USB-connected system?

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williamwray

New member
I'm looking to start using my PC for home recording, switching over from a multi-track cassette (an old Vesta MR-10B).

The only USB-connected soundcard I've found is by Aardvark and unfortunately it is incompatible with my PC's USB.

Any other suggested options? I'm not looking for anything fancy, just the availability to record a few tracks and do some basic mixing. I'd prefer USB so I don't have to install a PCI card and deal with any other compatibility issues. (My PC is set up for some complex stuff so I don't want to tinker too much).

Thanks for any advice you can provide.
 
Midiman makes the M-Audio Quattro.

http://www.midiman.com

One thing to consider is that I have seen posts where people complain about the bandwith USB delivers. I have heard complaints that I does not handle 24-bit audio well.

It might be better to just usa a PCI type card
 
Another USB option

You sound kind of like I did a couple of years ago. I've been sequencing forever, but I thought it would be nice to start being able to add some audio recording to my setup.

I bought the Rolad/Edirol UA-100 which, I think, was the very first USB audio/midi interface. When I got it, I was running Cakewalk 8 and I've progressed through CW 9 and am now using Sonar.

In response to the last post, mine was one of the first and only does 16-bit recording, but it actually handles the audio really well and I've had minimal problems.

One of the features that I liked the best is also the thing that's given me the most trouble: It has two midi ins/outs which is really great for large midi setups. However, and I know this sounds crazy and doesn't make sense, but I've had much more trouble running my midi equipment through the UA-100 than I've had with audio. I've yet to pinpoint the problem as to whether it's a software glitch or a problem with the UA-100. The software people say it's the hardware and the hardware people say it the hardware, and nobody is helping me at all! (enough for a whole other post...)

I would tentatively suggest that you check edirol. The UA-100 also has some effects that I never use because I have plenty of plug-ins. If you're looking for JUST audio interface, you could also look at their UA-30 which is essentially a UA-100 without the midi and the effects and it's only about $248.
www.ediol.com

The one thing I can say about edirol, is that their customer support is very accessible. They've not always been ablet to fix my problems, but I've never had to wait on hold at all. Which is what I hate about most manufacturers.

One last thing, you need to double check that your USB host controller is compatible.

I know there are some others out there that are even cheaper.

I have seriously been wanting to check out the M-Audio Quattro which is advertised everywhere, but I've never seen one in real life, and whenever I ask retailers about them, they say they're not actually available yet. The reason I'm interested is because the Quattro has 4 inputs and the UA-100 only has two.

Good luck.

-shack
 
I was referring to the bandwidth limitations of USB. Recording multiple tracks of 24-bit of audio data requieres a really big "hose" with a big diameter so to speak for the data to run into get to your PC. According to some research of mine, USB can handle 12Mbits/sec. Recording multiple tracks or 24-bit audio can easily reach that limit.

Like shackx2 said, 16bit audio is not as much of as a problem for USB because there is less data running down the "hose"

At this point in time, if you are going to need 24-bit audio, I would stick with an internal PCI audio card.

Firewire can handle the higher bandwidth (400Mbits/sec), but there aren't too many devices available yet with it.
 
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