TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Production Studio
-- Creative X-Fi
Pages (2): [1] 2 »

Creative X-Fi

Hey I thought this would be interesting to all you looking to upgrade your studio.

Experience your music beyond studio quality with this amazing new technology I especially love the bar graph clearly showing how it turns even your shitty MP3's into supreme quality. And the demo's where you can hear the amazing results of their specralizers and other alien technologies for yourself. No need for expensive Apogee converters anymore.

http://www.x-fi.com/whatis/

It's unbeliveable just how stupid the advertising can get..

Once again, just evidence to the point that Creative is not for pros in anyway, but only someone who produces toys (at best).

Everybody just a bit serious about their music and sound should stay the hell away from them...

And on a side note: I seriously hope it doesn't become a trend to have DSP-effects built into the devices you listen to music from (for everyday use). Just what we need in this world - more compression ;-)
As if the radio stations weren't already doing everything in their power to kill dynamics in music...

Regards

The X-Fi is not a bad card. Mostly the same getup as the EMU 1212 minus the balanced inputs and a few other things.

However, Creative's marketing department really does live up to its name.

That 24-bit crystalliser stuff is ludicrous.

It's stated on the website that the Crystalizer makes the bass punchier, hats sharper and the mids untouched.
Well, if I wanted it that way, I'd mix the tracks accordingly or play with a built in eq with existing commercial music.
Creative supplies Mojo in a box...I call that snake oil.

It isn't marketed at producers. It is marketed at people who play computer games on PC speakers, with no production tools and no idea what a transient compressor is or what it does. Thats basically what the Crystalliser is.

Its like Sony's Bass Boost - it makes people feel like they are getting better sound 'quality' without adding any extra technology or using more expensive components. Theres nothing wrong with that if all you do is use your PC & soundcard for is to play games and DVDs.

Just don't bother with it for music production. Luckily, Creative hasn't marketed the X-Fi towards us.

quote:

Originally posted by Derivative It isn't marketed at producers. It is marketed at people who play computer games on PC speakers, with no production tools and no idea what a transient compressor is or what it does. Thats basically what the Crystalliser is. Its like Sony's Bass Boost - it makes people feel like they are getting better sound 'quality' without adding any extra technology or using more expensive components. Theres nothing wrong with that if all you do is use your PC & soundcard for is to play games and DVDs. Just don't bother with it for music production. Luckily, Creative hasn't marketed the X-Fi towards us.

Yeah, I just thought the "better than studio quality", and the bar graphs were extremely funny.

You're right, It's clearly not marketed or intended for music production. But why would they even compare it with studio quality? And what is that anyway? I was just poking fun at their record-breakingly stupid marketing campaign.

quote:

Originally posted by RivalMan Once again, just evidence to the point that Creative is not for pros in anyway, but only someone who produces toys (at best).

Aye!

another typical TA Thread
Creative X-FI may be sufficient for you REASON(c)/FruityLoops-needs, but thats it.
The converters may be good giving you a linear output but hence that doesnt play an important role if your monitors are crap.

I got myself an X-Fi long time ago and in the long run even got to sell my Audiophile 192 for it because the X-Fi has a way more broader perspective of use (I don't "only" produce music to relax myself)...

I don't care at allabout the marketing, as long as the stuff works good it works good. The sound coming from my Behringer Truths is wonderful. It's not a bad card at all; with the right ASIO drivers I can get as much as I'd like

'Creative is not for pros' - I've got vinyl releases for a couple of years now with the bloody card; does that make me a pro?

RivalMan: please post us your MUSIC created with that setup and show us you're a 'pro'.

quote:

Originally posted by Icone I got myself an X-Fi long time ago and in the long run even got to sell my Audiophile 192 for it because the X-Fi has a way more broader perspective of use (I don't "only" produce music to relax myself)... I don't care at allabout the marketing, as long as the stuff works good it works good. The sound coming from my Behringer Truths is wonderful. It's not a bad card at all; with the right ASIO drivers I can get as much as I'd like 'Creative is not for pros' - I've got vinyl releases for a couple of years now with the bloody card; does that make me a pro? RivalMan: please post us your MUSIC created with that setup and show us you're a 'pro'.

