looking for new sound card for audio editing

[adamthepolak]

im looking for a new sound card for my comp, it is primarily used for audio editing and it needs to be able to be hooked up to a big stero system. ive looked at creatives X-Fi line of cards but ive heard they're not that great and are over priced, any suggestions will be helpful (price isnt that much of an issue)

 

[halcyon]

For more serious audio work you could consider Creative's E-MU line of products that are geared towards professionals or M-Audio that is is geared to wards towards music creation. Creative's X-Fi Elite Pro is a really nice piece of kit, as well, it could probably handle a plethora of audio creation tasks yet would be unmatched in the gaming arena...it is Creative's supreme consumer oriented card.

With E-MU ( http://www.emu.com/products/welcome.asp?category=505 ), M-Audio ( http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.list&ID=pciinterfaces ), or the X-Fi Elite Pro ( http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=14064&nav=1 ) as choices I think you're bases would be well covered.

 

[mcgruff]

Emu and M-Audio both have a range of cards starting at £50 and working up. Emu has patchmix (download a manual to see what it can do) but last time I looked no linux support so M-Audio scores there. I've got an audiophile 2496 and have been really impressed with the quality.

 

[happy_fanboy]

I wanna see you try this
Awesome Product
Havent used it but i want one, turtle beach makes good stuff.

 

[mesarectifier]

What exactly do you mean by 'audio editing'? That's a pretty wide umbrella.

With most audio editing tasks a fast CPU will be more important. If you get even a £/$50 card to cut down on CPU cycles and likely interference from your mobo then that's all you'll need.

I work with the onboard sound on my laptop when I'm not at home, and that suffices just fine (unless I'm recording anything).

 

[kstrat2001]

If you are really serious about sound editing you might want to consider an external recording sound interface. They can be more expensive but worth it.

I'm assuming this will be for music/video purposes? THG did a nice multipart guide on the subject:

http://www.denguru.com/2005/08/16/choosing_the_right_hardware_for_your_digital_audio_studio/

This should answer all your pertinent questions. I actually decided on the Lexicon USB after reading the article.

I'm not in any way a professional audio engineer and I've done some decent recordings of my music. You can listen @ www.mylettertotheworld.net

BTW, in case you are wondering the recordings were also done in Garage Band on a Mac.

 

[mesarectifier]

At this point the OP really needs to reply with what exactly he means by 'audio editing' - do you mean recording, remixing, sample chopping, mastering? What??

@Kstrat - I listened to your recordings, you really need to use less gain, the distorted sounds are far too indistinct (partly to do with the voicing of the amp also). Bust out your De Ville again and invest in a chunk of Tube Screamer! (Sorry to go off on a tangent, but I know musicians like input)

 

[mcgruff]

you might want to consider an external recording sound interface

What about latency compared to PCI?

 

[mesarectifier]

What about latency compared to PCI?

It's not an issue with USB2.0 and FireWire.