soundcards primarily for recording and playback...

[the_monsterous]

my dude has the Audiophile 2496, and my vocals on it are butter...so I bought and installed the Audiophile 2496 for my home studio, and then after it crashing my computer four times, I removed it and then did my homework...much to my chagrin, it doesn't work on the Windows Vista OS system...so my question is: does anyone have the slightest idea of around when the driver will be updated for the 2496???....the 2496 is supposed to be one of the best audio interfaces, but I don't feel like having this sound card just sitting in the box and me not making tracks...so are there any other soundcards built essentially for recording that are comparable to the 2496???....all help is greatly appreciated...

[AndyH]

I have not been following the controversy very closely, but it seems that many audio oriented people see Vista as a decent into the pit. Perhaps soundcard manufacturers have a similar view because not many drivers have shown up yet. Apparently all the DRM requirements really complicate things.

The Audiophile is a good card and pretty inexpensive. There are, however, many good cards from the professionally oriented manufactures (not gaming/multimedia companies like Creative and their clone brothers). Most are a bit more expensive than the Audiophile 2496, but you probably can't tell any difference in results. Of course, there is still the Vista driver issue with most of them.

[the_monsterous]

eh...it's getting quite frustrating trying to find an interface that's Vista compatible...I was looking into purchasing the Edirol UA1EX, but the more I read about it, the more it seems to be tailored especially for listening....I have yet to be able to find a review of it by anybody who uses it to record...but it's around 80$, so I might just get that and test it out...

[ecc83]

Yesterday I bought the June issue of Computer Music magazine. In it they review the Quad Core System pc (www.music-pc.com) £1650! They pronouce it the dogs, THE most powerful music pc they have ever tested. OS? Xp Home. The makers say (effectively) Vista ain't worth the money and hassle but we will put it in if you insist but don't come crying when....

Lots of musos I understand still run dual boot or network systems to keep loved soundcards going in 98. I also understand dual boot xp/Vista is fraught?
So will peeps be netting 3 machines? Green Mr Gates, very green.

Dave. ( Oh! And Nero is screwed as well)

[poorsod]

many audio oriented people see Vista as a decent into the pit.

Not just audio people. Gamers, businessmen, home users, teachers, essentially anyone who's had working experience with it will agree that it's just not finished. Support among hardware manufacturers is far too thin on the ground at the moment, and bugs (especially performance-related ones) are really proliferating.

As it stands, it's not worth switching from any version of XP for at least 6 months, unless you're willing to be Microsoft's guinea pig.

[TimOBrien]

Any OS that is less than 1 year old is a BETA product - and you are the bug tester!

It takes at least a year for the initial bugs to be fixed, and more importantly for the drivers, plugins and applications to be rewritten for it.

Next time DO YOUR HOMEWORK and check out the manufacturers website for OS compatibility before buying hardware to go on a new OS.....

[ecc83]

Is there any other common OS that a 2496 WON'T work on?

Dave.

[the_monsterous]

I just bought and installed the Edirol UA1EX...the only thing I'm stumped about is getting the damn thing to record...my mic isn't registering any sound...hmmmm...

[AndyH]

Do you have a microphone preamp in between your microphone and this device or are you using a microphone that doesn't require phantom power?

Does the OS recognize the device and say it is working correctly?

What software are you recording into? Does the Edirol show up in the recording device set-up?

[the_monsterous]

Do you have a microphone preamp in between your microphone and this device or are you using a microphone that doesn't require phantom power?

Does the OS recognize the device and say it is working correctly?

What software are you recording into? Does the Edirol show up in the recording device set-up?

1) I have a condensed mic, that's connected to my compressor, and that's now connected to the Edirol...which is connected to my comp.

2) yeah, Vista recognizes the Edirol and I can hear sound through my monitors

3) Cool Edit Pro 2.0 ( that's the next thing I intend on buying, maybe ProTools )....and the Edirol shows up in the recording set-up under the device order and device setting menus...

now, my problem is that when I'm recording, my vocals are way too faint and it's not being picked up by the mic, even when the input gain on the compressor is at 60db ( my highest level )....the Edirol has a seperate input gain also, but the louder I raise it, the more interference I hear on the playback...I'm pretty stumped right now...read the manual and visited Rolandus.com, but they don't have anything dealing with my issue...the more time I have to spend trying to circumvent my way around Vista, the less time I have to make tracks...I was thinking of taking Vista off my damn comp and installing XP so I could install the Audiophile 2496, but that equals me putting more money into this than I had anticipated...or I could call it a wrap and just purchase a SoundBlaster Audigy SE, even though the quality might not be what I desire, I wouldn't be getting headaches...I don't know...

