Well, the audio interface arrived, my Tascam US-1800, and it’s a pretty fine piece of kit so far. On the downside, it requires a driver and won’t aggregate with other audio devices. On the up side, with 14 analogue inputs, 2 SPDIF digital channels and 4 analogue outputs, lack aggregation support isn’t really an problem.
Because it won’t work without the driver, it won’t work with iPad like some smaller models (ie, the US-800) but, provided you don’t connect the device to your Mac or PC before installing the driver, you won’t have a problem with the driver. If you have installed with the device connected, just uninstall, disconnect, restart, reinstall, restart and plug in.
Sound quality is great, no hiss whatsoever. The channel faders are a bit twitchy (and the peak lights, tend to charge up a bit) but, at 24 bit, you can afford to err slightly on the low side with record levels. I’ll have more details on recording quality after tonight, when I plan to record The Collectables’ rehearsal.
The US-1800 comes with two software disks, the driver installer and a copy of CubaseLE. I tend to multitrack in Audacity and export to raw tracks before importing to GarageBand for production and mixdown, but I’ll be giving Cubase a go.
My preference for DAW has always been GB even over Logic because the features get out of the way and let you focus on the sound, rather than routing, fx loops, groups and other analogue desk features that don’t really apply so much in a digital world. So, it will be interesting to see how Cubase stacks up.
- Posted on the go.
Thank’s DT, VERY much appreciated.
As for a sound module, I’ve ordered an iPad and NLog pro is my app of choice. Coupled with my MIDI-USB cable and the Camera Connection kit, the whole rig’s cheaper than a hardware synth and better sound quality and playability than even Virus hardware. Noice 
There’s word of a whisper that the band I’ve hitched my wagon to, 
I’ve ALWAYS loved Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.” I reckon it’s arguably the best song off the best album in the history of balls-to-the-wall rock. Guitar, hih-hats, bass, LET THERE BE ROCK! 
GarageBand on iPhone. Not as easy to use as on a MacBook but Amplitube iRig and MultitrackDAW seriously want to rethink their pricing! This top dog of “prosumer” Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) is killer at AU$5:50 on the App Store, yet pretty much does most of what it’s Macintosh sibling does, except mayby track counts and inputs.
for sketching a melody or bass line. The Automatic Instruments seem at first play to be a little “samey” but I think there’s a knack to how you you use them which will come with experience. It’s certainly better than having a favourite drum loop and using it over and over in the same song, though. (Guilty as charging myself…)
The interfaces for tracks are familiar, too. The effects are done in a typically iOS way, but make sense in a GarageBand way. There guitar amps (shown), effects pedals (shown), loops and recording tools are are all really nice simplifications for use on a smaller screen than your usual music DAW.
getting a camera adapter kit soon to try out my iMic, Singstars and GuitarLink. GarageBand for iPhone, worth every cent of its $5:49 price tag.
