We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Hardware

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a FireWire® Audio Interface?

By Solomon Lander
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 9,799
Share

A FireWire® audio interface is a means of connecting a computer to a professional audio device. It uses the FireWire® connection protocol, which originally offered higher speeds than universal serial bus (USB) connections. With speed ratings of 400 or 800 megabits per second and a more efficient design than USB, the FireWire® audio interface remains popular, even as USB 3.0 begins to gain popularity in the waning days of 2011.

Also known as iLink or by its technical name as given by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE-1394, FireWire® is commonly used for high-speed connections between devices. It has a six wire cable with a rectangular plug with a triangular extrusion on one end. In its usual style, it carries 400 megabits per second of data, while the newer FireWire® 800 standard can carry twice that amount.

Audio devices were originally developed to use the FireWire® audio interface because of the slow transfer speed of USB 1.0. At the time, Macintosh® computers, which were popular in studio settings, supported FireWire® exclusively. As a result, digital audio devices use the FireWire® audio interface to take the data that they have recorded and put it on the computer's hard drive.

Modern professional audio, whether in the studio or in a live setting, is mostly a digital affair. While microphones still capture sound signals, the signal is rapidly converted to a digital format. Once the recording data is digitized, it is in a format where it can be transmitted over FireWire®. The digital signals are then sent through digital mixing and filtering equipment and then to either a hard drive on a computer, for storage and further manipulation, or to a digital-to-analog converter which converts the signals back into analog form for amplification.

As USB has been upgraded to the 480 megabit per second USB 2.0 standard and to the even-faster USB 3.0 standard, that can carry up to 4.8 gigabits per second, professional audio devices have also begun to integrate USB connections. Even with the improvements in USB, FireWire® has a strong installed base of legacy devices. It also has the ability to better allocate its bandwidth between connected devices, preventing connections from running too slow. In addition, FireWire® supports the long cable runs that are common in professional audio setups.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-firewire-audio-interface.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.