Looking for sound card for music production - tips and advice?

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ShadowRaidTech

ShadowRaidTech

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Apr 1, 2013
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Hi. I'm looking for a sound card to hopefully allow my music software to perform better while adding a lot of layers of patterns and such.

My computer handles it pretty well, but it seems like when i get over 7 layers the sound tends to get choppy/crackled/lagging during playback. Im assuming it's my onboard audio and a dedicated card would fix this issue.

What specifications (sample rate, chipset, etc) should i be looking for in a sound card for this type of thing?

My main software is FL Studio 11 Producer Edition (paid version- non demo)
 
Solution
genz
My god, every time I come here you get someone suggesting a fashion card for production.

Look at a M-Audio Fast Track, used Echo Layla 3G or Audiofire 4, or a Presonus Audiobox. They are all USB except for the Layla which is PCI (better as lower latency). Stats aren't really important at your level, as 16bit at 44.1khz is the max an mp3 can do anyway. Quality output is, and always will be the most important.

What's important is that they all support ASIO. If your card cannot support ASIO natively (without ASIO4ALL) it will suck.

Your crackling is probably down to to small a buffer size anyway. Go into FL Audio settings and lengthen the buffer before you buy a new interface. If you don't have an ASIO option in sound devices then you...
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genz

genz

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Oct 8, 2012
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My god, every time I come here you get someone suggesting a fashion card for production.

Look at a M-Audio Fast Track, used Echo Layla 3G or Audiofire 4, or a Presonus Audiobox. They are all USB except for the Layla which is PCI (better as lower latency). Stats aren't really important at your level, as 16bit at 44.1khz is the max an mp3 can do anyway. Quality output is, and always will be the most important.

What's important is that they all support ASIO. If your card cannot support ASIO natively (without ASIO4ALL) it will suck.

Your crackling is probably down to to small a buffer size anyway. Go into FL Audio settings and lengthen the buffer before you buy a new interface. If you don't have an ASIO option in sound devices then you need a new interface.
 
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Solution
ShadowRaidTech

ShadowRaidTech

Honorable
Apr 1, 2013
43
0
10,530


Oh wow i completely forgot about the buffer settings in FL studio! Thanks for reminding me! I'll definitely see if that resolves it.
 
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genz

genz

Distinguished
Oct 8, 2012
630
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19,165


Technically we're not audiophiles, that's like putting Ecologists and Naturists in the same pot (one likes Earth and it's systems, the other likes running around naked, but at first glimpse it might look like the same bunch lol)

No problem anyway, it worries me more that people come to sites like this instead of just reading the stickies on Head-Fi or Gearslutz. You don't use a sound card to make music, you use it listen to music. It's the same as saying, you don't use a Ford Focus (or Even a McLaren F1) to make the track, despite you using one to test it.

You use an Audio Interface. As soon as you know that, things get a lot easier.

Have a look here:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/audiointerfaces.htm
 
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