Soundcard with mixer or breakout box with built in mic preamp???

M

memo

New member
Although I already ordered my Aardvark Direct Pro 24/96, there might be a problem on my order which will require me to order something else. As far as I know there are only 3 soundcard/breakout box packages with built in mic preamps, the seasound, the protools/001 package, and the aardvark.
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So my question is, on all the other professional audio cards do you just connect them to the out of your mixer? Then what's the use of having 8 ins and outs on your breakoutbox/soundcard? Becuase they are all line level. I'm a bit lost on this subject if someone could enlighten me, that would be great.
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The reason I'm asking this is that if I can't get my Aardvark, I'll have to get a pro audio card and a mixer so I have to reconsider my choices..
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Mucho thanks!
 
okay... well the reason most audio cards have multiple in's and out's is so that you can record and take out multiple signals simulatneously... if the card has 8 1/4" inch in's there are tons of way people could use them, from a mixer buss, from a mixer direct out, from a compressor, from a preamp, from an amp mod thing like a pod, etc etc... with 8 inputs you can record things from 8 sources at once, which is pretty often needed in recording live bands... i don't have a card with xlr inputs and a mic preamp built in, but the reason i'd assume someone would buy something like that is that they don't have a mixer or seperate preamps so they just want to run there mics into the card... the sound quality of this would probably be lower than that of expensive mic preamps, but then again, so would a mackie's... i hope i answered your question
 
Thanks guys, now I get it. I'll probably take the mixer+soundcard route since I record drums and it's good to give snare, bass and overheads their own channels. Now another question are the mic preamps in mixers shitty too? I mean they should be decent enough to get a good sound, ofcourse the best is to have a dedicated mic amp but the mixer preamps should be able to do the job, right? And is the preamp on a mackie mixer going to be better than a preamp on a breakout box of the soundcard?

[This message has been edited by memo (edited 04-23-2000).]
 
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