Platinum Soundcard or basic card and mixer

[beginner]

My last post was about the Behringer mixer. So I fried my soundcard by plugging my amp into the line in. I don't want to hear it. I got impatient.

Now I have to decide wether I should go with a factory refurbished Audigy Platinum card with the drive bay inputs for $79.99 plus shipping. I should be able to plug a guitar into the inputs with the gain control. Or a Live 5.1 card and the Behringer mixer.

Any advice?

[Massive Master]

I'd spend a few more bucks if you can and get something more of a "pro-sumer" card - Echo MIA, M-Audio... The list goes on.

It'll cost you a bit more, but you'll thank me later...

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com

[beginner]

I appreciate what your saying and don't doubt your advice but, the funds are limited. I will probably go the route of the Live card and the mixer. My gut tells me I will get better guitar sounds that way.

[guitarfreak12]

be aware though, lots and lots of people I hear about say that the SB stuff specifically the Live crashed their computer. Plus the Live stuff has caused latency problems. just a warning.

[c7sus]

Don't do it!

You can't plug a guitar into either of those soundcards, or the Behry mixer and get a decent result.

Guitars get plugged into DI boxes and THEN go to the LINE IN of a mixer or preamp.

The inputs of any mixer are looking for mic or line level, NOT GUITAR level. If you run the speaker out from the amp into the Behry you're gonna fry a channel on it, too.

BTW, a Platinum IS a basic card.

So the options are mic the amp, DI the guitar through a mixer or other preamp, or, if your amp has a LINE OUT, plug that into the soundcard.

[beginner]

Thanks for the warnings. I can't afford to fry anything else.

[noisedude]

Originally posted by beginner
My gut tells me I will get better guitar sounds that way.

go buy yourself a vindaloo, that should keep your guts distracted long enough to take the advice on here!! i used to have an SB live it was the worst soundcard i ever had, worse latency than my Aztech SB16 copy back in '95!

save for an M-Audio Audiophile. get a little behringer mixer in the meantime if you want, but if you're gonna get a cheap soundcard, pick one up for ten bucks or something rather than wasting on a Creative as an expensive and wasteful stopgap.

[beginner]

Sorry noisedude, but what the heck is a vindaloo?

[noisedude]

it's a really really potent curry .... a real belly blower

[Gidge]

how did u fry the soundcard by going to the line it?.....

if done right, that would work better than the Behringer mixer........