Is Audiophiles 24/96 good? + general starting info!

C

calle

New member
I want to be able to first of all play , edit and etc wav-files and secondly record via mic etc straight into the computer- obs!-without any hiss,clicks or lag ---what do i need?

im told audiophiles 2496 is the best soundcard after soundblaster and alike. or is there any other card in this price range?

is 2496 easy to get to sync and work with your computer?

aside from this; what else is to recommend computerwise?

what processor will do?

how much RAM?

is grafic card important?


Grateful for answer!
C.
 
The audiophile is probably the standard in its price range. I have never heard one negative comment about it, at least not for the price. I have a Delta44 which is basically one step up from the Audiophile and I think it's a very decent sounding, robust card.

The audiophile has DS, MME, low latency WDM, and low latency ASIO drivers available. I've used both the WDM and ASIO drivers (the Delta and Audiophile use the same drivers) and have found them both to be pretty darn good. It's hard to say whether you'll have good luck with your specific system because there are too many variables......but let's just say that if you don't have good luck it *won't* be because you didn't buy a different card in the same price range. Midiman has become the standard in decently priced hardware with good driver support (which is kind of sad really, because I think the driver development has been slow).

To record from a microphone, you will also need some sort of microphone preamp. A super cheap entry level preamp would be the M-Audio Audio Buddy. Other makers of cheap preamps are ART, behringer, presonus, joe meek...you'll want to research this in the mic forum (please do some looking before posting, as this gets asked a *lot* up there).

The basic entry-level recording system will have a Celeron/Duron/PIII/Athlon 800Mhz or better processor, 128-256MB RAM, a 20GB+ 7200RPM hard drive, and something like a 16MB TNT2 Vanta AGP video card. If you're building your own system, do not underestimate the importance of the motherboard...it is indeed the most important component.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Calle

The M-Audio Audiophile is pretty highly regarded for entry level recording. It has very good AD/DA converters and low self noise. And, of course it can record at 24/96.

You will need a microphone preamp to get your mic level signal up to line level. There are many on the market ranging from $100 to $10,000. Actually you can get an M-Audio Audiobuddy for $80.
 
Ha, Slack, you beat me to it. And, of course, your advice is excellent.

I'm actually recording with a Celeron 333 overclocked to 416, and it has performed quite well.
 
Yeah I recorded on a Celeron 400 at 500Mhz for quite a while and had good success. If I were building a new machine, though, I'd go with a minimum processor of 800-900Mhz....that's just in terms of speed though. It's always a good idea to check current prices and try to get as many cycles for your money as possible.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Thanx a lot guys!
So I guess Audiophile is the way to go if you wanna spend as little money as possible and still not be a "sound blaster nerd" :)
Is the Delta series the next "level" above sound blaster or are there any other in between that are good that I havent heard of?

Here in Sweden 2496 is 300 US$, how much is it in the states or where can I order it cheaper?

c.
 
Stupid question: So the ins and out on the 2496 can be used for directs ins and outs too correct? but if i have something with a weak signal its a good idea to boost it with a preamp?

is it possible to just go straight from say an electric guitar into the soundcard without preamp?

so if i have something with a direct in or out(cd player, speaker, synth etc) i can just buy a cord with a phono plug in one end but with rca plugs on the other and it should work, correct?

as i said maybe a stupid question...
 
The Audiophile's inputs are for line level signals, so plugging the guitar straight in will not give you very good results. Ditto a bass guitar or a microphone.

Re the cabling question, I'm a little confused by your terminology. In the US, a phone plug is a 1/4" plug (like a guitar plug), while a phono plug is an RCA plug (like the plugs from a phonograph that go into a stereo receiver/amp). But a look at the M-Audio website shows me that the analog i/o on the Audiophile are RCA jacks.

So if your synth has two 1/4" jacks. you would need a pair of cables with an RCA plug on one end and a 1/4" plug on the other. If it's a home stereo, a standard RCA pair would work. If the output is a stereo 1/8" miniplug, you need a stereo miniplug on one end and two RCAs on the other.
 
hehe im just a happy go lucky homerecorder that just connects and reconnects until i get a signal and i dont know too much about why theres a signal but but i understand its time to straighten out some things. (its amazing ive gotten as good results as i have with this little knowledge i realize now:)

1. I/O stands for ins and outs correct?

2. a direct in and out plug is just a RCA plug that has been made into one correct?

