Is my cheap soundcard the weakest link?

[pchorman]

Folks: Lately I've been recording band rehearshals with an old Yamaha MT-50 4-track cassette machine and digitizing the mixdown (with 16 bits / 44.1 KHz) on a home computer with stock Creative Labs Shitblaster PCI64. I do this just to keep tabs on band progress and for personal satisfaction. When we need to cut another demo we'll rent studio time.

Given whatever fixed micing scheme (usually 57s all around with direct feed from the PA for voice), what do you think sucks the most life out of the practice recordings, the 4-track analog or the soundcard? Would a real audio card even make a noticeable improvement against such a limited recorder?

Thanks

 

[Gidge]

first ask yourself if the recording you are getting to the 4 track (before it gets to the computer) sounds good or for that matter, better than what it sounds when you get it to the computer...that may rule out the soundcard as the weak link......

if you arent satisfied with the 4 track sound, you cant really rule out the 4 track because ive heard some really NICE stuff done on 4 track casette.....that would leave mics,preamps, and recording technique as well as performance issues......

maybe post a mp3 clip?......

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Monitor the output of tape machine *through* the soundcard. If what you record with the computer sounds considerably worse than what's going in, then yes, a new soundcard might be in order.

I would more likely think that it's not so much an issue though in this case. Even a junk soundcard can do ok when you're just throwing a single stereo track at it. Like Gidge said, make sure it doesn't sound like crap to begin with!

Slackmaster 2000

 

[mixsit]

<Monitor the output of tape machine *through* the soundcard. If what you record with the computer sounds considerably worse than what's going in, then yes, a new soundcard might be in order. >

Right on Slackmaster. This is exactly what it's about.

As a general rule it would likely be harder to get the 4 trk to copy the quality of the card vs the other way around.
Wayne