Jim Roseberry

Whenever I see "wrapper"... I think potential performance/stability issues. Time will tell...

Yeah, I remember Ron saying the same things. My feelings about CLAP mirror yours. I think it'll have to be vastly superior to actually take hold.

I've got a Suhr Modern Select with Pau Ferro fingerboard. It (not I) sounds and plays great. I would describe it exactly as above (right between Rosewood and Maple). If you otherwise like the guitar, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

I realize I'm coming off sounding negative, but "interested" (as in checking it out) isn't the same as supporting/adopting. I remember Noel talking about how most (if not all) features/capabilities of VST3 could have been implemented in VST2. VHS vs BETA: BETA had some benefits... but few cared enough to embrace it over the much more popular VHS format.

I wouldn't make such a claim without first-hand experience. ? I'm always looking to push the limits of low-latency audio performance (that's my job). With that in mind, I'm running both 12900ks and 5050x based DAWs (fastest ultra low latency performance currently available). Antelope Thunderbolt interfaces yield super low round-trip latency. ie: The Orion Studio Synergy Core yields 1ms total roundtrip latency at 96k using a 32-sample ASIO buffer size. At those settings, open up an instance of Helix Native (Line-6 software plugin version of the Helix hardware guitar processor). Load a substantial patch using something like the "Placater" (Friedman BE-100) amp model. Run this quick test in all the major DAW applications: Digital Performer - audio glitches badly Cakewalk - audio is mostly clean Studio One - audio is completely clean Nuendo - audio is completely clean Cubase - audio is completely clean ProTools - audio is completely clean Reaper - audio is completely clean This is a quick/easy way to get substantial load on the CPU... at extremely small buffer sizes. DP is by far the worst performer of the bunch. So much so... I don't even bother installing DP on my machines.

Based on what I'm seeing (from current adopters), those pushing for CLAP are developers pushing the limits of polyphonic parameter modulation. I'm certainly not against it... but that's not the vast majority of developers and end-users. Look at MPE support with hardware instruments. I'm all for it... but many folks use MIDI controllers without channel-aftertouch... let alone polyphonic. What is Avid going to gain by supporting CLAP? Keep in mind they never adopted VST as a plugin standard.

If you're talking low latency audio performance, DP is the worst performing of all the major DAW apps. Some cool features (especially for composers)... but terrible performance.

Terrible name... (What were they thinking?) While I have no doubt about the benefits, it's hard to bump an industry standard plugin format. Bitwig and U-he are the only "major" software/plugin vendors currently onboard. Bigger companies are going to be reluctant to make a change. Unless the entire industry adopts "CLAP" (that just sounds wrong), it's over before it's begun.

Makes my lungs hurt just looking at that guitar. ?

Quantum is a great audio interface. It literally set the bar for ultra low round-trip latency performance. Antelope drivers (with current generation hardware) have been rock-solid. My audio interface also functions as a mixer/patch-bay... so the extra DSP/routing comes in handy. I have keyboards plugged-in, Helix and Quad Cortex guitar processors, etc. Antelope has a way of making certain things more complicated than need be. The name Orion Studio Synergy Core says a lot... ? Once you understand patching/routing, the interfaces really aren't hard to operate. Back on-topic to the 88m: I'd expect those preamps to sound good... for onboard preamps. If you're expecting them to sound like a 1073, Portico-II, or Shelford preamp... you're going to be disappointed. The transformer from those preamps wouldn't fit in the 88m's chassis. Even with 500 series preamps, Neve has mentioned preamp design (by comparison to their full-size counterparts) has compromises to keep size/cost down. Whether that matters... is up to each individual. To my ears, the transformer is a big part of the Neve sound.

I'm not looking to argue, but you do realize that there are vastly MORE machines that don't have a USB-C port, right? Any machine made in the last decade has USB-3 type A. That's why... when you buy a Focusrite Scarlet, it comes with a USB-C to USB-2 type A cable. ? I've got a new MBP here (16" display, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD). The latest series has three Thunderbolt ports (via USB-C), HDMI, and back to dedicated magnetic power-port. You can get a nice "mini-hub" that takes one of the USB-C ports and provides four USB-3 ports. The MBP is here to support VE Pro users (not used for any heavy-lifting as I have both 5950x and 12900ks based workstations).

FWIW, I used a RME UFX+ for a couple years. I used it connected via Thunderbolt. Round-trip latency via Thunderbolt wasn't particularly great (just above 4ms total round-trip latency). Connected via USB-3, round-trip latency was just a tiny bit higher. Presonus Quantum can achieve 1ms total round-trip latency @ 96k using a 32-sample ASIO buffer size. Fireface UFX+ can't come anywhere close to that. The driver won't let you use small ASIO buffer sizes if you're running at higher sample-rates. ie: If you're running at 96k, you can't use a 32-sample ASIO buffer size. If you're wanting a Thunderbolt audio interface that offers round-trip latency on par with the Presonus Quantum... along with onboard DSP for processing/routing, I'd steer you toward the Antelope interfaces. I'm currently running an Orion Studio Synergy Core... which replaced both my RME Fireface UFX+ and Presonus Quantum (it has the best features of both).

Why? USB-C carries more power... but it's still a compromise when you're talking 48v phantom power (for bus-powered audio interfaces). Every audio interface that has a USB-C port (read the manual) is actually a USB-2 device. Thus, there's no performance advantage when connected via USB-C (vs a type-A USB-2 port). Two channels of I/O is nowhere near saturating the bandwidth of USB-2. There's currently no USB-3 audio interface that out-performs the best USB-2 audio interfaces. Ironically, most USB-3 audio interfaces have higher round-trip latency.

