View Full Version : layla 24 vs. motu 828
mojo_pin
11-15-2001, 06:58 PM
Ok this is probably going to be the deciding factor here. I know i've posted alot of inquiries about this but i believe this is it. I just want to make sure i get the best possible interface for my new titanium powerbook. It's either going to be the Echo Layla 24 or the Motu 828. I just need some pros and cons about each and some comparatives. I'd like to know the efficiency of each on a G4. I've heard one place that firewire is faster than the pci buscards. and the firewire is a bit cheaper. I'd like to know which one everyone thinks is better and why. thanks a ton
chris
I own a MOTU828. I like it, but it bottle necks sometimes. The firewire buss is connected directly to the CPU, so processor intensive things like recording through real-time effects produces some lag (even on my PB G4). With PCI cards (in this case PCMCIA cardbus), the interface card handles some of the processing load. Therefore, it would make more sense to go with the PCMCIA. However, I'm not sure of the quality of the Layla24s as I have never worked with them although I have a friend who swears by them. If you are looking at cardbus options, also look into the RME unit.
If you aren't really doing anything super processor intensive, then the MOTU828 should work just fine. It's a pretty solid unit.
... Tacket
Mad Peeps Productions
www.rememberfull.com (http://www.rememberfull.com)
nelsonrichards
11-17-2001, 02:48 PM
chris,
it seems a few weeks ago i was in the same situation. I have DP3 and I never have had a problem with MOTU, but I think layla 24 has the edge. Aside from the cardbus thing, the layla also has WORDCLOCK i/o as well as spdif and adat sync, AND midi in/out/thru. The wordclock itself was the reason i am going with the layla. many more professional features. check it out yourself. www.echoaudio.com (http://www.echoaudio.com)
CactusArm
11-18-2001, 03:22 PM
but, it would sem the Layla has no XLR jacks or phantom power, which matter for some of us who want a portable setup a whole lot... correct me if I'm wrong.
To be honest, if you want a portable setup, you'd be better off buying a dedicated microhphone preamp (and most provide switchable phantom power) as the pre's in the MOTU828 aren't even that hot.
... Tacket
MadPeeps Productions
www.rememberfull.com (http://www.rememberfull.com)
CactusArm
11-19-2001, 05:45 PM
I've read pretty good things about the 828 pre amps lately in recent magazines. Sound On Sound gave it 10/10 which is a pretty high honor... Recording magazine,... a bunch of other this month really are taken by the quality. Maybe it's just a new product they want to hype... Maybe someone could explain to me the advantages of Layla. I'm not too sure what wordclock is... and I surely want midi, but I thought I could buy a seperate midi connection. What DAW programs work well with the Layla 24 if I plan on using a mac laptop G4? I apreciate the help...
Steven
Take magazine reviews with a grain of salt. If they wrote anything bad about the product, they wouldn't be writting reviews anymore. Sad but true. I own a MOTU and I trust my ears over a review any day. The preamps lack depth and are too tinny to my ears. Nothing compared to even my modest PreSonus MP20. But usable, non the less. It just depends on what you need them for. Me, I need clean, transparent pre's for doing classical recordings. If you're recording garage bands or even live shows, the pre's in the 828 should be fine.
Wordclock. Most digital devices you must set to "internal" sync unless you have a dedicated sync. With the 828, you can only use ADAT-sync if you want to slave the 828 to an external clock. Wordclock is much more convient and more widely used. Believe it or not, internal sync sounds much worse than using an external sync device. It's all a matter of upgradability I suppose. You should weigh ease of use in your decision as well. For instance, you can use the 828 with ANY computer that has Firewire. Not true with the Layla (you'd have to either have a Layla PCI card or a PCMCIA card reader to use it with a desktop). MIDI is cheap, so don't worry about that.
Tell me more on what you're going to use this unit with. There's also the issue of the built in A/D converters in both of these units. The 828's are pretty harsh sounding. Something you need to keep in mind when recording and mixing.
Hope this doesn't create too many more questions,
... Tacket
MadPeeps Productions
www.rememberfull.com (http://www.rememberfull.com)
nelsonrichards
12-01-2001, 06:32 AM
my fellow americans...
i have done more research on these two mammoth interfaces. MOTU gets solid reviews everytime, the mic pres are good, not killer, but, hey, for 800...the mic pres switch to instrument level and guitar levels. thats cool too. Plus the integration with DP has to be the smoothest of all. The LAYLA has the wordclock sync (very pro) and MIDI, which saves some of us who have lost the ability to use our MTP AV (serial) in our PB's. True, LAYLA has no mic inputs. Bummer. But like many of you have stated, I could just get a decent mic pre anyway, perhaps a focusrite PENTA, or DBX. The MONA from echo has the MIC inputs, but you lose MIDI, and you are down to 4 inputs. So, each have plusses ans minuses.
ONE ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT THING. The 828 DOES NOT record at 96khz, but does 24 bits. The Layla and Mona both do have that capability. Perhaps MOTU will add that capability later on. Most of us will record at 24bits/44.1khz anyway, but it would be nice if we still had the choice to do 96khz when we desired to. Happy December all...