I want to record sessions with my old Samson C01U which is an USB microphone. As the software included with it was an old version of Sonar, I had upgraded to Sonar X3 64-bit editions which is now running on Windows 8.1 64-bit. I am currently using the integrated motherboard sound card which is some Realtek card.

Which sound card do I need? I wanted to buy a SoundBlaster Z but I have read on the forums that it is okay only for gaming and not for making music/recordings. It seems I need an ASIO capable soundcard. Or not? I have an USB microphone after all. I am really lost! :(
 
In the future I may record also my guitar and I would also like to play the guitar sound through the computer. Is this possible?
 
I am using only two old quality speakers through an amplifier (stereo). I am not a 5.1/7.1 surround mode guy.
 
I have seen people recommending Focusrite 2i2, but can I also listen to music with it?
 
Which sound card do I need? I am really confused. It needs to be either PCIe or (as I see) USB. I can allocate 2-300 EURs for this.
 
Sorry if my questions are totally dumb.
 
Thanks

A USB mic is basically a microphone with an integrated USB audio interface. It doesn't need and can't use another card/driver. My guess is that its driver is not great and probably only supports WDM driver mode. I would strongly recommend you get a conventional mic and a decent ASIO interface with built-in mic preamp(s). There are lots of good used interfaces out there if you're on a tight budget. I've never bought a new one, myself.
 
 

I love my Focusrite Saffire.
Yes, you can listen to music with it if you tell Windows to use it as the default device.

The Roland Capture series is nice. You'll get more suggestions and most are good but you have to think about what you want to do now and in the future. Then weigh your options.

You can pick up a basic, but good, audio interface starting at around $150 or so, usd.  Something at that level would give you ASIO drivers, and a couple of mic/instrument inputs, likely with phantom power, and some reasonable converters and pre-amps.
 
The more inputs/outputs/pre-amps you get, the more an interface will run.
 
Make sure you find one that has Windows 7 and/or Windows 8 drivers, and if you can find one with Windows 8.1 drivers, even better.
 
I would also recommend a USB connection - most rely on USB 2, rather than USB 3.
 
A dedicated audio interface will use its circuitry to take the 'load' off of your CPU, for analog/digital conversions and such, which will help reduce the likelihood of getting dropouts and crackles and pops and that sort of thing.
 
I hope the above helps, 
 
Bob Bone

Focusrite!

Wow! Thanks for the advice. What about ESI Juli@ XTe?It's a PCIe card. Are sound cards nowadays only USB?
If the ESI is not okay I'll go with Focusrite as it seems a lot of people are recommending it.
 
Thanks

I would look at Firewire as it offers the lowest latency..
 
http://us.focusrite.com/firewirethunderbolt-audio-interfaces
 
are just a few

Just go to one of the online stores and take a look - Focusrite, Cake/Roland seem to be the local favorites.  If you want to do anything serious w/ music (other than listening) you will need a music interface, because of the problems you already have w/ the buit-in card and usb mic.  A soundblaster is better but designed for gamers and the software loads a lot of bloat w/ Creative stuff.  You'll be much better off going w/ something designed for recording and playing back mulitrack audio.  You will find real music interfaces starting at about $100, which ain't much more than a creative card.
 
Yes, you can listen to music w/ an interface, tho it might get glitchy listening to online videos and such (where the sample rates and bit depth change a lot).  But for CD and mp3 playback it should be better than your onboard card.
 
@

+1 for Focusrite
 
I got my Focusrite Saffire based on feedback of this forum and am glad that I did. If you want to pursue music seriously (even as a hobby), the audio interface is a vital piece of equipment, so spending a little more there will save a lot of pain and suffering later on. The Saffire has a feature I stumbled upon by dumb luck in that it has "ASIO aggregation" which allows it to accept ASIO input from multiple sources simultaneously. I cannot speak to other models about this, and cannot even find specific reference to this feature being enabled on my model; but for my work flow it is a gem since I often open different programs in ASIO mode at the same time (I have done it with 4 different programs at once just to see if I could). This feature is certainly not a requirement for most users, but I have crashed my machine on previous interfaces doing the same "dumb stunt" by accident.
 
I also leave my on-board audio running 24/7 and it is dedicated to Windows. Many will not recommend this, but I have not had issues in doing so.