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What souncard/interface are you rockin?

youknowyouknowyouknowyouknow 264 Posts
edited December 2007 in Strut Central
I'm using an audiophile 24/96 pci soundcard. It's really basic and sound quality is lost when I record onto my computer. I need to update, i'm thinking about an mbox with a nice mic pre-amp. External equipment really makes the breaks sound thick. What is everyone else using?

  Comments

  • Mike_BellMike_Bell 5,736 Posts

    Good value, IMO.
  • bobbydeebobbydee 849 Posts
    Motu 828 mk II


    I got it for 600 second hand almost a year ago, and It retailed at at almost triple that here at the time. Everything was really easy and natural, and i'm really happy with how transparent the sound is for the price.
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    Unless you're willing to step up and pay for an RME/Apogee or get a unit modded by Black Lion Audio, I'd suggest going with these guys:

    http://www.echoaudio.com/

    Small company from Santa Barbara, great quality work with decent analog components. They did the design work for the Mackie Onyx 400r as well. I've got a Layla24, very low noise, low latency, and the drivers are rock solid and simple. IMO better sound than the MOTU but that's a preference thing. I also used to have an indigo i/o and liked it a lot, except for the 1/8th-inch connectors.

    The M-Audio gear isn't awful, but it won't be an upgrade and they have some rough driver issues. If you're going the protools route the Digi 002 is a steal these days on eBay. Get it modded by Black Lion and it's on par with some of the top converters in the $1000+ range.
  • bobbydeebobbydee 849 Posts
    I agree that the layla has a much nicer sound, transparency was what I was after as the project I was working on at the time paired me up with someone who had alot of nice pre amps and knew how to use them wel, so I didn't want to mess with that too much.

    Your advice seems pretty spot on to me.
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    I agree that the layla has a much nicer sound, transparency was what I was after as the project I was working on at the time paired me up with someone who had alot of nice pre amps and knew how to use them wel, so I didn't want to mess with that too much.

    Your advice seems pretty spot on to me.

    Yeah, I've heard lots of stuff made on MOTU gear that sounds great, and if modded they can certainly beat out Echo stuff. Plus the standalone mixer functionality can be real helpful when your computer isn't on. A feature I'd actually like to have right now.
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
  • youknowyouknowyouknowyouknow 264 Posts
    Unless you're willing to step up and pay for an RME/Apogee or get a unit modded by Black Lion Audio, I'd suggest going with these guys:

    http://www.echoaudio.com/

    Small company from Santa Barbara, great quality work with decent analog components. They did the design work for the Mackie Onyx 400r as well. I've got a Layla24, very low noise, low latency, and the drivers are rock solid and simple. IMO better sound than the MOTU but that's a preference thing. I also used to have an indigo i/o and liked it a lot, except for the 1/8th-inch connectors.

    The M-Audio gear isn't awful, but it won't be an upgrade and they have some rough driver issues. If you're going the protools route the Digi 002 is a steal these days on eBay. Get it modded by Black Lion and it's on par with some of the top converters in the $1000+ range.

    nice info! thanks. its seems with most maudio soundcards a pre-amp is required to get good sound. but the mic pre-amp in the layla looks good, so a pre-amp isn't necessarily required to get great sound with it. when i record onto my muadio audiophile pci card it tends to diminish the sound quality when i play it back. but when i play a record directly through my monitors it sounds decent, when played back it doesn't sound near as rich or full. i've tweaked the settings et cetera, but with no avail to change the sound. i'm thinking about getting a good tube-amp receiver, that would connect through an audio-digital converter into the Lalya, do you think it would effect the sound quality all that much? any suggestions for recording ala tube amps?
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    If you're talking about recording vinyl, putting a preamp or tube in the signal chain is not going to replace having a pure analog signal, it's just going to color the sound. To have truly transparent conversion you're going to have to spend a ton of money and even then, nothing beats analog, and your money is likely better spent.

    Don't trust preamps in any audio interface to do much of anything. They're at best usable, at worst noisy and useless. That's actually why I like the Audiofire12 - you get 12-in/12-out without the nonsense of putting some cheap preamps in there.

    I'd get a solid interface and if you're frustrated with your recordings, make sure the rest of your signal chain is good - phono preamp, turntable, cartridge, cables (www.redco.com).
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    External equipment really makes the breaks sound thick.

    Just to go back to this statement, this is only as true as the quality of your outboard gear, and most of the worhtwhile stuff is out of yours and my budget (at the very least $500 for a preamp or compressor, and that's cheap in that world. You're better off recording onto your computer and then once you've got things right musically, take it to a professional studio with a nice board and some good outboard gear and spending a day mixing there.

    We can't all have a studio with an top-shelf API or Neve board like Thes.
  • youknowyouknowyouknowyouknow 264 Posts
    If you're talking about recording vinyl, putting a preamp or tube in the signal chain is not going to replace having a pure analog signal, it's just going to color the sound. To have truly transparent conversion you're going to have to spend a ton of money and even then, nothing beats analog, and your money is likely better spent.

    Don't trust preamps in any audio interface to do much of anything. They're at best usable, at worst noisy and useless. That's actually why I like the Audiofire12 - you get 12-in/12-out without the nonsense of putting some cheap preamps in there.

    I'd get a solid interface and if you're frustrated with your recordings, make sure the rest of your signal chain is good - phono preamp, turntable, cartridge, cables (www.redco.com).

    Thanks, the Layla 3G looks good and affordable. Maybe at some later point I'll be able to purchase a decent mic pre-amp, they're just so expensive. I'm just ready to get rid of my already weak interface set up.
  • magpaulmagpaul 1,314 Posts

    Good value, IMO.

    just copped me one of these, should turn up on Monday. want to run that M-Powered Pro Tools on the cheap plus it has the all important volume knob on the front of the box.
  • serch4beatzserch4beatz Switzerland 521 Posts

    minus the fatality thing
    lol
  • kennykenny 1,024 Posts
    I'd think twice on the M Audio interfaces...especially the Firewire 4410 or some shit.

    their volume/ output levels are kinda weak.

    maybe its just mine
  • highschemehighscheme 784 Posts
    I have that M-Audio Audiophile USB and while it got the job done, I would never recommend it to anyone.

    The software is quite buggy and I am buying an Apogee Duet to replace it in a couple of weeks
  • mr.brettmr.brett 678 Posts
    I'd think twice on the M Audio interfaces...especially the Firewire 4410 or some shit.

    their volume/ output levels are kinda weak.

    maybe its just mine

    I have a Firewire Solo and I have the same complaint.
  • threetwosixthreetwosix 270 Posts
    I have that M-Audio Audiophile USB and while it got the job done, I would never recommend it to anyone.

    Yup. Replaced mine w a Channel Islands DAC
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