which soundcard to buy.... which one shall i choose???

G

germ

New member
ok... so i have been looking thru my music mags.... and i see all these different sound cards..... right now im recding thru and Sana Cruse Turtle Beach sound card...

and that just isnt cutting it.......
but i dont know what to get......
and i also dont know wether or not i need ot get a mixer to hook up wiht it.....
the most that i will simulaniously record is The drums........ and that will take like 6 tracks ...... so what
 
In your case mixer should be the best way to go. Check out Mackie mixers. Those should have good preamps. You should check the Delta cards, maybe Delta66 would be a card for you also check Hoontech products.

Riku
 
where did I leave my asbestos underpants?

Germ,

I put on my asbestos underpants for this reply, because I'm pretty sure I'll get flamed, but you may want to hear me out anyway.... This is just a recommendation based on the 2 or 3 sentences you posted. Your mileage may vary.

Personally I echo part of what Riku said; Getting a mixer and soundcard (IMHO) is more flexible (and affordable) than trying to find a soundcard that "does it all". Take my "mini-studio" as an example:

PC with big disk and lots of ram,
Echo Mia 24-bit 96kHz audio card ($200-),
Behringer MX1604A 12-channel (for you the MXB1002 10-channel might be a better fit) mixer ($170-),
Cool Edit 2000 audio recording/editing software ($70-),
(Perhaps a multi-track package like Sonar, n-Track, etc...?),
Easy CD Creator 5 for buringing CDs ($90-),

Now, where I expect to get the most flames, is for recommending a Behinger mixer -- apparently they have abysmal quality control, but I'm very happy with mine after several weeks still, but by all means, if you can afford Mackie go for it. Just be sure to cover your bases:

PC,
AD/DA card that suits your needs for I/O,
Mixer,
Recording / Editing / Multitracking / Mastering software depending on what you're trying to do with the sound once it's digital.

-Shaz
 
I dont think the soundcard you recommended will support 6 or more tracks as he asked for. Or does it? At a minimum, he needs a Delta 1010 and a decent non-Behringer board, IF you want more than 6 tracks AND decent quality sound. I think that a clock should just be a standard part of your daw, an unthought of expense, like RAM, neccesary. Buy it and forget it. THe lucid is only $300 now.
 
what is it about the Santa Cruz that doesnt cut it....it will record 4 tracks simulataneously and is the best sounding in its $$$ class.......so is it the 4 track limitation or the sound quality.....

what $$$ budget do you have for the whole soundcard/mixer/preamp package?.....
 
reply.....

after reading your replys im still very confused about what to do...
my santa cruz sound card that i have only has two imputs and line in and a mic .. its not suitable to record an album..... well i mean i could.... but i want a little better quality.....

i figure.... that i probablly want to make 6 tracks simultaniusly with the drums so i can tweek each aspect of the drums... some of the sound cards u guys mentioned only had two ins...

i was looking at the tascom 428 usb muti track workstation....and i was wondering if that might be better for me than a sound card....

right now im using CEP 1.0 i ahve recorded one demo but..... it wasnt that great of a sound.... i cant spend more than say.. ummmm 6- 800 perferbably 3,4,or 5 and one of u mentioned getting a mixer board.... welll standard mixer boards..... will only let me send two lines into the computer at a time..... a left and a right.. that means........ that i wouldnt be able to edit the individual parts of the drums.....

im just trying to get the most for my money.... and get something that i can use and use well.....
 
clarification

Tube and Germ,

Allow me to clarify, please...

Items required:
1. PC (you already have one, like all of us, or you wouldn't be here, I presume)
2. Drums and 6 Mic.s (something you mention having?)
3. Small mixer with at least 6 Mic PreAmps (I recommend Behringer or Mackie.. the Mackie will be about 3x the cost of the Behringer but people wont flame you for using it, hehe)
4. AD/DA card (I recommend the Echo Mia which you should be able to get for around $200.-)
5. Multi-Track recording software (N-Track is popular and affordable)
6. (Optional) Digital audio editing software (try a demo of Cool Edit 2000 if you are on a tight budget. $70.- to register.)

Process:
You don't give us a lot of detail, Germ:

ok... so i have been looking thru my music mags.... and i see all these different sound cards..... right now im recding thru and Sana Cruse Turtle Beach sound card...

and that just isnt cutting it.......
but i dont know what to get......
and i also dont know wether or not i need ot get a mixer to hook up wiht it.....
the most that i will simulaniously record is The drums........ and that will take like 6 tracks ...... so what
Click to expand...

But what I'm assuming you'd do, is hook up all 6 mic's to your mixer, and set your gain and levels apropriately, and record your drum track in N-track (or whatever). Then lay down your bass, your synth pads, leads, guitar, whatever.

If you insist on laying each of those 6 mic's to a distinct track your budget skyrockets, and you get into equipment I can't really speak to with any legitimacy, so I'll leave that to the more seasoned pro's on the forum.

-Shaz
 
reply to Gidge

thanks for the advice..... one last little bit of advice needed...... when im recording the rythem tracs........ im going to need a guitar playing........ should i put the guitarist in another rooom......and split up the monitors so the drummer and the guitarist can have a head set.... or....... could i record them in the same room????
 
Depends if the guitarist is recording direct or mic'ing his amp.....if he's recording direct he can be in the room with the drummer...if he's mic'ing the amp, he can be in the room but his amp needs to be isolated(in the next room?) so it doesnt bleed into drum mics....i like it this way because as a guitarist i like to be able to see the drummer while recording...some people are exactly the opposite and DONT want to see the drummer....as long as the amp is isolated, either way is fine....
 
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