What about Gadget Labs

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2lim

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What do you people think of the gadget labs wave 824? i have been doing multitracking with an analog porta studio, and i wanted something more. I though that if i upgrade the computer i already have then i can go digital. I looked at soundcards and such, and the gadget labs wave 824 looks good. I was wondering what experiences any of you have had with this piece of equipment?
 
I have one I have used a little. I would like to do a comparison test between the 824 and the 496. If there is a difference, I may not hear it because I can't hear any difference between what the 824 records and the source. But that may be my equipment or my ears. I do like having twice the storage space the 824 has over the 496. And maybe someday when I can get my ass in gear, the extra ins and outs on the 824 will come in handy. I also have the sp/dif interface card which is good for digital copies. Actually I'm quite happy with it. It's those gear spec games that all the companies play to try and make you feel like you need the next latest and greatest piece of shit that bugs me. If your songs are good enough, no one will give a shit if you did it on a cassette recorder or a state of the art computer. In other words, the amount of improvement you get from spending more money, may not justify the extra expense. It's like the advances in sound quality are getting smaller with each new innovation.

Another thing I forgot to mention; The 824 has a 5 year guarantee. I was amazed when I found that out.

[This message has been edited by monty (edited 07-06-2000).]
 
Monty, when you can put that rake down long enough to say something, it's useful. I really got a lot out of your post. It's what I've been wanting to hear for a while - incremental improvements in the sound for major outlays of cash. I've been gnashing my brains over the fact my Wave/8.24 *only* does 48 kHz! I should be spending my time on guitar playing technique instead! I keep buying into the assumption in nearly every post and magazine and book I read that since better gear = better sound, the gear you've got is never good enough. What a formula for dissatisfaction.
 
I LOVE THE 8/24!!!!!

I've recently done some soul searching with various soundcards, and returned them, etc.

Here's my take:

Don't buy a Guillemot ISIS Maxi Studio - unstable, cheap and cheesy. Good for a beginner looking to get their feet wet but not to be taken seriously.

I didn't like the Aark 24. Expensive, and unstable. Basically, if I'm paying $800 for a soundcard, I don't want my system to crash.

The Gadget Labs 8/24 is a class act. Stable -- yet to have a crash. The rackmountable breakout box is awesome. Sounds great. I have had zero problems with it from installation to recording. Gadget Labs has an excellent support staff, if you need to ask them technical questions AND most importantly, they are continuing to write new drivers with for it. One of the few cards that have Win2k drivers. Mac or PC compatible.....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Plus, the price is awesome ($499) for such a great card. Don't waste your time with those cards.

Funny enough, I'm returning the 8/24...not because of any problems. It kills me that Im returning it. I've recently got a digital mixer, and in the process of getting rid of my analog board. I'm going to go purely digital so I have no need for the rackmount. The card is overkill for my purposes.

So, I ordered the 4/24 with the ADAT option which brings be at a cool $400. I'm saving a few $$$ since I'm on a tight budget. When I told the Gadget Labs rep what I was doing, he even said that the 8/24 isn't good for my setup. I don't need a breakout box, because I'm just using the optical cable. I get the 4/24 today...I can't wait so I can finally use my Fostex vm200. Ahh...the finer things in life...

(sorry for such loaded answer...)
 
Dobie...try an experiment. Take a professionally recorded tape or record or cd or whatever and record a little section of it onto your computer. Then listen to the original and the copy through the same system. Or if you have a synthesizer record a few notes and then listen to the recording and then the live synth. I have some crummy old practice tapes that I put into Cakewalk using the Gadgetlabs card, then made mp3's out of them. They sound better now than they did on the tape.
 
Hi,

I'm a ISIS User. Must say, *very* entry level (which I hope I've left behind me by now :)

I'm looking for GadgetLabs 824 experience too, no one any exp with 2 or (pref) 3 cards in one machine ? performance ? sync ?

The 824 looks cool to me, but going pipeline seems more of an investment in the future ..
 
If you can't get very good recordings using the 8/24, it's not the card's fault. I still haven't even made the move to 24-bit. All the other GL owners I've run into are pretty darn happy.

Another little thing that's handy as hell: it has all the connections right on the front. No need to waste patchbay points and add cable length, or climb behind the rig (I have some full grown dust-RABBITS back there). It's a tiny little extra thought in design that goes a long way for convenience.
 
DP - no experience of multiple cards, just what I read in the Wave/8.24 manual:

"If you are installing 2 or 3 Wave/824 cards in a PC, you will need to connect the Sync Cable between the cads before installing."

Then there are instructions how to do this.
 
Dobie (Dobro)...let me know if you try that experiment. I've been doing some myself to see if I can tell the difference. So far I can't. Hope you don't mind me calling you Dobie. I'm not trying to be demeaning.
 
I'm sure dobro won't mind Monto :D

[This message has been edited by Cooperman (edited 07-08-2000).]
 
Preliminary Report: instead of recording a CD to my hard disk (which I haven't done yet, and so I would have to learn how to do it), I did the following A/B - I played the same CD ("It All Comes Back" by Paul Butterfield's Better Days) through both my stereo system and my computer CD-ROM (which uses the Gadgetlabs card). The Gadgetlabs card produces a better sound, hands down - the other one sounds mushy and dark by comparison. I'll be listening to CDs through my computer sound system from now on. An unexpected side benefit of my investment in an expensive soundcard. :) Well done, rakeman!
 
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