Re: Dont Want Complicated

"Keith Adams" <keithadams@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:48027c58$0$5713$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cool. Thanks Patrick. Precise and to the point. Thats the ticket.

You're welcome, but as pointed out by others, you do need to pay some attention to what OS version is in use. If it's XP Media Center Edition, you can expect problems, perhaps very significant ones. Be prepared to cut your losses and get another used system.

If it's XP Pro or Home or a Mac, you should be fine. If it's a Linux machine, there are Linux drivers for some hardware. For m-audio, there are 3rd party free drivers.

For Vista, you have to check. Some hardware has only beta drivers, and for some there aren't any at all.

In any case, you need to check before purchasing.

HTH
-pk


"Patrick Keenan" <test@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:JbednafnyNER65_VnZ2dnUVZ_uWlnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Keith Adams" <keithadams@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:48026094$0$3384$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Just good clean recording.
Can any of you guys recommend a good sound card that doesnt cost 15 codgillion dollars? A couple of 1/4" inputs would be nice. Good signal to noise ratio. Reverb /delay and simple EQ. I dont know the correct terms to use but I realize that the latency thing is also an issue. Is it do able for $150. I'm a carpenter and dont make my living with computers. My old lady does and can do just about anything short of making the components and putting them on the circuit boards. Her work doesnt deal with whats the best for the money musicians sound card though. Its apparent to me that you Gilhoolies know your computer *** but try and keep any explanations simple for a simpleton. Remember that your lives may be at stake here so hurry the f--k up. ; >

In that price range, if you also want to do any recording generally you'll get better results from an external interface. Few PC soundcards are made with the needs of recording, especially multitrack recording as a consideration. They are generally made with playback in mind, so they often don't have good low-latency drivers available, and this can be a real disappointment. There are a few exceptions like the M-Audio Delta line. Drivers are really, really important.

I would suggest a USB interface as they are cheaper and less prone to electrical damage than FireWire devices.

The smallest interfaces, like the M-Audio Transit USB, start around $75 - it's about the size of a deck of cards. Around $100 you can get a FastTrack USB, which has one 1/4" input and one XLR mic input (no phantom power). Moving up you can get models with two combination quarter-inch and XLR jacks, and these can work really well.

The Edirol (roland) UA-4FX seems to be good and in your price range:
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=758&ParentId=114

This also comes with a copy of Sonar, so you can record right away. It does have phantom. It only has one 1/4" jack, but it has stereo line-ins so you could just connect an ordinary mixer.

For all of these, be sure to follow the directions for installing the drivers before attaching the device, download the latest versions, and be careful about selecting the correct driver in the recording software.

HTH
-pk





.