OT: Computer Recording Setups

[aaronkessman]

heh, that's why i build my own amps and stompboxes! ;-)

ok, i looked a little more and found that Emu has an 0404 card which is supposedly the same as the 1212 except less inputs, which is totally fine with me. Same price as the Audiophile 2496...

which is the better card? Bluesgeetar - why is the Audiophile 2496 bad? 100 bucks (discounted from 150) seems to be pretty inexpensive to me. Also, that 0404 card from Emu is supposedly the same thing (fundamentally) as the more expensive 1820 - just less inputs - but please correct me if i'm wrong! seems like both the Audiophile 2496 and Emu 0404 (or at least 1212) are pretty good quality cards - as good as i'll need anyway.

when you say "But at the price you're paying for these low dollar card setups you ain't gonna loose that much" what do you mean? what is there to lose?

thanks,
A

[travissk]

I think what he means (sorry for putting words in your mouth, bluesgeetar) is that you won't be wasting a whole lot of money on a bad setup; if you buy a card from Emu then realize later it wasn't the best choice, or you needed more inputs, it was only $100 and you can sell the card to make up much of the loss.

Constrast that with a company that makes an ok product but inflates the price because they think they can - for instance, a card that costs $1000, but isn't much better than these entry-level ones. When you realize it doesn't live up to the hype, you'll be out a whole lot more.

[aaronkessman]

right right. well that makes sense.

but right now i'm just trying to compare which of the 3 cards is the best value, the two Emu's or the audiophile... heh. if audiophile makes a card selling for $1000 its of no concern to me. they might be jerks, but if this card is a good value, i dont really care.... is what i'm saying

[keko]

I can't really suggest a good PC sequencing program, since I'm a apple guy...

then please suggest some apple applications. I 'switched' just short time ago, and haven't rebuild my audio setup yet.

I'm thinking Tascam and a M-audio Oxygen....or mayve te Ozono by itself.

[STOMPmole]

I don't get the argument that a $100 audio card that has great (IMO 'pro') quality sound, low latency current drivers, MIDI, and SPDIF is a bad value??

If the card works NOW for what you want it to do who cares about the future?

That's like saying you're not going to buy a half stack because you heard Marshall was changing ownership and they would be more expensive in the future.

I'm sure the EMU cards are great too; that doesn't mean that the Audiophiles are any less of a bargain.

[Bluesgeetar]

Yeah!  What travissk said.  That is exactly what I meant.    

I don't get the argument that a $100 audio card that has great (IMO 'pro') quality sound

There you go.  As long as you are happy who cares.  Where talking about what Avid is going to do with M-Audio.  All the mags are putting EMU 1212M and 1820M up front and they all can't be wrong.  But from what i have read they really are only talking about the M versions.

[aaronkessman]

ok i understand now

does anyone know of a difference in quality and functionality between the Emu 1212M and the 0404 cards *other* than the number of inputs?

continued thanks,

Aaron

[cd]

Aaron, I think you're starting to reach the limit of knowledge on this forum, your inquiries would probably be better suited to a recording forum - you'll get better and more answers.  Also don't discount a trip to the local bookstore/library, I remember seeing a book or two on building home recording systems that was very informative.

[Bluesgeetar]

Yeah what cd said!  A recording forum is what you need.  If your on a budget they can help you the best.  If you wanna go for it I can help you the best.  I have done way insane amounts of research on the meanest PC DAW that you don't feel like your getting screwed on and the best bang for your buck.  unless you want to shell out a little dough then ask the PC recording forums.  Your best bet is to figure out what your gonna base it on (Cakewalk, Digi, Cubase) then hit their forums and talk to some folks there and research.  You'll actaully get more from just plain old research.  

[aaronkessman]

yeah, you're probably right. i just wanted to start here since this is kind of where my base is - DIY guitar electronics. So i figured there'd be some common ground to dig my feet into.

thanks all for your help and advice

Aaron

[Bluesgeetar]

If you can afford it I'll send you the specs on my system.  Just let me know.

[aaronkessman]

sure - send em to me at fuz z _a @ yahoo

just clean up that email address

[STOMPmole]

Bluesgeet,

-I'm through with this thread after my current post (no need to continue an argument forever), but the M-audio cards sound great.  You can definitely get better AD/DA's but for MUCH more money, and YES, in my opinion you can get professional results from the M-audio cards.  I've had worse results in 'pro' studios than what I get in my home-studio with M-audio gear and decent quality preamp and mics.  I would also venture to say that a world class preamp/mic combined with an M-audio card would sound better than the Digi Profools setups.

The main advantages of the M-audio products are that they constantly update their drivers, the SAME ASIO2 drivers work for multiple (up to 4) M-audio PCI cards (you can buy a Delta card to offer more balanced I/O's or another Audiophile card in the future and run them off of one ASIO driver simultaneously and in-sync...I'm not sure EMU or any of the other cards offer that feature for future expansion.), the drivers are widely compatible with ANY software you would choose, they sound great, the card can peacefully co-exist with a crap gaming audio card, and lastly they are affordable.  Remember what I said about USB though, avoid it like the plague whether it is M-audio or another brands USB audio device.

I'm not arguing the point that the EMU's are good cards, but have you EVEN HEARD the M-Audio cards or are you basing your decision on your "weeks" of "way insane amounts of research" (print reviews)?  Also, please post the specs on your system...I'm sure that at least some of us lowly DIYr's can "afford it".

As for the quote:
"I don't get the argument that a $100 audio card that has great (IMO 'pro') quality sound"
...do you get the argument that a <$40 DIY pedal has 'pro' sound?  Those robot assembled cards are much cheaper to assemble.

Now to get back to aaronkessman's original question, for more info I'd recommend you check out the recording forum @:

http://www.prosoundweb.com/

[aaronkessman]

thanks Stomp, i'll check out that site. meanwhile, i think i might for for the m-audio since its half the price of the emu 1212m - im not sure the 0404 is of the same caliber as the 1212m. i thuink it will do just fine.

Aaron