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  #11  
Old 04-04-2016, 08:34 PM
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zedhed zedhed is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

I'll reiterate what Musicman said, albeit stated differently.

Your I/O needs will dictate what interface you should be looking for, be it either internal or external, F/W or USB or any other format for that matter unless you're working totally ITB.

Once you know what you need as far as I/O is concerned, then the other aspects come into play but are again dictated by what motherboard compatibility your computer has.
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Last edited by zedhed; 04-12-2016 at 10:53 PM.
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  #12  
Old 04-20-2016, 06:14 PM
LochNESS LochNESS is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by musicman691 View Post
... a Soundblaster gamer card isn't it. Never has been, never will be. I don't know what gives you the idea I'm upset just because I keep bringing up certain things. I just know you're one of those that come here asking for help and when it's given to you you ignore it and continue on with a system that's less than optimal. If you can't bear to hear the truth that's not my fault.
I think the disconnect here, is that you believe my system is less than optimal because of this Soundblaster card. I'm not using the card for any processing or conversion, merely a pass-through. My converter is superior to all the interfaces you suggested (and satisfies my needs). And, as I've already stated multiple times, the specs on my Soundblaster model are equal or better than Focusrite, Motu, and every other alternative you suggested.

Originally, when I started this thread, I thought I needed a new sound card. After your replies and some of my own research I realized I don't. That's the truth. I'm sorry you can't bear to hear it.

And my Soundblaster card model is not a gamer card... They make a lot of gamer cards but this one isn't. But even if it was, most of the video cards users have are gamer video cards. I don't share your prejudice against "gamer" ware. If the specs are good, and it works, why not!
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  #13  
Old 04-20-2016, 07:56 PM
mesaone mesaone is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LochNESS View Post
I think the disconnect here, is that you believe my system is less than optimal because of this Soundblaster card. I'm not using the card for any processing or conversion, merely a pass-through. My converter is superior to all the interfaces you suggested (and satisfies my needs). And, as I've already stated multiple times, the specs on my Soundblaster model are equal or better than Focusrite, Motu, and every other alternative you suggested.
Just a heads up, most sound cards operate only as a passthrough (converters and amplifiers/preamplifiers). Only some have DSP, and that's one step removed from how it behaves with Pro Tools and other digital audio workstations.

What Jack was saying is absolutely true - your I/O needs dictate your purchase. Other things do as well, but making sure one has enough inputs and outputs to get "the job" done is the first thing on the checklist. If I need 8 channels, I'm going to pass on a 4-channel interface even if it's got all the other features I want.

Now, if you're using the Sparrow to feed your sound card, the ADC of your sound card is irrelevant. The sparrow handles that. Second, if you're using the analog I/O of your sound card, specs about the converters only go so far when there is an analog front end to worry about. If the analog line inputs and outputs are noisy, it doesn't matter if your converters have a SNR of 113 dB, 122 dB, or infinite.. Third, driver quality is a big aspect of this as well - I don't know one way or the other about the sound blaster stuff.
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  #14  
Old 03-14-2018, 04:05 PM
LochNESS LochNESS is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Update: Will be celebrating my third anniversary in this space in August. So far, no problems. No crashes, no freezes, no clicks or pops, no issues whatsoever.

Hope you're all having a great day at the desk.
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  #15  
Old 03-16-2018, 03:42 PM
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zedhed zedhed is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LochNESS View Post
Update: Will be celebrating my third anniversary in this space in August. So far, no problems. No crashes, no freezes, no clicks or pops, no issues whatsoever.
.....and no major projects
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GPU:Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6 PCIE 4
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  #16  
Old 03-20-2018, 10:11 AM
LochNESS LochNESS is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by zedhed View Post
.....and no major projects
Salty much?

I'm not an engineer, I don't do "major" engineering projects. I'm a performer with a small songwriting studio, who occasionally does side projects for fellow artists. And I've had plenty of "major" performances.

What engineering have I done? Most recently, I produced and recorded a single for a local songwriter which will appear in an upcoming film. This past weekend I tracked snare overdubs on a live recording of a horn band, and now I'm mixing their songs @ 32 tracks each.

What have you been doing?
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  #17  
Old 03-20-2018, 05:02 PM
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zedhed zedhed is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LochNESS View Post
What have you been doing?
Engineering since 1985.

My "Salty much" comment was directed at the pointlessness of reviving this dead thread from so long ago with such trivia.
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Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 AERO D
CPU: Intel Alder Lake Core i9-12900K
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 64GB (2x 32gb 5200MHz)
Drives: 2 x Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME PCIE 4.0 M.2 SSD (Record & Samples)
1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB NVME PCIE 4.0 M.2 SSD (OS Win 11 Pro)

GPU:Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6 PCIE 4
PSU: Corsair HX Series HX850 Platinim
CASE: Fractal Define XL R2
PT 11HD (v11.3.2) Omni s/pdif <> AxeFxIII
HD 96I/O
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  #18  
Old 03-21-2018, 01:52 PM
LochNESS LochNESS is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

Gotcha. Well, I received a PM last month asking how I liked my setup and motherboard, and since this was my thread I figured I'd post an update. I'll try to stick to horrible no-good news updates from now on
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  #19  
Old 03-21-2018, 05:31 PM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

One bit of warning regarding SOME Soundblaster cards(and I don't know if this applies to yours or not). Some pass the digital inputs thru a D>A converter and pass the signal thru via the analog section anyway(without telling you in the manual). Bottom line is; if it sounds good to you, and meets your needs, roll with it
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  #20  
Old 03-21-2018, 05:56 PM
AlexLakis AlexLakis is offline
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Default Re: Sound card recommendations?

I haven't heard the word "Soundblaster" since the mid-90s...Think I was running a 386 SX with my Audigy 2. It was awful.
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