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Deders · 27th Jan 2013, 18:26

Am building a computer for a close relative who wants to be able to record with his PC. He only wants a single channel but i'm a bit hesitant about recommending either on board (noise) Xonar (poor asio drivers) or creative, none of these are real musicians cards.

Is there anything out there on the market that gives high quality, plays nicely with audio software without too many complication, has low latency etc

maestro0428 · 27th Jan 2013, 18:32

What about HT Omega. Until I started using an Asus Xonar card I used a Striker Extreme and was very happy with it. I only changed because I needed one with a pcie connector.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829271006 This one may be overkill, but will work with ASIO drivers.

Landy_Ed · 27th Jan 2013, 18:32

ESI MAYA 44 is what I use. There is a PCIe version, the Xte. I bought mine used on ebay.

IvanIvanovich · 27th Jan 2013, 20:06

I second the maya xte. It's one of the better entry level price tier cards for sure.

jrs77 · 27th Jan 2013, 20:57

+1 for ESI Maya XTe. Costs only some €120 and it comes with CuBase 5 LE, so you won't even need to buy recording-software.

MSHunter · 27th Jan 2013, 21:14

Linky

Deders · 28th Jan 2013, 12:57

Cheers for the suggestions, will investigate

Yslen · 28th Jan 2013, 20:16

I tend to stick with USB/Firewire devices myself. Easier to manage all everything when you have hardware buttons and switches. This is a favourite.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/native_inst...te_audio_6.htm

Also, avoid anything by creative/EMU. Great hardware, literally no drivers. I'd be out of a sound card if I hadn't found the original disk when I last re-installed Windows.

Deders · 28th Jan 2013, 20:30

What about Latency for USB/Firewire? I presume firewire is preferable or do you not find any issues with USB?

jinq-sea · 29th Jan 2013, 08:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deders

What about Latency for USB/Firewire? I presume firewire is preferable or do you not find any issues with USB?

Well - a decent FW/USB2 interface is pretty decent. I've got my studio built around a Digidesign 003 at the moment, and the round-trip latency is pretty low (and definitely tolerable!).

Depending on budget, you could probably pick up a half decent USB2 2-channel interface from someone like focusrite or somewhere like that - do you require things like phantom power?

Deders · 29th Jan 2013, 09:26

Phantom power might come in handy if he ever gets a condenser mic but at the moment it's probably just line and mic level. Will ask him.

jinq-sea · 29th Jan 2013, 10:04

I've used the Mk1 of this (£70): http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardwa...22-mkii--67856

-or-

I'd probably go for this (£120): http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardwa...terface--90034

Or there are things like the RME babyface, Apogee Duet (Mac only) - depends entirely on budget. If Midi is required, I'd be minded to recommend a separate USB midi interface

DaveMon · 21st Feb 2013, 10:08

I've just picked up one of the Focusrite 2i2 interfaces and so far it is very good.
Easy setup and worked straight away with no faff. Currently using it with Garageband, but it does come with Ableton Live software included.
Picked it up from these: http://www.musicmatter.co.uk/focusrite-scarlett-2i2
Also available from Scan: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/focus...udio-interface

If you are after midi in/outs as well have a look at the PreSonus 22VSL: http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-22VSL
It is a bit dearer but you do get the additional ports.
Available from Scan: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/preso...cording-system

Picked up a Shure SM57 mic to use with this to record from my 2x12 guitar cab from here: http://www.musicmatter.co.uk/shure-sm57

jinq-sea · 21st Feb 2013, 10:18

The 2i2 is a cracker - enjoy!

27th Jan 2013, 18:26	#1
Deders I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Here and there, mostly there Posts: 3,372	Soundcard for audio production Am building a computer for a close relative who wants to be able to record with his PC. He only wants a single channel but i'm a bit hesitant about recommending either on board (noise) Xonar (poor asio drivers) or creative, none of these are real musicians cards. Is there anything out there on the market that gives high quality, plays nicely with audio software without too many complication, has low latency etc __________________ i5 750@3800 - MSI P55 GD65 - Asus GTX670 DirectCU II - 4GB OCZ DDR3 @1440 7-7-7-18 - Be Quiet! Straight Power E9 500W - Nanoxia Deep Silence One - X-FI Xtreme Gamer - Samsung 830 128GB - Spinpoint F3 1TB - WD Caviar Blue 640 - LG Flatron W2252TQ - Razer Deathadder - Thermaltake Contac 29.

