Sound Card Issues-MAJOR -ACID Product Family - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:Sound Card Issues-MAJOR Posted by: JBallard Date:2/24/2006 10:13:03 AM I have a SoundMAX Sound Card and when all was said and done this seems to be my MAJOR issue with trying to run any music creation program. My question is this....Can anyone recommend an affordable sound card that will run SONY XMC? Will something like Creative!Sound Blaster Live 24-Bit External Sound Card work or do I have to take out the SoundMAX card and use another? Message last edited on2/24/2006 10:27:04 AM byJBallard.
Subject:RE: Sound Card Issues-MAJOR Reply by: luces1 Date:2/24/2006 2:43:33 PM Well I will chime in,but oddly enough, I want to know about anyone's experience with the new generation of SB cards b/c I might want one for my laptop. First off, "J" are you using a tower or a laptop? If it is a tower, the M-Audio cards seem to be very popular and stable. I have the Audiophile 24/96 (the new one is the 24/192 ?) It all depends on how much $$$ you want to spend. There are MANY options!!! The best thing I have found, IMO is the Presonus Firepod. I am saving my pennies for that. Also the Presonus Firebox seems cool, but I have heard a few negative things with regards to it's stability, but that's just stuff I have heard. I think for the $$$ these are very nice and you can use them both on a tower/or laptop. I know you said "affordable", but sometimes for just a few more $$$ you can get something like the M-Audio cards. If you are a guitar player, I have heard good things about the Line 6 Toneport 2. It should work well as a sound card, plus it has a bunch of cool gtr friendly goodies. Like I said, it's all about the "green" and how much you want to spend. Now for my second part. I want to get the "Z" pcmcia card from SB (creativelabs) but I am curious to know if anybody has any pros or cons about the ASIO drivers? Currently I am using a USB Audiophile which is cool, but sometimes it would be cool to be completely "wireless" and be able to have my laptop,Oxygen, and a good ASIO source at the park, or on a camping trip....catch my point. So if anybody has any input, Iwould appreciate it as well. Thanks, luces. Message last edited on2/24/2006 2:47:35 PM byluces1.
Subject:RE: Sound Card Issues-MAJOR Reply by: orekelcalvin Date:2/26/2006 2:01:14 PM Soundblaster doesn't quite have the best reputation in the Pro Audio world. EMU (soundblaster's parent company acutally owns EMU) makes a bunch of cards $99-$699 that people seem to like a lot, and there is of course the M-Audio option (okay, but i'm not a big fan of M-Audio). THe Echo MIA is like $100 and its an amazing card (it has balanced inputs which the M-Audio audiophiles lack ). It really matters what you want to do. If you're just going to mess around with ACID loops, you really don't need to worry too much about your sound card. If you want to record vocals, you're going to want to get a sound card with good microphone preamps, or if you're gonna record keyboard/synthesizers you're gonna want a pair of line inputs. If you're going to be doing multitrack recordings (more than one track at once) you're not going to be able to use acid...but you'd want a bigger interface with more inputs.

Subject:Sound Card Issues-MAJOR

Posted by: JBallard

Date:2/24/2006 10:13:03 AM

I have a SoundMAX Sound Card and when all was said and done this seems to be my MAJOR issue with trying to run any music creation program.
My question is this....Can anyone recommend an affordable sound card that will run SONY XMC?
Will something like Creative!Sound Blaster Live 24-Bit External Sound Card work or do I have to take out the SoundMAX card and use another?

Message last edited on2/24/2006 10:27:04 AM byJBallard.

Subject:RE: Sound Card Issues-MAJOR

Reply by: luces1

Date:2/24/2006 2:43:33 PM

Well I will chime in,but oddly enough, I want to know about anyone's experience with the new generation of SB cards b/c I might want one for my laptop.

First off, "J" are you using a tower or a laptop? If it is a tower, the M-Audio cards seem to be very popular and stable. I have the Audiophile 24/96 (the new one is the 24/192 ?) It all depends on how much $$$ you want to spend. There are MANY options!!! The best thing I have found, IMO is the Presonus Firepod. I am saving my pennies for that. Also the Presonus Firebox seems cool, but I have heard a few negative things with regards to it's stability, but that's just stuff I have heard. I think for the $$$ these are very nice and you can use them both on a tower/or laptop. I know you said "affordable", but sometimes for just a few more $$$ you can get something like the M-Audio cards. If you are a guitar player, I have heard good things about the Line 6 Toneport 2. It should work well as a sound card, plus it has a bunch of cool gtr friendly goodies. Like I said, it's all about the "green" and how much you want to spend.

Now for my second part. I want to get the "Z" pcmcia card from SB (creativelabs) but I am curious to know if anybody has any pros or cons about the ASIO drivers? Currently I am using a USB Audiophile which is cool, but sometimes it would be cool to be completely "wireless" and be able to have my laptop,Oxygen, and a good ASIO source at the park, or on a camping trip....catch my point. So if anybody has any input, Iwould appreciate it as well. Thanks, luces.

Message last edited on2/24/2006 2:47:35 PM byluces1.

Subject:RE: Sound Card Issues-MAJOR

Reply by: orekelcalvin

Date:2/26/2006 2:01:14 PM

Soundblaster doesn't quite have the best reputation in the Pro Audio world. EMU (soundblaster's parent company acutally owns EMU) makes a bunch of cards $99-$699 that people seem to like a lot, and there is of course the M-Audio option (okay, but i'm not a big fan of M-Audio). THe Echo MIA is like $100 and its an amazing card (it has balanced inputs which the M-Audio audiophiles lack ).

It really matters what you want to do. If you're just going to mess around with ACID loops, you really don't need to worry too much about your sound card. If you want to record vocals, you're going to want to get a sound card with good microphone preamps, or if you're gonna record keyboard/synthesizers you're gonna want a pair of line inputs. If you're going to be doing multitrack recordings (more than one track at once) you're not going to be able to use acid...but you'd want a bigger interface with more inputs.