Jim Roseberry

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.

SSUPD Meshlicious For 12th Gen i9, you can't use anything smaller.

Yes. Closed-loop (no maintenance).

If you're after maximum performance, you can get a mini-ITX case that's ~9.5" x 6.5" x 14" that'll allow cooling for the 12900ks (16 cores, 5.5GHz max turbo). That's the fastest machine you can currently build for running virtual-instruments.

Most newer USB audio/MIDI devices don't have issues with USB3 and USB3.2 (gen2).

Build a Faraday cage? ? I've got a Bogner Helios amp that picks up a small/local radio station. There's a fix, but it affects the tone of the amp.

FWIW, These are the types of noise I've experienced that are directly from a machine. Acoustic "in-the-room" noises - not heard thru speakers: vibration, fan, coil-whine (power-supply) EMI from the machine - picked-up by guitar in close proximity (especially single-coil pickups). Often heard as "digital hash" (noise when moving mouse/etc) In cases of hum, buzz, and other "electrical" type noise heard thru speakers... it's always been a ground issue (or poor-quality/defective cable). In all my years working with DAWs, the machine itself has never been the source of electrical noise. I have seen USB cables cause noises (usually higher-pitch than typical hum/buzz). In these scenarios, swapping out the cable resolves the issue. Ground-loop issues are the single most common source of electrical noise. Powering the entire studio from a single outlet can help... but doesn't always eliminate ground-loops. Using balanced cable throughout certainly helps. If unbalanced cables are used... and there's a ground-loop, you're going to hear it. If the source can be pinned down, sometimes a direct-box (or pair of direct-boxes) can be used to safely lift the ground. Other times, hum-exterminators (Morely, etc) are the only safe solution. Years back, Alesis wall-warts were notorious for inducing hum/buzz into nearby cables. Keeping audio cables routed away from electrical cables and AC adapters helps. This can be difficult (especially with larger setups). Using my office-studio as an example: I've got probably close to 30 electrical items. Everything is powered from a single outlet. I'm using balanced cables for every audio connection. My setup doesn't suffer from any noise/hum/buzz etc. I recently got a Neural DSP Quad Cortex. The Quad Cortex is known to have an ungrounded power-supply. If I connect it to my audio interface with unbalanced cables, I hear an unpleasant buzz/hum. Using balanced cables, the buzz/hum is gone. I've since replaced the original power-supply with a ClOKS DC-7. I know you know all of this, Jack. ? If someone is just getting into a more elaborate gear setup, the more gear involved... the greater the odds for electrical noise.

I've had all three variants. Omicron symptoms (for me) were the least severe. Ironically the only one where I was immediately coughing Original Covid-19 was more like a sinus infection (never got down into my lungs). Delta was similar (sinus wise) to the original... but fatigue was off the charts (almost like having Mono or Epstein-Barr). We've had to cancel a couple shows... but most venues understand. Here's to a speedy recovery. Lots of rest... Forgot to mention, when I first start feeling sick... I always take Zicam (nasal spray and zinc-tabs) If you get it early, it can lessen the severity. Thanks to Steve Simmons for that tip!

Often times, USB 3.2 (gen2) ports are via 3rd-party controllers (not Intel). Many older Audio and MIDI devices have problems with 3rd-party controllers. The positive news is that there's no advantage to connecting to USB 3.2 (no performance benefit).

Sometimes devices like the ISP unit are the only safe option to eliminate (or reduce) noise. I do think it's worth a try to find the source... and stop it there (if possible). I'd strip things down to the very basics. Connect just keyboard, mouse, video to the PC. Disconnect everything from the audio interface. Now, connect a pair of headphones to the audio interface. Do you hear any noise thru the headphones? I'm pretty sure the answer will be "no". If no noise is present in the headphones, the issue isn't the PC or audio interface. Connect one device at a time until the culprit is revealed.

This may not resolve the issue, but it's worth a try. Go into Device Manager: Under the View Menu, enable "Show hidden devices" Go to Sound, video and game controllers and uninstall all MIDI ports. Go to the Action Menu and choose "Scan for hardware changes" (this will reload the MIDI drivers for connected devices). It almost sounds like a power-management issue. Do you have all Hybernate/Sleep options disabled?

I'm certainly not an Apple fan... but I have a M1 Pro (to support VE Pro clients). It's nice for what it is... low power consumption and decent performance. When it comes to running audio or video projects, it's nowhere near performance of the i9-12900ks (5.5Ghz) or R9-5950x. Anyone who claims otherwise is blowing smoke. If you want a quick/easy performance comparison, run Cinebench (both single and multi-core).