MOTU 828

[avmus]

I have an imac and was considering buying the 828. my question is comlicated. here is what i want to do. i would like to record say a
drum track. then play it back and record a second track say guitar while listening to the drum track so i can keep the rhythm. when you monitor back does the sound go through your computer speakers or does it go back through the 828 and out the monitors on that? if i were to monitor through my comp speakers i experience latency. i understand that as you play real time through the 828 you can monitor out through it with zero latency but when you run a playback once a track is recorded on the comp, can you monitor it back through the 828 and if so is there any latency present from the comp? any help?
thanks

[tutu-1]

you have the option to rout playback through any of the 828's outputs (i believe there are 18 in all), and any way you slice it, you can play back and record all with virtually no latency. This is exactly how i use my 828 every day.

I will say, however, that there are some major reasons to look at the 828MKII or the ultralite instead of the original 828. W/ the original, you can only monitor input (that is, signal that you are currently playing) on 2 tracks at a time. So, how does that play out?

Imagine you are recording a demo: 2 guitars, bass, drums, synth, vocals, and back ground vocals. You will have no problem laying down one part at a time while listening to everything else play back, all without latency.

However, let's say the last thing to record is 4 girls, each w/ their own mic, singing back ground vocals. You will only be able to monitor 2 of the 4 voices during recording (only 2 inputs can be monitored at a time) and they will be exclusively in the right and left speakers, respectively.

On the 828MKII, you can monitor all inputs, panned however you want, at whatever level, all the time. This is a HUGE difference between the 2 units.

I don't know if that makes sense, but i thought i'd give you an answer since no one else did.

rje