[jon l. dawson]

Is it suitable for pro recording? Does anyone know where I can find detailed specifications for it?

[swichd]

Here
Creative SoundBlaster Live! is good too. Never used the Mac version, but the PC version is awesome! The MIDI sounds real and I think it could be used for pro.

[Leonard]

Soundblaster for the Mac is not supported in MacOS X. If you're going to get a soundcard for a Mac, get an M-audio ( http://www.m-audio.com ) sound card, even their consumer card, the revolution, is nice http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=...a955aa6ae2db1c

I'm not sure if they have cards for the G5, though.

Of course the first question is, will the G5's audio do for you, which someone else may be able to let you know.

[tooki]

Is the built-in audio adequate? Well, define "pro." No real professional would use it -- they'd never use ANY built-in audio. The reason is that the onboard audio isn't shielded against interference or crosstalk from other components in the computer, which means that activity in the computer can actually be picked up.

A SoundBlaster card is a far cry from a real Pro Audio card, it's a long-discontinued product that never worked right (because Creative never wrote adequate drivers for it), and doesn't solve the problem above.

Realistically, I'd go with something like a FireWire audio interface. Taking the audio outside the Mac's housing reduces interference and crosstalk, giving you cleaner sound. A musician friend of mine has an M-Audio 'FireWire Audiophile" interface, which works and sounds awesome.

tooki

[jon l. dawson]

I thought there may have been a chance that Apple put something really nice in this pro machine. As it turns out, no. The only real option would be to get a preamp with digital output, and that would cost more than getting an audio interface with a built-in preamp (like the M-Audio Firewire 410). So that's what I am going to do. The only drawback is the noise over firewire problem that my G5 has. You really have to turn it up to hear it, though. I had to put my speakers to full volume for Apple to hear it over the phone. Still, I hope it's not too annoying.

Funny thing is that when I first started recording music, maybe like six to seven years ago, I was happy with my $40 sound card. I didn't even have "full duplex" at first- I'd record vocals with a metronome and put them into the music. You make do with what you have. Not that I want to go back to that...

I had to sell a lot of my music gear earlier this year and I'm only now in a position where I can re-buy some of it. I'm trying to be real careful with what I spend.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by jon l. dawson:
The only drawback is the noise over firewire problem that my G5 has.

Apple is aware of this problem.

It is due to interference from the power supply.

Apple will replace your power supply under warranty. (A pro audio friend of mine is currently on his third power supply. )

-s*

[jon l. dawson]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Apple is aware of this problem.

It is due to interference from the power supply.

Apple will replace your power supply under warranty. (A pro audio friend of mine is currently on his third power supply. )

-s*

Ummm, so, what you're saying is that they'll replace the power supply, which may or may not reduce or remove the interference.

I know some who've had positive experiences in removing the noise which emanates directly from the system itself, but I was unclear on whether or not it did anything for the noise over firewire.

PS: You won't believe this. When I dealt with Applecare regarding this very issue, I was able to play for them over the phone the noise that came from my Firewire audio interface. Even though he was able to identify all of the characteristics that they're supposed to be looking for, such as a steady intermittent beeping and something I can only describe as "electrical noise", they had the nerve to say that because it was a third-party "unsupported" product, they'd be unable to provide service and I should call the manufacturer. However, because I told them that I heard similar noises coming directly from the system, they agreed to replace the power supply if I took it to a service center. Which I've finally decided to do...

[Spheric Harlot]

best of luck.

[booboo]

I don't really understand why this thread was moved because it is more significantly about Apple hardware than just the audio facilities on offer.

The G5 - based on the 1.8 DP I have been setting up - has a problem with nasty digital-related noise on its analogue outs. I have been unable to reduce this despite running the computer on its own spur from the main fuse-box, and having tried several earthing permutations.

Apple have positioned the G5's as desirable machines for audio/video pro's and this fault is unacceptable.

'Is the built-in audio adequate? Well, define "pro." No real professional would use it -- they'd never use ANY built-in audio . . . ' - tooki

Well, with the exception of the 4400 and the similarly afflicted MDD G4's, the Mac's 16 bit on-board audio has always been superior to the SoundBlasters of this world, with decent frequency response and acceptable noise levels, equivalent to a cheap CD player. Not super-fi, but pretty acceptable. In fact the Mac's on-board audio has got me out of many a sticky situation - I even used it for lead vocals once on a commercial release. Not ideal, but only the flat-earthers would maintain they could hear a difference in the context of the whole mix.

But this would not be an option on the G5's audio outs, and this is not just a shame, it's a fault. I'd estimate that the G5's audio output signal to noise ration is around 45 dB (compared with >80 dB for the Quadra 660av, for reference.))

Plenty of 'pro' audio solutions (Digidesign, M•Audio) manage extremely good specifications i.e. >100 dB s/n) despite residing on PCI cards within the digitally noisy environment of the computer's case, the fact that the sound is 'on-board' is in practice no deterrent to a truly professional specification, and the fact that Apple has equipped the on-board audio with 24-Bit DAC's would imply this was their intention too.

