Buying a sound card: Internal or external?

A

Ape-x

New member
I am in the initial stages of choosing parts for a new PC build. I am rather confused when it comes to choosing a sound card for it though, all the information I could find was geared towards the general public and not an aspiring sound engineer/musician so it wasn't much help.

I am what you would probably think of as a typical amateur musician and I need something that will give me plenty of space to grow, but with a price that won't break the bank. I already own a pair of RP5 speakers, a midi keyboard and an MPD 26.

Do I need to get something that has XLR/TRS connectivity to get a good sound quality from my speakers? I am using RCA cables in my current set-up and I am getting terrible white noise that's driving me up the wall.

Thanks for your help.
 
You need an interface. There are hundreds to choose from. Your motherboard will most likely come with onboard sound which is for general consumer use and will be useful for mp3's and games and such and that's about all. Same story with most consumer grade internal soundcards. Personally, I would steer clear of internal soundcards altogether and search places like zzounds for an external interface that has the features you need within your budget.
 
I always recommend the M-Audio fast track pro, I own one and is easy to use, great sound quality and the price is fair. It also comes with Ableton Live Lite that you can upgrade to the latest version and is very good to record your practices.
 
Mo Facta said:
FWIW, PCI audio cards are much more reliable than external ones. \

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Not in my experience.

I'm not saying PCI cards are bad, just that I've never had any additional issues with external ones.

My gut feeling is that, in this day and age, the days of PCI slots may be numbered whereas an external card will likely be able to connect to whatever your NEXT computer is.
 
They get better throughput, and just work consistently all the time because they're permanently connected. Firewire is RENOWNED for being a bastard if it gets disconnected and there are dodgy drivers all over the place for all the prosumer level stuff. I would certainly choose a USB device like the RME UFX over any FW product, though.

And just to clarify, when I say "PCI soundcard" I mean something like the Lynx L2 or even a Delta 1010 or the MOTU PCI-424 system, not a Soundblaster. They are all rock solid and so are their drivers.

Just my 2c (ZAR).

Cheers :)
 
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