Oh wise ones..

CounterToAttack

New member
Hi everyone

Ive been looking through the threads on soundcards and then researching equipment and ive come to the conclusion that you people have an immense knowledge and background on this sort of thing and so ive come to ye for advice and gubbings..

Ive got a idea of spending around £600 ($850-ish) though if needs be ill just put my student loan to a good cause...

The main thing im looking for is a Soundcard and from the jibb of things it seems like the aardvark direct pro 24/96 is along my lines and affordability (£535 - $770ish is the cheapest ive found in the uk) , but i dont wanna rush into anything for such an amount of cash. It seems spec's and what im recording has alot to do with the choice of card so below is all the need to know stuff and i hope you can all give me some welcomed advice

366 Mhz CyrixInstead 6x86MX (thats what it says in my system folder - im not very good with whats what and all)
32Mb Ram (dont worry its gonna get upgraded to 256Mb)

Im going to be recording songs of rock, mainly vocals/guitar/bass. (microphones probably gonna be a shure 57 and 58 though my mate says he'll lend me his expensive large diaphragm mike (dont know what it is though)). no drums yet, maybe other percussion instruments though, and maybe keyboards one day if im feeling plucky.

..If you wanna lay on any questions ill only be too happy to answer as ill be using this board alot now ive found it. And upfront i apoligise for never checking my spelling and thank all for the advice given.

cheers
Richard
 
I've been doing similar research and I'm leaning towards M Audio's Omni Studio, or possibly their Delta 1010. These seem to have the most bang for the buck. Musician's Friend is also having a special on them which has the price substancially lower than my local store can get them.

More info on the cards at http://www.midiman.com/

I've posted (and am continuing to update) notes on what I've learned at:
http://home1.gte.net/opunwide/DigitalRecording.htm
Maybe they can be of some use to you.
 
the omni studio or delta 1010 would be your best bets. They leave nothing to be desired as far as sound quality goes. the omni is $375 and the 1010 is $550. They both come with a bunch of software. Get the 1010 of you need 8 inputs, get the omni if you need preamps. THe preamps sound phat.
 
alright, i researched this like hell, posted a thread in computer recording and soundcards, check it out.

For the money, even in your budget, the omni studio is the way to go. If you are micing with 2 mics and less, get it. Its amazing, cheap and great quality preamps. The aardvark is also up there, more expensive, but with 2 more pre amps, though a small bit less quality. You decide (how many preamps do you need?)

i'm ordering my omni now.
 
i should only really need 2 preamps..one for vocals and one for roughly recording an instrument or percussion.

thanks alot, ill check out the 2 mentioned. Prices seem to be a little more expensive here in the uk. probably due to shipping and not really much demand but im prepared to live off scraps to fund something which im deeply passionate about (music)

Cheers
Richard
 
cheers.. ill check out the mic thing but i already have a good understanding of Mic's.. (my brothers worked in a studio for a while and i do alot about sound in my degree). But im sure it'll be helpful.

Ive checked out the delta 1010 and omni studio and the deltas a no no as it has no mic preamps. I really just wanna plug straight into the card through the breakout box and not have to end up buying more equipment, a sort of all in one deal.

Ill go back now and compare the Aaardvark direct pro to the omni studio. Price isnt the issue here... Quality is

Does anyone have any good links to Bands who use this kinda recording setup, ive looked for weeks on finding some samples which i can listen to and have only found a couple. I really wanna hear what it can do before i buy one.

Cheers
Richard
 
When i say price isnt an issue i kinda ment that the aardvark being more expensive than the Omni studio isnt going to be an issue in making my decision. After doing more relentless investigation im kinda siding with the aardvark at the moment, It just seems to have exactly what i want and a sample song i downloaded sounded great.. unfortunetly i got nothing to compare it with at the moment as i havent found any samples or good reviews on the omni studio. I think my next step will be to go read up in all the home recording magazines. Im sure that'll shed more light.

Richard
 
let me tell ya, the omni is better quality, rated the best on most sites, its just the aardvark has 2 more but less quality preamps. Both are great choices though.
 
thanks musicdarkangel for the advice. hopefully ill be able to find a sample for the omni studio and be able to compare the vocals with similar mics on each. I was just having a moment of thought that what if i expand my setup (which will probably happen) and i need more preamps. I dont wanna buy something and have to upgrade again. Though i am masterful at manipulating things to get out what i want and so could probable manage 2.. Ooh the torture...the dilema...I wish i had a sack full of cash.

Richard
 
hey,
I've been through this. I did many hours of research in soundcards, don't want you to have to waste your time like i did =) no problem.
 
cheers man.. so have i, it would be so nice to find something which says imperically that this is better so buy it now !! and now im swaying back to the omni abit as its £150 cheaper which gives me the chance to buy the mic's i wanted...Ill keep checkin' this board out and searching. I dont get my student loan until October so i got plenty of time to decide.

Richard
 
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