Asio Revelation....

AlFo · July 28th, 2007, 08:00 AM

Ok so I have a soundblaster audigy 2 zs as mentioned in another post.

After reading lots about sound cards and mixers I discover these low latency asio drivers.

Then I suddenly discover my sound blaster supports them.

I switch the drivers over to asio in cakewalk and suddenly everything becomes....well lots better!

Latency is now 5ms woo!

Question though...

I can now choose to record from loads of different inputs.

I have standard line ins all in stereo. Does this make my sound blaster equivalent to a 6 input audio interface (not including the optical and spdi i/o's too)?

I'm thinking now that with the help of a mixer I can record channels at once and one more for midi.

Tell me please if I am right or wrong?

Thanks....

StuH · July 29th, 2007, 01:17 AM

Can you list exactly what type and how many inputs you have. I've researched your card but am getting conflicting info on it.

If you have several line inputs, you can end up with full track control (one track for each line input) in Sonar but it depends on what type of mixer you are going to get. If you get a mixer that only sums the mix to line level, anything routed through the mixer will appear as 1 track in Sonar. If you have no more room on the mixer but have an addition line level input on your soundcard and you wanted to plug a guitar into it, you will have to buy an outboard pre-amp.

Taking a mixer out of the equation. The biggest difference between the $300 pro-sumer audio recording interfaces and typical Soundblaster type cards is that the pro-sumer interface comes already fitted with decent mic pre's with phantom power (wider frequency response and lower signal to noise ratio), have hi-z instrument inputs (impedance mismatch isn't a problem), adapt specifically for musical gear (1/4", XLR and or Neutrik) and have more line level inputs. So for a small single or duo act, this may make purchasing additional gear unnecessary or at least finacially bearable.

Any card that is reviewed as being great for recording, but only has 1/8" line or mike level inputs is a sign that it is not ideal for studio recording. This is just an opinion..

Having that ASIO support is indeed a plus and I think that card is a true 24 bit card (recording and playback) with pretty high sampling rates which is also a huge plus.

I honestly think the way you should look at this is by asking yourself these questions. How many individual tracks do you need full editting control over, and what types of inputs do you need for each instrument.

My 2 cents.

AlFo · July 29th, 2007, 06:59 AM

Thanks for the response and an excellet 2 cents it was.

I have 2 stereo line ins and another line in which uses 2 rca's. Yes it seems I would need a mixer with extra buses or direct outs - I think, I'm still not totally clear on mixers - to go into all the different channels.

The first line in is meant for use with microphones though and seems to have a pre-amp.

There are also spdif connectors and optical in/out.

As for getting the sound back out since its a 7.1 surround card there are 3 left/right outs and one more for a sub.

It is great that I found out that the card can do this stuff but I think I am going to go with an m-audio 1010lt and ebay the audigy.

The audigy is definately a great quality consumer card but the line ins aren't the best and the surround speaker outs I imagine aren't ideal for external mixing. They are all 1/8" plugs too.

I think the m-audio will just be a bit quicker, more stable and of better sound quality.

I just can't believe I've been recording using the wdm drivers all this time.

July 28th, 2007, 08:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
AlFo Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Wolverhampton, UK Age: 28 Posts: 111 10 Photos	Asio Revelation.... Ok so I have a soundblaster audigy 2 zs as mentioned in another post. After reading lots about sound cards and mixers I discover these low latency asio drivers. Then I suddenly discover my sound blaster supports them. I switch the drivers over to asio in cakewalk and suddenly everything becomes....well lots better! Latency is now 5ms woo! Question though... I can now choose to record from loads of different inputs. I have standard line ins all in stereo. Does this make my sound blaster equivalent to a 6 input audio interface (not including the optical and spdi i/o's too)? I'm thinking now that with the help of a mixer I can record channels at once and one more for midi. Tell me please if I am right or wrong? Thanks....

July 29th, 2007, 01:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
StuH Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yukon, Canada Age: 38 Posts: 1,480 12 Photos	Can you list exactly what type and how many inputs you have. I've researched your card but am getting conflicting info on it. If you have several line inputs, you can end up with full track control (one track for each line input) in Sonar but it depends on what type of mixer you are going to get. If you get a mixer that only sums the mix to line level, anything routed through the mixer will appear as 1 track in Sonar. If you have no more room on the mixer but have an addition line level input on your soundcard and you wanted to plug a guitar into it, you will have to buy an outboard pre-amp. Taking a mixer out of the equation. The biggest difference between the $300 pro-sumer audio recording interfaces and typical Soundblaster type cards is that the pro-sumer interface comes already fitted with decent mic pre's with phantom power (wider frequency response and lower signal to noise ratio), have hi-z instrument inputs (impedance mismatch isn't a problem), adapt specifically for musical gear (1/4", XLR and or Neutrik) and have more line level inputs. So for a small single or duo act, this may make purchasing additional gear unnecessary or at least finacially bearable. Any card that is reviewed as being great for recording, but only has 1/8" line or mike level inputs is a sign that it is not ideal for studio recording. This is just an opinion.. Having that ASIO support is indeed a plus and I think that card is a true 24 bit card (recording and playback) with pretty high sampling rates which is also a huge plus. I honestly think the way you should look at this is by asking yourself these questions. How many individual tracks do you need full editting control over, and what types of inputs do you need for each instrument. My 2 cents.

July 29th, 2007, 06:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
AlFo Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Wolverhampton, UK Age: 28 Posts: 111 10 Photos	Thanks for the response and an excellet 2 cents it was. I have 2 stereo line ins and another line in which uses 2 rca's. Yes it seems I would need a mixer with extra buses or direct outs - I think, I'm still not totally clear on mixers - to go into all the different channels. The first line in is meant for use with microphones though and seems to have a pre-amp. There are also spdif connectors and optical in/out. As for getting the sound back out since its a 7.1 surround card there are 3 left/right outs and one more for a sub. It is great that I found out that the card can do this stuff but I think I am going to go with an m-audio 1010lt and ebay the audigy. The audigy is definately a great quality consumer card but the line ins aren't the best and the surround speaker outs I imagine aren't ideal for external mixing. They are all 1/8" plugs too. I think the m-audio will just be a bit quicker, more stable and of better sound quality. I just can't believe I've been recording using the wdm drivers all this time.