Where Are The Firewire Audio/midi Interfaces?, Inexplicable absence of what should be Options

[Levon River]

Firewire has been around for over ten years. Does anyone have any insight into why there are so precious few audio/midi interfaces utilizing this technology?

The field is glutted with USB interfaces, which only carry about 1/40 the bandwidth and information transfer capability of Firewire.

Of the few Firewire interfaces on the market, the cheapest I can find (MOTU's 828) starts at over $800.00--and that doesn't include MIDI, while being complete overkill on the audio side for my needs. Five years ago I expected to SOON see Firewire interfaces for audio and MIDI that would be affordable and accessible. Now there are quite a few under $500.00 using USB, but NONE in t hat price bracket using Firewire.

I think the market is ripe for a Firewire interface with, e.g., four audio inputs and two MIDI ins and outs priced for the masses. Why, oh, why was it not there years ago?

[rickenbacker]

As colourful and comprehensive as your explanation of the process is, River, it still doesn't change the simple fact that until you are standing in a shop holding the boxed product in your hands, what earthly use are company announcements?

Yes, I've seen that eMagic press release before, yes I know it's still on their website, but so what? We still don't have Logic OS X, so what difference does it make what they've previously said? Anyway, it comes with the territory - Logic OS X is hardly the first OS X app not to meet its promised release dates.

I don't think there's any great mystery to get to the bottom of here. If eMagic don't think an OS X version of Logic is ready for release to the market, then they're simply not going to release it. And no amount of dark mutterings/whining in public forums is going to make them hurry it along, however much its users want it. Why would they want to rush release their flagship product only to have to spend the next six months patching the bugs and taking flak from the very people who tirelessly demanded its release?

I'm as keen as every Mac musician to see Logic on OS X, but it looks like we'll just have to wait.

Peace. We're all friends here.