[AndyH]

I have to assume that this "compressor" contains a microphone preamp and that the preamp furnishes phantom power for the microphone. Is this the setup you used that provided the satisfaction with the Audiophile 2496 you wrote about in the first post? If so, it is apparently capable of producing an adequate signal to feed the line in of the Audiophile. Are you well familiar with its settings so you are certain all switches and controls are properly set for what you are trying to do?

You should not be plugging your outboard device (the compressor) into the microphone input of the Edirol. Use a line level input. The microphone input is to a (probably poor quality) microphone preamp. Plugging another preamp into it is never correct and will result in noise and distortion you don't want.

Unfortunately I find no specifications on the Edirol device. Well, I do get 547 hits on Google, but all I've looked at so far are virtually identical and say virtually nothing. I am not willing to read them all. The best guess is that its input is rated (more or less) for the +10dBV standard. It s exceedingly common for microphone preamplifiers to provide both +10dBV and -4dBu outputs. The -4dBu output is a higher signal level, so you should try that if your recording level is too low. Make sure you don't have any pad switches engaged. Beyond this, an adequately detailed description of everything in your signal path might provide some clue.

[the_monsterous]

eh....I've uninstalled the Edirol....I'm just going to sit on the 2496 and hope they have a driver by the end of the month/early next month...thanks for the help though...

[ecc83]

Have you checked with M-Aud? I could not see anything about Vdrivers for 2496 in the pipe. They seem to be doing jack with 64bit as well.

Dave.( a very happy XP bunny)

[looouudspeaker]

I think it's smart choice to just stick with the 2496! After all, isn't it one of the best?

____________________
Marie Jane

[poorsod]

Trouble is Vista drivers don't exist for the 2496 yet. Perhaps beta drivers do, but certainly not stable ones.

So if he wanted to stick with the 2496 he'd have to downgrade to XP.


And no, it's not one of the best. It's a good prosumer card, but it doesn't come close to a proper FireWire interface like the Firebox.

[ecc83]

In what way poorsod, do you have any A/B comparisons?


Dave.

[poorsod]

Well you can see from the numbers that the Firebox is better.

2496 (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile2496-focus.html) (the SNR is on this (http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Midiman-M-Audio-Delta-Audiophile-2496) site)
Firebox (http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html) (SNR is here (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=112326))

Important numbers:

Frequency response: 22Hz-22kHz on the 2496; 10Hz to 50kHz on the Firebox
SNR: 104dB on the 2496; 107dB on the Firebox
Dynamic range: A/D: 104dB on the 2496; 107dB on the Firebox
D/A: 100.4dB on the 2496; 110dB on the Firebox

Also note that the Firebox is external (usually less noise), portable and has two preamps and more I/O. While I've had experience with both at friends' houses, I haven't been able to compare them side by side.

In short, the 2496 isn't excellent quality, but it is cheap and very popular. It's certainly a good introduction to pro audio; a good prosumer card.

[the_monsterous]

I think it's smart choice to just stick with the 2496! After all, isn't it one of the best?

____________________
Marie Jane

Kenwood TS-480HX / TS-480SAT (http://www.who-sells-it.com/cy/kenwood-communications-division-639/ts-480hx-ts-480sat-hf-50mhz-all-mode-transceiver-194.html) - TS-480HX/TS-480SAT HF/50MHz All-Mode Transceiver by Kenwood Communications Division
eh...it kept crashing my computer...and there are no drivers available, nor are there beta versions either ...

[itsplayed]

I also understand dual boot xp/Vista is fraught?


Did not have an issue here in doing so...I'm actually triple booted with ME/XP/Vista.

[poorsod]

But you will need to buy a full copy of XP (unless you have one lying around).

If it was my computer I'd ditch Vista altogether for the time being. Keep the CD, though, you can go back once it's good.

[Crisis]

My friend recently bought a PC wittttttt Vista Home.. and it blows!!!

[itsplayed]

My friend recently bought a PC wittttttt Vista Home.. and it blows!!!

Lol...yes, but it does look nice!

[ecc83]

I did not say the 2496 was "excellent" but on that spec neither is the Firebox.

A 50kHz upper limit is academic at 44.1 sample rate. I have never been able to hear past 18k and certainly can't now!

Since 99.9% of everything will finish up on CD 100db+ dynamic ranges are not very useful. In any case what is the total SYSTEM noise? I.e. a screen shot of the pc meters.

I meant in any case an audible A/B comparison. Many people praise/slagg off various pieces of equipment on lots of forums. I have yet to see any 20second .wav examples posted.

Dave.

[Ham and Eggs]

I'm interpreting this whole Vista affair as The Moment to jump ship and try messing with Linux. There are Linux drivers for the 24/96 card and the Audacity and Jamin apps might be great or maybe not -- who knows. I'm in the process of buying a used box now to load with Xubuntu and find out if this is actually a reasonable option for normal humans or still a strictly-geek approach.

