Soundcard Recommendation For New iMac

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matthew M.
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Matthew M.

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Hello,


Awhile back, I had started a thread asking about computers and upgrading to a new computer. Well, just this Wednesday, I finally made the plunge and made a big one: I made the switch from a PC to the new iMac Intel Core Duo, 20 inches, 2GHz, 2 GB of RAM. It should be here Monday morning.


The goal is to produce music as a convincing one man band from my M-Audio Keystation ES88 MIDI Controller (along with the Korg Digital Legacy Collection to produce the sounds off of). Basically a one man show.


To cut to the chase, when I was on my PC, I was using the M-Audiophile 2496 card. I hear that the iMac does not support PCI cards such as this, so it looks as if I will need to buy a replacement, which begs the question: what soundcards would you recommend as an adequate replacement for my Audiophile on this machine, for what I want to do? I would just love to plug in my MIDI Controller, speakers and microphone into it and record away. Something not too expensive... anything under $250 would be great. When I went to the Guitar Center last weekend, someone recommended the Fast Track Pro, but I thought I'd ask here, as well, before making any decisions. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thanks! :D
 
I might be Wrong but I think that since these new Intel Macs are so new that there is very little Audio hardware and software support for them.....

I"m sure a USB or Firewire device would work but I don"t thing there has been enough time to develop Drivers for them or at least Stable ones....

I"m sure someone who knows Macs a Lot better than me could tell you for sure but I suspect that it is True and you might have bought an Intel Mac a little too early....

Good luck
 
Matthew M. said:
Awhile back, I had started a thread asking about computers and upgrading to a new computer. Well, just this Wednesday, I finally made the plunge and made a big one: I made the switch from a PC to the new iMac Intel Core Duo, 20 inches, 2GHz, 2 GB of RAM. It should be here Monday morning.

Always nice to hear.


Matthew M. said:
To cut to the chase, when I was on my PC, I was using the M-Audiophile 2496 card. I hear that the iMac does not support PCI cards such as this, so it looks as if I will need to buy a replacement, which begs the question: what soundcards would you recommend as an adequate replacement for my Audiophile on this machine, for what I want to do?

The Presonus FireWire interfaces... and IIRC, the Edirol interfaces... use Apple built-in drivers, so they should be pretty much functional from day 1, though last I checked, Presonus still needed to do an Intel version of their tools for firmware flashing, switching from internal to external sync, and stuff like that... none of which you'll need initially, so you're fine there.

I also noticed that MOTU's interfaces have Intel drivers already, though those are probably a bit on the pricey side. :D

As for the Fast Track Pro USB, I'd be very surprised if M-Audio's drivers are up to par on Intel yet. They're a bit spotty even on PowerPC, or at least the two I've dealt with (Delta 1010LT and FW1814) have been at times.

What DAW software are you planning to use?
 
Congratulations on making the switch. I did it a couple of months ago. I got the 17 inch Intel iMac. I purchased it specifically for home recording. I've been a windows guy since the begining, and did not want to have to worry about the computer side of things. I love it. Seek the facts before bashing macs.

OSX uses built in audio. What you will need, is a USB microphone at the very least. I suppose you could use a microphone with an 1/8" jack plugged into the line in. But essentially, you will want to get a FIREWIRE interface. People will tell you that USB2 is faster, but I'd go with the FIREWIRE. This is a unit that will allow you to connect one or more decent microphones, and usually a midi device (like a keyboard) into your computer. Depending on your needs, there are a number of choices out there. Do some research online and at your local music stores. I bought the Presonus Firepod. It allows 8 mics at a time, has decent preamps, and can be daisy chained with up to three other firepods. I'm very happy with it, but have not used any other types, so can't really give a comparason. I chose the firepod based on forums like this one, and talking to my local stores.


Garageband comes with every Mac as part of the iLife software package. It is a great tool. It's easy to get up and running, and right into the recording. It's also free, so don't bash it. Obviously, some features are left out that the proffesional programs have. Apple also makes Logic Express, and Logic Pro. The new intel macs use something called Universal Binaries. If a program is made in a "UB" it runs really fast on the intel macs. Apple has made developers aware of this for over a year now, and have an excellent set of developer tools out there. Basically, most of the popular recording software will eventually be available as a Universal Binary. But that doesnt matter to you now... that sweet and sexy new iMac is already on it's way..

I bought the 17 inch, and upped my ram to 1.5 gigs (way more than enough) and added a second monitor. The computer easily moves from my upstairs office to my living room... i mean studio... and is dead quiet. I have two PC's, one of which I just got in January, top of the line rig. I use one for watching Tv. The other just sits there. I love the mac. (/end rave).

This is also my first post here, and I'm glad I stumbled accross this place. It seems like a good crowd.


Regards,
 
Seek the facts before bashing macs.


Who was Bashing Macs??


Actually Firewire is Faster than USB 2.0...

USB 2.0 has 480mb/sec "Burst" speed but it"s Sustained speed is Much lower Probably closer to 250mb/s depending on other Hardware connected Via USB were Firewire has a 400mb/s Sustained speed In both Upstream and Downstream which makes it much better especially for audio and Video applications were the device is transfering Data for a sustained period of time...

:D
 
Minion said:
Who was Bashing Macs??


:D

Sorry, nobody was. It's a conditioned pre response that I've developed since mentioning that I now own a mac to my PC friends.

Back on topic...

I would not go with the Fast Track Pro, as the firebox http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html is Firewire, not USB, and allows faster sustained data transfer rates (thanks minion), and the ability to add more devices later on without a hit in performance. People also seemed to be quite happy with the pre amps on each channel. I have nothing to compare it to, but I've made some nice recordings with it's big brother, the Firepod.

HOWEVER, being on the bleeding edge of technology, Presonus does not have intel software available for routing purposes AT THIS POINT. So, you won't have as much versatility with all the outputs. I only use Garage Band, which doesn't have the built in routing functions that Logic , or some of the other software does (perhaps somebody with this software and a presonus product can clarify). It will only be a matter of time until every one does. It also comes with Cubase SE. Which, again will run, just not optimized for the intel.

Am I bashing my new beloved iMac by saying that Apple shipped a little early? The plan was middle of 06. So, it's not fair to say that companies are behind in their support. Apple is a little ahead of the game, that's all.

I guess my best advise, would be to do what I just did. Establish your needs, now and in the future. Establish your budget. See what is available. Use the net to read forums (search function, and a cup of java). See what your local stores have (keep in mind they will most likely budge a little on the sticker price). And then realize that you just got into a hobby that CAN start costing a lot of money. So purchase wisely.
 
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I bought a 17" IMac a couple of weeks ago. I upgraded the ram to 1.5 gig. I picked up the MOTU Ultralite and Logic Express. Everything works great. One thing I learned was to plug your line out from whatever source into the "INPUT" of the ultralite. It doesn't work when you plug into the output :) . But I'm really digging the sounds I'm getting. It may be a bit more pricey, but I'm looking to use this for recording live performances too.
 
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