M-Audio Soundcards

  • Thread starter Thread starter steve15
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Yeah I really don't know. Is there anything that has pre-amps built in? How is the Delta 1010's sound quality, do you have any songs recorded with the Delta 1010 that you could share?
 
The Aardvark Q10 has 8 pre's I think.

But, you sound like a serious newbie. Am I right?

You may want to live and learn in here for a while before you spend any money.

There's a lot more to good recordings than the "right" gear.
 
I am a newbie to digital recording, so I really want to find the right gear before I go and buy. So how does the Delta 1010 sound...studio quality sound? Do you have any recordings done with the 1010 that you could share so I can see how it sounds?
 
How does the Delta 1010 sound...got any songs recorded with the 1010 that you could share?
 
I don't, and if I did it wouldn't do it justice. :D

A ton of people on here use them, though, and love them. For $399 it's probably the best deal you'll get until you have enough to get a RME Multiface.
 
The 1010LT seems to have much to offer. Everything in the 2496 plus 2 pre-amps and more I/O.

But since since it's all on the card (vs. the 1010's separate box) I've read that there is a distortion/noise problem. Has anybody experienced this? How bad is it?

(Chris, When you say "1010 ... $399" do you mean 1010LT?)

Thanks,
Steve
 
I don't think you'll notice...i heard a 1010LT and couldn't really tell the difference between it and my 66 which is also a break box M-audio card(though the converters on the 66 are lil worse then the 1010 not by much though)..but the preamps on the LT are shit...your gonna need some external pre's.... you can use the stock ones for a more gritty lo fi sound i guess ..thats all they are good for..YMMV
 
Steve15..
These cards don't "sound" of anything and for rock music, any differences in performance between brands won't be noticed.
You will get out what you put in. With good soundcards, asking how they sound is like asking how a cable sounds. Those with golden ears can tell the difference, but most of us can't. Your microphones and how you place them will make a far greater impact on the "sound" of your recordings as will the monitors you mix with.
For all intents and purposes, the frequency response of Delta cards is dead flat from 20hz to 20Khz so they won't affect the tone whatsoever. The same cannot be said of any microphone or speaker no matter how much they cost.

It sounds like you're starting from scratch. Sorry, but to get what you need to record a band, it really is going to cost quite a bit if you have nothing to start with and the soundcard is the easy bit.

Maybe a used digital multitrack would be a better idea for you. Something like a Roland VS1680. This will solve the recorder, mixer and pre-amp problem in one unit and be far more portable
You could still move the tracks into a computer program for final mixing and mastering to CD-r.
Think about it, it will be a much easier and straightforward way to get things done until you have more experience with recording techniques.
 
Jim Y said:
Steve15..
For all intents and purposes, the frequency response of Delta cards is dead flat from 20hz to 20Khz so they won't affect the tone whatsoever. The same cannot be said of any microphone or speaker no matter how much they cost.
Click to expand...


did you perform tests your self? cuz real world experience tells me other wise especially in the extreme low end and extreme high end... and i guarantee almost anyone can hear the difference between a delta and a higher end AD/DA...when i did my first mix on my Lynxtwo people immediately heard the JUMP in quality...not step but JUMP...
 
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Steve15,

I don't know if this helps but you can hear a track that was recorded with the Delta 44 at

www.nowhereradio.com/ote/singles

The track is called "Off the Edge". I have since remixed the track but you shoud still get an indication of what the card is capable of.

The other two tracks were recorded with a Gadget Labs card but I upgraded when I wanted to go to Windows XP and there were no drivers for the Gadget Labs.

Cheers,

PJH.
 
I have performed a test myself on an Audiophile2496 using the RightMark Audio Analyser and testing analog out to analog in.
The frequency response is flat and I'm not talking within 3dB. I'm saying it is flat within less than 1dB and that's even at 44/16.
Any improved high end clarity you may hear on other systems is probably due a more stable (less jitter) sampling word clock than the delta cards have. Cards with balanced inputs will have another advantage over some of the Deltas in that their crosstalk and noise figures are better.
I don't know all cards well but M-audio, Echo, Terratec and ST-audio all use similar componants (AK converters, VIA Envy24 audio system etc). In the sound quality department there are differences due to basic circuit layout and balanced or unbalanced analog i/o and onboard or breakout box design. These differences are reflected in the cost but my opinion is that these differences will be marginal or completely un-noticable to most people and with sensible set-up.
These cards are so good now, that they easily equal or exceed the quality of any mixer or pre-amp and mic combination that most people buying them are likely to have.

I submit that the choice comes down to price, features and the quality of after-sales support.
 
steve,

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/?aid=1851/singles

that is an old mix of 2 songs. I use the delta44. Lully is a full band song:
drum set
2 acoustic guitars
bass
vox (singing and screaming)
also, the end has some distorted elctric guitars

That is an old mix, not the mastered/final one. But, it still will give you the sound quality you'll get, after fairly well mixed....if that is what you're asking for.
 
hmm i never thought about the DAC being the culprit...still my ears don't lie the lynx line shits on m-audio...ADC/ and especially dac

Jim Y said:
I have performed a test myself on an Audiophile2496 using the RightMark Audio Analyser and testing analog out to analog in.
The frequency response is flat and I'm not talking within 3dB. I'm saying it is flat within less than 1dB and that's even at 44/16.
Any improved high end clarity you may hear on other systems is probably due a more stable (less jitter) sampling word clock than the delta cards have. Cards with balanced inputs will have another advantage over some of the Deltas in that their crosstalk and noise figures are better.
I don't know all cards well but M-audio, Echo, Terratec and ST-audio all use similar componants (AK converters, VIA Envy24 audio system etc). In the sound quality department there are differences due to basic circuit layout and balanced or unbalanced analog i/o and onboard or breakout box design. These differences are reflected in the cost but my opinion is that these differences will be marginal or completely un-noticable to most people and with sensible set-up.
These cards are so good now, that they easily equal or exceed the quality of any mixer or pre-amp and mic combination that most people buying them are likely to have.

I submit that the choice comes down to price, features and the quality of after-sales support.
Click to expand...
 
Teacher said:
hmm i never thought about the DAC being the culprit...still my ears don't lie the lynx line shits on m-audio...ADC/ and especially dac
Click to expand...
I hear the RME Multiface is really great sounding, too.
 
yup...but when a ME said he was using his lynxtwo ins as his primary ADC and his MYTEK's via light pipe for overflow thats when i knew i had to get one....using lynxtwo over a mytek....that must tell you something...at least it did to me
 
There's a card that blows the Delta out of the water and then shits on it?!? I must have one of those!!!
 
Tillamook said:
There's a card that blows the Delta out of the water and then shits on it?!? I must have one of those!!!
Click to expand...
It's around $500 for two channels, so it's not suprising.
 
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