swollenrod
New member
over the last few months ive been trying to piece together a computer based home recording studio, so that i can start on my new album. i have some sound card questions,but first let me give you an overview of what i have and what i need. ive got a pod 2.0 and im about to purchase a mackie 1202. ive got the shure ksm27 which i will be using to mic vocals, as well micing my mesa boogie f50 for accoustic/some electric tracks. i also have a really nice pair of akg240 studio ref headphones because quality on the album is what im shooting for.
quality has also put me in the market to purchase a sound card, but i want to make sure i dont end up with something more than what i actually need. basicly i typically just recording each track individually (one at a time), adjust levels as i go, so the amount of inputs are minimally needed. both the pod and the mackie have pre's, but ive read several threads on this bbs that say low end mixers may not have the best pre's available. anyones comments about either the pod pre, the 1202 pre, or any other pre amp would be helpful.
with that out of the way, lets move on to what specs to actually look for in a card. outside of 24/96, most of the technical specs still remain a mystery to me. im afraid im not well educated on things like a/d converter specs, latency, peak ohm/Db range - etc. anyone have an easy guide to understanding sound engineering or maybe just have a way with words? im pretty sure that coming through an analog mixer, my a/d converter is going to be important inquiry of my sound card purchase.
the only other thing i might ask you to consider before advising a sound card is price and cabling. anything over 300 is going to be pricy, and anything over 500 is going to be unrealistic. additionally id like something with a breakout box. i dont want to go the usb direction either, just straight up old school pci slot.
I appreciate your time and thoughts, they help and make this community really great.
quality has also put me in the market to purchase a sound card, but i want to make sure i dont end up with something more than what i actually need. basicly i typically just recording each track individually (one at a time), adjust levels as i go, so the amount of inputs are minimally needed. both the pod and the mackie have pre's, but ive read several threads on this bbs that say low end mixers may not have the best pre's available. anyones comments about either the pod pre, the 1202 pre, or any other pre amp would be helpful.
with that out of the way, lets move on to what specs to actually look for in a card. outside of 24/96, most of the technical specs still remain a mystery to me. im afraid im not well educated on things like a/d converter specs, latency, peak ohm/Db range - etc. anyone have an easy guide to understanding sound engineering or maybe just have a way with words? im pretty sure that coming through an analog mixer, my a/d converter is going to be important inquiry of my sound card purchase.
the only other thing i might ask you to consider before advising a sound card is price and cabling. anything over 300 is going to be pricy, and anything over 500 is going to be unrealistic. additionally id like something with a breakout box. i dont want to go the usb direction either, just straight up old school pci slot.
I appreciate your time and thoughts, they help and make this community really great.
