Soundcard help (among other gear questions)

[Keyz316]

Hi all -
Sorry this post will be a bit long... I just reallly need help hehe :D I'm a real newbie... trying to build a modest but good-sounding home studio. I know this is probably asked a lot... sorry - pleeease help ;)

I'm seeking some professional advice on which soundcard I should buy (I have a SoundBlaster Live value right now - yuk - I'll tell the rest of my setup further below). As far as what I plan to be doing... I will need to plug in at least 2 synths, a microphone, and preferably a guitar, and I'd like some room to grow a bit. I will typically be recording alone/not-live though (but I don't want to have to swap cables every time I need to use a different piece of gear). I'll also be using softsynths such as Pro-52 and FM7, as well as GigaSampler or Halion, and centralizing everything around Cubase VST/32 (and in the future, upgrade to Cubase SX). On a side-note, I don't know if my present midi interface is up-to-snuff (USB Midiman Midisport 2x2)... is the midisport ok, or should I dump it and get something different? Also, having the audio in/outs accessable would be real nice, since I'm putting my PC in my closet to reduce noise levels.

My DAW (as is):
AMD Athlon XP 1800+ w/Zalman CNPS6000-CU cooling
Asus A7V266-E motherboard
512MB DDR2100 RAM from Crucial (1 DIMM, doubling soon)
Matrox Millenium G400 AGP 32MB Dualhead
Soundblaster Live Value (yuk)
2 Maxtor D740X 40GB 7200RPM drives (1 system, 1 data)
Sony Spressa CRX140S SCSI burner
Tekram DC-315/U SCSI card
Accton EN1207D Ethernet adapter
Antec SX-840 case
USB Midiman Midisport 2x2
-- Controller: Ensoniq ZR-76 (getting Yamaha Motif 8 and a VA synth - Nord lead or Virus instead soon)
Windows 2000 Professional (non-ACPI)

So I'm wondering which soundcard would suit me best, and hopefully be affordable for the time being (I'm a college student)... doesn't have to be "studio" quality or anything, but at least something I can feel good about and have enough inputs for my needs. I think $500 would be my limit at the moment, preferably less (2-300). I'm just tired of the snail-paced latency and crackling noises of the SB.

I'm kinda curious if there are any viable options that can work for both a desktop system and a laptop... not sure if I'm "going mobile" quite yet, but I'd like to at least see what the options are and maybe keep that avenue open for myself if I'm going to be spending a lot on a soundcard (so I don't have to buy one for "both"). I've heard people have problems with Motu's portable offerings - is USB (2) a viable option yet?

Also - will I need other external gear like a preamp or compressor or anything else, and if so might you recommend some? (some affordable mic and monitor suggestions would be great as well if you don't mind).

Anyhow, thanks in advance for the help! :D
Peace.

[eko1512]

What I would do if I were you, is get a good, silent mixer, preferably a Mackie, with lots of inputs. See, this will be your patchbay for all your sound sources into the PC. So, if you have a good mixer you don't need multiple inputs on the soundcard. In that case, something like the Terratec EWX24/96, or the Audiophile 24/96, which offer a simple stereo pair of input and another for output, but are really silent. Plus, they give good latency results for your softsynths. The mixing desk could easily be used as pre-amp for any mic or guitar, although it is best that both should externally be pre-amped, but that's typical.
Anyway, best of wishes with your decision.

Ermis

[Keyz316]

thanks eko....

Could you recommend the appropriate mixer in that case? I know Mackie is best, but would something lower-priced from Behringer or something like that work alright in my case? (i.e. Eurorack MXB1002.. not sure if that's good/big enough, too big - i dunno - suggestions welcome). Or if there "is" an affordable option from Mackie please let me know.

Also so far as midi.... if I went with the Audiophile 2496, I see it has one set of midi in/out... (note I am a midi newbie as well hehe) suppose I want to connect my Yamaha Motif "and" the VA synth I choose (virus/nord/q - not sure yet) with midi.... would I be able to "daisy-chain" them together and have both work? If so, I would like to sell my Midisport 2x2 :D I'm guessing this is what the "Thru" port is for, but I have no personal experience with that since I've never yet had more than 1 synth.

Thanks! Oh and if you have monitor suggestions I'd love to hear that too hehe.... just some starting points for me to begin to go out and research... budget for that is $300-$500, maybe a little over if necessary. I know that won't get me anything spectacular, but hopefully someone can refer me to the best at that pricerange.

Peace.

[Styrerra]

Check out the Delta series. They go up all the way to 10 ins and outs for audio since I see you have more than 1 source you want to record at the same time.

[Keyz316]

Yeah I've been looking at the Delta 44 and 66 (in addition to Mia and Audiophile 2498)... the Delta's seem really good... though now I'm not sure which direction to go..... Is it better to go with a more minimalistic soundcard (i.e. Audiophile) and a mixer, or a souped up soundcard with the in/outputs onboard? What are the tradeoffs/catches? At least in terms of accessability (and physical controls) the mixer path is seeming pretty tempting now - but I want to know if that's the best idea. With Audiophile also I have a fringe benefit of $40-50 off the price, since I can then sell my Midisport (assuming the audiophile's midi is good - still need feedback on that question from my post before this one). Also, I'm assuming (confirm please) that if I get the mixer, I could use that with a laptop also pretty easily... just would need some sort of adapter soundcard to plugin to the laptop.... is that correct?

Peace.

[eko1512]

I prefer having a mixer as patchbay for all external gear. You everything under your hands, anyway, I like it better, but it's up to your taste. My point is, better have a mixer if you want to record any vocals or other instruments.
Behringers are good and relatively cheap. Mackies are the best.
Regarding monitors, you'll have to specify if you want passive or active. Either way, i that pricerange you'll find the Tannoy Reveals, Studiophile and Yamaha MSP5.

Ermis