Need soundcard advise - For home recording

davenit · #1 02-17-2001, 05:18 PM

Need a new sound card. I am using cakewalk 9.0. I would like to be able to use soundfonts sets that are up to 24mb large...

Thanks for your input...

Dave

GuyCool · #2 03-18-2001, 01:21 PM

I think I'm correct in saying that Soundblasters are the only cards with SFs. You've got a choice of the 5.1 or the 5.1 Platinum, which comes with a front panel for your computer. In reality you don't need the front panel cause everything can go into the card via Line In at the back-easier if you have a mixer to plug guitars, mics etc into-then you don't have to spend hours around the back of the computer. The sounds with the SB 5.1 aren't that bad and there are some effects on the card too.
If you're looking for better quality audio there are plenty of audio-only cards available, but for anything up to pretty good demo quality the 5.1 would do. It depends on your budget and your expectations.
When you consider the technology that 'Flexable' was done on (OK it was all analogue) we are spoilt rotten.
Get a POD or similar too.
The English magazine 'Computer Music' is worth getting hold of just to give you an idea of what is out there.
You could always go for Pro Tools if you had the money!!

Guy

ripl3y · #3 03-18-2001, 03:10 PM

I'm with guy on this.
I find the SB Plat's are a great choice for home recording. Price/Per quality ratio is unquestionably the best on the market, you only need to check the recording mags to confirm this.

I personally still use the old SB Live and it serves me fantastically.
But then again if I wanted studio quality I wouldn't be recording on my PC

Steve

Josh Blagg · #4 03-19-2001, 12:30 AM

Well, I can't speak for the entire Soundblaster line, but I have a Soundblast Live, which I bought fairly soon after they first came out. *I think there may be a problem or something with mine...it's ability to do recordings has gotten worse and worse. *At first, it was ok, but quite noisy. *Now, all of my tracks seem to get shifted a bit during recording, making everything out of sync. *It is most likely the fault of the sound card. *It has also gotten noisier. *Weird? *Yes, but just thought I would throw that out there for you.

GuyCool · #5 03-19-2001, 12:48 PM

Josh, are you sure it's a soundcard problem and not a software(ie sequencer sync. problem)?
Computer Music magazine deals with this sort of query regularly. They have a forum too-might be worth posting on there for answers( don't know the URL but it's probably something like Computer Music.com)

Are there real benefits to be had by using an audio only card?
What is the YamahaSXG1000 like? I believe the on-board sounds are pretty good. What' the audio like?
I think Yamaha are coming out with anew card soon-might be worth waiting for that?

Guy

GuyCool · #6 03-19-2001, 12:49 PM

Josh, are you sure it's a soundcard problem and not a software(ie sequencer sync. problem)?
Computer Music magazine deals with this sort of query regularly. They have a forum too-might be worth posting on there for answers( don't know the URL but it's probably something like Computer Music.com)

Are there real benefits to be had by using an audio only card?
What is the YamahaSXG1000 like? I believe the on-board sounds are pretty good. What' the audio like?
I think Yamaha are coming out with anew card soon-might be worth waiting for that?

Guy

Josh Blagg · #7 03-19-2001, 05:16 PM

I am quite sure it isnt the software.

mikek · #8 03-27-2001, 09:18 AM

I'm into this homestudio trend, and I've got a RME hammerfall card, which is a pro studio card - well, the SBlive is pretty cool, but the platinium edition is not worth the money, I would spend a little more, and buy a Terratec 24/96 or something similar, I think midiman has a couple of cheap cards out. *You get way better driver support, and alot of the special drivers you NEED for proaudio stuff, ASIO drivers and GSIF drivers being the most important, with the ASIO drivers u can today record stuff in realtime while having software effect on it, and the gsif drivers allows u'r pc to be used as a real sampler (if u have the gigasampler program), it can stream the samples right of the harddrive, with just as good, sometimes BETTER latencies than hardware samplers, and offcourse u'r not limited to 128MB or something stupid like that.

mike