What Sound Card Do You Use? - Guitars101

Goport · 12-08-2004, 11:25 PM

I thought it might be interesting to see what soundcards we use. Also to post the pro's and con's of our current cards. I have put 11 specific cards on the poll because they are the ones that I am aware of but there is also options for other, usb and firewire. If you have one of these can you list the name. Many thanks

phil28uk · 12-09-2004, 12:56 AM

I use the audigy card. It seems to do the job for what I do but I am looking into a couple of other soundcards.

**stingx** · 12-09-2004, 03:30 AM

Goport, I made mention of this before but it can't hurt to mention it again

I put a lot of thought into what I needed, as opposed to what I wanted, to get the best results I could within a reasonable budget. I thought about getting an internal PCI card like the Audiophile, but was turned off by it for several reasons...1) messy, hard to reach fan-out cables in the rear and 2) most importantly, all the research I made (specs) showed that anything internal, no matter how well shielded, will yield noise.

So that left me to pick from USB and Firewire devices. USB wasn't an option because very few USB2.x devices were available within a decent price and with stable drivers. Firewire has been around a long time and proven so I had to choose between available hardware. I went the M-Audio Firewire 410 route because it offered extremely low latency, all the inputs I could want (2 analog + 2 optical) and 10 outs to route to my heart's content. It offered the ability to daisy chain more devices into it but really just adding a good mixing board could allow a shitload of more inputs into the device if I ever wanted to record an entire band live...which brings me to another reason - PORTABIITY. I can use this with my Vaio laptop or any of my desktop systems...or bring it to a friends, etc. For $350 USD it offers an incredible bang for the buck...hell the 2 preamps in it alone sound so good it's like getting all the other features for free.

Ok, sorry about being so long in the tooth...carry on

Goport · 12-09-2004, 03:55 AM

lol!

Hey I remember your comments from before mate but thanks for posting them again. I don't know too much about firewire but I would have probably gone the same route if I had the cash.

I really want to see what the general public on G101 are using. I am expecting to see the creative cards make the biggest impression on the poll. The thing is, at least here in the UK the entry level 24/96 cards are now around the same price as a stock Creative Audigy 2 card ~£60-65. In terms of improving the quality of recording it is really amazing. Until I got the terratec I didn't think the recording quality would actually be that noticable from the Audigy 1 card I had - I only got it for latency reasons. But in all honesty I am amazed by the quality. Distorted guitars don't go mushy and vocals don't sound compressed.. Really is amazing considering. I am still stunned I got a card as good as the DMX 6Fire with a breakout box for only £92.

VB · 12-09-2004, 06:19 AM

Im still using by all means an outdated Yamaha DX XG sound card. Its nothing fancy but seems to do one hell of a job for me. I have a 5.1 type card also but wasnt impressed with it, so I went back to my Yamaha.
VGB

Goport · 12-09-2004, 07:32 AM

VB .. you don't have an old midi daughterboard that you no longer need

I can't find one anywhere!!

El_jalepeno · 12-09-2004, 08:21 AM

I use a Soundblaster Live I picked up off EBay for under $10

Does everything I need it to (Except spanking the monkey

)!

LukeRake · 12-09-2004, 08:42 AM

Interesting about the M-audio firewire up there, have been considering one of those - I use the M-audio Audiophile USB and it's very good but I do think firewire might be the way to go. That said, it's very stable and does the job fine for me

**prosbloom225** · 12-09-2004, 01:17 PM

I have a Soundblaster Live 5.1. Picked it up off an old box my friend gave me. Works great!!!

12-10-2004, 02:48 AM

soundblaster live ls 5.1

3fingers · 12-10-2004, 01:42 PM

Soundblaster Audigy LS

**SteveS235** · 12-10-2004, 02:01 PM

I just got a Delta 1010 with the breakout box. It's way more than what I need to just record over some backing tracks, but the main reason for getting it is that I'm transferring some old 8 track reel to reel demos I did to my computer, so that I can clean them up and remix them. I needed the 8 channel I/O box so that I can record all 8 tracks in at the same time.

Goport · 12-14-2004, 01:18 PM

I am impressed that so many people hold the creative cards in such high regard. I always had latency issues and got fed up with glitches. I can't fault the recordings I have heard here that have been done on them though. I just could never get results that I was happy with. I am lazy when it comes to production, but the 24/96 card I have seems to make it a bit easier.

**stingx** · 12-14-2004, 03:01 PM

Goport, what would be interesting to see is of those using the SB family of cards are they just using something like Cool Edit with very little VST or Dx plugins, taking straight sound from a modeller, or are they using high end DAWs with lots of plugins? I had to abandon my Live once I switched to packages like Sonar and Cubase and keyboard midi routing with VSTs because of latency problems.

vanhalenrock · 12-14-2004, 10:17 PM

I've got a Trust 514DX 5.1 Sound Expert Optical is this any good ?:S