Best Budget Pro USB Soundcard ??

[sohala]

Souncards have improved so much these days and prices have come down. Is
most 24-bit sound cards good enough for pro-recording. Is the M-Audio
Audiophile good enough for pro recording or do I need to get anything
better. What would be the best budget USB sound card to get for
pro-recording?

[U-CDK_CHARLES\\Charles]

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 23:31:24 -0700, sohala > wrote:
> Souncards have improved so much these days and prices have come down. Is
> most 24-bit sound cards good enough for pro-recording. Is the M-Audio
> Audiophile good enough for pro recording or do I need to get anything
> better. What would be the best budget USB sound card to get for
> pro-recording?
>

It's a moving target, but hasn't the Audiophile been out for a few years
already?

Always remember that, absent software, a computer is just an expensive
brick with blinky lights.

Start with the software you want to use. Then consider which soundcards
that software supports.

Don't rule out firewire. A three-port PCI Firewire card can be found
for $40 or less. Only "catch" with firewire is making sure you have a
TI chipset, but that's easily done.

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Souncards have improved so much these days and prices have come down. Is
> most 24-bit sound cards good enough for pro-recording. Is the M-Audio
> Audiophile good enough for pro recording or do I need to get anything
> better.

If you already have everything else necessary to make a pro recording,
chances are that the sound card wouldn't stand in your way. However,
don't for a moment expect that all it takes is a "pro" sound card and
you'll be making recordings that sound as good as those done in
multi-million dollar studios with professional musicians and
professional engineers.

> What would be the best budget USB sound card to get for
> pro-recording?

It doesn't matter. I'll bet you're not even close yet.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Arny Krueger]

"sohala" > wrote in message


> Soundcards have improved so much these days and prices have come down.
> Is most 24-bit sound cards good enough for pro-recording. Is the
> M-Audio Audiophile good enough for pro recording or do I need to get
> anything better.

I don't know if the right word is *better*, but there's something to be said
for audio production gear that can properly handle standard audio production
levels.

If you're talking the M-Audio PCI Audiophile card, then the answer is *no*,
as it doesn't handle standard audio production levels the standard way.

As I read http://www.m-audio.com/images/en/manuals/Audiophile-USB_Manual.pdf
, the answer is also *no* for it. Same reason.

>What would be the best budget USB sound card to get for pro-recording?

My own thinking is that there aren't going to be any pro-grade USB
interfaces until they start supporting USB-2. I now of only one USB-2 audio
interface that is in production (this knowlege is a few months old), and it
seems to have a few troubles of its own. It also has 8 ins and outs and
costs a bit of change, but not bad for what it is.

If you want to do USB recording with consumer-style interfaces, the
el-cheapo SoundBlaster USB MP3 interface (about $40) is really very good.
Just keep the levels going in up far enough, so that you don't have clipping
with the input levels set as *low* as possible.

[sohala]

Thanks for the replies. I have the software, basically CuBase SX. and
some others. I am not saying I am a pro, maybe I'll be after 2,3 years
or more. But i want to buy a sound card that can take me there.

So is the general concensus that there is no USB pro quality sound card?
Is firewire better?

How bad is the MAudio Audiophile or something similar. Assuming I have
the right software and i know how to mix and master and produce Pro
quality stuff. How much will an USB sound card really affect my final
outcome, I am only going to be doing vocal, the rest is synth/samplers?



Arny Krueger wrote:

> "sohala" > wrote in message
>
>
>
>>Soundcards have improved so much these days and prices have come down.
>>Is most 24-bit sound cards good enough for pro-recording. Is the
>>M-Audio Audiophile good enough for pro recording or do I need to get
>>anything better.
>
>
> I don't know if the right word is *better*, but there's something to be said
> for audio production gear that can properly handle standard audio production
> levels.
>
> If you're talking the M-Audio PCI Audiophile card, then the answer is *no*,
> as it doesn't handle standard audio production levels the standard way.
>
> As I read http://www.m-audio.com/images/en/manuals/Audiophile-USB_Manual.pdf
> , the answer is also *no* for it. Same reason.
>
>
>>What would be the best budget USB sound card to get for pro-recording?
>
>
> My own thinking is that there aren't going to be any pro-grade USB
> interfaces until they start supporting USB-2. I now of only one USB-2 audio
> interface that is in production (this knowlege is a few months old), and it
> seems to have a few troubles of its own. It also has 8 ins and outs and
> costs a bit of change, but not bad for what it is.
>
> If you want to do USB recording with consumer-style interfaces, the
> el-cheapo SoundBlaster USB MP3 interface (about $40) is really very good.
> Just keep the levels going in up far enough, so that you don't have clipping
> with the input levels set as *low* as possible.
>
>

[TonyP]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
> My own thinking is that there aren't going to be any pro-grade USB
> interfaces until they start supporting USB-2. I now of only one USB-2
audio
> interface that is in production (this knowlege is a few months old), and
it
> seems to have a few troubles of its own. It also has 8 ins and outs and
> costs a bit of change, but not bad for what it is.

Unfortunately the Behringer BCA2000 doesn't seem to be in the shops yet, it
looks like it might be a good box if it's ever released. (First they quoted
1st Quarter 04, then 2nd quarter 04, now they seem to have given up
altogether :-(

In the meantime there are 2 USB-1 boxes from E-magic, and the M-box of
course, amongst others.

What's the box you are referring to, and what are the troubles?

TonyP.

[Arny Krueger]

"sohala" > wrote in message


> Thanks for the replies. I have the software, basically CuBase SX. and
> some others. I am not saying I am a pro, maybe I'll be after 2,3 years
> or more. But i want to buy a sound card that can take me there.

Whta's wrong with what you have now?

> So is the general concensus that there is no USB pro quality sound card?

Which is not to say that pro quality work can't be done with what is
avaialable now.

>Is firewire better?

Yes, Firewire is much better than USB 1.1.

> How bad is the MAudio Audiophile or something similar.

Not so bad that good recordings can' be made with it.

> Assuming I have the right software and i know how to mix and master and
produce Pro quality stuff.

Depending on what kind of production you want to do, it can be done in the
context of a USB 1.1 interface. But, there are lots of things that people
want to do that can't be done within the context of a USB 1.1 interface. For
example, you can't record 12 concurrent channels of quality audio through a
USB 1.1 interface. But, if you add one or two channels at a time, that can
be done.

> How much will an USB sound card really affect my final outcome, I am only
going to be doing vocal, the rest is
> synth/samplers?

That's a task that can possibly be done in the context of USB 1.1.

[TonyP]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
> > How much will an USB sound card really affect my final outcome, I am
only
> going to be doing vocal, the rest is
> > synth/samplers?
>
> That's a task that can possibly be done in the context of USB 1.1.

Be careful! Software synths and samplers require low latency to be playable.
USB1 also has poor latency compared to higher speed buses.

TonyP.

[Lorin David Schultz]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
>
> My own thinking is that there aren't going to be any pro-grade USB
> interfaces until they start supporting USB-2.



If you say so. I edit and mix with an MBox and get paid "pro" rates for
it. I've even recorded with it in situations where I didn't need more
than two inputs.

--
"It CAN'T be too loud... some of the red lights aren't even on yet!"
- Lorin David Schultz
in the control room
making even bad news sound good

(Remove spamblock to reply)

[EggHd]

<< If you say so. I edit and mix with an MBox and get paid "pro" rates for
it. I've even recorded with it in situations where I didn't need more
than two inputs. >>

Me too.



---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"