Hi, Getting ready for a live recording concert and wanted to check if the USB-2 is sufficient a pipeline for 32 channels. I am not concerned about latency, just getting the tracks recorded. I had no problem with my QU24, but want to make sure it will work at 96kHz with my SQ5. I am also curious why A&H sticks with USB-2, probably enough bandwidth.
Most of my recordings are 16 tracks or less so I use the SQ drive in tandem with the DAW for safety.
is the USB-2 sufficient a pipeline for 32 channels at 96K?
On the QU32 I have always increased the computer latency to the max as only wanted to capture.
32 channels at 96K ?
Thats a very good question!
Whom can answer this question?
32 tracks over USB is fine, there is enough bandwidth.
But I don’t think you can use the SQ drive at the same time.
Using the both drives at the same time is important to me. Anyone can confirm if both USB’s can be used at same time? I typically use 16 tracks if that helps.
I found the answer in the A&H knowledge base, Both USB’s can’t be use simultaneously: “SQ-Drive Playback/Recording (stereo or multitrack) + Playback/Recording from USB B (streaming from DAW) not supported simultaneously”.
This brings up the question of which would be more reliable? I am using the Samsung T5 500GB SSD for SQ multitrack. Logic suggests that the SQ drive would be more reliable if only 16 tracks are needed, Using a DAW adds more complexity in software and hardware.
Love to hear anyone’s thoughts.
I have tried the SQ Drive with some thumb drives and sometimes it works, sometimes not (using an early firmware version, 1.1 or so). In those days also the USB-B was not really reliable, I had some issues with my Windows Laptops and PCs. But today the USB-B is reliable and I use it as backup for my Dante card. Dante is for me the best choice because i can choose between 96 and 48 kHz and can record also all 48 input channels which is not possible with the USB-B (32) or SQ Drive (16).
I have done test recordings with my new SQ5. None have been more than 10 minutes so far but it is working error free. I am also using a Samsung 500GB T5. This applies to USB-B and SQ drive both.
The computer I used with the USB-B tests was a $200 Dell laptop… so it appears that the computer itself is not taxed too heavily (as is also seen monitoring Task Manager on the computer) though I’m sure a fast drive is essential.
I managed to get lucky and found a Demo Dante card at Sweetwater for $600. When I record a live concert I get one shot at it. Having a backup is essential for me.
With Dante you can route to two computers running DVS. When I record live, I send the input direct outs to Dante outs.
