Gaming and audio - separate sound cards/interfaces, or just one?

Kylotan

Kylotan

New member
I'm a musician and a computer game player and I'm looking to upgrade my sound card in the near future. For the last 10 years or so I've enjoyed using the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card, but I want to upgrade for 2 reasons: firstly, it's old, the drivers don't work well on modern systems, and it probably won't be supported in future, and secondly, I want something with microphone inputs so that I don't need to use an external preamp and mixer.

The downside is, my Audiophile 2496 doubles up as the main sound output for my PC. It works well with the Windows OS and with games, as you would expect of an internal component, as it was not always practical to have 2 sound interfaces installed in a PC (especially when the 2496 was first released). I am planning on purchasing a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 USB interface, which gets great reviews for all the music applications - but I don't know if anybody is trying to play games through it.

Now, I do have an onboard sound 'card', and in theory I expect I could just use that for games, and route the output of that into an input of the Scarlett so that I only need 1 set of speakers. As long as I don't create a feedback loop there, it should be fine. I think.

Does anybody have any experience of this kind of situation? Or maybe there are other interfaces I should be considering that work better for this? PCI sound cards are seemingly going out of favour these days but if there's one that is known to be good for audio work and for games I'd consider that instead of the Scarlett.
 
Kylotan said:
The downside is, my Audiophile 2496 doubles up as the main sound output for my PC. It works well with the Windows OS and with games, as you would expect of an internal component, as it was not always practical to have 2 sound interfaces installed in a PC (especially when the 2496 was first released). I am planning on purchasing a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 USB interface, which gets great reviews for all the music applications - but I don't know if anybody is trying to play games through it.
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There's no problem. The Scarlett is a direct replacement for the audiophile.
Windows will see it as a 'sound card'.

Your best bet would be to disable onboard sound in the bios.
 
What Steen says. The Scarlett is a good choice and can handle your games as well as recording.

All my PC's audio goes through my firepod in the same way.
 
Ah,,Phoooey! The 6i6 does not have S/PDIF.

Never mind. I am perhaps one of few here that runs a 2496 and (mostly for test purposes for HR!) two USB interfaces. The 8i6 and the NI KA6.

I am running Win 7 Home premium 64 bits on two desktops and do not have any trouble switching between the PCI card and the USB interfaces. Mostly I use Samplitude SE8 for knockabout recording and I simply select the appropriate interface from the menu. On the rare occasion I fire up Cubase (le6) I simply set whichever ASIO device I want to use.

My two PCs feed into a small mixer that then drives Tannoy 5As. When I use a USB interface I simple jack it into a spare pair on said mixer. The 2496 get its INPUTS from an A&H ZED10.
Now I know I am not the best judge but I cannot find any difference in sound quality twixt the 3 interfaces. Yes, the M-A is old but tis good! Would that a lot of "modern" drivers were hewn from the same rock! One thing is for sure...The KA6 jeeeust beats the 2496 for latency. I bet the 6i6 won't!

So, a non-problem AFAIKS. If you are using ASIO drivers it is the DAW software that will decide the device, on your say so.

One teensey point. The 2496 "plays thru" Dolby surround sound so if you have a digitally equipped 5.1 receiver?? Bet none of the USB boxes will do that!

Just fort: Don't know if you do this (I do all the time) but it is very easy to record computer sounds, Youtube, radio, did-da, with the 2496. Not so for external AIs.
Dave.
 
Apogee Quartet and Avid MBox Pro both claim to support 5.1. Someone's gotta support the home movie score enthusiast.
 
ecc83 said:
Ah,,Phoooey! The 6i6 does not have S/PDIF.
Now I know I am not the best judge but I cannot find any difference in sound quality twixt the 3 interfaces. Yes, the M-A is old but tis good! Would that a lot of "modern" drivers were hewn from the same rock! One thing is for sure...The KA6 jeeeust beats the 2496 for latency. I bet the 6i6 won't!

So, a non-problem AFAIKS. If you are using ASIO drivers it is the DAW software that will decide the device, on your say so.

One teensey point. The 2496 "plays thru" Dolby surround sound so if you have a digitally equipped 5.1 receiver?? Bet none of the USB boxes will do that!

Just fort: Don't know if you do this (I do all the time) but it is very easy to record computer sounds, Youtube, radio, did-da, with the 2496. Not so for external AIs.
Click to expand...

One big problem I have with the 2496 drivers is that they don't cope with the machine entering Sleep Mode. Sometimes you can fix it by restarting the Windows Audio service but it usually involves restarting any apps that use audio too.

I know it wouldn't be a problem with the audio apps as they can switch between interfaces easily; it's the OS and games I am interested in. The other posters say it should be fine, so that's encouraging.

