Budget Soundcard -- Advice Needed

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Duff

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I've been reading a lot, familiarizing myself with soundcards and audio interfaces, but I come for advice regarding my specific needs. First off, my budget is under $200, but that can be stretched to a maximum of 250 if necessary. Ideally it will be in the 100-150 range, if at all possible.

I'm building a new system, primarily for Video and Audio production. I'll post specs at the bottom, for anyone who cares. I have every piece of my system picked out, except for its sound card. Here are my specific audio needs:

--Recording midi-in from my keyboard. Right now I'm using some Midisport 1x1 Uno something or other that converts from the Midi I/O on my keyboard to USB. I'm not sure if there are any disadvantages to doing it this way, but it's what I've been doing.
--Converting midi played back through my keyboard to audio. Right now I'm doing it through the miniplug mic-jack on my laptop. Obviously, I'm looking for something of superior quality.
--Recording audio from a microphone. I'm not sure if I an XLR jack on the soundcard for this -- I do have an XLR to miniplug adaptor (a balanced one and an unbalanced one), which I've been using to again record through my laptop's mic-jack. I do everything myself, so I shouldn't need to record from more than one source at a time.
--At some point in the future, record from a guitar/bass. I don't yet own the guitar or bass, but I'm going to want that capability when I can afford one.

The microphone recording is not only for music making, but also for dubbing audio (voice or sound effects) in videos, so decent quality is desired. The budget comes into play because I'm just a hobbyist, not to mention a student. I hope my description of my needs was specific enough for someone to give some recommendations -- if you need more information, just ask.

Here are the computer's specs if it matters for compatibility issues or in case anyone just wanted to read them:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537
Motherboard: Has onboard video and audio (video card to be added as budget allows)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130485
Hard Drive: 320GB 7200RPM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144394
DVD Burner: 16x +/-R (8/4x DL)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152047
RAM: 1GB (eventually to be doubled, as budget allows)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440

Price: Approx $480 (it keeps fluctuating though, I think it's higher right now) excluding sound card/audio interface and case/power supply.



Yes I've read a bunch of articles, and a lot of posts on this forum, but there's just so many models it's hard to figure out exactly which one is perfect for my needs in a reasonable price range. I'm looking for the cheapest one possible to do everything I need at decent quality -- the cheaper it is, the more money I have to spend on some other random gadget I need. Thanks anyone who can provide me with some input.

-Duff
 
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 - $99
M-Audio Audio Buddy preamp - $99
 
The audiophile 2496 has unbalanced inputs. If I was going the audiophile route, I'd get the 192.

I'm thinking about getting the Echo Mia ($130), but I'm not sure if it's worth it to spend a little more for the MAudio 192 ($180), the EMU 1212M ($200), or the MAudio Delta 1010LT ($220). There's also the Edirol UA25 ($240). I'm stretching my own budget now, haha. Anyone dealt with any of these models? How are the Analog/Digital converters on them?
 
Duff said:
The audiophile 2496 has unbalanced inputs. If I was going the audiophile route, I'd get the 192.
Click to expand...

Why?

The preamp takes care of the balanced inputs. It doesn't matter once the signal is converted to a line level signal. You will need a preamp in the chain for the mic even if you go for the other cards you mention.

Heck, balanced inputs are only a necessity if you are running extremely long lengths of cable or know you have interference issues already.

Did you really think this out?
 
Balanced inputs keep the signal from picking up noise when being sent from the mixer/preamp to the sound card, correct? I know it probably won't make that much of a difference for short lengths of cable, but I figured I might as well spend 30 dollars more and not take the risk instead of spending $100 dollars on something that I want to replace because it has noisy recordings. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

As for the preamp, how are the behringer mixers such as the UB802 or UB1002? Would that be a good buy, as something I could use to convert the signal from the mic or guitar/bass to send to the soundcard? I know all the inputs they have on them might be overkill, but I can't find anything for less.

