Apr 14, 2006 03:43 am also, do you need to already have a internal sound card designed for recording music in your computer to connect these external sound cards to?
External Sound Cards?
Posted on Apr 14, 2006 03:37 am
jimmyboy
Member Since: Sep 08, 2005
a friend of mine was talking to me about externarly soundcards... Iv never heard of him but i didnt want to argue with him encase it would have turned out i was wrong. Do these exist? can they be moved around and used on different computers?
Is this the kind of thing he was talking about:
www.thomann.de/thoiw6_artikel-174404.html
ALso, is this:
www.thomann.de/thoiw6_dig...2_prodinfo.html
a removable sound card? I know all sound cards are removable but can this be slotted in and out with ease?
Thanks!
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Apr 14, 2006 03:43 am also, do you need to already have a internal sound card designed for recording music in your computer to connect these external sound cards to?
Apr 14, 2006 06:11 am What are you using to record a PC or a laptop as the first card is PCI based for a pc and the other is PCIMA for a laptop.
If it is for a base PC then a movable sound card would be either a USB or Firewire interface. This enables you use the sound card on any computer.
By proxy Laptops are moveable due to the PCIMA card system.
I personally would recomend a PCI based card for a PC situation as they are by far more stable and reiant. I know a lot of members here use USB and Firewire and do not have problems with them, ut for me the tried and tested is the safest. But hey it's a personal opinion and decision made upon needs.
Apr 14, 2006 08:42 am I have a mate who uses an M-Audio External interface on his laptop and this works just fine...a USB card it is...seems to be good.
You can check specs on the internal versus externals before you decide. I would personally prefer an internal card over an external one as they are generally (generally remember) more reliable and sometimes slightly faster and also, much cheaper usually but if you need external, they are not bad at all.
Good luck.
Coco.
Apr 14, 2006 12:14 pm what way do the external work eaxtactly?
Can the be used on a number of pcs? If so i think if would be more suitable for me and I have been swapping computers recently.
Do you need to have a decent sound card in your pc to connect the external card to?
Apr 14, 2006 12:19 pm If you're plugging in an external sound card to a PC, then it'll interface via either Firewire or USB. No sound card required other than the external one.
Apr 14, 2006 01:30 pm Jimmyboy:
Nope, you don't need anything in your PC as an existing sound card. The external device will do it all. So you need not worry about any 'built-in' soundcard.
Actually, lots of people turn off the built in sound card, as it's not worth having active.
How they work (external sound card, or interface), is the sound card only does two things (very simply):
1. convert audio (sine wave) to digital format (1s and 0s)
2. convert digital audio (1s and 0s) to audio format (sine wave) that you can hear.
Where this takes place matters not to the PC, just that it knows where the A/D stream is coming from, and where to send the data back to for D/A conversion.
On lots of current devices, the USB or Firewire cable carries the digital signal to and from the external device, and the external device does the A/D and D/A conversion.
I have a tascam US122 that works quite well, for what it is. There's lots of other options, notably as of late, the yamaha mw10 and mw12. These are usb connected sound card, but also have a mixer built in to it. So you get a mixer, and a pretty good sound interface for recording in one package. I wish I was in the market for one, I'd buy it =).
Apr 14, 2006 01:53 pm ok i get it now!
and these are suitable for recording music obviously?
What I would be doing is hoking my behringher mixer up to the sound card. WOuld this be ok? My mixer burnt out my last sound card but that was a standard pc sound card not designed for recording so it was my fault!
thanks to all who responded!
Apr 14, 2006 01:58 pm Most external devices, if they have 1/4" or XLR inputs are worthy of recording...not a hard and fast rule, but a good guide. If the sound card only has those little 1/8" inputs do some research...
Well, on the other hand, always do the reasearch.
Also look for ASIO and WDM driver support, the two most common for recording. Most any device has WDM, if it also has ASIO that is also a good sign.
Apr 14, 2006 02:07 pm a small warning, if you burned out a standard sound card, you can burn out a recording card too.
If you fried a standard card, I'm gonna guess that you plugged a line level signal into a mic input. If this is the case, then be sure you're dealing with the right types of signal when you plug stuff together. mic level inputs are only supposed to see around .1 volt of signal in a sine wave. Line level puts out about 1 volt of signal, so you can see the problem. Don't plug line level signals into mic level inputs, and you should be fine.
Costly lesson, but hopefully you have a good grasp on why it happened, so you don't do it again =).
Apr 14, 2006 07:54 pm what you be the main popular external sound cards that are suitable for recording?
I looked at the tascam US122 pjk mentioned and its seems good and affordable!
Apr 14, 2006 10:48 pm You might want to look into the Line 6 UX-2 as well.
www.homerecordingconnecti...tory&id=727
dB and I reviewed them a little while ago. I was skeptical about a USB external interface untill I plugge dthese little guys in. Boy was I suprised to see how well they performed. I dont have one bad thing to say about them at all. And the drivers were extremely stable. But the audio quality itself rivals my much more expensive ESI interfaces.
