64-bit Sound Card suggestions?

I'm completely happy with my rackmount RME Fireface UFX.

When I got my new PC a few months back and was looking for a PCI-e soundcard.. my friend suggested the Motu 2408 MK3, which I got and couldn't be happier with.  Lots of inputs & 64bit driver support.  Haven't had any issues, love it  ; )

http://www.motu.com/products/pciaudio/2408

You don't have to go with a PCIe audio card, There are many options that are USB or Firewire based with low latency. I like to be able to use my interface with my laptop too, can't do that with PCIe

Now, I have heard mixed feelings about using a USB Sound card, but perhaps I am behind the times here. Is the latency that low? I am outfitting all USB 3.0..Thanks, c

 
The USB 2.0 standard is plenty fast enough for any DAW.  USB relies upon the speed of your motherboard, processor and drivers.   So assuming your system is relatively up to date, you should have no trouble at all with latency.  Firewire, on the other hand, relies upon the speed of its own chip, which can be a blessing or a curse.  But in a nutshell, USB 2.0 should be fine.  I recommend choosing your audio interface based upon the features and price-point you're looking for.

 Good answer, much appreciated! Now the challenge is finding one that is up to Pro specs.. Cheers, c

I've known people running USB 2 and had dropout issues when running alot of VSTs.  USB2 port speeds run at 480mbps, PCIe is 2.5gbps.  Big difference.  Once manufacturers get on the USB 3 bandwagon that will be the way to go (5gbps) ; )

This topic comes up all the time, do a search and you will get alot of good info

HeatherHaze

I've known people running USB 2 and had dropout issues when running alot of VSTs. USB2 port speeds run at 480mbps, PCIe is 2.5gbps. Big difference. Once manufacturers get on the USB 3 bandwagon that will be the way to go (5gbps) ; )

 
It's a big difference, but 480mbps is more than enough to handle all the audio you can throw at it. 
 
Let's say you have a project with 20 tracks of music sampled at 24-bit, 96kHz: 
 
20 x 24 x 96,000 = 46,080,000 or 46.1mbps.  That's not even breaking a sweat, using less than 10% of the available speed.  Even 100 tracks would only be about 230mbps, less than half what USB 2.0 can handle. 
 
For most audio applications, you simply don't need the extra speed.  If you're getting dropouts from a USB 2.0 interface, look for the bottleneck elsewhere.
 

Actually... The audio interface will not get all tracks you use in your DAW sent to it anyway. Unless you have multiple outs, what gets sent out by Sonar (or any DAW) is the summed tracks, so basically only one track. (otherwise, how are you going to use the buss effects and so on?) USB2 can handle that perfectly. The problem with USB is that the drivers need to be well written, as there can be a lot of overhead there. That has an impact on latency. But, when it comes to the speed of USB2, it is more than enough for audio. USB2 can easily stream HD video, and that bandwidth is a lot higher. On a USB interface, when you get problems, it is most likely the CPU that has issues following, as USB requires some CPU handling, while Firewire for example does not (or not as much anyway)
 
I've heard good things about the RME USB interfaces and the Roland Octacapture interfaces. They seem to have quite low latency.

I have the RME Fireface UFX as well, and it's great, however it is pricey. 

I used to own several MOTUs (1224, 2408, etc) and they are very nice, however I think the RME is a significant step up in driver support and mic pre / D to A converter quality.  I'd recommend checking out some of the lower priced RME models.

Regarding USB2 - I think others have explained it clearly above.  USB2 has PLENTY of bandwidth to support real time audio.  In fact, many professional units used in large studios (such as the RME Fireface UFX) uses USB2, so don't worry about that at all.  If someone's having an issue with USB2 audio latency, it's the result of a driver issue or a system bottleneck elsewhere, not USB2 architecture or throughput capacity. 

I think the "Audiophile 2496" takes a older PCI slot right, I'm assuming you will have one on your new system.  I know alot of new computer configs don't offer that slot anymore.. they are all PCIe. 

I used to have a Delta 1010 and never had any issues ; )

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2746804-Roland-Octa-Capture-Interface-Now-with-Conclusions


This review is for the Octa- Capture, I now own it and love it!