sound blaster audigy

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samich17

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i'm thinking about getting a new sound card/.....right now i have the sound blaster live! pretty lame by 90% of the people on here... i want something a little more serious for under 200$

the sound blaster audigy sounds good....what do you think?
 
Reliable sources tell me that this is a great value for the price.

Beats the shit out of their other stuff like the SB64 etc.

But also check out the Extigy for $149.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=41277

My only complaint is the 1/8" miniplugs. They can work, but they're so delicate that I can't heartily recommend any card that uses this type of jack.
 
1/8th jack

i agree, what would you recommend then? i want something that records real time, but i'm not sure about 24bit...is that really any better?
 
Sure- 24 bits are better. But it consumes computer resources at a rate that can cut into your # of available tracks and HD space.

Note- I'm still too cheap to pop for the 24/96 stuff, but I will soon.

Check out The M-audio Audiophile and the Echo Mia.

The Audiophile is $160 at Musician's Friend and uses RCA jacks but also has S/PDIF to provide 4 in and 4 out.

The Echo Mia has the same I/O but more "virtual" outputs (so what!) but uses 1/4" balanced TRS jacks instead of unbalanced RCAs. Musician's Friend has it for $200.

Both cards are in your price range.
 
I'll say again that I have heard from several folks the audigy does in fact NOT record at 24 bits...it's a 24bit file, yeah, but only the top 16 are used...I'd advise you to check the audigy user group for more info...this snipped from another forum I frequent:

>>Yes I too was bitten by the Creative Marketing Dept. I read the press release that said it was a 24 Bit card, so when I had a chance to pre-order the Audigy Plat ($199+ Shipping) I did.

Then Creative (after I bought the card) confirmed that the analog would only record in 16 Bits. When I called Creative to complain I was told that I could record in 24/96 through the SPDIF, if I bought an external DAC.

So now that I owned the Audigy longer than 1 month and was unable to return it, I spent $250 for an ART DIO and cables to convert the Analog to 2496 and send it through to the Audigy. Then I found out after re-recording for three weeks that it was still only recording at 16 Bits, but that I might be able to record in 2496 with a future driver release (No ETA).

So I bought a M-Audio Audiophile 2496 for $160. Total cost for my trusting Creative -- $450 plus the $160 for the AP that I should have bought in the first place.


end snippage...look, I like creative products, been a long time fan...just be aware that what you get might not be what you thought you was gettin.
 
I use the SB Live for soundfonts and MIDI, and I think it does an excellent job. But for recording audio, no way. Too noisy, poor AD/DA converters. I use an M-Audio Dman 2044 for audio and there is a world of difference.

I seriously doubt Creative has improved the recording quality in the Audigy so that it could compete (quality wise) with the Echo Mia or the M-Audio Audiophile--seriously, seriously, seriously doubt it. IMO it's still a GAMER card that's good for MIDI and soundfonts. Until proven otherwise, that's exactly what this card is, a GAMER. Why anyone would even consider this card over an Audiophile completely baffles me.
 
new sound card

my new question is....as of now, i go


instrument----->fostex 4 track (out vis A/V cables)----->sound card (in via 1/8" jack)


if i get a sound card with 1/4" inputs, which sounds to be the better choice....do they make A/V - 1/4" cables? i want to keep it real simple since it is just me and a few instruments....i want it to sound as good as possible and maintain real time recording..

THANK YOU!
 
TD,

> I seriously doubt Creative has improved the recording quality in the Audigy so that it could compete (quality wise) with the Echo Mia or the M-Audio Audiophile <

In fact, the Audigy is much quieter than the SB Live, and it sounds really good. I have an Audigy and a Delta 66, and I can't hear any difference when playing audio through one or the other.

> Why anyone would even consider this card over an Audiophile completely baffles me. <

For the SoundFonts. If someone can afford two sounds cards, fine. But remember, a basic Audigy costs about $70. That's a mighty low price for a real sampler!

But just so you know that I'm not a shill for Creative Labs :) I'll point out a serious bug in the Audigy drivers: It glitches badly when playing some (not all) looped SoundFonts. This will be fixed in the next driver update, but for now this bug makes the Audigy useless as a sampler.

--Ethan
 
By A/V I'm assuming you mean RCA, like on the front of a VCR.
Absolutely. That's what I use to connect the RCA outs on my Sound Canvas to my pre-amp or soundcard (1/4").
I went with Monster 'cause it looked so purdy.
Avoid Hosa like the Ebola virus. They'll work for a while and then one day soon you'll be wondering where that intermittent signal loss is coming from.
 
I think i am going to purchase an audigy platinum, for a couple of reasons, and i have read and read and read, and this is what i have come up with.

The audigy seems like a good all rounder. Great connectivity, and very versatile, now the thing about it being a 16/48bit recording card has but doubts on my mind, but not experiencing anything different i can't say its "crap". The price is very attractive, and at the end of the day, once i progress to a stage where i want a better card, i can allways have the audigy as a card for my music playback, and for my games.

