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Does sound card really matters?
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BrainStorm
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
357
Posted : Jan 15, 2003 19:00
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let me put it like this:
i know - some ASIO comphatible cards take the load off cpu.. and another thing - there're few card, which are nessesary if one needs to make mastering on Pro Tools (and or some other professional sound mastering software)
but.. lets say if one works in Reason of Fruity, or Cubase
whats the REAL difference (besides CPU related thing) he gets with having an usual XG YAMAHA based sound card
Creative Audigy\Extigy and more expensive cards, like turtle beach.. etc
when you render the file to WAV in any of those programs, does it changes the WAV quality if you have an expensive sound card?
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TiMMY
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
100
Posts :
1480
Posted : Jan 15, 2003 19:09
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I don't know about you, but I've had enough of my soundblaster live.
Cubase gets crashed all the time (with the KX drivers - the original drivers doesn't work at all), I get terrible latency and I simply can't take it any more...
I find myself trying to get cubase not to crash instead of learning how to make music. |
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O.zen
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
42
Posts :
291
Posted : Jan 15, 2003 19:39
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brain storm- proffesionel sound card like protools have the dsp sometimes 3 dsp's on the card which doing all the digital processing and dont take the all power from the computer processor, this way the work is much stronger and stateable.
 "move your body! if you don't have one, GET ONE!" |
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medir
Inactive User
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1193
Posted : Jan 16, 2003 09:43
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if u don t work with midi (---> vst i's, analog ), that means only with .wav (---> looping ), then it doesn t matter which card u use. this stuff becomes calculated cpu-internal and has nothing to do with the soundcard. if u can "outlisten" how good the quality is. that s the problem, if u haven t a "good card", some noise u can t hear, and this is naturally also in the mix.
asio is only for latency, some drivers take more load from the cpu, other s less.
bombom
experiment !
make it your motto day and night.
experiment,
and it will lead you to the light.
the apple on the top of the tree
is never too high to achieve,
so take an example from eve...
experiment ! |
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Trip-
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
101
Posts :
3239
Posted : Jan 16, 2003 16:59
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When you need to record something - which is often what is done by muscians around the globe, you need a clean recording and a fast one.
I mostly record from my synth and the mixing console. That's why I need a better soundcard that Creative can offer to me. 
That's mainly the reason.
Crackling universes dive into their own neverending crackle...
AgalactiA |
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BrainStorm
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
357
Posted : Jan 17, 2003 14:10
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ok, thanks for your replies
so actually, i think that for many of us, who making music at home (i.e. with using Cubase, Reason and Fruity Loops) - the sound card DOESNT really matters if the CPU is fast enough..
yeah, sure i do understand that for serious hardware based mastering one needs not $15 value sound card... nothing to argue about it;)
Trip.. gimmi url with your tracks, if any
=)
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ThiagoNAKA
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
104
Posts :
1047
Posted : Jan 17, 2003 17:57
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Well, I have this doubt in my mind for a long time.... And till now I have NO asnwer for this!!!
What I can say is that I realise some improvement after getting a better soundcard( I used to make tracks with my onboard soundcard). I don´t know why now I make better tracks, maybe it´s just "psychological", don´t really know.
What a person said to me is that for sure a better soundcard gives u a better timbre quality, so the qulaity of the tracks will be better anyway.
What I have in my mind is if u have a real power pc(like P4 1.5) u can make tracks with an onboard sc, cause even with less sc quality, u can open more effects to make it better. BUt if u have a slower pc, u need a clean sound without many effects.
But I´m not sure about it. I need a teoric answer for this, cause I think most(as me) asnwer this kind of question based on experiments.
LOADING... |
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BrainStorm
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
357
Posted : Jan 17, 2003 18:17
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Thiago: its all truth
i make my tracks with usual sound card (not on board though, but its not creative even;)
since i moved to Windows XP, got some "left-party" driver for my card (because its manufacturer dead long time ago :*) and installed Reason 2.0
i see huge, really slight changes of quality in my tracks
i still didnt post my new tracks everywhere, but soon i'll post a links to it on this forum
i cant believe $12 nameless sound card may give you such sound..
dunno.. i think 44khz is kind of standard and no matter what sound card you own - you get the same result if you make EQ and compressing right and avoid overvolumes
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damage
damage
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
321
Posted : Jan 17, 2003 20:24
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if you're going to record something into your pc, you're going to need a good soundcard to get that crisp, crystal clear noise free sound. |
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Yuli
Retired
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
1660
Posted : Jan 17, 2003 21:14
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BrainStorm u r very much correct in 99% of what u say but there is only 1%...
The way the PC processes sound is via algorythms upon algorythms, and as long as u use only the PC to make music, u will NEVER ( read my lips well ) reach pro sound quality ( advise to check your tracks 1 on 1 against Son Kite for instance.. For future reference u can use also other non Trance outfits such as Chemical Brothers - which invented [imo] the real wall of sound )
The only way in that case to reach the thick crispy and accurate sound is to take your playback track by track ( or in groups ) and record it thru external machine ( Neve console can be good for those that can afford one ) or at least do that to your kik n' bass. And there u will feel the difference - because in a good quality sound card the recording is seamless and u get exactly what u hear..
A man with a "master plan" is often a woman |
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BrainStorm
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
357
Posted : Jan 18, 2003 19:28
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hey BLT
sure, man.. off course im agree about quality changes while using hardware
but it seems kind of impossible for me to perform what you have said about processing through external unit the groups...... did you hear my sound? i got many many synthesizer lines, fxs crossing each other.. its pretty hard to record it not all together.. too much events lets say
when you got 100+ devices in Reason for every of your track.. its hard to master the 100 tracks externally, i hope you know what i mean
What's Neve's products really?
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Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
Posts :
3954
Posted : Jan 18, 2003 22:22
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Quote:
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On 2003-01-17 21:14, Yuli wrote:
The only way in that case to reach the thick crispy and accurate sound is to take your playback track by track ( or in groups ) and record it thru external machine ( Neve console can be good for those that can afford one ) or at least do that to your kik n' bass. And there u will feel the difference - because in a good quality sound card the recording is seamless and u get exactly what u hear..
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I don't get it. You playback computer made kick+bass on external device and then back to the computer? Maybe I misunderstood you. Explain further please.
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What I have in my mind is if u have a real power pc(like P4 1.5) u can make tracks with an onboard sc, cause even with less sc quality, u can open more effects to make it better. BUt if u have a slower pc, u need a clean sound without many effects. |
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Thiago - you are wrong here. If you are using only a computer for making the music you will not need more effects to make the sound better. The SC will be only the playback device, no recording and calculating will be done on it. Making more effects may help, because a bad soundcard doesn't give you the real sound and what you're doing is making the sound good on YOUR specific sc.
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