sound cards

[e801]

I am trying to decide on a new sound card. I am currently using a Turtle Beach Pinnacle. I work with all of the Sonic Foundry software for multi-tracking, looping and editing and feel comfortable with it. I would like to have multiple analog ins and outs. I have been researching the Layla24 and Delta 1010, both seem to be pretty good but kind of pricey for my budget although they would probably be a good investment. Any input on which of these 2 cards is better or another suggestion on a different brand card would be appreciated.

[Clay Stahlka]

I have been following M-Audio since their beginning, and highly recommend their audio cards and interfaces. Their products are very thoughfully designed and built and they install and operate very easily. Of course, that's not to mention how great they sound for the money. How many inputs and outputs, and what type of inputs and outputs are you looking for in a new interface card? I'll be glad to help you find a good one within your budget!

[e801]

I have boiled it down to the Delta 1010 and the Layla 24, Unless someone can suggest something in the same performance category for the same $. I want as many analog ins and outs as I can get and it seems anything else is only $200 - $300 dollars cheaper and I might as well make the investment now! I am just trying to get some opinions good and bad on both of the afore mentioned cards.

[Clay Stahlka]

In that case, then I recommend the Delta1010 wholeheartedly! It is agreat sounding choice with very reliable performance. Overall, a much better value than the alternatives, in my opinion.

[e801]

Clay,
Why do you recommend the Delta 1010? I have found all of the specs to be nearly identical. The prices are almost identical also. What are the differences that make you suggest the 1010?
Thanks for your input.

[mrc]

People have reported problems with amd cpus and mbos. Look at Cubase.net and audioforums, and Bluelife.
mrc

[kartikbala]

well since we have some m-audio gurus here, i hope i can get some help here. im trying to record tracks using cakewalk pro 9. when i record, and play it back, any track or instrument is totally extremely distorted! however when i play my instrument thru the soundcard, it sounds perfectly clean.

is it a problem with any of the software settngs. any help is greatly appreciated!!

regards
kartik

[Clay Stahlka]

To e801, I like M-Audio over several of the other products on the market because of the fine support that the folks at Midiman and M-Audio have repeatedly shown to my clients. To mrc, every computer soundcard or interface has some problems with some system/software in certain combinations, as I'm sure you would agree. Due to the easy access and comfortable working relationship that is afforded by the M-Audio folks, out (Sweetwater) techs can easily solve most every pc problem encountered with M-Audio cards. Of course, I am also friendly with several of the fine folks at Echo as well, and, knowing them, I'm sure they, too, would take care of problems. That being said, M-Audio/Midiman has been around a lot longer than Echo, and have a much stronger presence inside the business. Therefore, I am inclined to err on the side of longterm likelyhoods that continuing os driver support will come from the larger, more stable company. (Remember what happened to Echo's relationship with Event?) In any event, if you buy something from me (I'm not using this to solicit biz) I will guarantee operation on every product sold, anyway. I hope this rather long post helps clarify.

[Clay Stahlka]

The greatest likelyhood, regarding distortion on your recorded tracks, is that you have recorded the signal at levels peaking above digital zero, or have taken all the available headroom by over-normalizing the signal before playback. Of course, you said that the unit sounds fine through the soundcard before recording. That, if in fact true, would lend me to believe it is a software issue. Perhaps you are using plug-ins (like EQ or compression) or are normalizing in such a way that the output of the recorded tracks is beyond the headroom of the output converters or is peaking above digital zero. I would be interested to know how you are monitoring the signal through the soundcard without recording. If you are monitoring direct from the outputs of the soundcard then it definitely is a software problem. I do not believe that any of the moderately priced software packages allow realtime monitoring "post-software." ProToolsLE does and ParisPro does but that's about all that I am aware of until you get to the high end systems. Since you cannot use an M-Audio card with either of those systems, I'd guess you have either incorrect settings in software or need to reinstall. I hope this helps. Let me know if I can try to help further. -cs

[kartikbala]

Clay,

You were right. It is a software issue. I just uninstalled and reinstalled Cakewalk and the problem disappeared!

Thanks!

[axwack]

What do you think about the Revolution 7.1? I just recently bought this. What other componenets would I need to record for multi -track guitar recording.

[ClOsED_I_ViSuaLs]

m-audio isn't the only card on the block. terratec has a few sound cards that are worth checking out. i've heard great things about their Phase series cards.for 300 bucks you could get 8 1/4 in/out's with 24/96 converters, midi in/out, S/PDIF in/out with the Phase 88(PCI card and ext/int box). record all 8 at a time. playback in 5.1/7.1. you don't even need a mixer! asio 2.0 drivers for lowest possible latency. sorry, im drooling again...:D

[ClOsED_I_ViSuaLs]

i heard m-audio has the worst cust. support too...

[kitekrazy]

I own a card from all 3 manufacturers listed. (AP2496,Echo Mia,EWX2496) all on AMD boards with VIA chipsets.

Do some research and listen to more than our opinions in this forum.

[hackerburn90]

the New Lexicon Omega unit is the best for a small budget. It is boiled douwn to the Mbox the Makie one and Lexicon.

Lexicon Won
Ya Lexicon

[xstatic]

i haven't used the New Lexicon, but I had a Lexicon sound card several years ago. It was filled with problems and conflicts. I really had expected more form the Lexicon guys and was completely let down. However, it has been several years, and hopefully the Omega is a more solid performer.

[MtnMixer]

I'm using the MOTU 828mkll firewire interface with samplitude 7.1. After an initial set up hassle, the thing works fantastically. I'm getting 8 analog ins and outs and zero latency monitoring through headphones and main outs. It's a bit pricey, but the thing seems bullet proof. It even does 96k if need be.

[dpd]

http://www.lynxone.com/products.html

Great stuff, not cheap

[MauZilla]

hackerburn90,

Tell me what kind of system are you running with the Omega, I just spoke with a tech type musician that swayed me away from the Lexicon stuff. I don't know if it is because of the past problems with their soundcards or if it was based on his actual usage, but he was pretty negative on the Omega system, I like the idea of the Midi interface on the unit unlike the Mbox, however, I like Pro Tools, how is Pro Tracks in comparison?

[Hynek]

If you're OK with RCAs and don't need built-in mic preamps look at Terratec EWS88MT. 24/96, 8/8, external converters, good drivers, quality audio and workmanship. I've two. In comparison with MOTU it doesn't allow for direct monitoring though.