I currently am using a soundcard which is built in to my motherboard. It is rated highly, being a built in card... and it operates well - (great sound and works sufficiently in reason), except i feel i would benefit more from a soundcard which isnt built in to my motherboard.

I'm looking at the Audigy... Would this card give much of a noticeable difference in sound quality, or improved latency/performance?

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I would stay away from Creative cards. One problem is, even the ones that claim to be 24/96 aren't actually completely 24/96 (as far as I know, they may have some now that really are).

Check out Terratec EWX 24/96 or the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96. (EDIT: M-Audio is the same company as Midiman, so the Midiman Audiophile 24/96 is the same card.) These seem to be excellent cards for the money, and will be more than enough for quite sometime. When I was looking to get a soundcard, these were the two I was considering (after lots of research). (I ended up getting an external one, though, so I could use it with my laptop instead of buying a while new computer.)

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-brash

Thanks for the reply but im looking for something around half those prices

I will invest in something like that later.

I dont see why creative labs isnt good... And its right in my budget.

However is there anything else wrong with them other than the 24/96 issue?

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I would suggest looking up reviews of the Audigy. Check this one out, for example:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20010927/index.html

Or one that compares the Audigy Platinum to a Terratec card in the same price range:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20020115/index.html

The Audigy will work, of course, but will not last you very long, if you really want to get into production. Look up your current card, and try to compare it to the Audigy (or even look for a review comparing the two -- you never know what you might find). Then you can decide if it is worth the upgrade, or whether to save up for a better card.

I don't think you'll find a better card in that price range (though, I haven't looked at cards in that range -- someone else here might know). You might want to check out eBay, though. You might find a better card in the price range you want.

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-brash

i would stay away from the audigy.

I doubt there would be much quality difference between it, and ur built in card. Audigy's are good for games and stuff, but they're not that great for recording.

Save your money and get a studio card like the M-Audio Delta 44.

i've been thinking about getting an external sound card brash... what kind is good and any good links?

The RME Multiface with the Hammerfall DSP PCMCIA card is what I got (actually, I got the Nuendo version -- it's the same thing, just with a different name and worse tech support... )

I looked around for a decent inexpesive external solution but couldn't find anything. That stuff ran me $750 on eBay (I think it was a good deal -- don't expect to pay that little for it). From all the reviews I could find, and from reading the testimonies of a guy who has one on the Buzz boards, this is a really, really good card, though. So I felt like the expense was worth it (even if it means other parts of my "studio" (room) won't be purchased for several more months...)

The other thing I looked at which was a little less expensive was the MOTU 828. But that had no MIDI connector, and wasn't quite as good an interface. Definitely avoid the Sound Blaster Extigy. I looked at that briefly, but it looks pretty bad. No ASIO for starters...

Basically, if you get USB, you sacrifice a lot (latency will be significantly higher). If you get firewire or PCMCIA, you are going to pay a lot more. It may be worth it to you to just buy a new computer and a Midiman Audiophile 2496. I went with the Multiface because it was such a good card, I got a good deal, and I would spend about that much on a new desktop anyway (and the desktop would be bigger, noisier, immobile, and ONLY used for production). And this card seems to be better than the Audiophile, anyway.

So... that's my long useless post to essentially say: check out the RME Multiface (aka Nuendo Multiset) if you are prepared to spend that kind of money. Otherwise, there might be a USB one out there that is acceptible... (Check out EgoSys WamiBox for another one, can't remember any more.) I never found one I could bring myself to buy, though. If you want to find more, try looking up "external asio" in google (you want ASIO, unless you are willing to sacrifice a LOT).

Good luck!

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-brash

thanks for the overview... i think this is the way i would like to go hehehe. got to get the mobility.

M-Audio Audiophile 24/96...

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Thanx for the suggestions.

However do soundcards differ that much when it comes to sound quality/power. For example decks in cars differ alot when it comes to sound quality and power...

I will now probably go for the my expensive card now, which will last me the distance.

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Numerike, how much are you wanting to spend. The audiophile isn't that expensive

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