I use a laptop and can't use my good ol' Emu8710 pc card in Windows
XP, wish there were drivers for it out there.
So I'm counting my cents to get some used Digigram VXpocket 440, which
does 24-bit/48hz audio.

I would like to know from users of this card:
1- Does it work with Windows XP ?
2- How do its converters sound, compared to say, a Creative Audigy ?
3- How many simultaneous tracks can be played/ recorded with the
VXpocket ? that provided I can eventually get my hands also on a
7200rpm laptop disk.
4- Is there any sweet spot in the amount od RAM that I could add that
is not a waste of money ?
I have 256, and the laptop accepts 512, 768, 1 Gig.
5- Could you suggest a portable external MIDI module to work along
with the audio-only VxPocket ?

6- Finally, which software would allow me to do the trick below :

- Dual boot Win98 / XP
- Start Win98 with the Emu8710 plugged (it's 16-bit/44.1 and also a
MIDI module)
- record MIDI tracks, using the sounds of the Emu8710
- convert the MIDI-driven sounds of the Emu8710 into separate
audio tracks (16-bit audio)
- remove the Emu8710
- Re-start in XP with the VxPocket plugged (24-bit/48)
- listen to the tracks recorded in Win98 while running
VXPocket in 24-bit/48hz
- record mic/line audio takes
- edit, DSP, and convert the mixed program to 16bit/44.1 or
16bit/48

Thanks for reading, I'd very much appreciate your opinions.

In article writes:

1- Does it work with Windows XP ?

Yes.

2- How do its converters sound, compared to say, a Creative Audigy ?

I don't know what an Audigy sounds like, but the VX Pocket that I have
sounds excellent.

3- How many simultaneous tracks can be played/ recorded with the
VXpocket ?

Two - it's a stereo card, at least that's what I have. I think there's
a 4-channel output version. Maybe that's the 440 you're looking at. As
far as how many tracks you can mix internally (to the two outputs),
that's a function of your software, hardware, and how well you've
tweaked your system. I use mine only for 2-track recording and
playback so I can't tell you what you might be able to do.

4- Is there any sweet spot in the amount od RAM that I could add that
is not a waste of money ?

I have 266 MB in my Windows XP laptop and that works just fine.

6- Finally, which software would allow me to do the trick below :

Sorry, you'll have to ask the software experts. My gut feeling is that
you'd be better off using a USB MIDI interface and just running the
whole shebang in WinXP rather than fool with running your Emu card in
Win98 long enough to record MIDI tracks. $50 or less will save you a
lot of headaches.


--
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 he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

( before e-mailing, remove "NOSPAM" from address )


Thank you so much !
Very best regards.

Mike Rivers wrote:



Two - it's a stereo card, at least that's what I have. I think there's
a 4-channel output version. Maybe that's the 440 you're looking at.

It has two analog and two digital inputs. Not clear at all
whether or not they can be recorded simultaneously.

I sure wish they, or someone would come out with a four
channel device with pre's and the ability to apply a single
control to all the gains.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no
simpler."

A. Einstein

In article writes:

Two - it's a stereo card, at least that's what I have. I think there's
a 4-channel output version. Maybe that's the 440 you're looking at.

It has two analog and two digital inputs. Not clear at all
whether or not they can be recorded simultaneously.

Come to think of it, my VX Pocket V2 has stereo analog and stereo
S/PDIF I/O, but you can use only one or the other, not both.


--
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 he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Mike Rivers wrote:

In article writes:


Two - it's a stereo card, at least that's what I have. I think there's
a 4-channel output version. Maybe that's the 440 you're looking at.

It has two analog and two digital inputs. Not clear at all
whether or not they can be recorded simultaneously.


Come to think of it, my VX Pocket V2 has stereo analog and stereo
S/PDIF I/O, but you can use only one or the other, not both.

Even after downloading and reading the 440 manual I can't
determine whether it can do four simultaneous channels of
recording or output. The shots of the configuration screens
have been blurred to where no information can be gleaned
from them at all. No smoke, probably no fire.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no
simpler."

A. Einstein

Bob Cain wrote:


Even after downloading and reading the 440 manual I can't determine
whether it can do four simultaneous channels of recording or output.
The shots of the configuration screens have been blurred to where no
information can be gleaned from them at all. No smoke, probably no fire.


Ah, found this statement in the FAQ so it looks like it will
do what it obviously should for $850:

Does the card work in full-duplex mode?

4-channel full-duplex operation is limited to 16-bit
samples. 4in/4out with 24-bit samples overloads the PC-card
bus. Thanks to hardware monitoring though, it is possible to
record and monitor 4 channels with no concern of what sample
resolution is used, with simultaneous playback of 2 channels.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no
simpler."

A. Einstein