Need advice on first Soundcard

[legacy]

Hey all! I've been browsing through your forums for a few weeks now and finially decided to register for your advice

Earlier this summer, I bought/resold a Tascam DM-24 digital mixer and made some good profit, but now I'm hooked on recording.

Now with that huge mixer out of my living room, I'm in the market for an external soundcard for my laptop. My budget is $200, plus or minus $50. I've been considering purchasing a M-audio Omnistudio USB, do any of you know much about it? USB/Firewire are both acceptable. My laptop runs Windows XP and Mandrake 10 Linux.

Here's what I'll be using my soundcard on:
-Classical piano recording on my grand piano (2 condensers)
-Recording my band's practice direct from our cheap 6 chan mixer
My gear:
-Korg Triton 61 Classic, MOSS/vintage/dance exps.
-M-Audio Studiophile BX8 Studio Monitors
-Digitech 2101 Tube Guitar Effects unit
-Behrenger UB802 6 chan mixer (not mine, I need my own eventually)

2 XLR inputs are preferred, unless I buy my own mixer or a nice preamp.

Some options I've considered:
-M-audio Omni Studio, all in one mixer/recording package = $200
-M-audio Quattro, and a Presonus Bluetube preamp for XLR input = $220
-Lexicon Omega (too expensive and bulky, though) = $400

I want 4 inputs so I can start playing around with multitrack recording.

Thanks for your advice in advance, I look forward to participating in the forums!

 

[AlfredB]

hi there,

i am pretty much where you are ... maybe one week ahead


here are my current favorites:

e-mu 1212m ... except for the obvious ins and outs - i like the fact that she has ADAT in and out which give you an additional 8 digital channels (44,1 or 48 ) and allows you to step up in the future buying a good preamp and or A/D D/A combo or even a digital mixer => 200,-

the new echo layla 3g ... looks very promising ... but very new ... but if she is a step up from the older layla24 she surely is a sweet package =>450,-

 

[pronoise]

I second EMU 1212M, for the money it's a great bargain. It has some useful hardware accelarated VSt plugins as well No mic pres though You can always throw a blutube or ART MP in front of it


www.pronoise.com