Soundcard advice:mixdown/mastering 2-track

[onetwo_FU]

Hey guys,
1st post!
My band is recording some stuff to 16 track 1/2 tape through our 24 track analog (behringer, I think) mixer.
My computer setup is a little old-ish... P4 1.7 512ddr ram an 80 gig and a 40 gig harddrive.... sb LIve audio. Altec lansing multimedia speakers

I have been using n-track for awhile just for my guitar (guitar---- digitech 2120 ---bbe 482i ---soundblaster live stereo input)
That setup is fine I guess for my rough guitar noodlefests but I am wanting to step up for the mixdown/mastering of our newly recorded material.

The E-MU 1212m is at the top of my list for the moment:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_id/111055

Also I was thinking I need some better speakers ...
these are about all I can afford:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_id/115042

What do ya'll think?
tia

 

[cawhite12]

You might also consider:
Echo Mia MIDI
M-audio 2496
M-audio Audiophile 192

The 1212m would be nice because of it's ADAT abilities, and you can later add an external box that they sell separately to add more IO. Read up on it's compatiblity though, as I have read that the E-mu's are building quite a notorious reputation for having lots of compatibility issues in comps. www.productionforums.com would be a good place to head to as it has an unnofficial E-mu forum, and you could probably find some answers there. Keep in mind that it is mostly a support forum, so you will probably not here very many good stories there, only the ones who need support for their product. From what I hear, people either love their E-mu product, or they hate it. I've also heard that the Patch Mix software has a bit of a learning curve to it, but if you are fairly comfortable with audio on computer, it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

[treymonfauntre]

if you're going for best bang for your buck don't forget about ebay. i got an echo gina 24/96 interface for about $150 shipped, and some m audio bx5s (a bit better than those monitors, i imagine) for about $160 shipped.

 

[onetwo_FU]

thanks for the advice and links... anymore?

One of my concerns is the limited outputs of the 1212m... I was hoping to be able to monitor my stuff on the m-audio monitors as well as my existing pc speakers... and maybe headphones and I dunno output to a home stereo setup...any suggestions there?
thanks again.

 

[cawhite12]

Your going to have limited Analog outputs with any of those cards. If you want more flexibility, you might consider going the Firewire route. I used a Firepod for a while, and now I use a Tascam 1804, and they are both great pieces of equipment. However, the Tascam only has 1 set of analog outs too, but it also has some headphone outs, so that's a plus. Most firewire stuff will give you some extra IO with not much more money.
Check out:
Presonus Firebox
M-audio Firewire 410
Edirol FA 101(I think)

Oh I forgot, check out the M-audio Delta 1010 (PCI Card). Lots of people on here use them and seem to be very happy with the quality. Ahhh...So many options, so little time.