Sound Card Recommendations....?

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cgrif

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Hey everyone...I am farily new to the homerecording thing...and I found out yesterday where,... the hardware on a sound blaster audigy leaves off and am wondering where, the next step in (low latency/$150.00-$175.00 budget) sound card begins...is this realistic? I like to compare data ...any websites that I might visit regarding this subject?
 
ditto on the AP2496.... they are selling them at $130-$140 nowadays...

for the quality you'll get, that price is crazy! :)
 
I bought the Audiophile 2496 and never looked back. It rules.
 
i noticed on a review of the 2496 that latency can only be set to as low as 10 when using SOnar...due to the WMD's and that it can achieve a latency of as low as 2 when using Cubase5 and ASIO drivers? Am I understanding this correclty..? I use SOnar but I am already getting the latency as low as 10 using an SB audigy and there is too much delay when using input monitoring. I feel like I need to get that number down between 2 and 5. Anyone have any input?
 
10ms latency is about as unnoticable as 5 or even 2ms.
I use an AP 2496, the latency is set at 11ms (512 sample buffer) and I don't notice the delay when I'm recording and monitoring the inputs.
 
E-mu 0404 & 1212M

M-Audio cards such as the Audiophile 2496 (around $145 US Dollars) and M-Audio Delta 410 (now discontinued) are examples of two quality cards around your stated price range.

Although the Audiophile 2496's popularity is undisputed and has yielded consistant results for many, it may be time to look at newer solutions.

At this point in time, though perhaps lacking driver maturity and possessing the stigma of the Creative "Professional" label, the new E-mu 0404 ($99 US Dollars) and 1212M ($199) seem to be the best value. The balanced analog I/O, ADAT I/O and high quality converters on the 1212M make it a value too good to pass up at this price.

The new $99 E-mu 0404 may have all the features you need right now. I will receive one shortly and put it to the test. I believe that if it holds up to it's stated specs it will eventually replace the Audiophile 2496 as the budget audio production card to have and at $50 cheaper.

The Audiophile 2496 yielded great results for me during the past two years, but it definately cannot compare to my 1212M, especially when you consider the 2496's price point at $149. They need to lower their price.

If the E-mu 0404 possesses the quality that is claimed, at $99 dollars it will the most suitable choice for many. Yes, the drivers are a bit immature, but they are definately workable and seeing as though E-mu has adopted somewhat of a unified driver architechture for their new product line, they will be improved.

Don't get me wrong, most people will do just fine hanging onto their Audiophile 2496. It gets the job well done. It's just that those who are in the market for an audio interface at the present time must look at newer solutions that might yield a few more features and/or higher quality.
 
Grigorios said:
M-Audio cards such as the Audiophile 2496 (around $145 US Dollars) and M-Audio Delta 410 (now discontinued) are examples of two quality cards around your stated price range.

Although the Audiophile 2496's popularity is undisputed and has yielded consistant results for many, it may be time to look at newer solutions.

At this point in time, though perhaps lacking driver maturity and possessing the stigma of the Creative "Professional" label, the new E-mu 0404 ($99 US Dollars) and 1212M ($199) seem to be the best value. The balanced analog I/O, ADAT I/O and high quality converters on the 1212M make it a value too good to pass up at this price.

The new $99 E-mu 0404 may have all the features you need right now. I will receive one shortly and put it to the test. I believe that if it holds up to it's stated specs it will eventually replace the Audiophile 2496 as the budget audio production card to have and at $50 cheaper.

The Audiophile 2496 yielded great results for me during the past two years, but it definately cannot compare to my 1212M, especially when you consider the 2496's price point at $149. They need to lower their price.

If the E-mu 0404 possesses the quality that is claimed, at $99 dollars it will the most suitable choice for many. Yes, the drivers are a bit immature, but they are definately workable and seeing as though E-mu has adopted somewhat of a unified driver architechture for their new product line, they will be improved.

Don't get me wrong, most people will do just fine hanging onto their Audiophile 2496. It gets the job well done. It's just that those who are in the market for an audio interface at the present time must look at newer solutions that might yield a few more features and/or higher quality.
Click to expand...

