MOTU and MAC audio output

[bhunt]

After installing and using MOTU/DP the audio output tempo of apps like iTunes, iMovie and even system sounds of the computer are noticeably faster. (Song tempo is sped up considerably, making songs sound like a Chipmunks Xmas album). When I restart the machine without the MOTU extensions the app audio is fine.

Has anyone else encountered this? If so, how did you fix it?

[Channel Cat]

Are you using any MOTU audio interfaces? I noticed that if I'm listening to a CD and outputting through the MOTU PCI-324 (all accessible in the Sound Control Panel), I have to readjust the settings of the PCI-324 to CD standard (44.1k & 16 bit). Try that! I also have to adjust to this when importing CD tracks into Peak.

[bhunt]

Actually, the PCI-324 was set to 44.1. Setting it to 48 fixed the problem. My question now is...What are the pros and cons to recording at 48? The files will eventually need to be downgraded to 44.1 for mastering...correct?

Thanks very much for the help. I greatly appreciate it.

[studio139]

While most audio pros will tell you that the
higher the sampling rate the better the audio,
by and large I have only found that to be true
with pro gear in pro studios with pro musicians.
At 24bit 96khz audio sounds almost natural.
The highs are more detailed with better tails.
The bottom end is more defined. There is increased
headroom. It also takes up twice as much room
on your drive and twice as much processing power.
Once it is done it has to be converted to 16bit 44.1 kHz audio to be used on a CD. Some people
just run a 2-track copy for the master, some make
a DAT from the analog output of the interface.
If you have all the time in the world you can let
the software do the conversion for you. MOTU does
a better job than most software but most people
prefer a D/A/D conversion of some sort. Most of
use working in project studios will not be able to
justify the audible difference between 16bit 44.1kHz or 16bit 48kHz or 24bit 96kHz. Everything
runs smoother, you can use more plug-ins and you
don't need to convert to make a master CD. Pros do
mixes in 5.1 surround for DVD Audio, project studios do not.