i am going to be investing in a soundcard for home recording. i'm pretty sure i will be direct recording instead of mic'ing an amp. i've been looking at the audigy soundcard. is it a worthy investment, or should i look at a more expensive card if i want quality recordings? what sort of sound quality can i expect from this sort of setup?
home recording questions
- Thread starter the alumnus
- Start date
What level of quality are you talking about? There are really expensive and really cool cards, but the Audigy is very good and much less expensive. I've seen it around some times and I think i'll be buying it as well......................... But, again, it all depends on the quality you want to have. And of course the quality your rest equipment can give you. If I play my 200$ guitar through a 50$ amp it won't really matter if I record at Abbey Road's best room... 
look for a card with 24 bit depth and 96kHz sampling rate at least. also, try to figure out what kind of in's and out's you need, (breakout box.)
check out this link: http://music.multimedian.com/reviews/soundcards.html
Audigy's sound pretty good. seem's like the biggest complaint with this card is the quality of the A/D converters.
try searching this forum too. there are some good threads that'll clear up some things for you.
check out this link: http://music.multimedian.com/reviews/soundcards.html
Audigy's sound pretty good. seem's like the biggest complaint with this card is the quality of the A/D converters.
try searching this forum too. there are some good threads that'll clear up some things for you.
Go with the Audigy 2 if you are buying an inexpesive 24 bit card. Its definately worth the money. Check here for a no bullshit buyers guide to good cards:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/scards.asp
Theya are also doing a full review on the Audigy 2 soon
Keep in mind however theres alot more that goes into a system for "Quality" Recording than just the sound card, But the card is definately a giant step in this process. Hope the info helps
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/scards.asp
Theya are also doing a full review on the Audigy 2 soon
Keep in mind however theres alot more that goes into a system for "Quality" Recording than just the sound card, But the card is definately a giant step in this process. Hope the info helps
I have a Midiman Audiophile 2496 and I have been very pleased with it.
What you need is very much up to what you're going to record. Just for home demo recordings almost any soundcard will do...
For more serious recording you should concider the gear you have at the moment ( instruments, pre-amps, effects, etc. ) and what you need of the sound card to get the best working unit.
More important features of a sound card than bit depth or sampling rate are low-latency, full-duplex ( most new cards are ), and that the card works with your other computer hardware and software.
You will get little to no advantage of a sound card capable of 24 bit / 96 kHz sound if the rest of the gear is poor.
Then again if you think you will be doing some serious recordings for comersial distribution ( CDs, etc. ) then you need a professional sound card and they are all at least 24 bit / 96 kHz...
What you need is very much up to what you're going to record. Just for home demo recordings almost any soundcard will do...
For more serious recording you should concider the gear you have at the moment ( instruments, pre-amps, effects, etc. ) and what you need of the sound card to get the best working unit.
More important features of a sound card than bit depth or sampling rate are low-latency, full-duplex ( most new cards are ), and that the card works with your other computer hardware and software.
You will get little to no advantage of a sound card capable of 24 bit / 96 kHz sound if the rest of the gear is poor.
Then again if you think you will be doing some serious recordings for comersial distribution ( CDs, etc. ) then you need a professional sound card and they are all at least 24 bit / 96 kHz...
thanks for the input. i am going to be recording music for my own personal use. i have a decent guitar (ibanez rg with custom dimarzio pickups). i am also planning on direct recording, so i will probably have to buy a mixing board. i would prefer for the recordings to sound as good as possible, buy i'm not expecting it to sound like a fredrick nordstrom production job. just better than old school bathory.
Nate The Great
What would Nathan do?
For your own personal use, you could probably just plug a multieffects unit straight into the soundcard and get a good enough sound.
BTW . . . I'm in the market for an M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Somebody else mentioned the same card above. From what I've read, it should be a great card. I can find it brand new for less than $150.
BTW . . . I'm in the market for an M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Somebody else mentioned the same card above. From what I've read, it should be a great card. I can find it brand new for less than $150.
A mixing board isn't absolutely necessary, at least not for just guitar and bass recording. If you plan on recording vocals and acoustic instruments, then a mixing board will come in handy.
If you will be recording only guitar then the Line6 Guitar Port could be something for you. I have no personal experience of the Guitar Port but I've heared some good things about it...
All you need to record guitar is somekind of pre-amp / multieffect with some kind of amp and/or speaker simulation, a computer with sound card and somekind of recording software. The mixing of the recorded material will be done in the recording software you use.
If you will be recording only guitar then the Line6 Guitar Port could be something for you. I have no personal experience of the Guitar Port but I've heared some good things about it...
All you need to record guitar is somekind of pre-amp / multieffect with some kind of amp and/or speaker simulation, a computer with sound card and somekind of recording software. The mixing of the recorded material will be done in the recording software you use.
i currently have a boss metalzone pedal. i have been advised that running a guitar through a pedal and then through a mixing board is a way to get good sound when direct recording. i plan on recording guitar parts one at a time. no vocals, no acoustic guitars. would you recommend a better preamp phase like a guitar port? i've read that they are becoming more popular in the studio as well. or would a metalzone suffice?
Nate The Great
What would Nathan do?
You probably don't want to run your Metalzone direct into the soundcard, but running it into a preamp would be fine. However, a Line 6 Guitar Port cost around $160. So, when buying a preamp, keep that in mind. The Guitar Port would provide more sounds and probably better sounds.
