From sbac@alum.berkeley.edu Wed Apr 09 14:41:47 2003
Subject:Quattro problem solved

Hi everyone,
I've been talking to M-Audio tech lately, and they walked me thorugh all the possible
solutions to the Quattro problems I was having. Bottom line is, Deke was right. Unless I
take all the extra stuff off my computer, the Quattro won't work properly. So, I returned the
Quattro and got the Audiophile, and now I am very happy. While not as flexible as the Quattro
as far as portability, it is very stable and worked immediately, no problems whatsoever. I
guess it helps to have a PCI bus dedicated to it, especially when I have the other sound card
installed. I can't take it out of the computer as easily as USB, but I'm not using it for
live performances yet. The latency is undetectable (the control panel says 2ms). When I am
ready to use the B4 live, I will get a labtop and another card for that (maybe the Quattro),
but that will be a separate project in itself.
An added bonus to my troubles, the Audiophile is about $100 cheaper than the Quattro.
With the money I saved, I got a little Behringer Eurorack 802A mixer. Now I can easily
control my computer speakers, headphones, keyboard amp, and Midi all in one efficient central
unit. I have plenty of inputs available for guitars and mics, for when my guitar player and
singer can practice. Now, we can add a little Hammond organ (finally) to the mix.
Another thing I'd like to mention about the Audiophile is that I think the drivers for
it are more developed than those for the Quattro, since it is part of the M-Audio Delta series
of sound cards. The Quattro is a better sound card overall, but I think it's more restricted
because of it's USB connection as far as software conflicts go. If we could just have the
best of both worlds!

Thanks everyone for all the help,
Aram