Which sound card to get for starter setup?

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QuickSilver
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2011/07/11 10:15:34 (permalink)

Which sound card to get for starter setup?

I registered on this forum around January but due to demands with  school and other things my music production had to be put set aside for awhile. Now that school has lightened up a little. Well as light as it can get for being a chemistry major...  I was wondering which sound card to purchase? I was looking at m-audio 2496 for a long time but it looks like their delta series dropped in price.  The m-audio 2496 never seems to drop in price even though it's quite an old sound card. Is there a reason for this? Should I still get this one or is something there something similar in price that is better?

Here is my setup:
Sonar X1 home
Sound blaster audigy value(the worst sound card ever made!)
Windows 7
Fatar Studio 900 88 keyboard(super old but still works.)
I am using a cheap usb- midi cable I got off amazon which seems to work.

The types of music I am hoping to produce are Trance, Ambient, House, Instrumental, etc...  I have been playing around with the Nexus vst and absolutely love it!  So I guess my question is what sound card would work best for me and also some other vst suggestions for my type of music. If you want a more in-depth look at my hardware you can see it in the first post I made on this site.
Thanks for the help!

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    57Gregy
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    Re:Which sound card to get for starter setup? 2011/07/11 11:30:13 (permalink)
    Focusrite Saffire 6 USB.
    But you need to consider the types and number of inputs you want. With the 24/96 and the Delta 44 you would need a mixer or a pre-amp for microphones if I recall, if you use mics.
    Do you need phantom power for condenser mics? RCA ins or outs? S/PDIF? MIDI in/out (handy if you have a limited number of USB ports)?
    Find any post by Beagle and click the link for his website; he has a list of good interfaces there.

    Greg 
    I am selling my MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS, red and black. PM for more details.

    Music Creator 2003, MC Pro 24, SONAR Home Studio 6 XL, SONAR  X3e, CbB, Focusrite Saffire, not enough space.
    Everything is better with pie. 

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=609446
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    #2
    Beagle
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    Re:Which sound card to get for starter setup? 2011/07/11 12:25:32 (permalink)
    yep - check my website for some soundcard recommendations and some questions you need to ask yourself before you choose one.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
    i7, 16G DDR3, Win10x64, MOTU Ultralite Hybrid MK3
    Yamaha MOXF6, Hammond XK3c, other stuff.
    #3
    QuickSilver
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    Re:Which sound card to get for starter setup? 2011/07/11 19:30:43 (permalink)
    So I just bought a m-audio 2496 off ebay. I was just searching around and found one for $65 free shipping. I think the 2496 will cover my needs for now. Beagle I really like your site and the soundcard list. Very helpful. Once again thanks for all the help and you can be sure more questions will be coming soon.
    #4
    QuickSilver
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    Re:Which sound card to get for starter setup? 2011/07/15 10:02:54 (permalink)
    I got my m-audio 2496 yesterday and that thing is awesome. My problems instantly went away after installing it. The one thing I did notice is that it seems a little more quiet compared to the audigy. For some odd reason I have to turn up the volume more. Anyway I mistakenly put Sonar X1 home I meant Sonar X1 essential. Don't ask me how I managed that screw up. So thanks for all the help and I will be posting in the correct section next time.
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