Soundcard help for a friend

  • Thread starter Thread starter maryslittlesecret
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maryslittlesecret

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Hi, all. I'm trying to set up a friend of mine (who's not very computer savvy) with a PC studio and am looking for a simple, reliable, entry level soundcard with one or two 1/4 inch ins, one or two XLR ins and one MIDI I/O.

It's been so long since I've bought a soundcard (and never really looked for one this basic) that I could really use some help weeding through the options. Any suggestions? Thanks!

J

P.S. The only ones I've found so far that seem to meet all those specs (at an low entry-level price of around $200) are m-Audio Audiophile and Tascam US-122. Others I've looked at are the Line6 TonePort, Lexicon Lambda, and m-Audio Delta 44
 
What is your friend's budget?

If he/she needs mic preamps built in, then I would probably be looking into a firewire interface/card. Some of the 2-input USB devices are probably ok, too (Tascam US-122, M-Audio Fast Track Pro), if the budget is really tight.

If the budget is a little more flexible, I would look into getting external microphone preamps and a soundcard with just 1/4" balanced ins (like the M-audio delta 44).
 
Thanks for the quick reply, scrubs. His budget is around $200. I'll have to look into the Fast Track Pro, but the Delta 44 (which was one of my initial picks) doesn't appear to have the MIDI I/O.
 
You could get an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and an M-audio Audiobuddy preamp for under $200. This combo meets the requirements and is much better than any of the low budget USB devices.
 
Is there an inherent problem with USB cards (slow? unreliable? poor sound quality?) or are they just not preferred to Firewire/PCI?
 
maryslittlesecret said:
Is there an inherent problem with USB cards (slow? unreliable? poor sound quality?) or are they just not preferred to Firewire/PCI?
Click to expand...
For one or two inputs at a time, USB can work fine. It's when you get into mutitracking that problems arise.
 
maybe an intenal soundcard like the E-MU 1212m , which i believe is $200. That has some flexability to it.i think it has ADAT and spdif, and 1/4". You would need a mic preamp with that though as there are no xlr in's.
 
My friend probably won't record more than 2 channels simultaneously anyway. He's planning on using EZDrummer for drums and, from there, the most he would record is maybe a stereo guitar track or something...

And someone outside the board suggested the E-MU too, though the lack of a breakout box is still a sticking point for me. Thanks for your suggestions!
 
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