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  3. Which Soundcard to use

  • Which Soundcard to use

    S
    S

    I was very happy with my TASCAM US-144. 
    Unfortunatly I cannot get it running properly on Windows 7. I consider buying a TASCAM US-144 MHII or a Sounbalster Titanium. Has anyone any experience with one of these in conjunction with Vienna Instuments?

    Thanks Stefan
  • Beat KaufmannB
    Beat KaufmannB

    Hello Stefan

    I recommend a soundcard which is developed for producing music. So there are several companies which are offering products from cheap to expensive.

    "Soundblaster" is more for the general Media-Area - I believe.

    Some companies:  M-Audio, Presonus, RME, Apogee, Alesis, Roland, ESI, E-Mu, Focusrite and also Tascam of course.

    Further:

    The interface should support ASIO 2.0 in any case

    The interface should come with WIN-7 Drivers in your case. Check this for the desired Interfaces.

    Check also whether there are WIN7 64Bit drivers or not. Maybe within 2-3 years most of the music software runs under 64-Bit.

    It's not bad to have more than two Outputs which can be used in the meantime (and perhaps Inputs)

    It's not bad to have a digital In/Out (S/PDIF)

    USB- and Fire- Interfaces are not as fast as PCI(e) cards are.

    Nevertheless, USB-Interfaces are often portable and can be handled very easy. But, because of the slow USB-Bus they generate longer latency times.

    You know it from your Tascam 144

    One of the fastest USB-Interface offers RME

    Best

    Beat

    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • S
    S

    Hello Beat

    Thanks for the answer.

    In the meantime I got my Tascam 144 running on Windows 7. There is some confusion on Tascam's website which driver to use with Windows 7. Tascam US- 144 seems to have been discontinued and has been replaced by a follow up model

    Nevertheless, I'll probably switch to an internal Soundcard in the near future and therfore your advice is very much appreciated.

    Stefan
  • C
    C

    Whichever brand you choose, avoid M-Audio like the plague.  You've been warned :).

    RME is a stellar company.  More pricey but the cards are simply rock solid and the drivers are first class.

    Maestro2be
  • D
    D
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    @cgernaey said:

    Whichever brand you choose, avoid M-Audio like the plague

    What are you talking about. I have only ever used an m-audio 2496 and never ever had any problems and they're dirt cheap - very highly recommended
  • C
    C

    They are the slowest driver supporting company in the audio industry hands down.  You're lucky if they even decide to write a driver for any new platform that comes out.  I still stand by what I said.  You can always decide to try it if you want but you've been warned.

    I have 3 M-Audio cards over the years (Firewire 2496, revolution 5.1, and firewire Audiophile).  None of them ever got a 64 bit driver for all the years 64bit XP was out.  They didn't even get one for vista 64 (only a beta) which was hit or miss completely.

    Now that windows 7 is out, they have no intention of even writing a driver for some of the above ones listed.  They are not a reputable company in terms of support and driver updating.  If you get a supported model of theirs and decide to never upgrade your OS (not even the service pack level) then you might be ok.  Other than that, you've been fairly warned.  One users positive experience won't offset the reality of their horrible support.  I guess though the low cost stuff they sell might be worth it, use it for the current OS and then throw it away when you upgrade and buy a new one.  Head over to LogicProHelp or any other professional website and ask them how they feel about M-Audio.  Then again, don't take my word for it as it's your money and decision.  Dave has had better luck with the 2496 internal card than me or anyone I know with M-Audio products.  Perhaps they will continue to support that model, but it's a crap shoot. I've given my recommendation so I am out of this conversation now :).

    Maestro2be
  • J
    J
    Yes, I was using an M Box. It was great, worked fine. But when I got a new computer using Windows 7 it was not supported. No drivers available. I was forced to replace the M Box.
  • E
    E
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    @cgernaey said:

    Whichever brand you choose, avoid M-Audio like the plague

    What are you talking about. I have only ever used an m-audio 2496 and never ever had any problems and they're dirt cheap - very highly recommended

    Hey Dave, I have a 2496 since 2001 and it's been collecting dust on my G4. Are you saying that with this card you stream all your audio through MIR and mix? Some details of your workflow would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.