My current solution has been to use an external DAC from the G5's digital output. This is predictably noise-free, but reduces flexibility - I had wanted to dedicate this output to a DAT (yes some people still want DAT's!)

also, there is some suggestion that replacing the power supply does NOT fix this AUDIO problem. It may stop blips and squeaks emanating from the power supply itself, but not with the noise-bleed onto the analogue outs.

See here:

http://arstechnica.com/wankerdesk/04q1/g5-noise.html

[jon l. dawson]

Originally posted by booboo:
also, there is some suggestion that replacing the power supply does NOT fix this AUDIO problem. It may stop blips and squeaks emanating from the power supply itself, but not with the noise-bleed onto the analogue outs.

See here:

http://arstechnica.com/wankerdesk/04q1/g5-noise.html [/B]

That's what I was afraid of. So is there any way to reliably use a firewire audio interface on a G5?

[booboo]

Originally posted by jon l. dawson:
That's what I was afraid of. So is there any way to reliably use a firewire audio interface on a G5?

there are plenty of people using the G5 with Firewire audio interfaces, and these seem to fine. Maybe check out forums dedicated to the particular hardware or SAW you will be using.

Logic: http://community.sonikmatter.com/

Cubase: http://forum.cubase.net/

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by jon l. dawson:
That's what I was afraid of. So is there any way to reliably use a firewire audio interface on a G5?

It seems to be hit-and-miss to some extent.

[Inocense]

Alright.. So I have been looking around for a sound card for my dual 1.8 G5. I also have a PC with a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS in it and I LOVE the card. But I have been reading here that the support for Mac isn't good or is just plain non-existant.. From what I have read I should check out the M-Audio Revolution 7.1.. I do have a few questions though..

Will the M-Audio give me comperable if not better sound than the Sb Audigy? It seems like the specs are similar..

Should I purchase the 7.1 (over the 5.1) eventhough I do not have a surround sound speaker system and I usually use headphones to listen to music and play games on my Mac.. Will the sound benefit from a 7.1 card eventhough I do not have that many speakers? Is it overkill for a 3 speaker system and or headphones?

Thank you very much in advance..

[bmedina]

Originally posted by jon l. dawson:
That's what I was afraid of. So is there any way to reliably use a firewire audio interface on a G5?

Eh? They're talking about the analog inputs, aren't they? Firewire should have no problems with noise.

[analogika]

Originally posted by bmedina:
Eh? They're talking about the analog inputs, aren't they? Firewire should have no problems with noise.

No, we were talking about FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACES, and the noise that defective G5 power supplies would introduce into any signal recorded via such an interface.

[bmedina]

Originally posted by analogika:
No, we were talking about FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACES, and the noise that defective G5 power supplies would introduce into any signal recorded via such an interface.

Ok, well some people are talking about noise on the analog outputs (booboo), and some people are talking about noise when using Firewire devices (jon l. dawson). As booboo said, a lot of people are using Firewire with no problems.

You're saying that when you record something via Firewire, you can play it back on a completely different system and hear noise?

[analogika]

Originally posted by bmedina:
You're saying that when you record something via Firewire, you can play it back on a completely different system and hear noise?

AFAIK, yes, that was the case on some individual G5 systems (my friend's machine is a 2 x 2.0 G5). It might just be affecting playback - I'm not sure, since it wasn't my machine - but a) I find it unlikely that power supply-induced noise would affect the D/A stage and not the A/D stage, and b) either way, it made the machine unsuitable for pro audio use.

Apple has apparently fixed the problem, though - said friend has been working on his system for a while now with no troubles.

-s*

[bonniescotland]

Hi All
Not sure if this is getting off the topic, but I too was wondering about recording voice into mac, but I have a 1gig e-mac (usb 1.1 and firewire),not a G5.

I want to record voiceovers directly into final cut pro, I know you can import audio (e.g. via a good mic attached to a mini dv camcorder), but I thought it would be time saving to be able to do a voice over directly into the computer.

I tried using the internal mic on my emac which as you would guess worked but was terrible, I hooked up a mic directly to the audio line in on my emac but that didn't work at all. (tried two mics, one cheap, one medium quality with a pre-amp, neither registered at all).

Anyway The apple store told me that the thing to buy is a
Griffin PowerWave, which is a USB Audio Interface & Amplifier, because apparently I need an amp (and some people are saying I don't have the correct audio in on my emac, but am getting conflicting views on this). Anyway details on this griffin is at:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerwave/
apparently only USD $99 (though I am in Australia so will cost me approx double), so was wondering would Griffin powerwave be a good choice for myself, and the person posting this message about his G5?

Would the quality using this (assuming I have a good mic attached to it) be as good as importing audio?

Does it matter whether the audio interface is usb or powerwave, and will a usb audio interface still work well on my emac considering I dont have usb 2?

[bonniescotland]

sorry made a mistake in my last post, I said:

Does it matter whether the audio interface is usb or powerwave (I MEANT TO SAY FIREWIRE NOT POWERWAVE), and will a usb audio interface still work well on my emac considering I dont have usb 2?