Re: sound card recommendations (=?ISO-8859-2?Q?Pawe=B3_Ku=B6mierek?= )


Subject: Re: sound card recommendations
From:    =?ISO-8859-2?Q?Pawe=B3_Ku=B6mierek?=  <pawel.kusmierek@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Mon, 7 Jan 2013 08:08:03 -0500
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

--20cf307f3518d5f0ce04d2b2861f Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi I have had a lot of good experience and a little of bad experiences) with M-Audio, both PCI based and USB based. E-mu USB interfaces are regarded pretty highly among cheaper ones as well. Like Lorenzo said, there are zillions of options. You can go to sweetwater or zzounds or musiciansfriend or bhphotovideo and get overwhelmed :-) Many people will agree - although I am not sure how well supported this belief is - that USB-based cards are slightly more likely to have problems with skipping etc in some systems than Firewire-based ones. On the other hand, FW cards usually have more (possibly unnecessary, but driving the price up) inputs and outputs than USB cards. If you go for digital settings like Lorenzo advises, make sure that the card's mixer application gets it right. I remember a version of M-Audio mixer app for their PCI cards that used wring dB formula ('10 times' instead of '20 times'). Another option is to buy/make a separate computer-controlled attenuator for volume control. Hope that helps Pawel On 6 January 2013 12:03, Lorenzo Picinali <LPicinali@xxxxxxxx> wrote: > Dear Josh, > there are lots of options, and they mainly depend on how much you want to > spend. > In general, I'd prefer to have an external interface (USB and/or Firewire) > with the following characteristics: > -Digitally controlled headphone amplifier and microphone preamplifiers > (this would allow for perfectly repeatable levels) > -A SNR higher than 100 dBA > > RME (Digiface and Fireface) are very good, and allow very accurate > calibrations (e.g. changing sample rate outside the standard values of > 44.100, 48.000, 96.000...), and also MOTU (828, Traveller) are very good, > but these are mainly multichannel models, with 8+ in and out channels with > DA and AD converters, so...it might not be useful for you to have so many > channels (even if...in the future you might need them...you never know...). > > Apogee DUET is a smaller interface...not too cheap (about 350 pounds) but > the converters are very good...there is also a smaller version called ONE, > which is half price and has anyway a stereo headphones output. > After these, there are many other cheaper interfaces from brands such as > Presonus, M-Audio, Focusrite...I'd say that they are all ok...as said > before, I'd just go for an interface with digitally controlled headphones > output level, and not with a standard analogue knob, which makes it > impossible to re-calibrate the levels in the same way in different sessions. > > I hope it helps! > Yours > Lorenzo > > > > -- > Dr. Lorenzo Picinali > Senior Lecturer in Music/Audio Technology > Faculty of Technology > De Montfort University, The Gateway > Leicester, LE1 9BH > lpicinali@xxxxxxxx > Tel 0116 207 8051 > --20cf307f3518d5f0ce04d2b2861f Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div>Hi</div><div><br></div>I have had a lot of good experience and a littl= e of bad experiences) with M-Audio, both PCI based and USB based. E-mu USB = interfaces are regarded pretty highly among cheaper ones as well. =A0Like L= orenzo said, there are zillions of options. You can go to sweetwater or zzo= unds or musiciansfriend or bhphotovideo and get overwhelmed :-)<div> <br></div><div>Many people will agree - although I am not sure how well sup= ported this belief is - that USB-based cards are slightly more likely to ha= ve problems with skipping etc in some systems than Firewire-based ones. On = the other hand, FW cards usually have more (possibly unnecessary, but drivi= ng the price up) inputs and outputs than USB cards.</div> <div><br></div><div>If you go for digital settings like Lorenzo advises, ma= ke sure that the card&#39;s mixer application gets it right. I remember a v= ersion of M-Audio mixer app for their PCI cards that used wring dB formula = (&#39;10 times&#39; instead of &#39;20 times&#39;). Another option is to bu= y/make a separate computer-controlled attenuator for volume control.=A0</di= v> <div><br></div><div>Hope that helps</div><div><br></div><div>Pawel<br><div>= <br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On 6 January 2013 12:03, Lorenzo Picinal= i <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:LPicinali@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_b= lank">LPicinali@xxxxxxxx</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p= x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Dear Josh,<br> there are lots of options, and they mainly depend on how much you want to s= pend.<br> In general, I&#39;d prefer to have an external interface (USB and/or Firewi= re) with the following characteristics:<br> -Digitally controlled headphone amplifier and microphone preamplifiers (thi= s would allow for perfectly repeatable levels)<br> -A SNR higher than 100 dBA<br> <br> RME (Digiface and Fireface) are very good, and allow very accurate calibrat= ions (e.g. changing sample rate outside the standard values of 44.100, 48.0= 00, 96.000...), and also MOTU (828, Traveller) are very good, but these are= mainly multichannel models, with 8+ in and out channels with DA and AD con= verters, so...it might not be useful for you to have so many channels (even= if...in the future you might need them...you never know...).<br> <br> Apogee DUET is a smaller interface...not too cheap (about 350 pounds) but t= he converters are very good...there is also a smaller version called ONE, w= hich is half price and has anyway a stereo headphones output.<br> After these, there are many other cheaper interfaces from brands such as Pr= esonus, M-Audio, Focusrite...I&#39;d say that they are all ok...as said bef= ore, I&#39;d just go for an interface with digitally controlled headphones = output level, and not with a standard analogue knob, which makes it impossi= ble to re-calibrate the levels in the same way in different sessions.<br> <br> I hope it helps!<br> Yours<br> Lorenzo<br> <br> <br> <br> --<br> Dr. Lorenzo Picinali<br> Senior Lecturer in Music/Audio Technology<br> Faculty of Technology<br> De Montfort University, The Gateway<br> Leicester, LE1 9BH<br> <a href=3D"mailto:lpicinali@xxxxxxxx">lpicinali@xxxxxxxx</a><br> Tel 0116 207 8051<br> </blockquote></div><br></div></div> --20cf307f3518d5f0ce04d2b2861f--


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