Really, you're using that card? Wow, I guess it's not bad then. I love your work.

I just got a terrible first impression from their marketing, and that's what this thread was about. I haven't used the card myself so obviously I can't judge its quality. But that wasn't even the point here, I think you'd agree that the ad is hilarious? Shame on their marketing department.

All of my work was done on a Audigy Pro, the first one they came out with- with the same drive bay inputs etc etc. It's not great, but it's done a great job and being that that's all I had, I can't complain at all.

Of course, nice equipment is always just that, nice- but it doesnt mean good music can't be created without crazy gear.

Also, the 5.1 sound was great for movies!

quote:

Originally posted by Icone I don't care at allabout the marketing, as long as the stuff works good it works good. The sound coming from my Behringer Truths is wonderful. It's not a bad card at all; with the right ASIO drivers I can get as much as I'd like

Behringer Thruths... That really says something. With those monitors, no wonder you don't worry about using the X-FI as your sound card I am really not trying to be judgmental, but are you seriously claiming that the sound coming from those monitors is wonderful? Don't wanna critize them too much. They might work for you, but I have auditioned them a couple of times, and they certainly don't do it for me.

quote:

'Creative is not for pros' - I've got vinyl releases for a couple of years now with the bloody card; does that make me a pro?

Well, I guess so...my definition of "pro" in this perspective is someone who earns money on their work - and I guess you do. That makes my statement false. Sorry - I take it back. But I maintain that I do not consider this a sound card for people serious about the quality of their sound - pro or not. And I still would say that it's not for pro studios at least.
Unless you really produce - and mix - everything itb and even do bouncing itb - in that case you could use pretty much any sound card. And try going to a serious studio (rather than just a home project studio) and see if you can find anything with the name "Behringer" or "Creative" on it. I dare you...

quote:

RivalMan: please post us your MUSIC created with that setup and show us you're a 'pro'.

I have never claimed to be a pro. Years ago I had a release and since then a couple of co-releases. But I wouldn't consider myself a pro in any way. Whatsmore, MY music certainly wouldn't by definition always sound better than something produced by another engineer with a sound card from Creative. A great producer can make music so much better using standard gear than a standard producer with great gear. And I wouldn't consider myself "great" - not yet at least It's much more about the producer than about the gear.

However, I regularily do work at a highly pro studio and work with engineers and producers who certainly can be considered pros. I guess they share my view on the Creative stuff, but I don't mind asking them just to be sure... if it's really all that important. (In my opinion: it isn't). But to the point: A great producer will do better with great gear, than the same great producer will do with standard gear. And a "pro producer" (pro in the sense that he produces music as his main way of making a living) would likely not use stuff from Creative. At least, I've never met anyone who does. (Doesn't mean that they don't exist, though).

Don't get me wrong: Creative produces great "toys" - in the sense that you can use the card for allround use (as you stated yourself); gaming, surfing, playing mp3s as well... If you can't afford a better sound card, or for some reason don't want to spend the money on it: fine! It's a great thing that cheaper alternatives exist on the market. And a great producer could certainly make great music even with cards from creative.

But I actually care about the "sound" of the music I listen to and produce. And due to this I would for instance never consider listening to mp3-compressed files (unless it's the only possible source of the music and I really want to listen to that specific song) - and I would never listen to - or produce - anything using a low budget sound card with less than great converters. And I would certainly never - EVER - use Behringer monitors!

But my original comment wasn't so much about the actual card (which might in fact have decent converters), but more about the way the market it. Come on.... Even though everyone's free to ignore what the marketing department says, it DOES say something about who this card is targeted at (not pro producers) and how "serious" the company is. That's really my point here.

And yes, I am generalizing here. I'm aware of that. I do know of No 1 hit albums recorded and mixed on Behringer monitors and mixers - but I also know that in these cases the producer didn't really have a choice.

Now - Flame me, hate me, burn me!

