I am looking into a soundcard myself for Mastering in the studio. Currently I rip mixes in. Anyway, I was seriously looking into the Card Deluxe. But, I think that I have found a more versatile card for the same money.
Go to
www.lynxstudio.com and check out their card. Sonically speaking, the only difference between the Card Deluxe and the Lynx card is that the Lynx card will not support anything above 48khz sampling rates on it's A/D D/A converters. The Card Deluxe support up to 96khz. But, the Lynx DOES support 96khz through it's Digital I/O port.
Now, here is where the Lynx is a much better value.
Neither card has a wave synth on it, but, the Lynx has two fully duplex midi ports on it. This is important if you are going to be using extenal sequencing, or tone modules while recording. Also, some gear will only sync with MTC (midi time code). So with the Card Deluxe, you would have to purchase a midi sound card. I have a Soundcraft Ghost console in the studio and am looking forward to a reliable card to finally start using the dynamic mute automation on the console. I only need midi ports to do this (and of course software that records midi).
Both cards have 24bit A/D D/A converters. High bit converters is going to make more of a difference in the quality of the sound then higher sampling rates will. I am not saying that higher sampling rates won't make a difference, but just not as much of a difference. So the Lynx's downfall of only supporting 48khz on the analog converters is not all that big of deal at this point. If you are not using Moster Studio Pro 1000, or silver core wire in your setup, I doubt that you would be able to appreciate 96khz sampling rates anyway.
The Lynx card's digital I/O is software selectable between SPDIF and AES/EBU. This is important for going between outboard stuff such as CD-R recorders, DAT machines, etc....... The Card Deluxe only has SPDIF on coax type connectors. All big time digial transfers happen on AES/EBU, and many studies and blind listening tests have shown that AES/EBU is a better sounding digital format.
The Lynx card has Word Clock I/O on it. This is important if you ever want to sync video players, ADAT's, and any number of other things that need Word Clock. Some effect processors support Word Clock as well as have AES/EBU I/O. With the Card Deluxe, you would not be compatable with some of this stuff without buying other cards.
Both cards have NT drivers. That is a plus because it means that the cards are well designed and will work well on just about any OS. NT drivers are hard to write. If these cards have them, you can bet the are stable drivers.
The Lynx card is going for $450 at Bay View Pro Audio Music in WA.
www.bayviewproaudio.com I believe will get you to their website, and they are not charging for shipping UPS ground in the USA.
I would really consider the Lynx card instead. It is compatable with all the good software. It is more versatile. And if you ever really want 96khz sampling rates down the road, well, A/D converters that will support this will be around $200-300 be year end.
[This message has been edited by sonusman (edited 01-10-2000).]
