Soundcard upgrade time.

I currently have an m-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card.
It does a job but I fear that I could get better results with better quality converters and a more accurate sample clock.

I sought advice in the SONAR forum but threads quickly drop off page 1 there.

I would prefer a PCI card over anything else because of the bandwidth.

I currently output from the 2496 on unbalanced RCA to a consumer amplifier and would wish to continue this arrangement.

Currently I can only connect 1 stereo analogue input to my 2496 and do this via a Yamaha 10/2 analogue mixer which also serves as a pre-amp for (very rarely used) Mic input, so pre-amps are not a priority.

My priority is better quality converters, quality syncing, ease of incorporation into my current home setup, reduced CPU load (if possible), and cost!!

I am looking at the E-MU 1616M but have heard horror stories about compatiblility and notice it has balanced TRS 1/4" Outs.

I am looking at a couple of FW solutions: the RME FF400 for one and the DIgiface2 + PCI card. Both these have the 1/4"TRS balanced line outputs too which possibly presents me with a problem.

My budget is realistically c. £300 GBP pounds sterling but might stretch to £500 - remember many products are far more expensive here than in the USA eg RME FF400 £520 - £550 equiv. $1020- $1080 so please be aware of this when making recommendations. This budget rules out Lynx and Apogee and certain other high end cards.

My comp specs are in my sig. XP Pro SP2 is the O/S and not likely to move to Vista for a while yet (but haven't ruled it out).

Get a Lynx Two. There are three models to choose from depending on how many ins and outs you want. It's simply the best sound card in the world bar none. You have to get very expensive outboard converters to get any better sound. In fact my Lynx is the best sounding recording device of any kind I have ever used. It's more then just the chip used, many other cards use the same chip in their cards but don't get the performance of the Lynx.. it's just magic engieering from end to end.

An RME card would be second best but they tend to have only stereo analog I/O and a lot of digital I/O. I like to avoid digital I/O when I can because it's non error checking and there is not even a good way to measure errors so you never know how bad it is till it's too late. With a PCI card the converters are right there with the clock and PCI bus.

One note on the Lynx, it's dead quiet except for un-terminated inputs. You need to have them pluged into something all the time or mute them with the software mixer or you will pick up some slight noise at the unused inputs. The device doesn't even have to be tured on it just needs to be pluged in. Anyway that's my advice.

ORIGINAL: mcjoe

I am also thinking of upgrading my soundcard.
My main concern is latency. I have been told my soundblaster platinum is the reason I can't get below 20 ms without problems.

I was looking at a M-audio 44, It is quite a bit cheaper than something like the lynx two. What would I be getting for the extra $1000? I can not justify that kind of cost.
Could someone suggest a good site to compare cards?

Soundblaster "What" Platinum? Soudblaster Platinum, Audiology Platinum, or X-Fi Platinum?
Because the "X-Fi" Platinum will go down to 2ms without problems.

I do have a Mackie 1202 VLZ That I use to mix my inputs.
Thanks for the description I will give it a try.

ORIGINAL: mcjoe
I do have a Mackie 1202 VLZ That I use to mix my inputs.
Thanks for the description I will give it a try.

i have the same mixer. here is exactly what i do - channels 1-10 are all normal (mute/alt 3-4 button up), channels 11-12 alt 3-4 button down. output from soundcard goes to channels 11-12, all other channels can be used for inputs. main outs go to soundcard inputs, control room outs go to monitors. on the control room source only alt 3-4 is down and everything.

only problem with this setup is that the RCA tape outs won't pick up your soundcard. fixed by muting your record channel(s) on your soundcard and switching off alt 3-4 on channels 11-12. you can try a complete swap of "alt 3-4" on all the channels and maybe that would fix it.

I am looking at the E-MU 1616M but have heard horror stories about compatiblility and notice it has balanced TRS 1/4" Outs.

The only issues I've heard are where people don't disable their onboard audio in BIOS, or don't properly remove their SB drivers prior to installing the EMU.

Some also whine about PatchMix...but I have to say, once you learn how to use it, it is just great. Very flexible! If you like input monitoring, PatchMix does it with zero latency.
It's also nice to be able to put a compressor on the input to control dynamics while tracking. You may also monitor wet, while recording dry, or vice versa...helps people stay confident with their headphone mix.

Good luck with your upgrade.

ORIGINAL: Jamz0r

I am looking at the E-MU 1616M but have heard horror stories about compatiblility and notice it has balanced TRS 1/4" Outs.

The only issues I've heard are where people don't disable their onboard audio in BIOS, or don't properly remove their SB drivers prior to installing the EMU.

Some also whine about PatchMix...but I have to say, once you learn how to use it, it is just great. Very flexible! If you like input monitoring, PatchMix does it with zero latency.
It's also nice to be able to put a compressor on the input to control dynamics while tracking. You may also monitor wet, while recording dry, or vice versa...helps people stay confident with their headphone mix.

Good luck with your upgrade.

I have the E-MU 1616M PCI, I use just for recording, the patch thing is a little confusing
im still trying to to learn it. the only thing i dont like about it is its limited playback
which is just stereo.