Need suggestions for a low cost sound card for an HP Pavilion a520n desktop running Win XP. Can't render recorded solos with the on board sound. Any internal or external sound device that will allow rendering of solo pieces to make a cd is what I'm looking for. The cds are for my use and sound quality, while desired, isn't of prime importance. All suggestions cheerfully accepted!
Take a look at the Focusrite Scarlett line. I own several. The quality of these USB units is quite good for the money. They have a full range of products, and you just have to know how many simultaneous inputs you need.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Keep in mind that the interface is essentially the heart of your recording setup. In this case, and from what I know, you do tend to get what you pay for.
A good interface (aka: sound card) for a laptop will be an external interface connected by a USB cable. It should have 2 inputs minimum, run NATIVE ASIO drivers, and have phantom power. You also want to look for built in, quality pre-amps on the audio inputs.
The actual inputs and outputs will vary by the models and price you're willing to pay.
Using a nice interface makes recording a true pleasure. Many will have a software console where you can preset levels for input and output as well as some FX. Compression and verb and even EQ defaults.
Focusrite is a brand that you can count on for good quality and their preamps are legendary.
I use focusrite.
EDIT: if price of a new interface is a bit too much, look on Ebay or Craigs list and find a good one that someone is selling. Folks who upgrade to bigger interfaces will sometimes sell the old smaller one and you can save significant dollars on it. I got a practically brand new Line6 Pod 2 for half the price of a new one that way.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 09/18/1502:44 PM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
"Need suggestions for a low cost sound card for an HP Pavilion a520n desktop running Win XP"
Do you have the old basic PCI slots available?
On that machine, a 'newer' Focusrite may not be your best option in the long run .. but a good PCI card can likely be found and be very affordable. 1010lt is pretty dang cheap these days, just make sure you get the cables with it ..
"Need suggestions for a low cost sound card for an HP Pavilion a520n desktop running Win XP"
Do you have the old basic PCI slots available?
On that machine, a 'newer' Focusrite may not be your best option in the long run .. but a good PCI card can likely be found and be very affordable. 1010lt is pretty dang cheap these days, just make sure you get the cables with it ..
However, the rest of my post is good to go. There's a number of reasons to go with external over internal. There's nothing to stop you from using an external interface with a desk top on a USB port.
In fact, that makes it easier to move the interface to a different computer if you need to. If you get a PCI card interface, you are essentially stuck to that configuration.
I started with the external because I had a laptop. When I built my own custom DAW, I elected to NOT install a sound card and instead used my external. It works fine.
If I ever have a problem with the custom DAW, I can swap my cable to the lappy, import the project, and keep rolling.
Another reason is that your ability to easily access the inputs and outputs on the external interface is so much easier. My oldest DAW had a built in card..... the inputs were behind the computer. What a pain to swap things around. My current machines use the external and the inputs are right there facing me on the desk. Easy!
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
>sound quality, while desired, isn't of prime importance< I'm a retired geezer on a fixed income (that needs to be fixed!) $35 is my limit. Also not a computer expert so specific name and model on the sound card would be a great help. All it has to do is work!
Be sure to look for Windows XP. If you find a couple that look interesting report back and someone will tell you if will work for your situation.
{edit} can you render BiaB MIDI parts? If so can you render them to wavs?
What I am thinking is that maybe you don't need to spend any money. If you can get wavs out of BiaB then maybe a free wav editor like audacity http://www.oldapps.com/Audacity.php?system=Windows_XP will work. Just open the BiaB wav(s) in Audacity and record your parts in another track.
Just a thought that might work if you're recording audio.
Another after thought, how are you trying to render your parts now? The reason I ask is because I have never come across a computer that wouldn't render BiaB MIDI. I may be wrong about this as I have no experience with your computer model.
Last edited by MarioD; 09/19/1508:44 AM.
I want my last spoken words to be "I hid a million dollars under the........................"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
"Can't render recorded solos with the on board sound. Any internal or external sound device that will allow rendering of solo pieces to make a cd is what I'm looking for. "
Not sure you need to spend anything. What on-board soundcard do you have? You should be able to render. Soundcard doesn't get involved - drivers perhaps, but rendering something that is already in the computer is not a sound-card specific task.
Are you getting error messages of some type when you try to render at present?
What is driving you to think you need a different soundcard?
