Can you recommend a good sound card?

[georginasaint]

Hi all, I have my new set-up, laptop with Vista, Cubase Essential and East/West Gold all ready to go. Can't get anything working. Turns out I need a soundcard well I kind of knew that and I kind of forgot cos it's all SO confuzzulating. Can you gurus recommend me a good soundcard for this setup? If only I could just compose music....Georgina

[mazz]

Depends on your budget and the availability of Vista drivers. I'd suggest doing a search for working Vista drivers and make your decision based on that. Apparently not all soundcard companies are up to speed with Vista yet.I'd also recommend going with Firewire.Good luck!!Mazz

[milfus]

yeah, vista def makes it tough, if you are lookin for an interface and stuff, i would definitely check it against the compatibility lists, that or if you have a disk, you might want to seriously consider a dual boot, if you are tech savy

[ciskokidd]

Hi Georgina,EMU-Creative has a good sound card with Vista drivers that is pretty darn good for a budget. You can probably get one for around the $200.00 mark. check out the EMU 0404. It's a USB 2.0 card and I think is the best priced/quality card out there at the moment.RME has a much more expensive firewire sound card with great Vista drivers, but it will end up running you somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-$800.Best,Cisco

[che]

I agree with Cisco on an EMU card. It says that they are all Vista compatible on their website.We are leaning towards the EMU 1616M ($499). Here's a link to their site http://www.emu.com/products/welcome.asp ... ry=505&the 1616 ($399) is similar but the M means something that I can't put my head around at the moment. I posted what it means in another tech thread on here. It's something about the processors using the same technology as Pro Tools system...... but don't quote me on that. The hubby is the expert.

[andreh]

Apr 23, 2008, 3:20pm, che wrote:the 1616 ($399) is similar but the M means something that I can't put my head around at the moment. I posted what it means in another tech thread on here. It's something about the processors using the same technology as Pro Tools system...... but don't quote me on that. The hubby is the expert. che-The "M" version uses the same analog-to-digital convertor chips as the Digidesign 192i/o interface, but since the analog circuitry surrounding a convertor chip plays a big role in how a convertor actually sounds, this feature doesn't necessarily mean the EMU is any good. It does, however, mean the unit likely sounds better than the non-"M" version.FWIW, I've heard good things about the EMU's sound...though I haven't auditioned it myself.André

[che]

Andre,Thanks for explaining the M. We have the 1212M in our desktop and like it. Are wanting to get the 1616M for the laptop we will be getting.

[ernstinen]

I've got an Echo Gina that came with my VisionDAW (WinXP), which I like a lot. I think it's been discontinued, though.Here's their Firewire soundcards that have Vista drivers:http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/FireWire/Ern

[che]

Ern,We were actually going to get the Gina, but by the time we tried to purchase it, it was discontinued. That's how we ended up with the EMU.

[elser]

I've had a RME Hammerfall card for about 6 years. It's been through 3 different computers, it's very versatile as far as connections and driver support. It's a little pricey, but it's a really solid performer.