HnE

[Audiodude]

Talk about an OS with limited to no support... While there are drivers for the 2496 and a few other cards (mostly older M-Audio stuff), and open source software like Audacity and Ardour, we'll never see widespread support for Linux in the pro audio industry.

[Ham and Eggs]

Well, the musicians I know are nothing if not obedient, so if the zeitgeist of the moment is "computers use Windows", they will use Windows. It's a shame that Linux will "never" be useful, because Windows is definitely going down a path that is not relevant to people with a productive mindset.

I dream of an OS with Windows' appeal but about a fifth the size and complexity.

[Audiodude]

I didn't say it would never be useful. It's already useful for lots of things. But I seriously doubt that the day will ever come that we'll see widespread use of Linux in the audio / music production industry. No Pro Tools, Cubase, Sonar, etc. for Linux.

[the_monsterous]

I'm now leaning towards buying and installing XP into my computer...I have to do something...I haven't recorded in close to a month...

[ecc83]

Hi itsplayed,
Ref dual boot, What I read was that if you have Blista and Xp and you clean off the former, you cannot just reinstall it as you can with every other o s before it. But I am just a valve jockey really!

Dave.

[87PRS]

re: the montrous original question; money is always a factor in buying power...a RMEHDSP9652 or Motu 2408 probably on Ebay or new would be a good choice, along with Cubase 3, Cakewalk 4 etc for recording and an editing solution such as AA 2.0 jmho....stick with Windows XP Pro, it works .

Linus, Vista, Superflux, Fireball......I'll wait.

[poorsod]

I'm now leaning towards buying and installing XP into my computer

I would say that's a good plan, if you're willing to spend the money and time. Since the release of Vista, XP is dirt cheap and with the current patches it's rock stable as an OS. Problems arise when the programs you're using are buggy.

Note that installing any OS is quite a painful process. Keep us posted.

Oh, and hang on to your Vista CD. I think the time to jump ship will happen, just not any time soon.


And re: Linux. I tried it out for about three awful days. The Internet (which I still use the computer for more than anything) just refused to play ball with Ubuntu. Linux is only free if your time costs nothing.

[itsplayed]

Hi itsplayed,
Ref dual boot, What I read was that if you have Blista and Xp and you clean off the former, you cannot just reinstall it as you can with every other o s before it. But I am just a valve jockey really!

Dave.

I'm not quite sure that I understand what your saying here. Are you saying that if you have an XP/Vista dual boot setup that you cannot reformat and reinstall the Vista partition or the XP partition?

[ecc83]

I really am not fit company when it comes to computers but I read a lot and it sticks.

I read (prob' SoS, I will try to dig it out) that Vista cannot be re-installed if Xp has been loaded as well.

The reverse, i.e. re installing Xp is not the case however.

I make any comment about pc's on these forums with the greatest trepidation and humilty. I seek only knowledge Grasshopper.

Dave.

[poorsod]

I very much doubt that's true - just consider upgrades. XP is installed on basically every computer in the world - what happens to them when they want to move to Vista.

[itsplayed]

Not true....I've reinstalled Vista on my triple boot machine many times now. However, you will want to redesignate the older OS as your C: drive as Vista tends to make itself 'King of the Hill' by default.

[ecc83]

Ok itsplayed. I stand mis informed.

Hang on! you've reinstalled an os several times? What else do you do for fun?

Dave.

[poorsod]

I think everyone's reinstalled Windows more than once, haven't they? The problem is that when Windows does go wrong it goes cataclysmically explosively wrong. I once had a computer where the photo-viewing thing stopped working (corrupt sector or something), then it owrked once and after that it wouldn't start at all. We had to reformat.

Wasn't my computer. I take better care of it than that (lie).

[itsplayed]

Yes, I'm constantly reformatting/reinstalling one of my systems just for kicks(it's a learning/experimenting thing). I also do this as a part of routine maintenence on my other systems...just not as often. There are a couple of issues to be aware of, depending on what you plan on ending up with as a finished system. For example...if you decide not to reinstall Vista and keep XP only, you may want to fix the MBR as Vista reconfigures it. You will notice that upon bootup that Vista will be shown as an OS option even though the partition was deleted. You can either live with this or fix the master boot record so it no longer shows up.

[ecc83]

Just to show1, my ignorance on matters pc and 2, I reallly DO read a lot(of crap?).

I read that you can only really remove the MBR by putting the HD in another machine as a slave and formatting it there!

[scaryjapan]

DO IT BRO!

Just format and install xp.. you'll be glad you did.
Vista is not ready for commercial use, especially in your situation.. for a very reliable music machine.

I won't even look at vista for another year.