soundcard????

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evan_rockz

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Do all computers have soundcards? or how do i know if mine has one?

I know this is stupid to ask but i have asked it either way

Thanks Reah
 
Does it make noise when you turn it on (like beeping and stuff)? Can you play music cd's or mp3's on it? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your computer has a soundcard.
 
That raises the next question--Is my soundcard any good for recording? I'll take a stab in the dark and so no.
 
Not all computers that have sound have a soundcard. Alot have sound built into the motherboard. Just look in the back of the computer to see if you have a soundcard.
 
If it came with the machine as standard chances are isn't not much cop. Well, at least not for music. The best you could hope for is a soundblaster (spits!). I had one briefly and it was a real nightmare.

You'll need one that can handle very low latency. For a perfect starter I'd go for an Audiophile 24/96. High quality and very low latency... AND under £50 from Millenium Music!



I've been working in my home studio for about 6 years and have never had a problem with mine!
 
Fishybob said:
If it came with the machine as standard chances are isn't not much cop. Well, at least not for music. The best you could hope for is a soundblaster (spits!). I had one briefly and it was a real nightmare.

You'll need one that can handle very low latency. For a perfect starter I'd go for an Audiophile 24/96. High quality and very low latency... AND under £50 from Millenium Music!



I've been working in my home studio for about 6 years and have never had a problem with mine!
Click to expand...

What about if you are like me and have started to take home recording very seriously .... i want a sound card that will produce top quality recordings ... i have been considering the RME multi face as it gets a lot of good reviews on this forum ...but it is expensive as hell ...

The Delta 1010 is a lot cheaper ...but it doesn't get the same reviews ...

i want to build my new PC around my soundcard ...so can anyone offer any suggestions? and i am looking to spend about £600 - £800 and thats for both sound card and new PC ....

thanks :)
 
The main concideration is how many simultanious tracks you will be recording at once.

If you only need 2 then see my above recommendation - brilliant quality. The 1010 is about the same quality but with the advantage of more ins/outs.

EMU do some nice units.

Read reviews... ask questions... listen... don't cut corners. ;)
 
Fishybob said:
The main concideration is how many simultanious tracks you will be recording at once.

If you only need 2 then see my above recommendation - brilliant quality. The 1010 is about the same quality but with the advantage of more ins/outs.

EMU do some nice units.

Read reviews... ask questions... listen... don't cut corners. ;)
Click to expand...


Lets for argument sake say that i would like to have the ability to record 4 tracks simultaneously .... (4 mics on a drum kit at least) Ideally i'd like to be able to put more mics on a kit but i've heard that you can get away with 4 if you do it right ...

at the moment i have a Roland VS880 which i have been using to record drums ...it allows 4 tracks simultaneously to be recorded... it has a digital in and out so i'd need a card that would be compatible with this....

The rest of the time i will only ever be recording miced guitar amps, bass guitar, vocalists...

i'm not gonna be recording an orchestra or anything like that lol

Just out of interest ....what card do you use yourself Fishy Bob?
 
Ok, so if i was to buy a new sound card would it have to be fitted internally or do they has a usb connection thing???/? Sorry i am totally clueless.


My Computer has sound but when i recently downloaded some guitar programs, there was no sound, what does this mean?
 
evan_rockz said:
Ok, so if i was to buy a new sound card would it have to be fitted internally or do they has a usb connection thing???/? Sorry i am totally clueless.


My Computer has sound but when i recently downloaded some guitar programs, there was no sound, what does this mean?
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Hey man what exactly are you going to be recording? guitars?

If you check on the back of your computer you should see a little Mic input ...it will probably be a 1/8 " connection ...beside it there might be another little connection ...this is called a Line input ....u can plug your guitar into this input ...u will just need a little adapter to put onto the end of your guitar cable so that it will fit into it ...

the once you start playing your guitar you should be able to hear yourself coming out of the PC speakers ...if not then u need to adjust your sound settings ...see the little Speaker icon at the bottom right of your screen?? ...play around with it for a while until u find Reording settings ...then set it to Line Input ... and turn the volume up ...

Thats what i did when i first started and it worked for me anyway :)

hope this helps
 
evan_rockz said:
Ok, so if i was to buy a new sound card would it have to be fitted internally or do they has a usb connection thing???/? Sorry i am totally clueless.


My Computer has sound but when i recently downloaded some guitar programs, there was no sound, what does this mean?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the loss of sound, but chances are you definitely have a soundcard. Is this a Windows based machine? If so, go to your control panel and select the option for "sounds" (speaker icon). That will tell you what your soundcard is and whether or not it is working properly.

As to the other question, there are soundcards that fit into PCI slots (on a desktop) as well as external cards that use USB and FireWire connections (NYMorningstar is also correct in saying that many soundcards are integrated into the motherboard and cannot be removed, but they can be disabled if you decide to upgrade). Tell us a little more about what you are trying to do and I'm sure we can give you suggestions on what you will need.
 
I still use the audiophile. Needing more inputs now... you can however use multiples of these and they are still supported.


You can either use a PCI card or a USB thingy. Or a PCI card with a breakout box. Loads of options.

I'd also say that it's best to have more ins than you currently need because there will come a time when you want another one or two.


I've used the VS880 a while ago and the VS1680. I got some nice demo's on those. I found the preamps a bit noisy though, for vocals especially.
 
scrubs said:
Tell us a little more about what you are trying to do and I'm sure we can give you suggestions on what you will need.
Click to expand...


Basically i just want a standard multitracking recording program that i can use to compose songs when i am feeling creative. And it would also be good if i could get a program that also has drums and stuff that can be added, i spose i want something similar to micro logic, but i only have a computer keyboad and mouse. I hope this all makes sense, i cant help it if im a stupid chick!!!
 
I downloaded a few different ones, n track (i think) krystal cant remember all of them. I have since deleted them cos they didnt work. And then i tried to use some guitar tuition things but there was no sound
 
evan_rockz said:
Basically i just want a standard multitracking recording program that i can use to compose songs when i am feeling creative. And it would also be good if i could get a program that also has drums and stuff that can be added, i spose i want something similar to micro logic, but i only have a computer keyboad and mouse. I hope this all makes sense, i cant help it if im a stupid chick!!!
Click to expand...

Well, you have a number of options. If you just want to record some songwriting ideas, you could get something simple like the M-Audio MobilePre or the Tascam US-122. Both of these are external, USB soundcards that are sort of "all-in-one" solutions for computer recording. I personally own the Tascam and would recommend it. It has two microphone inputs/preamps, two line level inputs. midi in/out, monitor outs, and a headphone jack. It comes with Cubase LE, which is a solid software option for recording (not necessarily the best for composing drum loops, but it has basic midi drum functions).

If you are (may become) interested in tracking multiple sources simultaneously (like a band or a drum kit), then USB generally won't cut it because you need more inputs than the USB can support. In that case, you should get a FireWire or PCI soundcard. Presonus FirePod, Focusrite Sapphire, etc. are FireWire Cards.

You could also go with a PCI based soundcard, but then you'd need external preamps and/or a mixer. Not that any one option is better than another, they are just different.

Here's a good article on the basic hardware and software for home recording:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1818861,00.asp
 
i WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP AND SUGGESTIONS!!!
 
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