Guitar Modeling Recording. So new. So confused

  • Thread starter Thread starter MikeJ2007
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MikeJ2007

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Hello

I am interested in recording from my guitar to a V-amp modeling preamp to the PC through some kind of device, be it PCI, USB 2.0, or firewire - my
motherboard supports all.

I am leaning towards 2 devices - the E-MU 0404 USB or the M-audio
Delta 1010LT.

I have a few requirements.
-Send from V-amp to sound card using Balanced I/O
-Send from V-amp to sound card using S/PDIF
(I would like to experiment with both balanced outputs and S/PDIF to
see if I can tell the difference)
-Monitor my stuff using headphones.

The E-MU 0404 USB seems to do all this but I read that
it " Lacks support for simultaneous playback: THE 0404 USB 2.0 is _designed_ to use either ASIO or wave, not both at the same time. This is the biggest con for me: YOU CAN'T DO WDM AND ASIO at the same time. (e.g. You can't play an mp3 while running a guitar through Guitar Rig, etc)"

(I'm a noob, does this mean I can't hear tracks while I record - basically blindly recording?)

The M-audio Delta 1010LT got great reviews. But how do I connect
balanced outputs to it? and how to I monitor over headphones. Do i
need to buy additional equipment like a headphone amp?

Thanks in advance for any advice
Mike
 
Why do you need an 8 input soundcard (10 if you count SPDIF) if you are only going to track guitar? Something like an Audiphile 2496 would work, it has 2 analog and 2 SPDIF and only costs like $60 used and $99 new. I used one of those to record V-AMP tracks for a while to preserve riff ideas, and it worked like a champ.
 
Well, I was thinking the 1010 would future proof me a little if I wanted to expand on my recording capabilities.

But since it does not do balanced inputs I am now leaning towards the E-mu 0404 USB.

Speaking of - this unit has Two E-MU XTC Mic/Line/Hi-Z preamps. Does it matter that I would be running out of the V-amp preamp and into the E-MU preamp? Would that negatively effect recording?
 
The Delta 1010LT is a good entry level sound card; it does not accept balanced ins but has 8x8 audio I/O, MIDI and S/PDIF I/O and great drivers.

For a little more than the EMU and 1010LT, I would recommend this other piece of gear:
http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/ultralite/
It has 8x8 balanced i/o, 2 pretty good preamps, midi, spdif, great drivers and being Firewire it takes most processing load of your PC.

On another note, it doesn't affect negatively if you run out of the V-amp pre into another pre.
 
carlosguardia, thanks for link. I would love to purchase that if it was in my range. It has everything I'm looking for.
 
Ok... I have to ask... which V-amp? The pro has a SPDIF ouput... most motherboards have an spdif input built into the on-board sound card... give that a whirl for free...
 
MOFO Pro said:
Ok... I have to ask... which V-amp? The pro has a SPDIF ouput... most motherboards have an spdif input built into the on-board sound card... give that a whirl for free...
Click to expand...

V-Amp pro has coaxial S/PDIF. I've never seen a motherboard with coaxial S/PDIF, just optical. While it's possible to convert between them, it will cost you the better part of the price of an interface.
 
I have a V-amp Pro, I prob should have mentioned that. I also have a X-Fi XtremeMusic card, which I believe you can buy an add-on that sits in the floppy drive bay of the case. I think this add-on has coaxial S/PDIF, but I'm still interested in have balanced TRS inputs.

Anyways, I was able to confirm one of my earlier questions about the E-MU 0404 USB. I was worried that it wasn't full duplex, but it is. So I think I may purchase that soon. Either that or the Echo, but since the echo is firewire, I'd be limited to recording on my desktop, cause my laptop has USB only.

I was able to find the echo for $265 on djdeals.com.
The E-MU goes for $200 - I should prob just get Echo, we'll see.
 
When comparing the Vamp Pro analog signal to the SPDIF signal the SPDIF is the way to go it is a whole lot quieter. I would still recommend routing the signal to a amp and micing the cabinet with a SM57 or something along those lines.

I have a couple 1010LT's that I don't use anymore and I was always under the impression you could use the 2 mic pre amps "jumpers set to line level" as balanced inputs though. I've been using Motu stuff since Vista but still think the 1010 is a very reliable and decent sounding interface. I found the routing software 1010's a little confusing till you work with it a while. I really think the Motu software control is a little more straight forward.
 
suprstar said:
Which begs the question - Since when are xlr's UNbalanced?
Click to expand...
:confused:See...that's what I mean...

Everytime I think I have my feeble head wrapped around something.:eek:

RandyW said:
I found the routing software 1010's a little confusing till you work with it a while. I really think the Motu software control is a little more straight forward.
Click to expand...
I agree about the 1010's software. When I am away from my computer for extended periods, I always have to re-learn something. Not very intuitive IMHO.
 
I've taken all of your inputs into consideration, and finally decided to purchase the Echo AudioFire4. It has all the i/o that I require, plus I've read that users are happy with sound quality, driver support and customer service.

Added bonus, I realized my HP laptop has firewire (it was hiding as a 4-pin, so i need to buy a small 6-pin adapter)

I'd like to thank you all for your help.
 
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