First System....

[freebird]

Okay,
I have done some research. I am wanting to set up a home digital studio. I know my computer hardware requirements, so my questions are focused on soundcards, etc...:

System possibility #1:

-Mackie mixing board (for mike pre-amp and mix-down) and analog mixing which will go to...
-Aark 2020+ / Layla / Gina which will be converting signals to...
-Cakewalk...to be mastered by
-Soundforge...to be burned onto CD by...
-duh, a cd burner.


System possibility #2:

-No mixer
-Aark Direct Pro 24/96 or other direct in to...
-Cakewalk...to be mastered by
-Soundforge...to be burned onto CD by...
-duh, a cd burner.


What system would you recommend and what are the advantages/disadvantages of each??

Do I need another soundcard to run system sounds or can these serve as my primary sound cards?

Some of the Echo cards only offer 2 inputs..does that mean I can only record 2 tracks at a time or is that simply two stereo inputs coming out of the mixer?


Thanks!

[dobro]

I think doing the questions in reverse order would be useful.

Different cards have different numbers of channels - if the Event card has two channels, then that's the maximum number of inputs you can record at one time. I think the Aark Direct Pro has four ins and outs, right? That would allow you to record four sources at one time. If you want more than that, you'd have to lay subsequent tracks down later on. You can get cards with eight channels, as well, and record a load of people at once.

Yeah, I think most cards take care of system sounds as well as recording audio.

So, my recommendation would be to ask yourself how many channels you want to record simultaneously, and then get the soundcard that allows you to do that. The Direct Pro would be a simpler and cheaper solution (no mixer), plus offer you 24-bit capacity.