio interfaces need a hub in order to use them with an iPad, including the 1818. It won't work on an iPad without one. Yes, you can record all channels. In fact, this is true with all interfaces. If it says 8 channels, you can record all 8, if it says 18, you can record all 18. The limit is 24.

Rim

qbolec
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:02 am

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by qbolec » Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:25 am

Thank you all for inputs, very valuable for me.
Im waiting for ufx cc mode announcing, I hope NAMM show will bring it.

A little hard decision what to choose (probably I dont know exaclty what setup will be in final).

Thanks alot!
Have a nice day.
qbolec

drock
Expert
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:11 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by drock » Fri Jan 11, 2013 8:29 am

@trupro - All of my settings are default, so 256 for latency. Nothing special there. The input matrix is self explanatory, just 8 inputs. But also, be aware that I turn off 'record monitor' since I'm playing so loudly that I dont need to hear what the mics hear, just the scratch tracks. Granted, thats for drums, so I'm sure it'll change when I record the other instruments. But having 'record monitor' on or off doesnt really change anything, its just a personal preference for me.
I'm also using a 4port D-Link USB hub. And honestly? You'd be surprised on what the iPad 4 can handle. I didnt believe anyone on here until I got one myself :)

But my approach to using Auria and all is I'm using 95% actual instruments (that I play myself) and very little synth. I think alot of others up here are using synth apps and few instruments so they may have different insight on it all.

Hope this helps!

trupro
Expert
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by trupro » Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:49 am

drock wrote:@trupro - All of my settings are default, so 256 for latency. Nothing special there. The input matrix is self explanatory, just 8 inputs. But also, be aware that I turn off 'record monitor' since I'm playing so loudly that I dont need to hear what the mics hear, just the scratch tracks. Granted, thats for drums, so I'm sure it'll change when I record the other instruments. But having 'record monitor' on or off doesnt really change anything, its just a personal preference for me.
I'm also using a 4port D-Link USB hub. And honestly? You'd be surprised on what the iPad 4 can handle. I didnt believe anyone on here until I got one myself :)

But my approach to using Auria and all is I'm using 95% actual instruments (that I play myself) and very little synth. I think alot of others up here are using synth apps and few instruments so they may have different insight on it all.

Hope this helps!
Thanks, yeah that is definately helpful. Its a shame, i think record monitoring is not going to work.
But this is definately better than buying a $3000 mac laptop and having it crash. I did that already and i still havent been able to fix it lol. So i will definately lower the buffer, that seems to create anomolies. Think its nearing the time for an iPad 4 though lol, this iPad 2 is great but i dont think i can handle what you have been doing.

If you get a chance, next time your tracking, open up that monitor and play softly and see if you
get near-zero latency for quality headphone monitoring. Thanks man!

OP: GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY SHOPPING!

drock
Expert
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:11 pm

Re: Presonus 1818 or Saffire 18i6?

Post by drock » Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:25 am

ceshiwuhao wrote:Can you record all tracks with the Presonus on the new iPad without using a usb hub?
No, the 1818 requires a powered usb hub. I use a 4 port D-link, seems to work fine.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 63 guests