Questions & Answers

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) compatibility with Studio 192

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asked Jul 20, 2016 in Studio 192 USB 3.0 Interfaces by abeskittles (150 points)
Hello,

Big fan of the PreSonus stuff. I've been shopping around for a new audio interface and have been comparing and debating between some of the big names (Apogee, UA, etc.) and the 192. I would love to stay in the PreSonus family since I own several pieces of your gear and Studio One 2 Pro (thinking of upgrading that as well), but I guess I am somewhat hesitant because of a few things I would like answered if possible.

1) Is the USB 2.0 on my MacBook Pro really able to handle everything the 192 sends it's way? I'm seeing posts and whatnot on your forums and the internet saying it takes up like 60-70 CPU processing when trying to record at a high sample rate. I thought the 192 has onboard DSP to help prevent this, or is it because the USB 2.0 doesn't have the speed of USB 3.0?

2) I was also considering purchasing the OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock for several reasons for my home setup. Would I experience any issues with latency or any other problems if I were to connect the Studio 192 to this? Or would this help/solve the speed issue since the dock is connected via Thunderbolt and the USB ports are 3.0?

Thanks in advance for your help. Hope this works out as I love your stuff and have been more than pleased with all my products. Cheers.

Luke

System:

Macbook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011)

Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

Operating System: OS X Yosemite 10.10.5

1 Answer

0 votes
answered Jul 21, 2016 by ryanmiller13 (18,150 points)
selected Jul 21, 2016 by abeskittles
 
Best answer
Hello Luke,

Your system does meet the minimum specs for the Studio 192.  Many have had success using USB 2.0 cables as it does not affect the sound quality, latency or performance.  The majority of computers will experience CPU issues if trying to record multiple tracks at 192Khz.  I would always suggest connecting your interface directly to your computers USB port for best performance.  Hope this info helps.
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