soundcard advice - PG Music Forums

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Hi all,

I’m looking for a little advice. I’m planing on building Intel i7, 6-8 gig, 64 bit Win 7, two 1 TB 7200 RPM HD music computer; note that this computer will not be on line. I’m looking for suggestions on a PCI sound card with a break out box. I need a minimum of 3 mic inputs/outputs and SPDI/F input/output. I’m looking at some EMU and Delta cards but I’m confused on what to get. Currently I’m using a 7 year old Creative Elite Pro X-Fi card with my 32 bit Win XP music computer but I’m sure there are better cards out there. I’m on a limited budget so I have to stay under $500 USD. Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

Thanx in advance for your time - MarioD

Mario,

Even tho I don't have any of these, here's where I'd start if I was looking at a new soundcard.

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=PCIinterfaces

Mario - are you absolutely convinced you need to stay with the PCI type of interface?

The choices are limited with 3+ XLR inputs and PCI. You pretty much hit the only companies that provide anything in that space, in a price range you are looking for.

OTOH, USB as an interface leads to a wealth of options.

Another option is FireWire / IEEE1394 . If you go FireWire, stick with a MOBO that has a Texas Instruments chipset for the IEEE1394 controller.

I have several friends that love their PreSonus Firestudio Project interfaces. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FireStuProj/

I have a PreSonus FireBox and there are some issues with that unit. It wouldn't fit your 3+ mic input requirements however.

I guess that's something that needs clarification - when you say you want 3+ mic inputs, what exactly do you mean? Most interfaces in the sub $500 with XLR inputs have at most 2 mic pre-amps on-board. In order to use the other XLR inputs available, you would need to have outboard mic pre-amps.

Do you need the pre-amps or not? That's where a big part of the cost is tied up in the interfaces; in the mic pre-amp stages. If you have some outboard mic pre-amps that you like, then you can save some coin.

I also wouldn't say that there are necessarily better cards out there than your Creative card.

-Scott

Be careful of focusrite stuff as I cant get Realband running with it. If you are UK Digital village give very good advice and stock everything pro.
Are you aware thst USB3 is here? A good gigabyte motherboard is the palce to start.

You might be interested in the Echo line of soundcards. I use an echo layla 3g which is more ins and outs than you need, and have an echo Mia midi. Check out echoaudio.com
I believe you might find something that would work for you. A history of solid drivers and support

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Mario,

Even tho I don't have any of these, here's where I'd start if I was looking at a new soundcard.

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=PCIinterfaces

I got the Audiophile 192 High-Definition 4-In/4-Out Audio Card with Digital I/O and MIDI

It is a full size PCI - be sure your mobo has this older style PCI slot availble if you go with this. My i7 had one of these slots. I actually love this card but have to admit I have seen a lot of complaints of the Win 7 drivers for it.

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Mario,

Even tho I don't have any of these, here's where I'd start if I was looking at a new soundcard.

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=PCIinterfaces

I got the Audiophile 192 High-Definition 4-In/4-Out Audio Card with Digital I/O and MIDI

It is a full size PCI - be sure your mobo has this older style PCI slot availble if you go with this. My i7 had one of these slots. I actually love this card but have to admit I have seen a lot of complaints of the Win 7 drivers for it.

Dan, Mario says he's looking for 3+ mic inputs. The Audiophile 192 has none.

Mario,

I wasn't familiar with your card, but after Scott's comment,

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I also wouldn't say that there are necessarily better cards out there than your Creative card.

, I then looked it up.

Why not just use that card?

Watch out for cards that don't have drivers specifically for Win 7.
I have an EMU 0404 PCI card. (vista drivers are supposed to work...) The driver fails at least once a week & the computer freezes.
(manual shut down/reboot/reinstall driver/reboot/)

PCI Express also has a higher transfer rate than straight PCI, if that's available.

Mick

Mario, I have M-Audio Audiophile 192 and for me, it's great. I just bought a cheap Behringer mixer and have all the I/O I need. I have used USB cards and do not like them. I have a FastTrack Pro in a box now that has hardly been used. Going to auction it one of these days (I'll take $120). Volume is a problem (it's hard to get the same volume from them as from my PCI card).

This is with a Windows 7 Intel 64 bit i7 computer. I don't plan on changing soundcards until something new comes along that is better and there's nothing on the market, at this time, that has any better specs. The FastTrack Pro is more modern but actually has less specs than my old Audiophile 192. I've had no problems with Win 7 drivers.