3. what does S/P DIF stand for?

4. a line in signal is a lot stronger than an analog and often comes from a cd or something else without mics and just happens to have direct ins and out plugs most of the time correct? so just because a machine has direct out and in plugs it doesnt necesarily mean that it has a line level but most of the time thats true-correct?

5. is a line in signal a digital signal or is it just a strong analog signal?

6. the signal from a cd is digital correct?

7. how come you can put both a digital signal and an analog signal into a line in on your computer and still get sound? does the computer understand both digital and analog signals through the same port?


ok, lets see if anyone is willing to answer at least some of the zillion questions here :)

C.
 
1. I/O stands for ins and outs correct?
Click to expand...
Yes...

2. a direct in and out plug is just a RCA plug that has been made into one correct?
Click to expand...

Never heard the term "direct in and out plug."

3. what does S/P DIF stand for?
Click to expand...

S/PDIF (no space between the P and the D) is a type of digital audio interface. It allows direct digital transfers from one piece of digital gear to another without having to turn it back into an analog signal in between. The name is anb acronym for Sony/Philips Digital Interface.

4. a line in signal is a lot stronger than an analog and often comes from a cd or something else without mics and just happens to have direct ins and out plugs most of the time correct? so just because a machine has direct out and in plugs it doesnt necesarily mean that it has a line level but most of the time thats true-correct?
Click to expand...

Huh?

A line in is analog. Direct out usually means the same as Line out. The rest of what you said, I have no clue. Sounds like you're quite confused. :)

5. is a line in signal a digital signal or is it just a strong analog signal?
Click to expand...
Analog. "Strong" is relative. It's "stronger" than a signal from a mic or a guitar. It's nothing near as strong as the signal that drives a speaker.

6. the signal from a cd is digital correct?
Click to expand...
Depends. You mean from a CD-ROM drive? Mosy actually have an analog wire that most consumer cards can connect to and so play CD audio through the soundcard, but it's not digital. I suppose some professional CD players and external recorders have digital I/O, but the regular outputs of a CD are regular analog audio signals just like from a tape deck.

7. how come you can put both a digital signal and an analog signal into a line in on your computer and still get sound? does the computer understand both digital and analog signals through the same port?
Click to expand...

The analog signal is run through a device called a digital to analog converter (commonly abbreviated ADC). The computer can only "understand" digital audio as far as any processing of audio goes. Analog signals and digital signals are entirely different and you cannot get them into the same port; you need analog inputs for the analog signal and digital inputs for a digital signal.
 
Calle,

I'm a real newbie and have the audiophile and and audio buddy and having a blast. Works great for me.
 
AlChuck, you've really done your homework, i appreciate your help A LOT!
Some of my biggest misapprehensions are solved and im gonna keep finding out more.

all you guys have been great and we'll problably meet again on this fabolous site.

Calle.
 
so, Alchuck:


Does it take an RCA cable to connect between S/PDIFs?? Or it has its own type of cable?

I have Audiophile and POD Pro, and they both got S/PDIF connections, so I was wondering if I could send POD pro to the S/PDIF in instead of Analog ins. Oh, is S/PDIF a stereo channel or mono?
 
A1A2 said:
so, Alchuck:


Does it take an RCA cable to connect between S/PDIFs?? Or it has its own type of cable?

I have Audiophile and POD Pro, and they both got S/PDIF connections, so I was wondering if I could send POD pro to the S/PDIF in instead of Analog ins. Oh, is S/PDIF a stereo channel or mono?
Click to expand...

Use a digital RCA jumper, you can get em from a music store or even radioshack has em. High quality cable with gold plated connects
 
I just bought the Audiophile 2496. Haven't hooked it up yet but I noticed there are only 2 input jacks on the card. I thought I was getting a 4-track recorder. Can I just record 2 tracks, then add 2 more tracks, etc, etc.....till I have the tracks I want, then mix down?
 
A1A2,

Stealthech handled the cabling part of your question...

...and yes, you certainly can, and should, use the S/PDIF to connect your POD Pro...

MichaelF,

Well, it is 4 channel if two of your channels come from a digital source through the S/PDIF... Yes, you can record two analog tracks, then overdub two more while listening to the first two, then two more while listening to the first four, etc., up to the track limit of the particular computer...
 
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