Opinions for a pro or prosumer soundcard

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specs

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Hello, folks I am going to purchase a soundcard for recording in the next month. I have about $1,000 Can to spend plus or minus depending on card. I have been looking at the sonorus studi/o and haven't read any info on this sight about it. The deltas seem to be the most popular. The reason why I'm looking at the sonorus is because I have an old 300 mhz celeron and the sonorus doesn't use much of the processor(or so they say). Technically i only need two to four channels because I'll be playing all of the instruments. I don't have a specific genre of music but can say it's in between jazz, r&b and reggae. So I'm looking for info on anyone who owns a sonorus or anyone who has heard of someone using it. if not I'll take any suggestions for a soundcard. I know Blue Bear is Canadian so I'll expect to hear from him.

Specs


Pent 300 mhz celeron
256mb ram
80gb maxtor 7200rpm hd(coming when soundcard is purchased)
cdrom and burner
crappy bass guitar, acoustic and electric.
marshall practice amp
dod guitar effects
shure sm58
pyramid crapolla mixer
yamaha midi psr260 crapolla keyboard

computer is designated for recording only.
p.s
It's a start!
 
Feel free to help me out anytime guys. Don't be shy!
Thanks
Specs
 
For just recording two tracks, a lot of folks here seem to like the Audiophile. I'm thinking about getting one myself.

For more tracks, if you do a search you will find plenty of supporters for the Delta cards. Personally I am using the now orphaned Gadget Labs 824, and its working OK for me now, so I have not been following those types of products too closely.
 
Thx RWhite for the response. I am worried about that audiophile card because most of the cards under the studi/o don't have the motorola dsp in it. I have a slow computer and I need the dsp to free up my mhz.

thx
specs
 
Well if you need the DSP or not depends on how you think to record. The power needed to record a number of tracks is not much dependent on the cpu, but more on the pci bus, HD and memory. Unless of course you want to run a large number of FX in real time, then cpu starts to become the limiting factor. Most people seem to record without fx, and add them later (right?).
 
Thx for the response. My next question is does the adat lightpipe connection come with analog inputs and outputs or is it only for hook-up to outboard equip.

As far as the cpu goes, if I understand correctly if I record into my comp without fx then the mem is what is being used and not the cpu. What happens when I want to playback and record in real-time? Does the dsp chip cover this. The sonorus is ideal for me if I don't have to buy outboard equip right away to record. The mia is only 2 channels but seems the next best option. I'm just not sure because i don't want to buy a comp if I can get a card that will work with my current comp.

Anyway budget in $1000.00 can. I will go up if I have to, but it seems that if I build a comp for around $500 and then spend another $700 for a soundcard. I could've got protools (maybe)or some outboard equip to work with my comp.

This is my first purchase and I want to make it right. In the future i'm sure I'll have a band to record with so I want to prepare so I don't waste money.

Please help!
Crisis
Specs
 
are you even willing to consider upgrading your motherboard and processor. you can get an asus cusl2 and a pentium III for around $200 (US)...if you are willing to go AMD you can triple or quadruple your speed for less than this. if you have a $1,000 to spend, this still leaves plenty of room for a nice sound card..

as far a protools goes, it's gonna take more than $1,000 to outclass a fast pc and good soundcard combo....adat lightpipe , i believe, is useless unless you have an adat . if i'm not mistaken it's for dumping your adat tracks onto a pc.
 
advice

It seems you got a lot of money to burn,

Get a Protools system. That DIGI 001. Is about 999 dollars I think.
Ditch the Celeron man. Get a better one.
 
Thank You all for responding and yes I have some cash to spare. This is why it's such a hard decision to make. Obviously I have to get rid of the celeron and build an amd. Protools is like $1500 here so I think after I build I'll purchase that.


Thx
Specs
 
I don't want to get too technical here but if you put a $1000 sound card with a celeron it's gonna suck real bad. I have an audiophile 24/96 w/celeron and it works great- (the sound card).
I myself am upgrading to an Athlon xp. You should be able to upgrade your system and get an excellent sound as well. Look at the Delta 66 omni or the 1010.

Z Dog
 
specs, hi there, i'm in toronto too..

here's my advice.

1. dump the 300 celery stick. buy a slotket adapter. buy a celeron 850 or some such. stick the new cpu into the slotket into your current motherboard. now we're in business. total cost? less than $120 canadian after tax.

2. get a midiman audiophile 2496, or an echo mia. i'd say go for the echo mia, since it has balanced i/o, and it's always good to know u can run long lines. echo mia is at steve's for $320.

3. get a good tracker. n-track, etc., you've heard them all, they're all good. variable cost.

4. you have some left over dough. save it. or if you're really in a spending mood, round out your mic cabinet.



now some comments. u want to record/playback at the same time, both the midiman and echo will do that. especially good with ASIO drivers, minimum latency. WDM has variable success rates.

it also matters if u're using XP or 98. 98 has the highest compatibility, but crashes more.


as for me, i run XP. i did have a midiman1010, but never got it to work really well with xp, so i dumped it on ebay. like you, i'm searching for a new card now. (i'm running a sb128 to record in the meantime).

personally, i'm looking at the egosys waveterminal, which 8thstreet.com has for just $200 US. u'll have to pay for taxes/customs though.. i'm also of htinking just NOT upgrading. save a lot of dough, and i'm able to record right now anyway.

conclusion? you might not really need to upgrade..but if you really wanna spend the dough, that's what i recommend..
 
If you plan on building an AMD rig, then do yourself a favor and do plenty of research on motherboards. Check sites like AnandTech, Tom's Hardware, and Ars Technica for what works best. Also, when you have your mobo picked out, email the manufacturer of the sound card you want and ask if there are any known issues with your mobo or your chipset.
 
Ok What if I buy a used 850 mhz - 1ghz pent III. It seems if I buy a delta box i can save money and still record drums through a mixer. I have the money for protools and a computer, but don't know if i will every need 24 tracks. I've definately decided to get a new comp and use this celeron to surf. All the fuss about rackmount and which pc soundcard is really mind boggling. Sorry to say but "Steve's" isn't on my number one music buying store list in T.O. I find things a bit pricier there because everyone knows of them. Found some other places but can't decide if I should buy a used 850 pent for $350can or build one. With the extra money I save I could buy new gear[guitars,amps other noisey stuff :)] Is 850 mhz good enough or not. I don't think I need any overkill 1.6ghz and up. I know I need at least 250mg ram and a good size harddrive.
Help the time is at hand. People want to work with me musically but i refuse until i learn recording.
Specs
 
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