Looking for a new Soundcard...but have a small problem.

[waz21]

ASROCK 939N68PV-GLAN - Motherboard
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=939N68PV-GLAN
AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 4600 - CPU
XFX 9600GT Alpha Dog - Graphics Card

I am looking for a new Sound Card built for Music Production however
am worried that recent and Good cards now use only PCI-E slots.
As my only motherboard PCI-E slot has already been taken by my XFX 9600GT

Are there any good sound cards out there that just use normal PCI? not express

I was looking at this

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile2496.html

the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 however not sure if its PCI-E or just PCI...

Please Help!

And thank you for reading. 😉
Waz

 

[buwish]

Have a look here for more PCI based cards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008658%20600011977&IsNodeId=1&name=PCI

 

[mosox]

The 2496 is PCI and it's good for music creation.

 

[Wamphryi]

Isnt that a PCI E x 1 slot at the bottom of the Board and isnt that the PCI E slot sound cards use? I know they dont use PCI E x 16 and Im looking at an ASUS Card that uses PCI E x 1. It seems to me you have slot for a PCI E sound card.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/5599-asus-xonar-dx-7-1-pci-e-sound-card-review-4.html

 

[mosox]

Xonar isn't for music creation.

 

[waz21]

The 2496 is PCI and it's good for music creation.

oh right.
So you reckon i can fit a M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 in one of the middle two slots, that are the 2 PCI slots?

Isnt that a PCI E x 1 slot at the bottom of the Board and isnt that the PCI E slot sound cards use? I know they dont use PCI E x 16 and Im looking at an ASUS Card that uses PCI E x 1. It seems to me you have slot for a PCI E sound card.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/5599-asus-xonar-dx-7-1-pci-e-sound-card-review-4.html

Are you talking about the middle two?

Its confusing because as you can see on the spec it says:

Expansion / Connectivity Slots:

- 1 x PCI Express x16 slot
- 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
- 2 x PCI slots

I thought the
"- 1 x PCI Express x16 slot
- 1 x PCI Express x1 slot "

were the same slot on the top furthest right.
And the 2 PCI slots where the 2 in the middle.

Otherwise furthest left I don't think thats a PCI slot let alone a PCI-E since its way to small,
I would have thought.

I'm just assuming.



Otherwise to solve the problem, if I can fit a M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 in one of the 2 middle slots
then that will be fine, because the PCI-E x16 slot furthest right has been taken by my 9600GT and
left only one space for the Middle left PCI slot remaining.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[xbonez]

PCI-E x16, and PCI-E x1 are very different slots. graphics cards never run off of the x1 slot.

 

[Lutfij]

@ waz21 - you can populate the small pci-x1 slot that is seen to the far left of the board. All the newer cards can be hooked up to it.

btw you noticed the notch of the soundcard, it goes onto the shorter white slot to the left. Its noted as a PCI-E slot or PCI x1 they mentioned it here

Slots:
- 1 x PCI Express x16 slot
*- 1 x PCI Express x1 slot*
- 2 x PCI slots

** so your fine choosing regular/newer cards. note that the PCI-E grafix card slot head is aligned to the short white slot.

That M-Audio sound card is way too old to make music if you plan to run windows 7, maybe struggle with vista support, and i used it a LONG time ago...pretty good for a card of that price! I enjoyed my recording/sampling sessions.

a recommendation to add to the soundcard list : http://asia.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=875&product=17926&listby=

the good thing about the creative card is that they offer good support now. I can't remember the site where i looked up more music production soundcard/hardware. Check back here(i'll post it if i can find it)...sorry, i edit my post's alot 😛

edit: ah i found something for ya! http://www.djdeals.com/production.htm

 

[waz21]

That M-Audio sound card is way too old to make music if you plan to run windows 7, maybe struggle with vista support, and i used it a LONG time ago...pretty good for a card of that price! I enjoyed my recording/sampling sessions.

edit: ah i found something for ya! http://www.djdeals.com/production.htm

I use Windows XP SP3 so I think I should be ok for the compatibility.

However am Intrigued by your recommendation:

a recommendation to add to the soundcard list : http://asia.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=875&product=17926&listby=

the good thing about the creative card is that they offer good support now. I can't remember the site where i looked up more music production soundcard/hardware. Check back here(i'll post it if i can find it)...sorry, i edit my post's alot 😛

How does this card compare to the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 that I was looking at before?

Also just wanted to ask:

edit: ah i found something for ya! http://www.djdeals.com/production.htm

What am i looking for in here? 😉

Thanks

 

[waz21]

PCI-E x16, and PCI-E x1 are very different slots. graphics cards never run off of the x1 slot.

and sorry about that.

I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to Hardware as you can see.
I'm more of a software guy than Hardware.

Otherwise to sum up my knowledge in Hardware I only have experience in
fitting Graphics Cards, Ram Chips and PSU's thats it xD

Otherwise I'm hoping connecting the Sound Card shouldn't be too much of a task as it's like the
Graphics Card simple plug n play ^_^

 

[Lutfij]

Dude, we're here to help, thas why you posted here in the first place! 😀 OH! Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

lol.

