In theory I agree. I feel that the Unix philosophy applies in the analogue world as well as it does in digital. However, there are three reasons I chose to think Ensemble: * An Apogee Rosetta eight-channel ADA converter costs $2500, an Apogee stereo Mic Pre-Amp costs $2000, and the FireWire extension for the D/A converters costs $500 (roughly the same as something PCMCIA that supports S/PDIF). I can get an Apogee Ensemble in Switzerland for $2000, that's $4000 in savings. * I intend to use the same gear in my studio as live on stage. There is some advantage to carrying two small boxes only, notebook and breakout box. (I can't wait to proudly display my giant penguin while working the ladies' minds) * Since as an independant producer I need so many different skills already to get my music heard (Sound synthing, sequencing, composing, performing, singing, recording, equalizing, compressing, echoing, limiting, encoding, web design, content management, internet marketing, merchandising design) I decided it would be nice to save me the learning of some expertise and "let the technology be smart" as far the analogue signal chain goes. Of course, this approach might or might not work, as it is simply what looks most promising given what I know right now, which is a lot compared to last year, and very little compared to all the knowledge in the universe. Carlo Paul Davis schrieb: > On Fri, 2006-06-23 at 20:53 +0200, Carlo Capocasa wrote: >> Finally, for the ultra high end (my dream card), there is the Apogee >> Ensemble FireWire that offers the famous Apogee D/A converters and four >> Apogee Pre-Amps. This is my dream card. (19") It is untested with linux. > > personally, i think that combining converters with the computer audio > interface is silly in general, and ridiculous at the "high end". > > you can buy an apogee standalone converter and connect it to any > computer audio interface via ADAT, S/PDIF or other protocols. then, when > you have to sell the apogee to pay for your next house or apartment, you > can replace it with a cheap fostex unit, and keep your audio computer > alive and functioning. > > >
