Re: sound card recommendations ("Jelfs, Sam" )


Subject: Re: sound card recommendations
From:    "Jelfs, Sam"  <sam.jelfs@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Tue, 8 Jan 2013 07:36:34 +0000
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

--_000_2457CAAB54A05440B0CE80D0D831099E2FB635AC011DB3MPN1043MG_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi, To further add to Pawels comments regarding firewire / USB - be aware that = Apple are removing the firewire ports from a lot of there more recent machi= nes, and instead are using Thunderbolt. Whilst you can get thunderbolt to f= irewire adapters, the long term support for firewire by Apple seems to be w= aning. Sam From: AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception [mailto:AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx= ILL.CA] On Behalf Of Pawel Kusmierek Sent: Monday 7 January 2013 14:08 To: AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [AUDITORY] sound card recommendations Hi I have had a lot of good experience and a little of bad experiences) with M= -Audio, both PCI based and USB based. E-mu USB interfaces are regarded pret= ty highly among cheaper ones as well. Like Lorenzo said, there are zillion= s of options. You can go to sweetwater or zzounds or musiciansfriend or bhp= hotovideo and get overwhelmed :-) Many people will agree - although I am not sure how well supported this bel= ief is - that USB-based cards are slightly more likely to have problems wit= h skipping etc in some systems than Firewire-based ones. On the other hand,= FW cards usually have more (possibly unnecessary, but driving the price up= ) inputs and outputs than USB cards. If you go for digital settings like Lorenzo advises, make sure that the car= d's mixer application gets it right. I remember a version of M-Audio mixer = app for their PCI cards that used wring dB formula ('10 times' instead of '= 20 times'). Another option is to buy/make a separate computer-controlled at= tenuator for volume control. Hope that helps Pawel On 6 January 2013 12:03, Lorenzo Picinali <LPicinali@xxxxxxxx<mailto:LPici= nali@xxxxxxxx>> wrote: Dear Josh, there are lots of options, and they mainly depend on how much you want to s= pend. In general, I'd prefer to have an external interface (USB and/or Firewire) = with the following characteristics: -Digitally controlled headphone amplifier and microphone preamplifiers (thi= s would allow for perfectly repeatable levels) -A SNR higher than 100 dBA RME (Digiface and Fireface) are very good, and allow very accurate calibrat= ions (e.g. changing sample rate outside the standard values of 44.100, 48.0= 00, 96.000...), and also MOTU (828, Traveller) are very good, but these are= mainly multichannel models, with 8+ in and out channels with DA and AD con= verters, so...it might not be useful for you to have so many channels (even= if...in the future you might need them...you never know...). Apogee DUET is a smaller interface...not too cheap (about 350 pounds) but t= he converters are very good...there is also a smaller version called ONE, w= hich is half price and has anyway a stereo headphones output. After these, there are many other cheaper interfaces from brands such as Pr= esonus, M-Audio, Focusrite...I'd say that they are all ok...as said before,= I'd just go for an interface with digitally controlled headphones output l= evel, and not with a standard analogue knob, which makes it impossible to r= e-calibrate the levels in the same way in different sessions. I hope it helps! Yours Lorenzo -- Dr. Lorenzo Picinali Senior Lecturer in Music/Audio Technology Faculty of Technology De Montfort University, The Gateway Leicester, LE1 9BH lpicinali@xxxxxxxx<mailto:lpicinali@xxxxxxxx> Tel 0116 207 8051 ________________________________ The information contained in this message may be confidential and legally p= rotected under applicable law. The message is intended solely for the addre= ssee(s). If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified tha= t any use, forwarding, dissemination, or reproduction of this message is st= rictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipien= t, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy all copies of the= original message. --_000_2457CAAB54A05440B0CE80D0D831099E2FB635AC011DB3MPN1043MG_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-= 2"> <style> <!-- @xxxxxxxx {font-family:"Cambria Math"} @xxxxxxxx {font-family:Calibri} @xxxxxxxx {font-family:Tahoma} p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline} span.EmailStyle17 {font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D} .MsoChpDefault {} @xxxxxxxx WordSection1 {margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt} div.WordSection1 {} --> </style> </head> <body lang=3D"EN-GB" link=3D"blue" vlink=3D"purple"> <div class=3D"WordSection1"> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">Hi,</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">To further add to Pawel= s comments regarding firewire / USB &#8211; be aware that Apple are removin= g the firewire ports from a lot of there more recent machines, and instead are using Thunderbolt. Whilst you can get thunderbolt to firew= ire adapters, the long term support for firewire by Apple seems to be