The only problem i have now is, would there be alot of interference from my pc, TV, stereo, which would ruin the sound? if so should i purchase the platinum EX with the external drive?

I have spoke to an audigy specialst, and he has helped me come to this decision, is it a wise one? Obviousley he is going to pursuade me to buy the audigy but he really did make sense.

anyway any feedback to my decision would be good, thanks.

oh and by the way the main reason is the price as i am only jus tstarting out recording wise, so £130/£180 is kinda nice, rather than spending the same price on an audiophile and having to spend more and more for connctors like optical out and mic in. as i need mic in and optical out right away. (mic in more)

regards

aL
 
A/V cables

alright, that;s good to know that i can get an A/V--1/4" jack..i am definitely going to get a new and better card than the sound blaster live! i'm just not sure which one yet...the Audigy Platinum looks good...i don't care that it is 16 bit and not 24, because it doesn't mean anything to me..i don't know the difference, but i am not sure if it is the best for the money...i just the signal coming from my 4 track to be as clear and real time as possible..what should i do? is there a better product than the audigy platinum...should i go external? what is the difference in sound quality?
thanks a lot
 
LoL, you must have been typing the same time i was! seem's like we are both in the same boat :D
 
If your not too serious about your projects then maybe the audigy is ok and will serve your purpose but Ive come to the conclusion that soundblaster audigy is nothing more than a high performance gaming card.
If you invest a little it will go a long way. Maybe try the emagic Logic audio Audiowerk2 home studio kit or the Delta 44 or 66 and get an inexpensive mixer. Problem is too many choices, but these are just some suggestions.
 
i wish i had the $400 to buy the delta 44...sucks because by the time you buy it, a new, better one comes out and then a new and better one comes out...we could all have great quality music, but it is the middle pieces that allow you to show everyone else...i like the sounds of the delta 44, but i don't need 4 in and 4 out..i just need 1 in and 1 out...anything like that around....i have a Fostex 4 track recorder in between my instruments and soundcard
 
Ethan Winer said:
TD,

In fact, the Audigy is much quieter than the SB Live, and it sounds really good. I have an Audigy and a Delta 66, and I can't hear any difference when playing audio through one or the other.

You will when you record, though.

For the SoundFonts. If someone can afford two sounds cards, fine. But remember, a basic Audigy costs about $70. That's a mighty low price for a real sampler!

--Ethan
Click to expand...

Let me clarify my position.

1. I agree with Ethan 100% if $70-$90 is all you can afford.

2. If you will be using MIDI and soundfonts, the Audigy may be a great investment--I'm not sure you need it though if you already have the Live for MIDI and soundfonts. Ethan can probably shed some light on the difference in the quality of the two cards for MIDI. Maybe I'll upgrade my MIDI card (Live Value) to an Audigy if it really is that much better.

3. If you will not be using MIDI or soundfonts and you only want a card to record digital audio--and you can afford $200--the Echo Mia or the M-Audio Audiophile are going to be much better cards IMO. There is no way the Audigy can compete with them for recording digital audio.
 
Duke,

> You will when you record, though.

Maybe. I haven't tested that. I use my Delta 66 for recording audio, and the Audigy for audio playback and SoundFonts.

> I'm not sure you need it though if you already have the Live for MIDI and soundfonts. Ethan can probably shed some light on the difference in the quality of the two cards for MIDI. <

The Audigy is a lot better. Or it will be once Creative Labs fixes the driver bugs.

> the Echo Mia or the M-Audio Audiophile are going to be much better cards IMO. There is no way the Audigy can compete with them for recording digital audio. <

Have you ever actually tested this? It's easy to record some program material first through an Audigy and then into a different card. Now play them back one by one and see if you can actually hear a difference.

--Ethan
 
Have you ever actually tested this? It's easy to record some program material first through an Audigy and then into a different card. Now play them back one by one and see if you can actually hear a difference.
Click to expand...

If you would be so gracious, maybe you could do a rough test between your Audigy and your Delta 66, Ethan. I think simple frequency response and SNR tests along with a short recording to compare, as you propose, would be reasonably comprehensive.
 
Dolemite,

> If you would be so gracious, maybe you could do a rough test between your Audigy and your Delta 66, Ethan. I think simple frequency response and SNR tests along with a short recording to compare, as you propose, would be reasonably comprehensive. <

I did that once with my SB Live card:

www.ethanwiner.com/soundcards.html

All three of us came to the surprising conclusion that the SB Live is quite transparent. However, as I decribe in the article, that test used complete songs. It is possible that recording separate tracks - especially cymbals and drums - might reveal more differences between the various cards. One of these days I'll do that test again using a microphone picking up sounds that have a lot of HF content and transients.

It's difficult for me to do a test using microphones, since I have a single room for recording and mixing. So there's no way to hear the microphones through speakers before and after recording. But I suppose I could send one microphone to both the Delta 66 and the Audigy, and record them both at the same time.

--Ethan
 
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