which 8-input soundcard???

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frist44

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I'm looking to upgrade my soundcard from a delta omni studio, mostly for the increased number of inputs, but also a better a/d conversion.

I've seen most responses regarding the motu 2408 mkIII now and the delta 1010.

Is there a clear winner in sound quality?

I will not being importing adat tracks or anything. all my tracking and mixing is done on the computer, this is strictly for analog inputs and monitoring flexibility. i realize i would need a small mixer with the 1010 to control headphones and monitors, but not with the motu.

Brandon
 
I currently use windows, will mostly be with XP once i decide on one. I track with nuendo.

I figured someone would ask that.
 
I've got a Delta 1010 and I love it. The sound quality is great and I had not problems building a DAW with Win2k, Sonar and the Delta. It dropped right into our studio setup without a glitch and I think it's quite affordable :)
 
go for the motu it has adat and aes as well as 8 analog inputs
 
Aardvark Direct Pro Q10-

1)8 combo inputs(can use mics and/or line inputs)
2)phantom power
3)mic pre's on I believe 4 inputs
4)4 additional inputs for effects or whatever ya wanna add to the signal chain(hardware compressor,eq,etc.)
5)dedicated monitor outs




little pricey though ,$829....I've seen them for $729 at http://www.cdbm.com
 
pgm said:
Aardvark Direct Pro Q10-

1)8 combo inputs(can use mics and/or line inputs)
2)phantom power
3)mic pre's on I believe 4 inputs
4)4 additional inputs for effects or whatever ya wanna add to the signal chain(hardware compressor,eq,etc.)
5)dedicated monitor outs




little pricey though ,$829....I've seen them for $729 at http://www.cdbm.com
Click to expand...

I don't know if i trust Aardvark anymore.

First they leave 2000 and XP users hanging for quite some time without drivers and now there are posts on Audioforums.com talking about 5-25 second delays when playing audio files.

They aren't impressing me very much :(
 
Hey barometer-I'm im the market...mind telling what computer your using and the price tag on the whiole setup?
 
motu has terrible windows support, and you'd need a mixer anyways if you want preamps, which you need. I'd get a 1010, plus a mackie or soundcraft board. Also, i believe the "Motu is firewire, which is slower than a pci card, and you have to buy a firewire card for your computer to beable to plug it in. BUT, it is portable, and could be plugged into a laptop with a firewire input.

Eh, i'd go for the Delta cause i don't have a laptop, if i had a laptop i'd consider the motu more carefully.
 
The C-Port is another option. Similar to the 1010, a bit less expensive, you'd still need a mixer for pre's, but the routing options are fantastic and all selectible via software (don't have to keep unplugging cables).
 
Delta 1010lt is also a very good option, cheaper than all others mentioned above. (about $375)
 
major240 said:
Hey barometer-I'm im the market...mind telling what computer your using and the price tag on the whiole setup?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay, I just saw this.

My set up and cost:
Delta 1010 - $420 (eBay :) )
PC (I built) - $800
Spacewalker SS50
P4 1.8
80GB 7200 ATA100 HDD
24x CD-RW
512 DDRAM
running Win 2K
Sonar 2.0 XL - $400

This is what I needed to switch over to digital, so it doesn't include the cost of my original equipment (mixers, PA, monitors, etc.) and I already had some old components for the PC (monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc)

Hope this helps and feel free to PM me or whatever if you want more details
:D
 
I will have preamps for all 8 channels, so having a unit with preamps built in isn't necessary. Plus i would feel better about being able to upgrade them separately at any time. If windows support with the motu is an issue, than it would be worth putting my money elsewhere. It just looks as though motu is better trying to gear their stuff towards pc users with the incorporation of the new PC card with the 2408 mkIII. It's the only unit using the new PCI-424 card and it looks to have a pretty good DSP mixer to control routing and everything.

I will be using windows XP with a home built PC along with nuendo for tracking.

thanks,
Brandon
 
I also have the c-port,an Anthlon 1700+ with 512 DDR using win98se and nuendo to track.The sound is great and the price is about four bills.For a sample of the sound I get with it,here is my latest homebrew recording...

Minor Swing
 
brzilian said:


I don't know if i trust Aardvark anymore.

First they leave 2000 and XP users hanging for quite some time without drivers and now there are posts on Audioforums.com talking about 5-25 second delays when playing audio files.

They aren't impressing me very much :(
Click to expand...

the product came out prematurely and that was too bad.

but, I have a Q10 and I love it to death.

there are actually preamps on all 8 channels, and they sound great (a little above Mackie XDR level, as far as I'm concerned).

the cards performance and stability has been awesome, the built in clock is much better than what you get with the 1010 - read up on that, and other reviews...it makes a big difference.

plus you can use the clock to hook up to other devices as you expand...really good clock.

As far as the delays when playing back audiofiles - the newer drivers were supposed to fix this...i havn't bothered updating yet though.

However, the only "problem" was when you try to play back a wav in something like Winamp or Windows Media Player.

As long as you play files in your multitrack software - you are straight. Personally i don't like to play audio on my recording card/monitors (just for the sake of refernece) through anything other than the software I record in.

just my .02, but the q10 is an awesome card. and about 750, is the going price most places.
 
btw - how much money do you want to spend? if you already have the preamps...then yeah the delta1010 is a good choice...

but, if you want a really big step up and a whole new level of quality for a *reasonable* (not by any means cheap) price, check out Radar24 (if not to buy, just for kicks)

www.recordingtheworld.com
 
wes480-just for kicks is exactly what that would be. I'm trying to keep it below $1000 or at least right around that. I have all the preamps i need for the time being and i would be more interested just having analog ins so i could upgrade the pres as need be.

I think i'm leaning more towards the new motu 2408mkIII and hope that they worked out the kinks with the new soundcard for windows. The idea of expandability is also appealing. It has all the monitoring functions on the unit, where as the 1010 would require me to get some kind of small mixer for monitoring and headphones. Factoring in the mixer, the prices are comparable. It's just one less piece of gear i would need to bring around as i move from apt to apt.

Brandon
 
personally i think the motu is a good step above the 1010 (when i looked at their stuff it was more like 2500ish- maybe i was looking at something else.)

i think you will be ok windows wise, as well. (from what i have heard)
 
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