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#1
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USB sound card recommendations?
The integrated sound card in my laptop is hit and miss- sometimes it
works, sometimes not, but I've been wanting to add a USB sound card anyway, preferably something of quality and not too expensive. What are some recommendations? Thanks. |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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USB sound card recommendations?
On 11/24/2014 5:39 AM, Eric Beams wrote:
The integrated sound card in my laptop is hit and miss- sometimes it works, sometimes not, but I've been wanting to add a USB sound card anyway, preferably something of quality and not too expensive. What are some recommendations? If you can't get the computer's internal sound card working consistently, unless the problem is with the connectors, you may not have more success with an external audio interface. Computers can be cranky. What "quality" do you want? What features? How many channels? How not too expensive? Start looking at the Focusrite Scarlett series. http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces They have a pretty wide range that mostly differ in the number of mic inputs. The Solo is $100 and has one mic input. The 2i2 is $150 and offers two mic inputs and a little more flexibility as far as what you can connect to it conveniently. -- For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com |
#3
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USB sound card recommendations?
On 11/24/2014 02:39 AM, Eric Beams wrote:
The integrated sound card in my laptop is hit and miss- sometimes it works, sometimes not, but I've been wanting to add a USB sound card anyway, preferably something of quality and not too expensive. What are some recommendations? Thanks. Will you need any more than two channel I/O? As you look, my recommendation is to stay away from the models that have a 'blend' knob that controls the balance between hardware input and computer output at the output jacks. It's a very awkward way to control things, and all of that control should be in the software mixer anyway. There you get individual sliders, so if you want to hear your input a little more, just just bump that slider. Using the blend pot, you bump up your guitar, but then the computer tracks are a little low, so you then up the master... It's lame. I notice that manufacturers tend to include this blend pot on their lower end models, and then drop it on their more sophisticated models. Tobiah |
#4
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USB sound card recommendations?
On 11/24/2014 3:36 PM, Tobiah wrote:
As you look, my recommendation is to stay away from the models that have a 'blend' knob that controls the balance between hardware input and computer output at the output jacks. It's a very awkward way to control things, and all of that control should be in the software mixer anyway. I really like that feature. It's not a precise control, but it works, it's true zero latency input monitoring (not "only for large values of zero") and you don't need to futz with the computer and DAW buffer settings to get low enough latency to have good monitoring when tracking or overdubbing. Of course you'll be using the DAW faders to mix tracks that are already recorded, sending that mix back to the interface's monitor section, but the delay it introduces in order to monitor the source can be annoying. "It never bothered me" is not an acceptable general response. -- For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com |
#5
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USB sound card recommendations?
On 11/24/2014 01:35 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 11/24/2014 3:36 PM, Tobiah wrote: As you look, my recommendation is to stay away from the models that have a 'blend' knob that controls the balance between hardware input and computer output at the output jacks. It's a very awkward way to control things, and all of that control should be in the software mixer anyway. I really like that feature. It's not a precise control, but it works, it's true zero latency input monitoring (not "only for large values of zero") and you don't need to futz with the computer and DAW buffer settings to get low enough latency to have good monitoring when tracking or overdubbing. Of course you'll be using the DAW faders to mix tracks that are already recorded, sending that mix back to the interface's monitor section, but the delay it introduces in order to monitor the source can be annoying. "It never bothered me" is not an acceptable general response. I'm all for knobs on the device actually, but I liked the way the US-122 worked with a line out knob that controlled everything, plus a monitor level knob. The other way likely takes two adjustments to get things right since adjusting the monitor affects the computer out and vice versa. It ends up being a conceptual preference, although on the US-122mk I could hear noise from the monitor when turned up loud enough to hear both monitor and out at a good volume, but either side cranked all the way up would boost the signal to a level where the noise could be made inaudible. Obviously two sounds added together are not as loud as one sound that is twice as loud. The blend knob on that unit worked like that. It seemed to cut both sounds in half on the middle setting and mix them together. Not good for the gain train. Tobiah |
#6
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USB sound card recommendations?
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#7
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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USB sound card recommendations?
On 11/24/2014 3:56 PM, Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:
In article , wrote: As you look, my recommendation is to stay away from the models that have a 'blend' knob that controls the balance between hardware input and computer output at the output jacks. It's a very awkward way to control things, and all of that control should be in the software mixer anyway. Many of those software mixers are largely or even entirely inaccessible to blind users. As one of said blind users, I actually tend to prefer as many hardware controls on my audio interface as possible. That's cool. I'm not against the knobs as I said earlier, just this newly adopted scheme of blending the two sources with one knob. I'm convinced that it was a bridge to allow new users to conceptualize the signal flow. The entry level Tascam units have it, then it is dropped at the semi-pro level. Tobiah |
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