Also just wanted to ask:

Quote :

edit: ah i found something for ya! http://www.djdeals.com/production.htm


What am i looking for in here?

the sound card's (scroll down to ESI and you'll see them-sorry for the huge list), they fair better at sound production than M-Audio's PCI solution

How does this card compare to the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 that I was looking at before?

well...your stuck with win xp...the M-Audio's your best bet. If your going to run your machine with other win's OS' (post XP) then you'll need newer hardware. I first set my eyes on the Audiophile 2496 back in 2006, alot of production houses use them yet but they all complain of the horrible driver support once into Vista/Win7 and how the cards are prone to being obsolete. To avoid such things, there are lot of workarounds=more time consumption.

Creative came out with that card a while ago - good driver support for Vista/win7 and you have a piece of hardware you can throw into another rig unlike the M-Audio. It operates on the PCI-E, a read for you

I'm hoping connecting the Sound Card shouldn't be too much of a task as it's like the
Graphics Card simple plug n play ^_^

just slide the card in your slot and boot up your rig...SIMPOL!

 

[waz21]

lol.

Also just wanted to ask:

Quote :

edit: ah i found something for ya! http://www.djdeals.com/production.htm


What am i looking for in here?

the sound card's (scroll down and you'll see them-sorry for the huge list), they fair better at sound production than M-Audio's PCI solution

How does this card compare to the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 that I was looking at before?

well...your stuck with win xp...the M-Audio's your best bet. If your going to run your machine with other win's OS' (post XP) then you'll need newer hardware. I first set my eyes on the Audiophile 2496 back in 2006, alot of production houses use them yet but they all complain of the horrible driver support once into Vista/Win7 and how the cards are prone to being obsolete. To avoid such things, there are lot of workarounds=more time consumption.

Creative came out with that card a while ago - good driver support for Vista/win7 and you have a piece of hardware you can throw into another rig unlike the M-Audio

If I get the card your recommending which is the PCI Express X-Fi Titanium Professional Audio
Will it be fine on XP?
Because although the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 is perhaps better for XP as you said,
will the difference between the two cards vary greatly?

---
Sorry for the continuous questions, I just like to be sure before I invest money into it.
Otherwise for more information on what I will be using my sound card for.
I'm into composing Music preferably Soundtrack based for Film/Game/TV
and so I need a Sound Card that can:

A: Have near Zero Audio Latency when using the MIDI keyboard and then receiving feedback from speakers

B: Be Able to process and play more than a lot of MIDI Channels and Audio Tracks at the same time
Because using onboard Audio everytime I play a lot of Instruments and Tracks using VST'S together
The Audio Laggggggggggs One heck of alot and the speakers just end up producing this "Crisp Stutter" which
more or less is the reason why I want to buy a Sound Card because I was told it was the onboard audio unable to
process the audio.

and

C: Have Nice Good Audio Quality ^_^

If the Creative Card you recommend can do that then I'd be interested.
Otherwise If the Creative Card is also Far More Superior in handling Latency and more audio tracks than the
M-AUDIO one then it would convince me to get it.
As since I'm spending some money, I'd rather get something perfect than something good.

If you understand Lutfj.

Thanks I'd love to hear from you

😀

 

[waz21]

Dude, we're here to help, thas why you posted here in the first place! 😀 OH! Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

lol.

Haha, THANKYOU

 

[Lutfij]

I always edit my posts alot!!!!! .... 😀

You need to understand that the onboard needs some assistance from the CPU/ram to process the sound info coming through your card. Getting a dedicated sound card (notably the ones that came from pre+post X-fi[not just creative's range] ranges) we're able to offload the processing onto the soundcards chip and they also had the advantage of having superior SNR's (signal to noise ratio) which means when you'll soundproof your room you won't have a slight 'whiz' sound in the background when your recorded audio

ok, with the creative card:
1| reduced latencies
2| better driver support
3| clearer audio

to answer your 3 q's with one product : Take a look at this ESI midi card and review priced at $138

i notice it has more connectivity for you and misses out on the Ableton software(featured on the M-Audio)

and here is M-Audio's review

Music recording is superior on these cards, not the X-Fi. My experience,I'm very nitpicky about the sound i hear (even the noise my case intake fan makes) with my movies, music and the layers of music in dj sets i used to do...i ended up buying an Audigy 2ZS platinum (w/ drive bay not the external decoder) for my music creation, gaming, HTPC needs. It had ALOT of connectivity and compared to the M-Audio Audiophille 2496, was cheaper and had more feature for all round use. The ESI card is of the same timeline as the Audigy 2ZS/M-Audio so it support's XP.

If the Ableton software is not an issue, and the ESI is cheaper, get that!