For $35 as a max budget, I don't think you're going to find much even in the used market that will be suitable, or an upgrade over the factory chips.
I'd look at making the factory card work to do what you need. I don't recommend ASIO4ALL except in cases where there's no other alternative. My experience is that it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. It would NOT work on my laptop with the factory sound chips. Others have said it's the best thing since sliced bread.
Using MME, the usual factory default driver, I can run BB & RB on my lappy just fine. The problem occurs when I go to RB and it's using a combination of real tracks (wave audio) and synth parts. The latency with the synth parts really messes you up.
When working on the lappy, I never had a problem, even with MME as the driver, when I wanted to render a track to audio. It always rendered the wave file.
As far as sound quality.... no matter if you have the cheapest sound card or a high end external interface...digital is digital. The digital quality is going to be exactly the same. There might be a noticeable difference in sound quality due to the audio circuits, but the underlying digital quality will be digital perfection. Your speakers and the amplifiers for them will be the major player in the quality you hear.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Cheap choices: Not sure about the price, but what do you think about the behringer uca202 ($25) and the Behringer xenix 302USB. I would prefer the 302usb, for sure. I have both, that is why I prefer the 302 ($45). Another choice can be the Behringer UM2 ($30). Maybe the best cheap choice. Recently I purchased an Audiobox 1818vsl from Presonus.Too much more than I need .
Last edited by Luiz Dias; 09/20/1505:56 AM.
regards, from Brazil Luiz Dias Watch the videos of me playing the percussion/conga drums with a great band! --> http://uk.youtube.com/user/footkeys
Cheap choices: Not sure about the price, but what do you think about the behringer uca202 ($25) and the Behringer xenix 302USB. I would prefer the 302usb, for sure. I have both, that is why I prefer the 302 ($45). Another choice can be the Behringer UM2 ($30). Maybe the best cheap choice. Recently I purchased an Audiobox 1818vsl from Presonus.Too much more than I need .
I'm usually against the "interface on a cord" kind of gizmo's like the UNO.... generally the drivers are junk. Even with a good DAW, they are usually more trouble than they are worth.....
HOWEVER.....
I didn't know Behringer had come out with anything like this. I would be curious to see if they would be a good option at the bargain basement pricing level. For me, to be a viable option, they would need to work well and with low latency. That would be the test.
But at that price, you could afford to take a chance. Buy from a reputable company and you also get a 30 or 45 day no questions asked money back guarantee. Can't go too far wrong with that kind of price and guarantee.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 09/20/1506:49 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
The Behringer's mentioned here are actually quite nice. Xenyx pre-amps are comparable the pre-amps of my Tascam DP-24, and Presonus Audiobox.
But, in my opinion, the mixer that gives the most bang for the buck and more than worth the extra cost is the Behringer Xenyx Q802USB model. With it, you get a 3 band eq, fx send and their one knob compressor. It also comes with two XLR Xenyx inputs with 48v phantom power. The USB output is assignable between the control/headphone or main mix. 2X2 USB. 6 line inputs.
$79.99 at Sweetwater with free shipping. That's more than twice the posters budget and only he can decide if it's worth setting the $35 into savings and save a bit longer to get more value.
I am confused by the undercurrent of this thread. If his issue is rendering, what does the sound card have to do with it? Doesn't the sound card stay on the bench until there is actually a request for sound to be pushed through the speakers? Seems like the rendering would be done on "this side" of the sound card. Then when you play the resulting rendered file the sound card is engaged.
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1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
I am confused by the undercurrent of this thread. If his issue is rendering, what does the sound card have to do with it? Doesn't the sound card stay on the bench until there is actually a request for sound to be pushed through the speakers? Seems like the rendering would be done on "this side" of the sound card. Then when you play the resulting rendered file the sound card is engaged.
Yeah, in theory .. but he is using BiaB 2006 .. and I don't remember what it could/couldn't do .. that was quite a while ago.
Clarification on his question would probably help also, like you said. There's a chance with the combination of XP/BiaB2006/AC97 card that he may need to use 'real-time' mix output (or WhatUHear) .. which was a bugger to set up sometimes on such a system.
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Right click on your speaker icon in bottom right of screen Select recording devices (multiple buttons or tabs; playback, record and other Select recording tab or button Position mouse cursor in white space area and right click Put check marks by "Show Disable Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices" to show extra choices Enable (select) all choices
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