Apr 14, 2006 11:09 pm I use an Edirol FA-66 and really like it.
Apr 15, 2006 05:47 am would it be possible to use the Line 6 tone port with my BEHRINGER UB1622FX-PRO EURORACK. I would connect my mixer to the tone port. Should this work?
Just to clear up what I said above, when i burnt out my sound card, I was connecting the mixer to my computer, I connected the right main jack (not 3 pin lead) up to my sound card into the input. Should this have fried the card or did something go wrong.
Am I better off using the main output with jack leads or main outputs for mic (3pin) leads?? See pic below!
Apr 15, 2006 06:32 am the tone port could go right into the sound card, no mixer needed...
Apr 15, 2006 07:28 am the reason I want to use the mixer is for recording drums.
I will but hooking up approx 7 drum mics to my mixer, then connect the mixer to the external sound card.
Could the tone port handle this? If not could someone reccomend one that could...
thanks!
Apr 15, 2006 07:47 am The TonePort is nothing you would want to use for drums, it's for guitar, bass and vocals...and it only havs a couple inputs for mics on the UX2 model, only one mic input on UX1.
Apr 15, 2006 08:52 am ok....
Iv probably been to unclear all along.
I need an external sound card that I can connect my BEHRINGER UB1622FX-PRO EURORACK up to. I want a sonud card that can handle my mixer as I will be recordin all types of instruments, drums,guitar,bass,sax,tin whistle ectect. Basically I need the mixer to connect numberous microphones to and then connect the mixer to my sound card.
Hope this makes it clearer! thanks for all your patience!
Apr 15, 2006 09:42 am ahhhhhhhhhh, OK, yeah, in that case the TonePort would be awesome for ya. I would suggest the UX2 for the more inputs.
www.homerecordingconnecti...rding+Interface
Apr 15, 2006 09:57 am sweet. Thanks for the advice.
so you think that would be ok for what I mentioned?
would this tascam us122 work for what i mentioned?
www.thomann.de/thoiw6_tas...o_prodinfo.html
thanks again..
Apr 15, 2006 11:48 am Yes, that would likely work, the main (aqnd BIG) difference between that and the TonePort is that the TonePort also has amp, stompbox, speaker, mic and vocal preamp models, many of which are REALLY nice. Loads of great presets and such...the Tascam, it appears, has none of that.
That said,m the Tascam appears as though it would do the job as well.
Apr 15, 2006 01:12 pm thanks forthe advice man!
you have been really helpful!
Apr 15, 2006 01:19 pm hey guys my friend wanted one for his laptop and we was looking at the m audio fast track pro....i see its not mentioned here....any of u had experience with it?
Apr 15, 2006 05:09 pm I have read a couple reviews and it seems to be a pretty stable unit. I trust the USB connectivity much more then Firewire at the moment. And I havent had any trouble with the UX-2 using its USB interface.
Apr 16, 2006 11:57 am ok so here are all the models i am looking at. If there is anyone of these that is unsuitable for what I want could you please tell me as Im an not too sure myself!
LEXICON Omega Studio: www.thomann.de/thoiw6_lex...dinfo.html#fpix
LINE6 TONEPORT UX2:
www.thomann.de/thoiw6_lin...2_prodinfo.html
Tascam US122:
www.thomann.de/thoiw6_tas...o_prodinfo.html
All of these have free software with them which is also a bonus! These are the only items i can find in my price range...
Thanks guys!
Apr 16, 2006 07:29 pm Well, they are all good units. Tascam seems to be having issues with Tech support of their products these days, but things could change to bring that around.
The Lexicon unit has gotten some great reviews as well. Very stable, good drivers and a nice compact unit. I have trusted their reverbs for years as well as some other rack FX units. Good solid stuff.
But as stated above, the Line 6 Tone Port UX-2 does offer a good deal of things the others do not offer. High end pre amp emulations, bass and guitar amp like a POD. And a boat load of FX built right into the unit. All the USB units will run ASIO and you are limited to using only 2 imputs at a time, so any of those 3 will be equal in that respect. But I think in that price range, honestly the UX-2 is the best bang for the dollar.
Just my humble opinion.
Noize
Apr 18, 2006 03:20 pm Im gonna get he tone port!!! i was just on the line6 site and it looks awesome!
And you guys are sure it can handle what i mentioned about connectiong my mixer to this.
Would i hook my mixer up to the mic inputs on the tone port?
Thanks alot guys!
Apr 19, 2006 02:52 pm Not mic inputs, as they are just that: microphone inputs. You'd want to connect the mixer outputs to the line inputs on the toneport. Line level and mic level inputs are very different, and problems will arise if they're switched around.
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