Regards

EDIT: I just re-read my post and realized that I might come off as patronizing or arrogant. English is not my mother tonuge and any "provocation" is completely unintented. I do appreciate that everyone has their own favourite gear - and that it's not the same. I'm just stating that I don't like Behringer and Creative.

quote:

Originally posted by RivalMan EDIT: I just re-read my post and realized that I might come off as patronizing or arrogant.

just a tiny bit....

quote:

Originally posted by Mikk Really, you're using that card? Wow, I guess it's not bad then. I love your work. I just got a terrible first impression from their marketing, and that's what this thread was about. I haven't used the card myself so obviously I can't judge its quality. But that wasn't even the point here, I think you'd agree that the ad is hilarious? Shame on their marketing department.

Yeah... I guess sometimes you just need to disregard what they're saying and look what it can do

When I as just a student and didn't have much money for my music studio (it went someplace else ), I used to produce so much on my Audigy card (version 1) and my regular 2.1 speakers.


RivalMan:

I will not flame or hate you because you have a difference of opinion. My remark is just to point out that it's dangerous to put everything in general (it's not an assertive way of thinking - you might get into a more serious discussion along the way).

You see how fast definitions change; I use the Creative X-Fi for my music, I receive income from it so I'm a pro. Still that doesn't make it 'pro' material. It doens't make the Behringers 'pro' material either.

I wonder what your opinion will be if you'd ever see a Behringer or X-Fi in a professional studio... Still, my track will go to such a studio anyway if I get a track signed; why would I invest in such things anyway? I KNOW I will never get there on such level here at home.

It's perfectly ok to not like something. It's just a matter of dealing with if other people do like it

I'm not sure if Icone using the X-Fi is necessarily evidence that it's a great card, just that the artist/engineer matters a lot more than the equipment. Need I mention the Yamaha NS-10s once again?

For the record I'm not saying that the X-Fi is shit; I produced my earlier tracks on an Audigy and I'm using the Emulator X bundle now. But my point is that a good producer can produce good tracks on shitty equipment, and a mediocre producer will likely produce mediocre tracks on even the fanciest equipment.

To a degree, it's almost better to produce on amateur equipment, because that's what your listeners are going to be listening to it with, and you want more or less to hear what they will hear. A track could sound great on your $6000 studio monitors and $10,000 mixer, but could sound crappy on the dinky little laptops and underpowered/overpowered car stereos of your listeners.

I'm not saying the X-Fi is the ultimate card either - it just provides me with the options I need very easily and I'm happy with it so far. Tried the Audiophile 192 but wasn't impressed or comforted but for the nice ASIO drivers...

I basically want to say it has to stop making posts like "hey look at this; ain't this just the biggest crap out there?" and be happy with you got yourself. I think experience counts for way more than just direct critics.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut I'm not sure if Icone using the X-Fi is necessarily evidence that it's a great card, just that the artist/engineer matters a lot more than the equipment. Need I mention the Yamaha NS-10s once again? For the record I'm not saying that the X-Fi is shit; I produced my earlier tracks on an Audigy and I'm using the Emulator X bundle now. But my point is that a good producer can produce good tracks on shitty equipment, and a mediocre producer will likely produce mediocre tracks on even the fanciest equipment. To a degree, it's almost better to produce on amateur equipment, because that's what your listeners are going to be listening to it with, and you want more or less to hear what they will hear. A track could sound great on your $6000 studio monitors and $10,000 mixer, but could sound crappy on the dinky little laptops and underpowered/overpowered car stereos of your listeners.

Exactly.

Digi: would you think it is useful for me to upgrade from my X-Fi to an E-MU 1616m for example?

I've been thinking about it, but I cannot seem to come to a clear decision without any feedback...

quote:

Originally posted by Icone Digi: would you think it is useful for me to upgrade from my X-Fi to an E-MU 1616m for example? I've been thinking about it, but I cannot seem to come to a clear decision without any feedback...

From your tracks it doesn't sound like you really need to; the main reason I got the Emu card was for Emulator X (the sampler). The DSP is nothing special, not like a PowerCore or UAD.

