• Hardware
  • Best Soundcard(s) for Sonar and Windows 10
2015/11/07 00:52:57
BrooklynGtrMn
I'm using Sonar Platinum on a Windows 10 PC through an M-Audio ProFire 610 soundcard at the moment. Unfortunately M-Audio is no longer updating the drivers for this product and although it seems to be working fine I wanted to reach out and see if I could get recommendations for a new soundcard. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
2015/11/07 15:51:08
Zargg
Hi. First and foremost, a budget, need for ins and outs and how you wish to connect it is necessary to be able to give you valid suggestions.
And welcome to the forum.
2015/11/07 16:06:42
BrooklynGtrMn
Thanks for the replay. My current card has a firewire connection but I can go USB if that's a better option. This is a home studio so I only really do one instrument at a time so two ins and outs would be fine (no live drums or anything like that). As far as budget I want my recording to sound as professional as possible but yes I'm on a budget of sorts. I would love to get something that's under $500 if possible. I hope this helps. Just trying to narrow down my choices and I'll take it from there.
2015/11/07 16:53:36
sharke
The RME Babyface is an excellent choice and the drivers are rock solid - it's over your budget but o thought that maybe since they have released a new version (Babyface Pro) you might get a deal on one of the old ones.
2015/11/08 22:43:01
Jesse G
I recommend the Roland Octa-Capture, you will enjoy this audio interface.
 
Check it out for yourself  View the Octa-Capture
2015/11/09 01:20:25
AT
TASCAM UH-7000.  USB, premium sound that beats most of the boxes out there, esp. the preamps.
2015/11/09 05:31:44
twaddle
BrooklynGtrMn
I'm using Sonar Platinum on a Windows 10 PC through an M-Audio ProFire 610 soundcard at the moment. Unfortunately M-Audio is no longer updating the drivers for this product and although it seems to be working fine I wanted to reach out and see if I could get recommendations for a new soundcard. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!




 
I don't get it? You say it seems to be working fine so why get a new one?
 
If it starts to be the cause of issues then it's time to change, otherwise why waste your money?
Unless you have money to throw away and are wanting to treat yourself to an early Xmas present I would advise spending the money on something you have a need for.
 
Steve
2015/11/10 12:11:12
BrooklynGtrMn
I always thought that the best time to ask for advice is when you don't need it. Truth is, when a company stops supporting their hardware and no longer updates the drivers for it the writing is on the wall. I would rather start researching my options now while I have time then make a $500 impulse purchase because I'm trying to make my deadline on a recording project. Besides, it's just fun to hear what other people are using in their recording setup. 
 
Thank you all for the advice, I'm going to check every one of your recommendations out. Also, thanks for speaking your mind and offering your honest opinions of my post, that's what forums are about. When it comes to music and recording I feel we never stop learning!
2015/11/10 18:08:16
TheMaartian
Just because your budget is $500, doesn't mean you need to spend that much.
 
I am in a similar situation as you, and started with a PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL. It's a good piece of kit, but the driver was a bit unstable on my Win7 machine and failed completely under Win10. That old driver is still the current driver, and even has a Win10 compatibility statement. Bah.
 
And there was the occasional time when I wished for just ONE more input.
 
So, I picked up a Tascam US-16x08 for $200 on a Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day. Even at its normal street price of $300, it's money well spent. v1.04 of the driver fixed an issue in Reaper and has been rock-solid for me. So good, in fact, that I've made it my default Windows Playback and Recording sources. My old Bose PC speakers are in a closet.
 
It may seem like a lot of I/O, but the provides some real flexibility. For example, I have a condenser mic for vocals plugged into IN1 and a dynamic instrument mic plugged into IN5. The US-16x08 has separate phantom power enable switches for IN1-4 and IN5-8, so I have it enable for IN1 and disable for IN5.
 
I've also just picked up 4 more condenser mics that I plan to use to record a 13-member women's a cappella group at the local university. I've got the inputs for that unplanned session. No scrambling required.
 
Tascam now develop their drivers in-house. That was a big selling point for me, since the US-16x08 is a new device. Some of their older legacy interfaces with 3rd party drivers my be another issue.
 
Good luck!
 
http://tascam.com/product/us-16x08/overview/
 
EDIT: I should add that I'm running at the minimum ASIO sample size (64), and have yet to experience a glitch.
2015/11/11 17:05:33
siordanescu
PRO FIRE 610 works perfectly with windows 10. I have a m-audio projectmix and the drivers from windows 7 sp1 (version 6.0.4, x64) are rock solid in windows 10. And i mean hard working.... score music for theatre productions, musicals, etc...
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