I dunno

[Newest User]

Hi, I recently got like a 150 bucks for my b-day, and I wanna spend it on some audio stuff. My problem is I dunno where I should spend the dough. I think I can add some saved money to have around 200 for everything.

Options list:

RNC, But I already have Alesis 3630...
C-1, but I already have a MXL Lrg Dia Cond. Mic...
ART TPS, but I have a MD8 with preamps built in....
Audiophile 24/96, My PC has a built in sound card, cause its
a DELL I got used..233mmx 128 mb ram...

If you were me (Id feel bad for ya) what would you put as the most important thing to buy with my measly 200 bucks?

NU

[Track Rat]

From your list, the sound card would be what I'd look at first. Just MHO. YMMV.

[Lopp]

I agree, even though the RNC would be a drastic improvement over the 3630.

[Newest User]

ok, thanks for your inputs. Can iask a couple more questions?

I was looking at the ewx 24/96 card too along side the M audio card, whats the diff? same price is one better for some reason? are these card really going to improve my quality over the 16 bit ones? Can i master my stuff withthese 24 bit carfds?

thanx

[Lopp]

I can tell you that 24 bit will definitely improve your recording quality, especially if you get decent A/D converters. However, I am not a sound card expert and can't tell you which to buy. You might want to do a search in the Computer Recordings and Soundcards forum for opinions.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/forumdi...?s=&forumid=14

[crisdhunter]

Researching sound cards can drive you crazy in short order, I'm still counting the new gray hairs on my head. After all that I research, I settled on the Aardvark 24/96. I tried a few others first(Guitar Center has a very liberal return policy).
The Aardvark 24/96 turned out to be just right, It has a lot of good features for the price, at the same time it doesn't try to do to much. The pre-amps are transparent, clean and quiet.
The PCI Card is shielded like a bastard(the thing weighs like a pound), to keep out any noise and interference from inside your PC(that's important if you don't have a PC built for audio), the controls are very natural, just like running a mixer, and it has built in real-time reverb, compressor and EQ(just for monitoring), I really don’t use these much but they do come in handy sometimes. The A/D converters are good quality as well
You can get one anywhere bet. $400-$500, I know that’s a bit more than you had in mind, but it’s a great link in your signal chain. Oh, it also has Phantom power.

Well that's my 2 cents, Have fun, Tell it like it is.

[TexRoadkill]

A new soundcard will definately give you the most dramatic improvement with your current system.

[Retro]

You can find a comparison of the terratec and the m-audio in the April 2001 issue of Sound On Sound magazine. The article can be viewed online at http://www.sospubs.co.uk/. They both have good sound quality (they use the same AKM converters). It comes down to a slight variation in features. Either one will be a big upgrade from a 16 bit consumer card.