FWIW, Every audio interface (that I'm aware of) that has USB-C port... is actually a USB-2 audio interface. The USB-C port is a slight advantage for bus-powered devices (carries more power)... but it would offer no performance advantage. If 88m were a Thunderbolt audio interface, that could allow lower round-trip latency. I'm not a fan of any bus-powered audio interface. There's always a design compromise when dealing with 48v phantom power.

Sad one for sure. The newly released Prophet 10 (and Prophet 5) are outstanding. Dave Smith somewhat recently collaborated with Tom Oberheim to release the Sequential OB6. Shame to see him pass... when there's somewhat of a renaissance with analog synths.

Sounds great! Reminds me of Mark Tremonti singing Frank Sinatra (he sounds amazing doing it - who would have known).

Working with video footage (especially 4k) is a whole lot more demanding than multi-track audio. Realtime video processing (chroma-key, particle effects, etc) can bring even the fastest machine to its knees. A couple years back, I did a one-minute 3D Animation with Cinema 4D (1920 x 1080). It was a scene of a simulated studio control room. With a 9900k, the render took over 24 hours.

I don't play any video games. I spend all day every day working with computers. I like my down-time away from them.

It's not just about running 400 tracks. It's about being able to effectively work at super small ASIO buffer sizes. Some newer audio interfaces (Antelope, Presonus Quantum, etc) allow round-trip latency as low as sub 1ms. ie: Playing thru guitar processing plugins (in realtime) at 1-2ms total round-trip latency are now possible/practical (while running a project). You can't do that with an older/slower machine. May not seem like a big deal, but that makes the playing experience similar to playing thru an Axe-FX, Helix, Quad Cortex, etc. Developers will always find a way to use faster CPUs. Things we take for granted today (Melodyne, etc) weren't possible back in Cakewalk Pro Audio 6.0 days. I could run 48+ tracks back then... but software based reverb/etc was primitive (Cakewalk's reverb was mono). Quality of plugins has increased dramatically. BTW, You don't have to be a world-class chef or food-critic to enjoy a great steak or glass of wine. PRS guitars are wonderful instruments... whether you're a world-class player... or just a hobbyist. There's SE (import), S2 (US with some import hardware), Core (USA), Wood Library, and Private Stock

Hi Steve, You can typically push the 2600k to 4.5GHz. If you're already running it there, you can't push it any further (with rock-solid stability). Clock-speed will certainly help with low-latency audio performance.

There's a reason why we don't offer the 10900k and 10900ks in a rack case. ? I had one of the first Pong games that allowed up to 4 players. Nothing like what the kids have today. (obviously)

Water Cooling can be extremely quiet... IF... you pick the right cooler. The key is getting one with pump noise ~10dB. I've got both 12900ks and 5950x based DAWs. For maximum performance, you can't run either one without water-cooling. (Same is true with the 10980xe) Well... you can... but it'll thermal-throttle under heavy loads (rendering video), which kind of defeats the purpose. ? On YouTube, you'll see some folks running ThreadRipper (280w TDP) with a NH-U14S cooler. It runs... but nowhere near full potential. With 280w TDP, there is no building a "quiet" machine. To add insult to injury, the motherboard chipsets are active cooled (small fan). For these reasons... and poor ultra low latency performance, I won't build ThreadRipper based DAWs for myself or clients. With Ryzen 5k series, AMD finally got their ultra low latency performance together. Ultra low latency performance wise, Intel's 11th Generation 11900k was actually a step backward (vs the 10900k). Ryzen 5950x bests the 10900k and 11900k (both single-core and multi-core performance). The 12900k then leap-frogged the 5950x (both single-core and multi-core performance). The latest 12900ks is basically a 12900k that can clock up to 5.5GHz (vs 5.2GHz for the 12900k). If you're pushing the limits of ultra low latency performance, the 12900ks is currently the best performer. Working at say 1ms total round-trip latency is not something that lends itself to being heavily multi-threaded. Clock-speed is the single most important factor. With the 12900ks, you've got highest clock-speed available... and 16 cores (best of both worlds).

Raptor Lake is supposed to use significantly less voltage. That should drop CPU temps... or allow significant clock-speed increase. One thing about current 16+ core AMD and Intel CPUs: Temp fluctuations can be fairly dramatic (AMD even more so). If you leave stock settings, fans will frequently ramp up/down (lots of noise). You can get a Ryzen 5k system to be quiet... but it involves more extreme tweaking. Lower voltage (lower temps) should help keep noise from escalating (even with higher clock-speed).

For Ryzen 7k, AMD is touting 15% single-thread increase. Intel Alder Lake i9-10900ks (5.5GHz) currently bests the 5950x by roughly that margin. Ryzen 7k is supposed to compete with Intel's (yet to be released) Raptor Lake. Though it's early (with few actual benchmarks), Raptor Lake is supposed to achieve ~10% increase. If all this holds true, Intel will hold a slight performance advantage. The more things change... the more they stay the same ?

Virtually all USB audio interfaces that connect via USB-C port are actually USB-2 devices. There's no performance advantage connecting via USB-C. A USB-C port doesn't mean that a machine has Thunderbolt. If you don't specifically see the lightning-bolt icon next to the port, it's USB-C (USB only). If you see the lightning-bolt icon, the port is Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4.