Delta 44 enquiries...

T

Theros

New member
I am assuming that this card can record 4 channels at the same time via 1/4 TRS... please correct me if im wrong... :confused:

Are these cards all they seem to be? (Can I record four in's and output to 4 sources all at the same time?)

Is it possible to use one of these outputs/inputs as a Send/return for external effects...?

Paranoid im gonna waste more cash on a hyped card, my last could only handle one source/output... :(

Cheers for the help...
 
hey,

i have the Delta 66 - the 'next one up' from the 44, and i have to admit, it really is a bit of a beast. after setting it up, i hardly notice it's there, except when i'm unplugging/plugging things in and out - which is a good thing :p i'm never sat there thinking "this would sound so much better if it wasnt for that delta..."

i'm not sure how big the differences are between the two cards. i know i've SPIDF inputs (which i haven't a Clue what they do :p) on the 66, which i don't think the 44 has. i think it gives some option of having more than one on a computer, which might be useful...

they're only about £30 more expensive here in britain as well, so if you can find out what the differences are between the card, and think it's worth the extra, i'd go for the 66.

i've tracked my brothers drum playing with 4 mics onto 4 seperate tracks. and although i haven't actually done it, i'm as sure as i can be that you can bring 4 seperate outputs out of it.

good luck,

Andy
 
Theros, I have the delta 44, and have had no troubles. I have only used 2 inputs at a time, but it worked flawlessly there. I have also done the send/return, in order to put effects on a track without altering the original, and again, it worked. If you only need this many tracks, pretty good system. If you want more tracks, As andy says, the 66 is a step up. May not have helped you at all, but hope it did a little.
Ed
 
Its even more reassurance that it will work for me dogman, so thanks :) Im fairly sure it'll be a long while before I'll be recording more then 2-3 instruments at once... and I certainly wont be recording drum's in my appt. ;)
 
The 4 analog ins and outs are supposed to be the same on the 44 and 66.
Whether you can use all 4 ins depends on the software - some entry level recording programs will only allow you to choose one input pair. 44 or 66 cards, you should have inputs and outputs 1/2 and 3/4 available. The 66 adds 5/6 on the s/pdif digital audio coax connectrors. Having s/pdif means you can expand the system - adding a "high-end" DAC for instance or bringing in the output of a friends digital multitracker.

If you can afford it, I'd get the 66 for it's s/pdif. I've even seen places sell the 66 for the same or even less than the 44, which is crazy.
 
I've got the Delta 66 and the only difference between it and the 44 are the S/PDIF I/O. You can use the outputs as inserts or sends or aux outputs or monitor outputs, whatever you can think of based on how your DAW software works with it. It works great and I love mine.

Darryl.....
 
I'm thinking of getting the 44, but the 66 is sounding better. I know Jim Y touched on it, but what exactly is the difference between digital and analog I/O?
 
Analog inputs are for analog signals, such as the standard output of a synth or drum machine or DI box. Any signal that you would plug into the line input of a regular old mixer.

Digital inputs are digital signals. These are rarer, sometimes present in higher-end synths and effects devices, but not that common.
 
Hi,
Here's some things you might do with the SPDIF digital I/O on the Delta 66:

Interface to a digital mixer
Interface to a digital outboard effects processor without going through additional conversions
Interface to a preamp with a digital out
Interface to a DAT recorder
Synchronize clocks with a 2nd soundcard
Output to a set of powered monitors with a digital interface

I've done most of these with my Delta 66, so If you can find one for only a few bucks more than a 44, it's a good idea. In either case, these are good quality audio interfaces that will take you a long way before becoming the weak link in your audio chain.
-RD
 
Thanks for the answers, I think I might pick up the 66, although I'm not so sure I'll use the digital inputs yet, I'd like to have the option. It's only a little bit more anyway.
 
not sure if this has been mentioned yet but if you think you might want more inputs or outputs in the future get the DELTA 66, you NEED the S/PDIF in/out to synch the cards up....this can't be done with a 44.

I have 2 DELTA 1010's and 2 DELTA 410's giving me 20 inputs and 32 outputs, all daisychained via the S/PDIF i/o. Flawless, although I wouldn't really use the inputs on the 410's as they're unbalanced

in short, get the 66
 
The converters are good. The drivers are stable. And they've come down in price a lot.

Now if I only owned a Delta 66 instead of a 44 I'd buy another ... instead I'm looking at something different altogether to expand my I/O. But the Deltas are still great value.
 
Alot of good info here folks, thanks alot :) So for future upgrade (Daisy chaining purposes for xtra channels) advice is given to get the 66 with spdif...

Other then that... sounding ideal... :)

Cheers guys,

Theros
 
As far as I can tell, the multiple outputs on these things seem utterly useless, at least to me. I have two Delta 44s and I have tried hooking up my monitors, and a pair of stereo speakers at the same time, and I haven't been able to get it to work. M-Audio's support couldn't tell me how to do it either. If anybody can tell me how to do this, I would appreciate it.

Other than that, I'll echo the other sentiments expressed above.

By the way, You do not need the S/PDIF in/out to synch the cards, I have two 44s synched and have recorded eight tracks for over 20 minutes simultaneously without any synch problems...
 
Hi_Flyer said:
As far as I can tell, the multiple outputs on these things seem utterly useless, at least to me. I have two Delta 44s and I have tried hooking up my monitors, and a pair of stereo speakers at the same time, and I haven't been able to get it to work. M-Audio's support couldn't tell me how to do it either. If anybody can tell me how to do this, I would appreciate it.

Other than that, I'll echo the other sentiments expressed above.

By the way, You do not need the S/PDIF in/out to synch the cards, I have two 44s synched and have recorded eight tracks for over 20 minutes simultaneously without any synch problems...
Click to expand...

Well, you've got to route different outputs from your software to the different Delta 44 outputs. One way to do this would be to send your main SW stereo outs to one set of D44 outs, and then set up a stereo sub buss to route to another set of D44 outs.

As far as the Sync issue, there's a difference between playing at the same time together with no noticeable clock drift, and a sample accurate sync lock. Where you'll really hear the difference is if you split a stero pair across the two. But in practice, as long as you don't do that, you're right......they will take a long time to drift enough to be a problem.
RD
 
there is a multiple card lock function on the 44s, but I don't know if this is as you say "sample accurate"... If I remember correctly, this sync issue is the source of some debate on these cards. Like I said, it works for me, but I imagine some users may need the "sample accurate" sync so YMMV...

I think I know what you mean by routing different outputs, I'll have to try it. But even then, its only gonna work in my multi-tracking software, right? Say I wanted to compare my mix to reference material, this wouldn't work across different Windows audio apps, like Windows Media Player for example?
 
The output devices you set in the Windows Control Panel are independent of what your software uses. For instance, my 44 is set to Analog Out 1/2 in the control panel, but I use all four outputs to my mixer from software, and do different things with them at the mixer.
 
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