what soundcard to buy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sean.hanlon
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sean.hanlon

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I have a g4, 350 mhz, 128 mb RAM. Currently am singing, playing bass and guitar into an old 4-track to boost the signal into the computer's own crappy soundcard. I'm using cubasis av (will soon upgrade to vst)..I can spend approx 5 - 600.00 on both soundcard and pre-amp. Any suggestions?
 
sean,

$500-600? A Seasound Solo EX is slightly above this range, I think, and the Echo Mona and Digidesign Digi001 are all more than slightly above it. All of these have mic preamps and are all-in-one solutions. Note that Digi001 works only with the Pro Tools LE software that's part of the package.

Another alternative -- an less expensive, simpler audio interface and a preamp or mixer to plug into it. Even your 4-track might work for you with a better soundcard. These range from the SB Live (2 channel recording, MIDI synth and sampler on board) from around $75-80 to the lower-priced Delta series from M Audio (Delta 66 and Delta 44, 4 balanced/unbalanced analog inputs and outputs -- 66 also has S/PDIF) or Gina24 or Darla24 from Echo, and the Gadget Labs WavePro cards... there's many others, too, but these seem to be the most widely-used in this range though. With one of these cards you might have enough money left over to buy a small mixer or a stand-alone mic pre-amp like the ART Tube MP.

I very recently bought a Delta 66 and a small Behringer mixer with 4 mic preamps for just under $500 -- a couple of hundred dollars less than I would've spent on an Echo Mona or SeaSound SoloEX, which was my original intention...

-AlChuck

[This message has been edited by AlChuck (edited 06-13-2000).]
 
I have a G4 and I went with the protools Digi 001. This is definatly pro level stuff. You can do stuff at home and take your tracks to any studio that runs full blown protools and work. I like it!!
 
sean,

The Delta 66 is full-duplex -- that is, it can play back as many tracks of audio as the host PC allows it to through any of its 4 available analog outs while simultaneously recording up to 4 new tracks of audio at the same time, again depending on the host computer.

-AlChuck
 
First of all, thanks very much for your replies. I had been looking at most of the cards you've mentioned (also the pro tools system, although that's much more expensive and would require starting from scratch on the software learning). I may be leaning towards the Delta 66 along with a pre-amp...my question is, can I temporarily play back and hear what I'm playing while I record new tracks using my 4-track until I can afford a mixer, or do I need a mixer from the get-go. The salesman says you need a mixer right off...is he just trying to make a sale?
 
If I understand what you are trying to do, no you don't need a mixer for it to work. You can run into the soundcard you have now to record, and long as it's full duplex (record and play at the same time) you can monitor through the output of the soundcard. The Cubase software would essentially act as your mixer.

If you are talking about using the 4-track, it should still work without a mixer. What 4-track machine do you have?
 
I have a Fostex (can't remember the model #)...pretty basic, though.
What I want to do is hear the drum track playing while I record the bass track, then hear both the drum and bass track while I record the guitar track, etc.
It works with the set up as I have it now.
Do you know if the Delta 66 has the duplex set up that you're talking about, or one that does in the price range I mentioned? I'm still pretty clueless about digital recording (and even analog, for that matter) so your suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 
Here's a related question regarding the Delta 66...How is it possible to use Midi with this soundcard? And if it is not, could you use an additional Midi interface along with the 66?

Which combination do you suggest?

Floyd

:o
 
Hey Floyd,

Massapequa Park, eh? I was born 'n raised in Hicksville...

Anyway, the Delta 66 has no MIDI synth and no MIDI interface. You need another device for this. I have a Midiman Midisport 2x2 USB MIDI interface to use for playing in my keyboard and also for controlling my POD. I have a Sound Blaster Live! card for a MIDI synthesizer and Sound Font-based sampler, and it also plays audio CDs from my CD-RW drive. I already had these two devices, which is why I decide to buy the Delta 66. If you don't, you might be more inclined to lean towards other more expensive cards that include a MIDI interface. But virtually no high-end card has a MIDI synth -- the Creamware Pulsar and the Yamaha SW100G come to mind.

-AlChuck
 
Thanks again to all replies. I decided to go with the Seasound. Is it possible to get a decent mic (for singing only) for around $100.00 or am I totally dreaming?
 
sean,

Maybe a used one... or else maybe a low-priced, good dynamic like the classic Shure SM-58 will do fine for you?

If you made your price range $150-200 you would have more choices. I love the way my acoustic guitar sounds through my RODE NT-1 mic, which cost about $190. The SeaSound supplies phantom power for condenser mics, I'm pretty sure...(?)

-AlChuck
 
regarding the use of midi w/the delta 66....could you use a basic midi/joystick interface cable along with this setup?
is this possible? someone let me know, because i am considering the delta 66 as well. any info appreciated.
 
redcake,

The Delta 66 has no MIDI port. 4 1/4" inputs, 4 1/4" ouputs, S/PDIF I/O, and the plug to connect the breakout box to the PCI card. But no MIDI ports. Try the Delta 1010, or the Gadget Labs WavePro devices, or any of a number of others...

-AlChuck
 
One more question re: seasound. I've gotten the system to recognize it as a sound card and I even got it to play songs from cubasis av but I can't get cubasis av to record using it. In the instructions, it says to put the ASIO drivers from the seasound into the ASIO drivers folder of the application you're using to record. Cubasis AV (unlike the VST version) does not have this folder. normally I'd assume that I just couldn't use Cubasis AV with this card, but it actually comes with Cubasis AV as a means to get started, so that wouldn't make any sense. Any ideas on how to fix this?
 
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