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Creative X-Fi (pg. 2)
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| Centra Spike |
| 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.... |
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| Icone |
| 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. :clown: |
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 :) |
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| 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 ; 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 ty 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. |
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| Icone |
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. |
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| Allied Nations |
| 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 ; 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 ty 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. |
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| 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... |
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| DigiNut |
| 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). |
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| Final Call |
| Traveller is expensive though, like 800 bucks =[ |
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| Icone |
Thanks Digi, that's very helpful!
Do you think the next upgrade would be to go for a 'mobile' setup then?
Cheers,
Wim |
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| Derivative |
| 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 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. |
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| Derivative |
| 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 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. |
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| DigiNut |
| 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. |
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