Obviously I didn't "think this out", because I posted on a forum asking for input. If I had already thought everything out, I wouldn't be asking the opinions of those who know more than me.

From what I've been reading, what I need are
1) High quality preamps to make a clean signal
2) High quality DAC's to convert that signal to wav.

Those are two things that can't really be rated with statistics, and since I can't very well try them out for myself, I'm looking for information on which devices do a good job at these two things.

So you're saying I don't need balanced inputs? That would make this easier on my wallet, but I thought unbalanced meant noisier.
 
You're better off with the Audio Buddy than the Behringer stuff, IMO. Plus they're now going for $50, unless that was short-lived sale.
 
I myself have a similar setup. I have a Echo Mia-midi soundcard ($150) now. i tried the USB audiophile for a couple of months, but got rid of it because of the driver issues. I also have an audio buddy pre-amp, but I don't use anymore. I have a presonus digitube pre-amp ($150) connected directly to the SPDIF input on the Mia. It sounds alot more cleaner than the audio buddy. I also have a soundcraft compact 4 mixer ($99) on the front end of the MIA (balanced 1/4 I/O). I needed the mixer for monitor and headphone control. Makes life so much easier. I just recently bought the midisport 2x2 to give me more midi I/O. The pieces of gear I have listed are those that I have chosen over other pieces out there. I have purchased numerous pieces and sold them because they did not fit into my setup. I call it trial and error. Find out your needs and research the gear before buying anything. Be cautious though, alot of gear has some misleading specs. That is why having a forum like this can save you alot of money.
 
Another option I've come across... I do already have a midisport 1x1 usb, so what about getting the Maudio Firewire Solo? It has built in preamps for XLR and line input, so I wouldn't need a mixer...
 
I know I've beat this poor horse sensless if not dead but......if you plan to do audio for video either at the home level for family reunions or for picture here in LA for gosh sakes PLEASE do some research and KNOW the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables. XLR and TRS and TS and how they interact and why. It's audio 101 minus 100.

It's also essential in learning the basic audio chain which in turn is essential in learning signal flow and unity gain which in turn is essential in learning fundamental audio mixing which in turn keeps one from jumping the gun and thinking there's something wrong with your equipment and racing out and buying a new soundcard.
 
I know the difference between balanced and unbalanced, and why balanced produces a cleaner signal. I know how XLR and TRS work. What I don't know, however is which soundcard will give me decent quality recordings. I thought the audiophile 2496 would automatically be ruled out because it uses RCA jacks, but brzilian said otherwise. He said "The preamp takes care of the balanced inputs", whereas I thought recording quality was only as good as the weakest link in the chain, and having unbalanced inputs anywhere would introduce interference. No one else has commented on this issue. I can read an audio 101 field guide and pick up a few things, but it doesn't make me an expert -- so I come here to learn. When I hear something that contradicts what I thought, I try to resolve the issue. I still think the RCA jacks on the 2496 would give me worse quality than the balanced inputs on the MIA, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
"I still think the RCA jacks on the 2496 would give me worse quality than the balanced inputs on the MIA, but someone correct me if I'm wrong."

I would like to hear something on this also as I was looking at the 24/96 and the Emu 0404..........
 
Does the ATI chipset have the same issues as Intel and AMD PCI-e chipsets, in Pro audio applications?

I would think so. Check the Sound on Sound Forums. The only chipsets that combine PCI-e and Pro cards well seems to be the nForce4 Professional, which is the base for very expensive Opteron Mobos.
 
The 192 hands down goes as the best bang for the buck ($129 at various joints online, this is one ), the 2496 was the hottest selling semi pro cards for years straight, and the 192 only gets better. I wouldnt advise the Emu for anything, yes it looks great on paper, and yes it has high quality opamps and converters, but the driver execution was all for crap, not to mention bloated, and the hardware has numerous issues with SATA and RAID controllers, even AMD processors.
 
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