Sound Card choice

Cindy

New member
Hi, I am thing of getting an Guillemont ISIS sound card for an PC I am building. The main reason is for the breakout box with the full size jacks so I can plug in my guitar, keyboards , etc. I was just wondering what other people are using. Thanks
 
Keyboards are at line level so you can plug those straight in...guitar,mics need a preamp before u can plug them in to the ISIS.....or maybe I can talk you out of it....

what's your budget?

how many inputs do u need (at one time)?

what instruments are u recording? what mics? are u recording drums?

do u need Midi?

do u have any preamps?

are u a chic?
 
Cindy, I wouldn't recommend the ISIS. I have it and I'm saving up to ditch it for something better. There are several alternatives that allow you to plug in line level instruments like guitars and keys.

My reasons for dissing the ISIS: it records at 16 bits. The sound quality is not bad, but most every other card/interface combo out there now records at at least 20 bits, and believe me, you can hear the difference. When I first got the ISIS, it wouldn't work with my motherboard because of the VIA chipset. Guillemot exchanged it for one that would, but when I upgraded and got a Pentium rig, I had to do it again. Other quirks include not working with overclocked processors very well, driver issues, buggy bundled software.

Once you get a taste for computer recording, you're going to wish for better sound and more capability. There are good affordable packages out there. I'm saying you can do better without spending a lot more. Good luck, and let us know what you get and how it works!
-Kent
 
I thought the ISIS was 20 bit....you should be able to record at 24bit?.....

it is a decent card and a damn good all in one solution, but it will leave you wanting more soon.....
 
The newer version, XL I think they call it, may be 20 bit. I got burned because the original version hyped 20 bit internal conversion and I failed to research deeply enough to find that it records at 16 until after the fact. To quote a wise man, "Don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters!"

That said, I agree on both points that it is a nice all-in-one that will soon leave you wanting more. Save yourself from upgrade hell.
 
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