27th Jan 2013, 18:32	#2
maestro0428 Master Modder Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: USA Posts: 357	What about HT Omega. Until I started using an Asus Xonar card I used a Striker Extreme and was very happy with it. I only changed because I needed one with a pcie connector. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829271006 This one may be overkill, but will work with ASIO drivers. __________________ JAllen Labs GT1000- 3770K, 32GB Dominators, MSI 570GTX, Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD, 4 drive RAID 0 and 3TB storage in a Silverstone Fortress GT03, Logitech G9X Gaming mouse on Razer eXact Mat, Custom built Fostex studio monitors, Yamaha amp, Onkyo Tuner and Garrad turn table.

27th Jan 2013, 20:06	#4
IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу. Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: USA Posts: 3,757	I second the maya xte. It's one of the better entry level price tier cards for sure. __________________ [end of line] intel i5-750 \| evga p55 sli \| 8gb mushkin blackline \| evga gtx670 \| 240gb mushkin chronos dx \| creative titanium hd \| mushkin 580w \| gh60 custom \| logitech mx revolution \| achieva shimian qh270

27th Jan 2013, 20:57	#5
jrs77 theorycrafting Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Finland Posts: 2,545	+1 for ESI Maya XTe. Costs only some €120 and it comes with CuBase 5 LE, so you won't even need to buy recording-software. __________________ ...and allways remember, that the world is an orange! Define Mini Black [Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H \| intel i5-3450 \| Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 8GB \| Gigabyte GTX660OC Windforce2 \| intel 330 120GB \| WD AV GP 1TB]

27th Jan 2013, 21:14	#6
MSHunter I am a Dremel Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,778	Linky __________________ PC: Silverstone TJ08B-E, 2500K, Corsair H80, 120GBVertex 3 MAX IOPS,GENE-Z , Corsair V. LP 16GB, Gigabyte 1.5GB GTX 580 Super Overclock. U2711 PC Audio: AKG 271 mk II + Samson Go mic. + Asus Xonar D2X Amp: DENON PMA510AE, Speakers: TANNOY MERCURY F1

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27th Jan 2013, 18:32	#3
Landy_Ed Ultramodder Join Date: May 2009 Location: In a cold dead place Posts: 1,142	ESI MAYA 44 is what I use. There is a PCIe version, the Xte. I bought mine used on ebay.

28th Jan 2013, 12:57	#7
Deders I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Here and there, mostly there Posts: 3,372	Cheers for the suggestions, will investigate __________________ i5 750@3800 - MSI P55 GD65 - Asus GTX670 DirectCU II - 4GB OCZ DDR3 @1440 7-7-7-18 - Be Quiet! Straight Power E9 500W - Nanoxia Deep Silence One - X-FI Xtreme Gamer - Samsung 830 128GB - Spinpoint F3 1TB - WD Caviar Blue 640 - LG Flatron W2252TQ - Razer Deathadder - Thermaltake Contac 29.

28th Jan 2013, 20:16	#8
Yslen Lord of the Twenty-Seventh Circle Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 1,126	I tend to stick with USB/Firewire devices myself. Easier to manage all everything when you have hardware buttons and switches. This is a favourite. http://www.thomann.de/gb/native_inst...te_audio_6.htm Also, avoid anything by creative/EMU. Great hardware, literally no drivers. I'd be out of a sound card if I hadn't found the original disk when I last re-installed Windows. __________________ Asrock Z77e-ITX - Intel i5 3570k - Corsair H50-1 - G.Skill Ripjaws X 2133MHz - Gigabyte HD6870 - Crucial M4 - Samsung HDD - 530W ThermalTake SS PSU - Bitfenix Prodigy - LG IPS231P - R.A.T. 5 - Cherry G80-3494 (MX Red) - Ducky YotD (MX Brown) Take a look at my Photography portfolio, here.