Good point on the ability to record sounds on the computer. I rarely need to do that, but it does come up from time to time.
 
Never tried "sleep" mode on either machine (bit I will!)

But why? Faster boot time? WHY is the World so bloody impatient theses days (opines the 69yr old fart!)

This Asus M5A97 LE20 + AMD FX-6300 blk hits the password in less than a minute.

I used to have a problem with an M-A Fast track pro on an old laptop but I just put the drivers on the desktop and ran those each time. All done by the time I got back with me tea.
Chill man chill!

Dave.
 
Sleep mode is a general problem. On a desktop, there is no reason to use sleep mode, just let the screen go blank. But there have been reports from other that use laptops and I have seen it myself, for MS OS'es, sleep mode and ASIO don't seem to get along across the board, even the newer interfaces using USB.
 
True. I generally disable sleep and NEVER use hibernate anymore. Don't even fully understand what that was about...save an image of memory to the hard drive and then it loads just where you left it...too fraught with problems.
My recording computer never shuts down the hard drives, never shuts down the monitors, never sleeps. If I'm using it, it's a huge energy hog anyway with 2x120w speakers + 2x70w speakers + amps and keys and e-drums and pads and interface and :eek: I can just imagine the poor energy meter spinning every time I turn it on...It'd be like having amplifiers that auto shutdown when not in use for 10 minutes. It's just annoying. If I'm going to waste that much energy, let's just be honest and waste it.
Honestly, I do keep the externals off as much as possible. I don't turn on my Rokits unless I'm using them and when I track, I shut off the M-Audio's as well. I guess I just need to feel in control.
But when the muse hits and I'm ready to work on something, I want it all on. I want it all available. And I don't want to wait on waking a monitor. When I'm writing, it's rare that I'm away from the thing longer than it takes to whizz. Usually, my wife has to bring food in and stop me so I'll eat.
 
Sleep mode, HD turning off was intended for laptops to save power, Hibernate, the same thing except as you stated, it leave everything as you left it.

On a laptop, I create two power settings, Plugged in and battery. Battery should get the treatment required for extended battery life. Plugged in, should get don't turn anything off rule.

These come over as default settings, most people don't bother with them. An for many it is OK (even though turning off HD's has never worked well on any occasion). I use a laptop and when I am in marathon meetings or traveling on a plane, those settings really help keep everything going.
 
Re the wazzing Ken.
You can get what is known as a "Stadium Friend" .

Then again I went home from hosp' some years ago catheterised for a month ( a procedure called "TWOC") but that is a bit extreme in order to save a few minutes on yous Magnum Opus!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Re the wazzing Ken.
You can get what is known as a "Stadium Friend" .

Then again I went home from hosp' some years ago catheterised for a month ( a procedure called "TWOC") but that is a bit extreme in order to save a few minutes on yous Magnum Opus!

Dave.
Click to expand...

:laughings: Thanks, I needed that!
 
Sleep mode does several things: 1: leaves all your programs in exactly the state you left them when you turned the PC off, 2: saves a lot of energy and thus money, 3: speeds startup times from a minute to a second, 4: is a lot quieter when the machine is off than when it is on. If those things don't matter to you, that's fine, but it's a useful feature and inability to support it is pretty dumb in 2014. I don't expect it of the 2496 though because it's old hardware.
 
Kylotan said:
Sleep mode does several things: 1: leaves all your programs in exactly the state you left them when you turned the PC off, 2: saves a lot of energy and thus money, 3: speeds startup times from a minute to a second, 4: is a lot quieter when the machine is off than when it is on. If those things don't matter to you, that's fine, but it's a useful feature and inability to support it is pretty dumb in 2014. I don't expect it of the 2496 though because it's old hardware.
Click to expand...

Now I know next to NOTHING about computers but that ^ seems to be something a top IT guy would write a "script" for?

I shall now go ask Martin Walker on sound on sound..Bet ee'll know!

Dave.
 
Some of that stuff is intrinsic to being able to put the computer to sleep; all you can hope is that the hardware all supports it.

(I notice you're from Northampton; I grew up in Dallington. Small world.)
 
Kylotan said:
Some of that stuff is intrinsic to being able to put the computer to sleep; all you can hope is that the hardware all supports it.

(I notice you're from Northampton; I grew up in Dallington. Small world.)
Click to expand...

Huh! "Dallington" means nothing! You could be from the posh bit, overlooking the park or dragged up in the rougharsed end of Spencer! Heh! I jest.

I grew up in Somerset street, surrounded by shoe factories tho' my dad was a master carpenter/cabinet maker and foreman of Davie Organ Builders woodwork shop on Campbell square.

I now live in a bungalow in NN5 5P* My daughter went to Spencer school for a while and my wife was a dinnerlady there!


Dave.
 
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