Any suggestions on a good soundcard?

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goldenchild

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I'm starting the whole computer recording thing, with a Triton Le and SONAR, and I've realized that a good soundcard is a necessity in my setup.

Right now I have a Voyetra Turtle Beach card, which is just the card that came with my Dell 8200, so it's not all that great.

What would be a good card to buy for my setup, not needing all kinds of outputs and such, just good sound quality and recording ability, with a decent price?
 
M-audio Audiophile2496 (~$150)

Make a search in this site to know more... :)
 
I would suggest the above soundcard or the Delta 44 or the Delta 66.

You be able to find all 3 soundcards and their info at their home site (M Audio).

http://www.midiman.net
 
My budget depends on the differences in the soundcards.

If a soundcard at $300 is FAR superior to one at $200 or $150, then I'd have to look into getting the $300 one. But I'd prefer to spend around $150 or $200 if I could get a good one for that price.

I'm mainly converting MIDI to audio and recording via a good Sony mic. I definitely don't need anything with tons of outputs for mixers and other instruments, because I don't have any right now and I don't see myself getting any.
 
A Soundblaster Live 5.1 is great for MIDI, because it directly supports sounfonts. It's stereo-input only card (the line-in!). And it's cheap: $32 online for whitebox versions, and loads of soundfonts are free on the net [ http://www.thesoundsite.net/ ]. "Good sound quality" is a relative thing: the (16 bit) audio recording quality obviously isn't very good compared to more expensive cards, but rest assured it's still far better than a cassette tape. If you use it to record music/make a CD, ordinary people listening to the CD on ordinary stereos will not notice anything lacking. (-I don't want to collect equipment either; I record using mini mics on a portable minidisc player connected to the line-in --- it's portable, cheap and works great.)
~
If you find that the audio recording quality of the SBL isn't what you want, then get an additional 24-bit audio-only card...but it's cheaper to try the SBL first: if you absolutely hate it, you only blew $32. If you start with a more expensive card and don't like it, you'll have spent a lot more. - Creative's own info says that there are no hardware differences in the cards themselves; the only downside to buying an OEM/whitebox part is that the warranty is through the seller, not Creative.
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Here's one review- this one shows the soundcard with the front panel ("Livedrive", I thinks it's called...), the front panel is not included. $32 only gets you the soundcard itself.
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/reviews/h2hsoundcards3/sblive.asp
 
goldenchild said:
I'm mainly converting MIDI to audio and recording via a good Sony mic.
Click to expand...

Oh uh, sounds like you need a preamp for the mic too (If you don't already have one....) or you can get a card with preamp, like the Delta Omni Studio. :)
 
First off, what's a preamp? My setup right now, using the Turtle Beach sound card that came with the computer (Dell 8200), I just plug the mic into the mic input. What's different on better sound cards?

Also, I'm recording the MIDI via the line input, using my Triton as the generator. Soundfonts are good, but they don't have the same quality as the Triton does.

So, would it be a good idea to buy several soundcards, one for MIDI, one for audio, etc.? Or will something like a Delta 44 do a good job on both. (I think 24-bit audio is a must)
 
Will I be able to hear a big difference between my cheap came-with-the-computer soundcard and an expensive one? I mean will my mic recordings sound clean, and will the background hiss be much quieter?

Those are the main reasons behind my wanting a new card, because I can't really get CD quality audio with my current card, at least it doesn't seem like it.
 
the Audiophile doesnt come with a mic input....alot of cards in its class dont.....

the Audiophile will do midi and audio just fine.....

a preamp is just a device that brings the level of a mic up to a usable level....your current card has one built in, but not a very good one.....you can get a decent preamp for $79 on up.....
 
yes you will hear a difference from a cheap soundcard to an Audiophile or better.....with just one track, the difference can be heard, but isnt mind boggling....when you get many tracks, the noise (or lack thereof) is more noticable....
 
...Soundfonts are good, but they don't have the same quality as the Triton does...
Click to expand...
- The standard GM soundfonts are poor examples. If you haven't heard a Creative card running big soundfonts, then you really don't know. The standard GM soundfonts are 2, 4 and 8 megs, but there are GM soundfont banks over 100 megs. (the Triton has 32 megs of samples) -A lotta people run a 24-bit card for audio and a Creative for soundfonts, just because of that.
- 24-bit does sound better than 16, but the cost difference is large, and -in my opinion- the end (CD) result is very minor. You can hear the difference if you have both CD's to compare, but you can't really tell which is which from listening to only one. It's nice to have the best possible sound and if you're rich, hey, go nuts..... -but ordinary people probably aren't going to notice the difference between 24- and 16-bit mixing.
~
- Some onboard PC soundcards are real lousy though. Even an SBLive is a big step up from them.
 
And for pete's sake if you decide to risk the big bucks for an SBL OEM, you want a Soundblaster Live Dolby Digital 5.1.
If you're not exactly certain that's what you're ordering, then ask here first.....
 
Can the Delta 44 be used for audio and MIDI?

My problem is the lack of clarity both when I record via the mic and less so when I convert my MIDI tracks to audio. Would the Delta 44 (just as an example) make clearer audio tracks, and also would a preamp help with the mic's sound (even if I have one built in, is there a difference between mine and a good preamp)?
 
no, the delta 44 doens't do midi.......it will help a great deal w/ clarity.......it will be crystal clear.......a decent/good preamp is going to be needed as well....check out the Omni Studio from M-Audio (same co. as delta) ........it has built in mic-pre's........and also, you should be able to get a decent usb based midi controller for around $100

http://www.midiman.com/products/m-audio/omnistud.php
 
Right now I'm leaning towards the Delta 1010-LT or perhaps the Audiophile 2496 and a preamp.

I don't really want anything more expensive than the 1010, instead staying in the under-$400 range. Would either of these be good buys for my setup, especially since I wouldn't need a separate MIDI interface (both having them built-in)?

Also, does the rack make a difference in sound quality? By the price tags, it would seem that way, since there is a big difference in "sale" prices on Musiciansfriend.com. But I guess there could be a difference in the features that warrants the change.
 
In all of your expert opinions, should I go for the cheaper Audiophile, or shell out more money for a Delta 1010 (or another in that range, perhaps the 44 or 66)? The best part about the audiophile is obviously the price, and the fact that it has MIDI already built in.

The fact that with many of the higher-end audio cards I'll have to pay even more for a mic preamp and a MIDI interface is making me lean towards either of these, since I will have all these things for the least amount of money.

Thanks to all of you for your help. I wouldn't spend this much money without consulting your expert opinions.
 
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Also, does anyone else share my setup?

I have one instrument, the Triton Le, connected to my computer via MIDI and line-input. My mic is connected to my computer's soundcard as well.

I have one instrument, no mixer, and no need for many outputs.

All that I want is a card that I can record my SONAR audio in, both my voice and the converted MIDI tracks, with a nice clear sound. I'm not any deeper into my home studio, and I can't see myself truly understanding it any more than I do in the future. But I feel that my setup is only lacking a decent soundcard before I can truly record my music.
 
Your soundcard issue...

I believe you should start with the Soundblaster Live! 5.1 or go one level up to the Audigy. The 5.1 will cost you about 32 bucks, and the Audigy maybe $80-ish.

But frankly, to spend the kind of money you're talking about for a soundcard before you really know how you want to operate (musically) in your studio isn't sensible, in my opinion.

You'll find you can do amazing things with just this $32 card and some musical ingenuity, which of course you must supply.

Grab yourself an SBLive 5.1 and get to work!

Good luck. Enjoy!

Julia
 
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