Addendum - The USB cards are much easier to work with, though. The Audiophile 192 has all those cords coming out of the back of your computer which I'm not particularly fond of.

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Mario, I have M-Audio Audiophile 192 and for me, it's great. I just bought a cheap Behringer mixer and have all the I/O I need.

This is with a Windows 7 Intel 64 bit i7 computer. I don't plan on changing soundcards until something new comes along that is better and there's nothing on the market, at this time, that has any better specs. The FastTrack Pro is more modern but actually has less specs than my old Audiophile 192. I've had no problems with Win 7 drivers.

The Audiophile 192 has all those cords coming out of the back of your computer which I'm not particularly fond of.

Ditto all that.

Delta 1010 without question & a small mixer.

First I want to thank all of you for your responses. They are very helpful.

Scott - no I’m not convinced that I need a PCI type of interface. I am way behind the learning curve when it comes to sound cards as I’ve used mine for 7 years now and things have changed a lot. I’m basing everything on what I have read and not practical experience. I have read that USB and FW ports have higher latency than PCI(e) interfaces. I do a lot of recording thus I need very low latency.

You are also right about the mic inputs. I only really need two with mic pre-amps. Three or more would be nice but I can add them with my small mixing board.

The only thing I’m concerned about with my current card are the drivers. This card is no longer being made and although Creative says there are beta drivers for win 7 who knows if they will finalize them.

ZeroZero – Yes, I am getting a MB with USB 3 ports but unfortunately I have not seen a USB audio interface yet. This is another reason I’m shying away from a USB2 unit. Will it be obsolete in a year or two?

Bluzkeez1 – thanx for the Echo line tip.

Mick – the driver issue is why I’m looking for a new sound card and yes I am looking at PCI(e) cards also.

Charlie McG – thanx for reminding me that I do have small Behringer mixer! That is how I’m recording vocals now.

Thanx all! Hearing about practical experience is much more valuable than reading specs!

I can't recommend E-MU soundcard with that OS and certainly not with that amount of RAM. There have been numerous reported problems and E-MU is still publishing *beta* driers as well. Apparently there is also a RAM limit that their drivers cannot handle with Win7, go above that limit and the card stutters and pops and interrupts the audio stream. A shame IMO, but there it is. I would look elsewhere for sound device choice. Hammerfall, RME, there are several others that tout equal or better converter spec and many have reported no problems with drivers, etc.

--Mac

I just bought the Audiophile 192 High-Definition on eBay. ($123)
I'll be putting an RME PCIe in my (soon to be built) stage computer, but for home use, it's a little salty.

Thanks for the motivation! This EMU worked great on XP, but for Win7 64 bit it sucks!!! LOL!

1010lt is working great with Win 7 64 at studio. Set up new system, installed new drivers, and was recording that day with no problems..

2 mic pre's and 6 other analog in's, plus spdif

I just received and installed Audiophile 192.
I can't believe the difference! I had NO idea!!!

Mick

For those of you Emu Card owners not faint of heart, have some intermediate computer ability & just plain adventurists the KX drivers work fine with these cards.Even Win7X64.
I've used KX for many years.From the KX site:
E-mu E-DSP based PCI devices are supported (0404, 1212, 1820, ...).

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I just received and installed Audiophile 192.
I can't believe the difference! I had NO idea!!!

Mick

Mick, I am sure we have been telling you how nice the 192 and its big brother the 1010 are. these have been around a long time. when I bought mine several yeas ago I was a little nervious that it was "old", but I have never regreted the purchase - great performance.

All these years and I have only recommended one sound card- in my opinion the best, most full featured and most stable of the bunch. The king of sound cards, imo.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HDSP9652

My friends, it does not get any better than that card. It'll hold you now, and allow for expansion in the future. There are a lot of choices, but all of them are just a compromise for the ultimate 9652.

Now, you could get the same great card scaled back a bit for less bucks-

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HDSP9632/

But if you have any plans for a more elaborate routing setup, spring for the full card right away. It's also better for midi if you get the full card.

Pro card all the way, hands down, over and out. Pristine sound and ultra low latency. I don't screw around with sound cards. I do it once and do it right cause they're a pain to make happy should you need to switch it out down the road. Good luck.

Dan

This is the one that will be in my stage setup.
I7 Sandy Bridge Quad Core, 16G RAM (upgradable to 32), 1 120G & 1 200G SSD's
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HDSPe9632/
Playing VST's with virtually no latency...

Those two cards require ADAT for multiple in/outs. More investment required than just the card.