The Steel Guitar Forum

Has anyone used Tascam's US-122 USB Audio/MIDI Interface (here's the ad atMusiciansFriend.com), and if so, what did you think of it? Thoughts, experiences, recommendations, non-recommendations, etc?

I'm interested in getting a pretty basic multi-track set up on my lap-top computer (don't need many tracks), and right now, <u>value</u> is the name of the game. Basically, I just want to turn my lap-top into the digital equivalent of my old Fostex 4-track cassette recorder, nothing more.

I'd also interested hearing any recommendations for other budget-priced USB-interfaces for multi-track recording on my lap-top. Thanks!

Check http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm for a good guide to home studio setups. The "Studio Rigs" section has a listing of recommended gear ranging from basic to professional-quality setups. Great site!

John,
I use the US-122 on my PC and it works for me well for what I need it for - recording instruments and recording old vinyl onto hard-drive.
The only downside for me has been that sicne upgrading from Windows '98 to XP, it sometimes 'misplaces' the US-122's driver upon start-up.
Perhaps that'd be remedied if I got the most current driver, though.

You mentioned using it with laptop - if small size is important, look into the
Echo Indigo
soundcard. It is a very small single-piece unit that slips into the 'PC'slot on the laptop.
A very quiet card, it has an 1/8th" input and 1/8th" output, and, like the US-122, supports ASIO in the event you use midi, where latency may be an issue.
~Russ<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Russ Wever on 20 March 2005 at 12:14 PM.]</p></FONT>

Russ, I looked at the us-122 on the MF website. There are 2 reviews. Both reviews state that it crashes with XP. Looks like you need the XP drivers, if available.

I use two of these, one in my studio with an old Dell laptop for practice with BIAB. The other, I use on my desktop for recording tapes and vinyl records into the computer for restoration. My desktop has XP and the latest drivers and I have never had a crash. Even when I have to restart the computer, the drivers are always there.

My laptop has Win 98 and I have never had a problem with it either. This is a pretty versatile unit if you don't need more than two tracks at once.

------------------
Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Thanks for the feedback. (And thanks for the link to Tweakheadz.com, Martin! That's a great site.)

Hmmm, well, my laptop runs WinXP, so the instability-issue has me kinda concerned, though I would assume that buying one of these new would include up-to-date drivers. Or that the latest drivers would be available at Tascam's website, which would presumably fix any instability problems??? Seeing as how you have up-to-date drivers, Darvin, and haven't had any crashes -- that's a good sign.

Any thoughts on the software included with this unit? (ie - the complimentary versions of Gigastudio & Cubasis) Decent/usable or junk?

I have to admit, the reviews (both here and at Musiciansfriend.com; actually, the MFriend reviews seem to run the gamut more than the ones here, I suppose) that run a rather wide gamut from very good to poor -- that variability has got me kind of concerned. Oh, well, I'll just keep reading up on this one & consider other possibilities, too.

So -- I'm still interested in hearing any other thoughts & ideas. I wonder if any substantially better products can be had, were I to shell out a little more money up front... (ie- $300 or so. Which, I know, probably isn't that much when it comes to getting a home computer multi-track system set up, but again, my needs & goals are <u>basic</u> at best.)

Thanks for the help so far, and any other thoughts you can throw my way. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by John Pelz on 21 March 2005 at 04:54 PM.]</p></FONT>

Here is what Lexicon has to offer.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=41/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/245505/

If you haven't settled on an interface yet, you might want to check out Sound on Sound magazine. Its available on line for something like $12 for 3 months, and that subscription will let you access recent editions of the magazine. This past November or December they did some articles on inexpensive interfaces - I think its about the best magazine that I've seen on computer recording technology.