wanin= g. </span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">Sam</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt; font-family:&quot;C= alibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color:#1F497D">&nbsp;</span></p> <div style=3D"border:none; border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt; padding:3.0pt 0c= m 0cm 0cm"> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><b><span lang=3D"EN-US" style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; f= ont-family:&quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">From:</span></b><span= lang=3D"EN-US" style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; font-family:&quot;Tahoma&quot;,&= quot;sans-serif&quot;"> AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception [mailto:= AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx <b>On Behalf Of </b>Pawel Kusmierek<br> <b>Sent:</b> Monday 7 January 2013 14:08<br> <b>To:</b> AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx<br> <b>Subject:</b> Re: [AUDITORY] sound card recommendations</span></p> </div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Hi</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">I have had a lot of good experience and a little of = bad experiences) with M-Audio, both PCI based and USB based. E-mu USB inter= faces are regarded pretty highly among cheaper ones as well. &nbsp;Like Lor= enzo said, there are zillions of options. You can go to sweetwater or zzounds or musiciansfriend or bhphotovideo and= get overwhelmed :-)</p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Many people will agree - although I am not sure how = well supported this belief is - that USB-based cards are slightly more like= ly to have problems with skipping etc in some systems than Firewire-based o= nes. On the other hand, FW cards usually have more (possibly unnecessary, but driving the price up) inputs and outp= uts than USB cards.</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">If you go for digital settings like Lorenzo advises,= make sure that the card's mixer application gets it right. I remember a ve= rsion of M-Audio mixer app for their PCI cards that used wring dB formula (= '10 times' instead of '20 times'). Another option is to buy/make a separate computer-controlled attenuator fo= r volume control.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Hope that helps</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Pawel</p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"margin-bottom:12.0pt">&nbsp;</p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">On 6 January 2013 12:03, Lorenzo Picinali &lt;<a hre= f=3D"mailto:LPicinali@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_blank">LPicinali@xxxxxxxx</a>&= gt; wrote:</p> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Dear Josh,<br> there are lots of options, and they mainly depend on how much you want to s= pend.<br> In general, I'd prefer to have an external interface (USB and/or Firewire) = with the following characteristics:<br> -Digitally controlled headphone amplifier and microphone preamplifiers (thi= s would allow for perfectly repeatable levels)<br> -A SNR higher than 100 dBA<br> <br> RME (Digiface and Fireface) are very good, and allow very accurate calibrat= ions (e.g. changing sample rate outside the standard values of 44.100, 48.0= 00, 96.000...), and also MOTU (828, Traveller) are very good, but these are= mainly multichannel models, with 8&#43; in and out channels with DA and AD converters, so...it might not be= useful for you to have so many channels (even if...in the future you might= need them...you never know...).<br> <br> Apogee DUET is a smaller interface...not too cheap (about 350 pounds) but t= he converters are very good...there is also a smaller version called ONE, w= hich is half price and has anyway a stereo headphones output.<br> After these, there are many other cheaper interfaces from brands such as Pr= esonus, M-Audio, Focusrite...I'd say that they are all ok...as said before,= I'd just go for an interface with digitally controlled headphones output l= evel, and not with a standard analogue knob, which makes it impossible to re-calibrate the levels in the same way= in different sessions.<br> <br> I hope it helps!<br> Yours<br> Lorenzo<br> <br> <br> <br> --<br> Dr. Lorenzo Picinali<br> Senior Lecturer in Music/Audio Technology<br> Faculty of Technology<br> De Montfort University, The Gateway<br> Leicester, LE1 9BH<br> <a href=3D"mailto:lpicinali@xxxxxxxx">lpicinali@xxxxxxxx</a><br> Tel 0116 207 8051</p> </div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> </div> <br> <hr> <font face=3D"Arial" color=3D"Gray" size=3D"1">The information contained in= this message may be confidential and legally protected under applicable la= w. The message is intended solely for the addressee(s). If you are not the = intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, forwarding, dissemination, or reproduction of this message i= s strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended reci= pient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy all copies of= the original message.<br> </font> </body> </html> --_000_2457CAAB54A05440B0CE80D0D831099E2FB635AC011DB3MPN1043MG_--


This message came from the mail archive
/var/www/postings/2013/
maintained by:
DAn Ellis <dpwe@ee.columbia.edu>
Electrical Engineering Dept., Columbia University