Personally I wouldn't trust Creative based solely on their historical driver support - regardless of how good the card may be. M-Audio's driver support is worth a lot more than the $50 savings IMHO.
 
Believe me, I too was one of the legions of users out there who distrusted anything Creative. Still, I am very happy with my 1212M as it stands. It's a quality product now and it's performance is what matters to me most.

M-Audio is a wonderful company, but I know that I, as well as some others, have received rather lame technical support from M-Audio in the past. Luckily I've needed very little technical support. I can only imagine what someone who took a chance with any one of their USB products (USB audio - best avoided) might have had to deal with.

Recently a representative from E-mu has been actively participating in many forums answering a variety of technical questions. This attempt to address specific concerns, for however long it may last, is unpreceded in my experience and has been a great help. When it comes to a company's own forums and channels of support via website, I find both companies to be equally lacking. M-Audio's site is no more supportive than E-mu's, a trend that I hope will some day change. Luckily we have forums such as these. Unfortunately, few company representatives participate in these forums so we are left to our own speculations.

M-Audio's Delta drivers supported multiple products, this was a big plus from a developmental point of view. It looks like E-mu has decided to do something similar. This will definately help with their evolution.

Either way. Technology progresses. At least we have to thank E-mu for raising the bar. If you so dislike E-mu, then you can at least hope that E-mu's new product line will force other manufacturers to offer similar quality products at lower price points.

Having had experience with both products, this is my recommendation. In the end, it's up to you to decide. In any case, you must keep an open mind and then weigh your options. In the case of the Audiophile 2496, it's a good card, but as things stand now it's overpriced.

A few sites for you (E-mu related):

Company Website:
www.emu.com

Reviews:
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-emu-1820/index.html

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1562422,00.asp

http://www6.tomshardware.com/consumer/20040611/index.html

Very Technically Informative Thread:
http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=4:472

Unofficial E-mu Forum
http://www.productionforums.com/emu/
 
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I'm also pretty new to this and I was just wondering what you mean when you say the "hardware on the soundblaster audigy leaves off". I was considering buying one, since it's pretty much the best I can get on my budget. As of now I'm still using a 6-year old ensonic Soundscape. What exactly were the problems?
 
Joepie, if your budget is that limited, I would definately take a look at the E-mu 0404 for $99. Stay away from the Soundblasters. The only model that is at least somewhat useable for musical applications is the Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro, but that goes for around $200 at least.

If you can't even spare $99 bucks at this point and are impatient to get started, you could always pick up an SBLive for $28(at NewEgg.com) and use the KX drivers to get the ASIO support you'll need (www.kxproject.com). Provided that you have a decent preamp for your mic and/or instruments, this will be enough for you to fiddle around with and it'll enable you to get acquainted with the basics of desktop audio production. Stay away from everything in between. Either get something decent (Audiophile 2496,Delta 410, E-mu 0404,E-mu 1212M) or something VERY inexpensive to tide you over until you come up with the necessary funds.
 
I have a TASCAM US122. It is 24 bit, has phantom mic pres, and built in DI for guitars. It comes with some software that is limited. I used it to record the song in my signature line. I like it a lot. It's $200, but it'll do a lot.
 
Apl, I like your song, it's nicely put together.

Although it's best for most people to avoid going the USB route, the TASCAM US122 is a very attractive interface. Though it's subject to the speed limitations of USB, it's just about the best all in one USB solution that I've seen. Most of the USB devices lack one feature or another which keeps them from being truely portable all in one solutions. One may have a pre-amp but not a MIDI interface, while the other has a MIDI interface but no pre-amp. Some USB adapters run off system power whereas other USB interfaces run off an external AC adapter. Aside from the M-Audio MobilePre and TASCAM US122, another serious complete external solution is the M-Audio Firewire 410.
 
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Grigorios said:
...it's just about the best all in one USB solution that I've seen...
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I bought it. I wish they'd make a firewire version!

Did you give my song a listen? I think the recording quality is plenty good enough for a newbie!:cool:
 
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