Difference between 2ch and 64ch

[dschinkel]

What's the difference between the two? Lets say I'm streaming my desktop (OS X) that's playing some music over OBS, why would I choose one vs. the other?

[h0jeZvgoxFepBQ2C]

+1

[ghost]

Yes what's the answer/

[PPLC]

the difference is one is 2 Channel Interface the other is 64ch Interface. Use the 2ch if you do not know the difference.

[jacklinton]

This is a total guess, but standard 2 channel is just stereo like most recordings you will come across or are playing through your computer.

The 64 channel one is for demanding recordings like grabbing a live recording directly from a soundboard at a live music event, or perhaps in a recording studio where every instrument is being recorded independently and mixed back together later in the desired proportions.

I don't know though. You might want to use 64 channel if you're recording a surround sound movie that has 8 channels or more. I assume the 64 number was just to be sure to cover most use cases of recording things with more than stereo output.

[esaruoho]

here's a use case for 64ch:

Pure Data can have multiple stereo outputs (and mono outputs, of course). Ableton Live can receive the multiple stereo outputs being sent-to-by-Pure Data, and then you can have live output from Pure Data going into Ableton Live and process it.

So you would set Pure Data to 64ch, say, outputs 1-16, then Ableton Live you'd configure to listen to 64ch and the inputs 1-16, and create either 8 or 16 audio tracks that are listening to 64ch-1 to 64ch-16.

This way you can have individual sounds going into individual audiotracks, being run through individual efx, etc.

I use an Aggregate Device to combine multiple soundcards together, be they physical or virtual, so I would create an Aggregate Device with physical-soundcard-inputs and Soundflower64ch inputs, and still have Pure Data send to soundflower64ch, and Ableton Live receive from Aggregate Device - then you map the inputs you want to use to the tracks you want them to play in, and there you go.

You could do that with Logic, Live or any app with multiple input possibilities, even Renoise.

Or MaxMSP or whatever.

[sovon]

Is it possible to remove that option 'SoundFlower (64ch)' from the audio input dropdown at menu bar?

I'll never need it. 2ch is fine for me.

[Moncozet]

With OS 10.15 Catalina, Jackpilot which is in 32 bits will not work anymore on Mac. Do you think Soundflower64ch that works with Mojave 10.14 will still work? Thank you for your answers.

[lroellin]

At least for me I don't receive a message ("... needs to be optimized") when starting it up, so I assume it is 64Bit already.