Sound Card for Midi Controller

2006-12-20

What Sound Cards should I be looking at for use with a Midi controller Keyboard and programs like Reason or probably Cakewalk Project 5 (version 2)?

I can't go above $400. Can you regular sound creators let me know what you recommened?

Cheers.

(My system is good to go but my sound card is an old SoundBlaster Live Platinum from about 6 years ago.)

BVX · 2006-12-21 #2

i'm using m-audio fierewire audiophile, and it's very good. i mean everything works fine and the quality is 'sound'... the only thing i don't like is the front audio controlls, namely the "level controller" - it feels a bit cheap, but i don't use it at all because the software with the soundcard has all the necessary controls and i keep it at 0db.

there are also other m-audio soundcards, but i got it because it fit my budget. it has 1 input, 2 outputs, s/pdif i/o, midi i/o.

in my opinion, m-audio products are very good.

Nutrox · 2006-12-21 #3

The only time you really need to spend big bucks on a sound card is if you are planning to get your music professionally mastered. I just use a Realtek AC97 card in my home PC for music and it does a good enough job.

2006-12-21 #4

Thanks BVX and Splat.

I just want a good enough card that can keep up with the software and midi controller. Some old cards have a latency or timing problem so I want something fairly up to date and fast enough. I'm also a gamer so - I'd like the card to handle games well too.

That said - I only use headphones (in this apartment).

I've only had Creative cards in the past which seem to handle games very well but I never used midi controllers and decent music software before.

I'll check out the M-audio ones...

Cheers.

Nutrox · 2006-12-21 #5

Most modern keyboards / midi controllers use USB for midi data these days, so you can bypass the sound card midi ports completely. I just pop a USB plug into the back of my O2 keyboard, fire up Reason, and away I go.

BVX · 2006-12-21 #6

right, but USB connections sometimes make problems. when you have a usb mouse, keyboard and sound card it gets a bit too much and you can get latency problems and 'disturbed' audio. that's why i recommend the firewire (or PCI/bus like indigo soundcard) connections.

Rinkadink · 2007-01-12 #7

I use the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 .
I paied around 120 USD and iam super happy. I use this card for Cubase and Logic, without any problem of resonance time. Also for other eqipment like firewhire´s keybords etc. i always choose M-Audio because of ther economic prices and high quality standarts. To play games you can use your soundcard from your mainboard (;

To use your Headphones to produce can bring prolems for later, i recomend you to spend you rest of your mony (or may a little bit more) for monitor loudspeekers otherwhise you will never know why how good is your new soundcard.

(please vorgive my bad english)

2007-01-12 #8

Thanks Rinkadink.

The onboard sound on the motherboard is surprisingly similar to my old soundblaster platinum. Almost impossible to tell the difference.

I'll shop M-Audio in the near future I think.

BVX · 2007-01-12 #9

Originally posted by Rinkadink
To use your Headphones to produce can bring prolems for later, i recomend you to spend you rest of your mony (or may a little bit more) for monitor loudspeekers

I use my headphones (HDJ-1000) as well, instead of my studio monitors. But not all the time

Rinkadink · 2007-01-14 #10

To use headphones is may sometimes quite comfotrable, but the day you will bring you sounds to the studio for real hardware mastering you will have may a shock whath comes out of the professional loudspekers from the studio. The reasen why its not realy nice to produce with headphones is beacause the sounds of every headphone is different. Try it out and listen your sounds on different headphones. Ultrashock (;

BVX · 2007-01-14 #11

sure, but the sound of every studio monitor is also different. and when dealing with loudspeakers, you need to adjust them to the room acoustics and so on.

Nutrox · 2007-01-14 #12

It's actually possible to work with any speakers or headphones, as long as you know how those speakers or headphones "sound". You can play a commercial/mastered track through the speakers or headphones and then mix your music to match that sound. If you have used the same set of speakers for a while then you should be able to mix your stuff without too much problem... although you will still want to get it mastered if you take things to that stage.

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	BVX	2006-12-21 #2
	i'm using m-audio fierewire audiophile, and it's very good. i mean everything works fine and the quality is 'sound'... the only thing i don't like is the front audio controlls, namely the "level controller" - it feels a bit cheap, but i don't use it at all because the software with the soundcard has all the necessary controls and i keep it at 0db. there are also other m-audio soundcards, but i got it because it fit my budget. it has 1 input, 2 outputs, s/pdif i/o, midi i/o. in my opinion, m-audio products are very good.

	Nutrox 17 Creative Assets	2006-12-21 #3
	The only time you really need to spend big bucks on a sound card is if you are planning to get your music professionally mastered. I just use a Realtek AC97 card in my home PC for music and it does a good enough job.

	Mime	2006-12-21 #4
	Thanks BVX and Splat. I just want a good enough card that can keep up with the software and midi controller. Some old cards have a latency or timing problem so I want something fairly up to date and fast enough. I'm also a gamer so - I'd like the card to handle games well too. That said - I only use headphones (in this apartment). I've only had Creative cards in the past which seem to handle games very well but I never used midi controllers and decent music software before. I'll check out the M-audio ones... Cheers.

	Nutrox 17 Creative Assets	2006-12-21 #5
	Most modern keyboards / midi controllers use USB for midi data these days, so you can bypass the sound card midi ports completely. I just pop a USB plug into the back of my O2 keyboard, fire up Reason, and away I go.

	BVX	2006-12-21 #6
	right, but USB connections sometimes make problems. when you have a usb mouse, keyboard and sound card it gets a bit too much and you can get latency problems and 'disturbed' audio. that's why i recommend the firewire (or PCI/bus like indigo soundcard) connections.

	Rinkadink	2007-01-12 #7
	I use the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 . I paied around 120 USD and iam super happy. I use this card for Cubase and Logic, without any problem of resonance time. Also for other eqipment like firewhire´s keybords etc. i always choose M-Audio because of ther economic prices and high quality standarts. To play games you can use your soundcard from your mainboard (; To use your Headphones to produce can bring prolems for later, i recomend you to spend you rest of your mony (or may a little bit more) for monitor loudspeekers otherwhise you will never know why how good is your new soundcard. (please vorgive my bad english)

	Mime	2007-01-12 #8
	Thanks Rinkadink. The onboard sound on the motherboard is surprisingly similar to my old soundblaster platinum. Almost impossible to tell the difference. I'll shop M-Audio in the near future I think.

	BVX	2007-01-12 #9
	Originally posted by Rinkadink To use your Headphones to produce can bring prolems for later, i recomend you to spend you rest of your mony (or may a little bit more) for monitor loudspeekers I use my headphones (HDJ-1000) as well, instead of my studio monitors. But not all the time

	Rinkadink	2007-01-14 #10
	To use headphones is may sometimes quite comfotrable, but the day you will bring you sounds to the studio for real hardware mastering you will have may a shock whath comes out of the professional loudspekers from the studio. The reasen why its not realy nice to produce with headphones is beacause the sounds of every headphone is different. Try it out and listen your sounds on different headphones. Ultrashock (;

	BVX	2007-01-14 #11
	sure, but the sound of every studio monitor is also different. and when dealing with loudspeakers, you need to adjust them to the room acoustics and so on.

	Nutrox 17 Creative Assets	2007-01-14 #12
	It's actually possible to work with any speakers or headphones, as long as you know how those speakers or headphones "sound". You can play a commercial/mastered track through the speakers or headphones and then mix your music to match that sound. If you have used the same set of speakers for a while then you should be able to mix your stuff without too much problem... although you will still want to get it mastered if you take things to that stage.