Although if you're doing a lot of recording (hardware or vocals) then it might be worth it. The ADCs/DACs really are good, and you can have a much more elaborate setup than with a consumer-end sound card. Does it have better playback quality than an Audigy or X-Fi? Probably not by much.

So, it was useful to me for the EX, but if I were purchasing something specifically as an upgrade to the recording/audio/MIDI interface, I'd probably go with a firewire device like the MOTU 828 or Traveller, they're much better than the Emu PCI card and you could use them on multiple computers (say your home DAW as well as a laptop).

Traveller is expensive though, like 800 bucks =[

Thanks Digi, that's very helpful!

Do you think the next upgrade would be to go for a 'mobile' setup then?

Cheers,
Wim

quote:

Originally posted by Icone Digi: would you think it is useful for me to upgrade from my X-Fi to an E-MU 1616m for example? I've been thinking about it, but I cannot seem to come to a clear decision without any feedback...

Depends on what you need it for.

The X-Fi platinum pro is basically the same shit thats in an EMU 1212. Same convertors. Same DSP.

The only difference really is:

1) No AES/EBU digital in/out. Do you use AES/EBU or plan to? If not, you don't need it.

2) No electronic balancing. Do you use outboard? Does it support electronic balancing? If not, you cant use it anyway.

The 1616M has fairly decent preamps, more in/outs and ADAT. Again, are you going to use the extra inputs? Do you record from instrument/mic level sources? Do you use alot of outboard? If you don't theres no real point buying the 1616M. And if you do use alot of outboard, consider getting a card with better AD/DA conversion anyway.

I maintain the X-Fi is not a bad card. But Creative's marketing department is spinning its chin into orbit with the claims they make for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Icone Digi: would you think it is useful for me to upgrade from my X-Fi to an E-MU 1616m for example? I've been thinking about it, but I cannot seem to come to a clear decision without any feedback...

Depends on what you need it for.

The X-Fi platinum pro is basically the same shit thats in an EMU 1212. Same convertors. Same DSP.

The only difference really is:

1) No AES/EBU digital in/out. Do you use AES/EBU or plan to? If not, you don't need it.

2) No electronic balancing. Do you use outboard? Does it support electronic balancing? If not, you cant use it anyway.

The 1616M has fairly decent preamps, more in/outs and ADAT. Again, are you going to use the extra inputs? Do you record from instrument/mic level sources? Do you use alot of outboard? If you don't theres no real point buying the 1616M. And if you do use alot of outboard, consider getting a card with better AD/DA conversion anyway.

I maintain the X-Fi is not a bad card. But Creative's marketing department is spinning its chin into orbit with the claims they make for it.

I'm with Digi though. If you are going to upgrade make it worth your while. Conversion starts getting good around the MOTU 828 MKII kind of price range. Same territory as the RME Fireface 400. If I were you and I was doing a fair bit of outboard recording, that would be the minimum card I would shoot for.

If money is no object, then its definitely the Apogee Rosetta 800.

quote:

Originally posted by Icone Do you think the next upgrade would be to go for a 'mobile' setup then?

If by "mobile" you mean firewire as opposed to PCI, and you're going to upgrade anyway, I'd say yes. If you literally mean portable then that's really your call.

The 828 is mobile in the sense that you could take it to your friend's house to record a jam or some vocals, or you could take it to a live PA with a laptop, and so on. It's a full-fledged rack interface though, so I wouldn't want to just lug it around anywhere and everywhere. That's what the Traveller is for, and you're obviously sacrificing some features for the smaller size; but maybe they aren't features you care about.

If nothing else, external/firewire interfaces are going to have a higher resale value if you change your mind or want to upgrade. And they don't go obsolete or get discontinued as quickly and frequently as PCI devices seem to.

Again though, I'm not suggesting that you should upgrade to a mobile setup or to anything else, just that if you're going to upgrade, you should go for something truly high-end. It just so happens that most high-end devices are firewire.

Then say I would not really move from studio to studio and not have much external devices to connect (only one or two); what would be the "best" upgrade?

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.