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Originally posted by Mikk It seems we've had quite a flood of trolls here lately.. If they're just bots then how about some kind of image verification on the registration page?

Because swamper is lazy. Actually, to be fair. Swamper probably HAS A LIFE. And probably doesn't have time to administer TA every single time someone wants something done.

Granted, it wouldn't be that difficult to implement a captcha (word image verification). But, this version vBulletin has been working fine so he hasn’t seen the need to do any major work to it.

However, I agree with you.

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Originally posted by DJ RANN er...hate to point this out but the 24/96 uses the same DA chips and chip architecture as the more expensive delta series right up to the 1010. all you're paying for is balanced I/O and more I/O's. also, balanced I/O's will not improve sound quality of the soundcard itself, only reduce interference and potential noise between devices. this can easily be avoided by not having long cable runs, keeping your audio lines away from power lines and buying decent quality unbalanced cables. if the original question was asked with a view to find out if it worth shelling out on a new soundcard, I would say no. monitor speakers are probably have the best value in terms of upgrades and cash spent vs performance or quality increase

Delta 44 and 66 share the same AD/DA convertors, but 1010 and 24/96 are different entirely. Also, the 1010 has the AD/DA in the breakout, whereas the others are all on the PCI card (forgot about that).

Balanced cables have a higher line level too ;P
IMO its still worth getting balanced, even if people argue it's not worth it in a home setup.

I agree on the monitor thing though, definately!

Ok, so its been established that soundcards make a difference in recording, but how much of a difference? When recording an external synth, would you really be able to hear a difference between something recorded by a ...2496 and a better soundcard?

my bad. the 44 has the same AD/DA's as the 1010lt. In fact the 24/96 has better AD/DA's than either the 44 66 or 1010lt!! Time to "upgrade"

Also, Balanced lines don't necessarily have a higher level compared to unbalanced lines: it's simply that most balanced (pro) equipment operates at +4DB and unbalanced uses -10DB (consumer). But if I take an unbalanced jack leads and plug them to and from my amp and mixer, even thought it has "Balanced" I/O it does not mean my signal path is now -10DB.

With good cables, sensible management of power lines and short runs there really is no audible difference between balanced and unbalanced systems.

In fact when using really cheap balanced equipment, the crap components being used actually will introduce more noise than than it cancels especially over short distances.

Already been said, but I see no reason why a sound card is very important unless you're recording audio, ESPECIALLY given the fact that the new generation of synths are all USB anyway! Hurrah for just eliminating about 10 cables! Actually, even if you are recording audio, perhaps a crap soundcard could give u more character anyway

I'm still using an onboard sound card - the classic AC97 along with ASIO4ALL sound driver.

It works pretty well, I will upgrade soon but I am aware it wont allow me to run more VST's/effects at the same time because soft sequencers all use the CPU for this which I originally thought, so dual-core would be the way to go to improve that side of performance.

I also want to look in to using multiple PC's to run a VST each to reduce strain off the main pc running the sequencer, cant remember the name of the software to hand, but this would allow you to listen to your mix live without bouncing some things to audio - I like tweaking as much as possible live.

I do find that I cant record midi with my USB Xboard 49 accuratley as the notes are recorded delayed, I'm sure its not me hitting the keys at the wrong time because it sounds on time when you hear it live, so I'm hoping a new soundcard will reduce latency for me, thats about it.

Definatley Monitors and some nice headphones are also on the upgrade list, you can tell I'm just starting out.

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actually, it should allow you to run more stuff, on account of more efficient asio drivers. ASIO4ALL just runs over the top of the MME drivers I think, so you still have ineffiency there. With a new soundcard you should be able to reduce latency. I think this is the way it works anyway...

kitphillips, you're absolutely right. onboard sound is very basic and will not allow you to have the sort of low latency figure that is required to record and playback accurately.

The asio4all is very clever in that it sits on top of the WDM drivers, and makes the soundcard usable to a point but not for anything really serious. As soon as you start using multiple VST's, FX, audio, midi tracks you will notice an massive slow down and bad latency.

DAEUS, If you're just starting out, get yourself something like a M-audio audiophile 24/96 or a delta 44 if you need more inputs.

There's not much point spending more at this time, as the difference in cost between these and even a slightly higher sound quality soundcard is a large amount of money, better spent on good studio monitors.

Once you have a decent sound card, if I were to recommend spending money on only one other piece of kit, it would have to be monitors - the extra money (often not even that much) spent on them is so much more important and well spent.

Advice noted Rann

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will buying an external usb card make me run more VSTI's with ease?? i have 1.7 gigz dual core centrino, 1 gig of ram...

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Originally posted by TRNG will buying an external usb card make me run more VSTI's with ease?? i have 1.7 gigz dual core centrino, 1 gig of ram...

Only slightly, a faster computer will make more difference, but a soundcard will help a little I would say. Your spec isn't bad though and remember that speed doesn't make that much difference in the quality of music you make. So yeah, you can get more power, but you'll use it up eventually anyway.

Let me just say I haven't read everyone else's response to your questions so I apologize in advance if I happen to repeat what someone else has already stated.

In MY OPINION, if all you use are virtual instruments e.g. VST, DXi, etc, then the soundcard will make absolutely no difference whatsoever. However, if you have external synths or instruments and you want to record those, the D/A and A/D conversion of a good soundcard will do better than a cheap one.

This is my understanding of it all. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken (with sources please )

Just a side note, I had a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (internal) and recently switched to an external USB E-MU 0404 unit. I needed this to record via S/PDIF for my Virus TI. It is a GREAT unit. It also has MIDI interfaces and some analog input jacks for recording analog devices. It cost me $200 which is not bad in the grand scheme of things. Its been a dream for me.

Take care and good luck,
Adam

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