Is the upgrade to 24 bit worth it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter iwantmypie
  • Start date Start date
iwantmypie

iwantmypie

New member
Not sure if this is a stupid question or not but I've been thinking about putting some money out and getting a 24 bit audio interface. My biggest concern is how well they reproduce the original sound. What I mean by this is how when I record to my old reel to reel, it sounds just like it does from the mixer. Nice and big with plenty of clarity. When I record onto my computer with a Sound Blaster Live (16 bit), it totally sucks the life out of everything, now I know its not the greatest sound card but would upgrading to 24 bit help retain the life of my recordings. Also does this have to to with the A/D/A converts and whatnot? Also my budget is fairly low (college student) and I was looking at the Sound Blaster Live (24 bit). Would this sound a lot better or does it have to do with the converters? Thanks
 
don't waste the money on the Soundblaster card if you're that concerned about the quality of sound you'll get. It'll still suck. It's not the bit depth that matters, it's pretty much all the converters in those cards that aren't good.

Buy a card that is dedicated to record audio. Pretty much every prosumer or professional card it gonna do 24 bit. 24 bit audio will preserve the dynamic resolution of your audio which is a good thing...but A/D converters will determine on how well the small and large characteristics of your audio are transfered into the digital world.
 
Seriously,
There are plenty of decent cards cheaper than the Creative BS. I think the cheapo EMU is $99 (which has decent converters)
 
I don't really want to get the Sound Blaster, it's more of a money issue for me. I also forgot to mention that I'm going to start recording on my laptop because I no longer have a desktop. Now my concern is whether or not I should get a PCMCIA sound card like the Echo Indigo or get something via USB 2.0 and/or Firewire. The Indigo is a decent price and I have heard good things about their products for desktops.
 
I have a friend who loves his Echo Indigo. That's one vote of confidence.
 
any dedicated recording card running at 16 bit will outperform the top SB crap even if it was running 24 bit

M-Audio is a good place to start searching
 
Just to clarify what Lemon Tree was saying, all decent interfaces are going to be 24 bit these days, but even if you recorded at only 16 bits through a real interface, it'll sound better than an SB anything at 24 bits. It's not the bits that are the problem, it's SB. Don't worry, jump in, the water's fine. There's lot's of us here that used to record to tape (not cassette), and with good converters you'll be very happy with the sound, and ecstatic with the editing and plugins. Take a look at the M-Audio interfaces also, as well as the ones mentioned above.

-RD
 
Thank you very. All of this helps out very much. The two above me suggest checking out M-Audio. Is the Quattro any better than it use to be or does it still have all those driver problems?
 
I'm also looking at the M-Audio Audiophile USB. Does anyone know if this is as good if not equal to the Audiophile 2496? If I still had a desktop I would probably get that for the great reviews and price.
 
i have and Indigo IO it worked fine for me and i would say that it is better and faster than USB! if you can get to the place where you can use firewire then roll with it. Presonus just released this little firewire unit thats like $199 and its 4 channel at 24/96 if its anything like the Firepod then its going to be really nice indeed
 
guitar junkie said:
i have and Indigo IO it worked fine for me and i would say that it is better and faster than USB! if you can get to the place where you can use firewire then roll with it. Presonus just released this little firewire unit thats like $199 and its 4 channel at 24/96 if its anything like the Firepod then its going to be really nice indeed
Click to expand...

FireWire cardbus cards start at $10, and they won't leave you stranded when you buy a new machine.

HP has reportedly already begun transitioning their laptop line over to the new replacement for CardBus (whose name I forget). Other companies will follow suit in the very near future. Investing money in a Cardbus audio card at this point is a bad long-term investment, IMHO.
 
So then USB 2.0 isn't even worth it? Again has anybody used the Audiophile 2496 USB and is it similar to the original?
 
I just bought the Presonus Inspire 1394, and all I can say is I love it. 4 ins and 4 outs for $199 you can't beat it. Lord knows I struggled over what interface to buy, and ended up geting this one because it does so much and can be daisychained with other interfaces for later expandsion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top