Advice on PRO AUDIO CARDS (Audio expert opinions needed)
Alright, so at the moment I just have an M-Audio Revolution card in my DP G4 and am looking to get a pro card w/MIDI. The computer is gonna be the base for my mini home recording studio, I am planning first to buy a Roland Fantom X 61 key. I've heard about the Echo Mia as one...and others tossed around but I wanna know what I should be lookin for and how much something good is going to run me. Currently I am using Jaguar, but looking to upgrade to Panther Server very soon so I wanna know if I will run into any problems/conflicts with any PCI cards. For reference, I use Cubase SX (1 for now...2 soon). Any help would be appreciated.
Comments
and then it will make it easier to hook up your mixer or other external studio gear in the future.
I'd say definitely get the MOTU 828mkII. I own one, and it's the best piece of audio gear I've ever had.
It's reasonably priced and gives you 20 ins and 22 outputs (including the heaphones). It has MIDI, 2 Mic pres, and can act as a standalone mixer. You can edit all the mixer parameters form the front LCD panel, and it's actually pretty easy to use. I don't think I'd really consider anything else. However, if the price is too high, MAudio has some less expensive FireWire interfaces. They won't be nearly as good as the MOTU though.
FWIW, I know two of the best engineers in town, and if you'll tell me exactly what you want to do and how much you can spend, I'll ask them for their purchasing advice.
Originally posted by Mr Beardsley
I don't know if you are set on a card, but the Motu 828 MKII is awesome. It has Midi and enough inputs and outputs to make a good interface for a home studio.
This is exactly what I would recommend as well.
I think it's fairly obvious that Firewire based I/O is overtaking PCI by a larger margin(for Macs)
Originally posted by Whisper
In general, PCI cards give better sound, but I don't think it's anything inherit to PCI or Firewire -- it's just that the companies tend to put their best D->A converters (which is definitely the most important part) in their PCI products.
Uh... sorry to say, but that this just isn't true. The MOTU 896HD (FireWire) has the same ADAs as their HD192 (PCI), both are top of the line interfaces. Same with Digi equipment, and MAudio as far as I know.
Originally posted by Matsu
Soundblaster is the industry standard.
Can I have some of what you're smoking?
Originally posted by Matsu
Soundblaster is the industry standard.
What industry are you talking about? This is about pro audio, not gaming audio. AFAIK, Soundblaster doesn't make anything at all in this market.
Those so called "pro-audio" solutions have all sorts of bulky external interfaces, take up space and create a bundle of wires. Ugly, not very Apple.
Originally posted by spankalee
Uh... sorry to say, but that this just isn't true. The MOTU 896HD (FireWire) has the same ADAs as their HD192 (PCI), both are top of the line interfaces. Same with Digi equipment, and MAudio as far as I know.
Do they? My bad, I'd heard that the high-end PCI solutions had better converters.
On a sidenote...does anyone know if Sony MDR-V300 headphones are any good for the price? Plus, I need to know of a cheap USB mic or mic that will plug into my Revo for use temporarily.
You're going to want to wait until the end of March at the very least. Musikmesse is coming in Germany and in addition to new gear coming you'll get shipping dates on the newest products from NAMM if they aren't already available.
As for PCI vs Firewire and Latency. It really depends on the application. Some people report great latency with both products or poor latency.
As for desktop clutter, eventually you're going to want to get a rackmount of some kind. Music deskts generally have about 6U of rack space right in front for easy access. Clutter is inevitable unless you're recording doing effects and mixing all within the computer.
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...PR/FW1814.html
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...R/FirePod.html
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...PR/FA-101.html
I'm through with PCI soundcards. All the specs in the world mean nothing if other components in the computer damage the sound.
<edit corrected "musikmesse>