 

[waz21]

I always edit my posts alot!!!!! .... 😀

You need to understand that the onboard needs some assistance from the CPU/ram to process the sound info coming through your card. Getting a dedicated sound card (notably the ones that came from pre+post X-fi[not just creative's range] ranges) we're able to offload the processing onto the soundcards chip and they also had the advantage of having superior SNR's (signal to noise ratio) which means when you'll soundproof your room you won't have a slight 'whiz' sound in the background when your recorded audio

ok, with the creative card:
1| reduced latencies
2| better driver support
3| clearer audio

to answer your 3 q's with one product : Take a look at this ESI midi card and review priced at $138

i notice it has more connectivity for you and misses out on the Ableton software(featured on the M-Audio)

and here is M-Audio's review

Music recording is superior on these cards, not the X-Fi. My experience, i ended up buying an Audigy 2ZS platinum (w/ drive bay not the external decoder) for my music creation, gaming, HTPC needs. It had ALOT of connectivity and compared to the M-Audio Audiophille 2496, was cheaper and had more feature for all round use. The ESI card is of the same timeline as the Audigy 2ZS/M-Audio so it support's XP.

If the Ableton software is not an issue, and the ESI is cheaper, get that!

WOOAH 😱

The ESI midi card pawns the Audiophille by a mile.
Infact it makes the M-Audio Card look like a Paedophile... but anyways moving on..........

Lol with your posts. Your like a Magician pulling out a cuter bunny each time out of your hat.

But I'm guessing this is the best one right?

And don't worry Ableton is not an issue. Infact more so in future I will be using Cubase.
And perhaps Logic.
But at the moment I use Sony ACID Pro.

thanks

 

[mosox]

What music production? How many instruments, voices too? What software? Here's another one:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta1010LT.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000085ZKX/ref=asc_df_B000085ZKX1321090?smid=AIMZUKBRH6H15&tag=dealtmp5672-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B000085ZKX

 

[waz21]

What music production? How many instruments, voices too? What software? Here's another one:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta1010LT.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000085ZKX/ref=asc_df_B000085ZKX1321090?smid=AIMZUKBRH6H15&tag=dealtmp5672-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B000085ZKX

Music Production: Mainly Classical/ Orchestral Productions But also Electronic and Cross Genre.

How many Intruments: Please note I am using Virtual Instruments not Live, but I will be using some live in future such as Guitar and may
record Voice too.
But yes the amount of VSTI's I will be using will be quite alot hopefully.

What Software: I use Sony ACID Pro 6 right now, however in future will be looking to switch to Cubase in future.


All in all, I think what Lutfij recommended was fine.
It's not too expensive and just perfect for MIDI recording and managing multiple Tracks Internally as well as Latency.
I don't want to spend over $138 which is the price of the ESI Card.

Otherwise to make it clear, I have a home studio with not much space to record live except perhaps an acoustic guitar.
I just want something that can handle lots of MIDI Virtual instrumental Tracks/ Zero Latency and Good quality recording
when the need arises.
And I think Lutfij recommendation hit the bill perfectly.

Otherwise I don't want to slowly climb up the ladder in terms of price You see, otherwise I don't know where to draw the line.

If you think I am making a big mistake then please say more.

Thank you for your feedback 😉

 

[Lutfij]

lol, paedophile...best pun i've heard all day. If your not going ALL out then the ESI is the best with your rig/OS in mind. Cubase and Logic are good! I've been tweaking up on Ableton after I learn't how a dj uses it on 2Macbook Pro's. Acid aint bad either, i had friend tell me how user friendly it is.

I hope you read the post after the PM

You can draw the line with the ESi since all you work with is on a virtual realm. 'IF' you had a whole lineup of instruments, then you'd have needed even more connectivity like the Delta1010-LT. But yeah, if i've guessed right, you'll also work your way up in profession...so start with the ESI - Easy on the pocket, good on the ears...and maybe on your dietary budget 😀

btw i'm not a magician, just needed to get you the info so you'd be on your way

 

[waz21]

lol, paedophile...best pun i've heard all day. If your not going ALL out then the ESI is the best with your rig/OS in mind. Cubase and Logic are good! I've been tweaking up on Ableton after I learn't how a dj uses it on 2Macbook Pro's. Acid aint bad either, i had friend tell me how user friendly it is.

I hope you read the post after the PM

Thanks, I think that's what I'll get.
Thank you so much for the detail in the cards and recommendations
they've been helpful Lutfij.

And Thank you everyone for your input, it's been really helpful.

Cheers



Waz

 

[Lutfij]

don;t forget to vote for best answer

I edited it again 😛 oops...Ya know, i'm getting an itch to get one myself and pick up where i left off 😀 - this time "thank you"

 

[waz21]

don;t forget to vote for best answer

lol how do i do that? 😉

 

[Lutfij]

located on your lower right corner(select as best answer), click on the post that you think is the best answer

 

[waz21]

located on your lower right corner(select as best answer), click on the post that you think is the best answer

Lol... I'm so sorry, I have firefox and it's being annoying.
I can't find any "Vote Best Answer" button anywhere.

Care to share a PrintScreen 😉 So i can find it?

sooo sorry

 

[Lutfij]

relax,

 

[Lutfij]

edit after edit 😛