28th Jan 2013, 20:30	#9
Deders I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Here and there, mostly there Posts: 3,372	What about Latency for USB/Firewire? I presume firewire is preferable or do you not find any issues with USB? __________________ i5 750@3800 - MSI P55 GD65 - Asus GTX670 DirectCU II - 4GB OCZ DDR3 @1440 7-7-7-18 - Be Quiet! Straight Power E9 500W - Nanoxia Deep Silence One - X-FI Xtreme Gamer - Samsung 830 128GB - Spinpoint F3 1TB - WD Caviar Blue 640 - LG Flatron W2252TQ - Razer Deathadder - Thermaltake Contac 29.

29th Jan 2013, 09:26	#11
Deders I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Here and there, mostly there Posts: 3,372	Phantom power might come in handy if he ever gets a condenser mic but at the moment it's probably just line and mic level. Will ask him. __________________ i5 750@3800 - MSI P55 GD65 - Asus GTX670 DirectCU II - 4GB OCZ DDR3 @1440 7-7-7-18 - Be Quiet! Straight Power E9 500W - Nanoxia Deep Silence One - X-FI Xtreme Gamer - Samsung 830 128GB - Spinpoint F3 1TB - WD Caviar Blue 640 - LG Flatron W2252TQ - Razer Deathadder - Thermaltake Contac 29.

29th Jan 2013, 10:04	#12
jinq-sea Steering a Boat in Holland Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,254	I've used the Mk1 of this (£70): http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardwa...22-mkii--67856 -or- I'd probably go for this (£120): http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardwa...terface--90034 Or there are things like the RME babyface, Apogee Duet (Mac only) - depends entirely on budget. If Midi is required, I'd be minded to recommend a separate USB midi interface __________________ "The Quiet Rig": Maximus IV Extreme Z - i7 2600K @ 4.5GHz - Frio - 8Gb Ballistix Sport @ 1600 - Sapphire 7970 @ 1150/1550 - M4 256Gb - LG Blu-Ray - Seasonic G Series 650W - Fractal Design R4 - Asus VS247H - Logitech MX5000 - Digidesign 003 - KRK Rokit 5 G2s

21st Feb 2013, 10:08	#13
DaveMon Multimodder Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lancs Posts: 239	I've just picked up one of the Focusrite 2i2 interfaces and so far it is very good. Easy setup and worked straight away with no faff. Currently using it with Garageband, but it does come with Ableton Live software included. Picked it up from these: http://www.musicmatter.co.uk/focusrite-scarlett-2i2 Also available from Scan: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/focus...udio-interface If you are after midi in/outs as well have a look at the PreSonus 22VSL: http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-22VSL It is a bit dearer but you do get the additional ports. Available from Scan: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/preso...cording-system Picked up a Shure SM57 mic to use with this to record from my 2x12 guitar cab from here: http://www.musicmatter.co.uk/shure-sm57 __________________ Core i5 2500K - BeQuiet DarkRock Advanced - 8GB 1600MHz VengenceLP - Asus P8Z77-M Pro - 1TB WD Black - Gigabyte GTX560Ti - Fractal Design R3 - Corsair HX650W - Asus Xonar DX - Windows 7 64-bit - Dell U2412M LED IPS - Logitech G15 & G500 Mac Mini - 2.5GHz i5 - 8GB 1600MHz RAM - 256GB Samsung 830 SSD 13" MacBook Pro - 8GB RAM - 256GB Crucial M4 Last edited by DaveMon; 21st Feb 2013 at 10:13. Reason: Added mic details

21st Feb 2013, 10:18	#14
jinq-sea Steering a Boat in Holland Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,254	The 2i2 is a cracker - enjoy! __________________ "The Quiet Rig": Maximus IV Extreme Z - i7 2600K @ 4.5GHz - Frio - 8Gb Ballistix Sport @ 1600 - Sapphire 7970 @ 1150/1550 - M4 256Gb - LG Blu-Ray - Seasonic G Series 650W - Fractal Design R4 - Asus VS247H - Logitech MX5000 - Digidesign 003 - KRK Rokit 5 G2s