I am interrested in upgreading my sound card to a "pro-audio" card. I would like to get a USB solution, but I would also like to get a card that I can run Gigasampler LE on. My budget is about US$200 - $400. I know the Tascam US-224 will run Gigasampler LE, and it is USB, but I havent heard any good/bad about it. Does anyone out there know how good this product is? It seems to have a lot of capability for the price (which initially makes me skeptical of it's quality). If anyone can give me advice, I would appreciate it.
PS: Other options I am considering are the AudioSport Quatro (USB) and the Audiophile 2496 (PCI). Any opinions about these either???
GigaSampler LE is a wonderful bit of software - but be aware that it's a crippled version of GS.
You can't record with GS LE.
Tascam no longer support GigaSampler.
I know absolutely nothing of the Tascam US-224. There is a rather good BB over at www.tascam.com that could possibly answer your questions regarding the US-224
As for the AudioSport Quattro (USB) I know nought (I'm not being very helpful here am I ). The M-Audio Audiophile is a fine card with a very large user-base.
If you want the best S/N of the sensibly priced audio cards go for the all new Echo MiaMIDI. That would be my choice if I was in the market for a new card - although I'm perfectly happy with my Terratec EWX 24/96.
GigaSampler LE is a wonderful bit of software - but be aware that it's a crippled version of GS.
You can't record with GS LE.
Tascam no longer support GigaSampler.
I know absolutely nothing of the Tascam US-224. There is a rather good BB over at www.tascam.com that could possibly answer your questions regarding the US-224
As for the AudioSport Quattro (USB) I know nought (I'm not being very helpful here am I ). The M-Audio Audiophile is a fine card with a very large user-base.
If you want the best S/N of the sensibly priced audio cards go for the all new Echo MiaMIDI. That would be my choice if I was in the market for a new card - although I'm perfectly happy with my Terratec EWX 24/96.
Well, I could go with a PCI Card such as the Audiophile or the Echo Mia, and then buy Gigastudio 32 and be roughly in the same ballpark in price. However, if the US-224 has comparable Audio Quality, and the performance of a USB interface is comparable to that of a PCI Interface, then I get the control surface and the portability of USB for free! I just don't know the answers to those two key questions...
I could be completely wrong here Aaron, (it has been known from time to time ) but I think GigaStudio32 is just as crippled as GigaSampler LE - in fact I have a feeling it's the replacement for GS LE.
You really should zip over to Tascam and ask your Qs there. Better yet search their FAQs or perform a search in their GS BB for USB.
I could be completely wrong here Aaron, (it has been known from time to time ) but I think GigaStudio32 is just as crippled as GigaSampler LE - in fact I have a feeling it's the replacement for GS LE.
You really should zip over to Tascam and ask your Qs there. Better yet search their FAQs or perform a search in their GS BB for USB.
Well I finally had some time to read throught the Tascam BB and get some information. As far as I can tell, most people are happy with the quality of the audio in the US-224/428, but are unhappy with the problems associated with USB. Latency, Clicks/Pops, Configuration issues, Performance Isses, and the list goes on... Most of the people that are happy with the US-224/428 have either spent a lot of time optimizing their system, or they use a separate PCI Pro-Audio Card and only use the Tascam as a control Surface (and for MIDI I/O). So I think I probably will end up with a PCI solution for Audio I/O.
As far as GigaStudio 32 goes, I probably will not immediately invest in that product. I already own GigaSampler LE (I just never have been able to use it with my existing sound card), so I will just use that for the time being. Most (if not all) of the PCI Cards I am looking at have support for the GSIF drivers, so I should be good to go.
). The M-Audio Audiophile is a fine card with a very large user-base.
) but I think GigaStudio32 is just as crippled as GigaSampler LE - in fact I have a feeling it's the replacement for GS LE.