Upgrading To Computer Recording - Soundcard Advice Wanted.

B

bfsuk

New member
Hey,
I've posted on here various times before asking for advice. I've currently been recording onto a Tascam 788 going through a Behringer UB2222fx mixer. I've kinda outgrown the 788 now and require more than 8 tracks. I know I could bounce down onto the stereo tracks but I like the idea of having everything seperate when mixing. I've therefore decided to upgrade to using my computer rather than the 788. I will be recording most stuff live (a band consisting of drums, 2 guitars and bass), doing vocals and any overdubs later. Therefore I will probably need at least 6 audio inputs on the soundcard / interface and I'd also like to have the same number of outputs to feed back into my mixer for mixdown (I'd feel happier doing it this way to begin with rather than on screen).

If anyones got any suggestions of a possible soundcard / interface the help would be gratefully appreciated. I've looked at various models by M-Audio, Emu etc. but havent really seen anything with 6 inputs / outputs.

It might be helpful for me to post the specs of my computer (without the soundcard as its crap at the moment):

AMD Athlon XP 2000+
512mb DDR Ram
Geforce 4 64mb DDR Graphics Card

Also, what programme would you suggest I start off using? I know it'll come down a lot to personal preference but I can't afford a huge ammount for the Soundcard and programme. I've heard great things about Pro Tools but know that'll be out of my budget. I've seen there are budget versions of both Cubase and Cakewalk Sonar. Are these any good or is it worth forking out that bit extra for the top of the range programmes?

I can't afford a complete new PC for this, so I'll be using the same one as I use for the internet, web design, photoshop etc. I've heard people don't reccomend doing this but at the moment it's all thats possible.

If anyone has any advice on this I'd be very thankfull!
Thanks,
James
 
your pc is fine.
look at a delta multi input sound card, and there are many others at zzounds.com and music123.com and many other sites.
if you want to know what i use, just search under my name. youll spend a lot of money to beat it.
 
I've had a look at a Delta 1010LT. That looks pretty much what I'm after but I'm unsure about it only having phono inputs and outputs. I've searched and people have suggested using converters but I'm not completely sure about it. Can someone just confirm that there wouldnt be any loss in quality. I can't afford the one with the breakout box as much as I'd like it.
James
 
i'm confused what your saying. the convertors for a/d/a are built into the delta.
reason i suggested it is it works well with the software i use.
as well as many others.
 
What I mean is ... most devices I've worked with have used 1/4" jack sockets when using my 788 etc. I haven't come across a soundcard or mixer or anything with Phono RCA sockets on. The 1010LT has these and I'm just wondering if it makes any difference to the quality.
 
Yeah having to replace all my cables turned me off to the card also... I decided to go with a E-mu 1212m and get the Behringer converter so i only had to buy 1 extra cable to run all eight channels via ADAT light pipe... If i ever need more i can always get the Breakout box and "poof" 16 channels.
 
Having a think about it, I might need to use the 788 for recording drums sometimes and importing it into the computer. The reason is ... Where I live, we're surrounded by people who, however much I explain I'm recording and whatever hours I do it at, still complain about noise. We can however easily record drums in a great sounding room at my bands drummers along with a very rough guitar track. Then we'd come to my home studio, import the drum tracks in, then record everything else. I know this isn't ideal, but untill I sort out a soundproofed room for drums, would this work well?
The tascam 788 has an SPDIF output and I've heard something about being able to export all the audio tracks into an SPDIF input on the soundcard using this? Am I right or am I thinking of something else? If not, I'd just record the tracks in one by one (the bass drum and snare would be on a seperate track to the stereo overheads etc.)
Hope someone can help before I go ahead and buy a new soundcard and programme and stuff.
 
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