Soundcard Buying Guide

We understand that the Soundcard market can be a little daunting if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. With various connection methods such as USB, Firewire, and PCI it is difficult to find the one for you.

This guide should give you an overview of the world of soundcards and hopefully help you someway in choosing the right one for you. Please remember that you can always call us if you ever need help or advice on 0844 815 0888.

The difference you find with soundcards to mixers is that where as a mixer will just take an analogue signal and keep it as analogue. A soundcard converts the analogue to digital. The price of soundcards can sometimes be determined by the quality of the AD converters and mic pre amps. For example the quality of the RME AD converters is better then the ones found on the M Audio soundcard range, although how much better is negotiable.

Tascam US122 M

Will the soundcard on my computer not suffice?

Whenever a customer questions this at Dolphin our response is always to let them try it out first with the onboard soundcard. There is no better way of learning how much of a difference good AD converters can be then to use really bad ones. The onboard soundcard (or internal soundcard) is installed for alert sounds, games and MP3s but when it comes to recording audio and transferring to digital you really do need a better soundcard. Interference from the transformer, hard drive and so on will always inhibit the quality

On board soundcards don’t offer multiple inputs which rules out any larger scale recording of bands or primarily drums. They also suffer from large amounts of latency (glitches in the audio recording) which you will need to overcome via getting a better soundcard. This latency is caused by the onboard drivers not being capable of fast transfer speeds. You really need something with ASIO 2 drivers, which most external soundcards support

Focusrite Saffire Pro 24

How Many Inputs and Outputs do I need?

In today’s market there is a soundcard for everybody. We always ask customers to think into the future. Will there ever be a time that you will want to record more than two inputs simultaneously. This might be drums, a live recording, a band or the fact that they will have many instruments and don’t want to keep plugging and unplugging cables. If the answer is yes then we recommend 8 inputs. Unless you have a specific reason we would recommend that you have all 8 inputs via XLR and mic pre amps. You may not want this if you are using your own Pre Amps or you specifically need jacks.

M-Audio ProFire 2626 High-Definition FireWire Audio Interface

If your music work will mainly be you and overdubbing other parts later, you can work happily with one or two inputs which is how a large amount of souncards are designed. Many people realise that they only need two inputs and if that is the case there are many options for you. Solutions range from just a small box that you connect to your computer, MIDI keyboards with soundcards built in (for the musician on the move) to guitar FX modeling solutions that you can connect straight to your computer. More and more manufacturers are seeing the need for combining an audio recording solution with their products.

Line 6 POD Studio UX2

Pro Tone Recording & Modelling Interface

Do I need a special Soundcard to use Pro Tools?

In a nutshell “Yes”. DigiDesign software will only work with Digi Design hardware. They obviously do very expensive HD systems for the medium to large studios, but they also have a more budget range of audio recording solutions. They have the Digi 002 and rack version for someone who wants 8 simultaneous inputs into ProTools. Anyone just wanting 2 inputs they have the ever popular MBOX and new MBOX Pro.

Digi Design has recently bought M Audio, a smaller company that specialises in soundcards. Since doing this they have allowed users to run Pro Tools on M Audio soundcards. To do this you must purchase software called M Powered and have a soundcard that is compatible and you have a Pro Tools system.

Soundcard Connectivity with Computers

The ever popular question about what connection you should go for is asked by customers every day at Dolphin Music. Firewire is probably the most popular type as of today due to its fast data transfer speed, you will find that M Audio firewire interfaces as well as Presonus are very good. USB 2.0 which is actually slightly faster is also popular with the Mbox 2 Micro , Steinberg CI2 and Apogee ONE using it.

Back in the last century when we started all this USB and Firewire were but a twinkle in some technician’s eye. It was all about PCI cards which are going as string today as they have done. PCI (or PCIX – new versions) can offer faster data transfer but are also more processor dependent. Famous PCI soundcards are the likes of the M Audio Delta range and the older MOTU range of soundcards.

It would be rude to talk about connectivity and not mention PCMCIA. This is a method of connecting directly to laptops. Just think PCI for laptops. Due to USB and Firewire it is becoming less popular but some still believe it to be the only true way of getting true recordings onto laptops. This is debatable and we just don’t have the time!

Free Software

All soundcards will come with software that will allow you to control the routing of audio within your soundcard. You will need this software to interface with your recording software. It basically allows you to interface with your soundcard as if it were a mixing console.

Propellerheads New Record Software was designed for musicians – not audio engineers.

Propellerhead have a very good standing reputation, and it safe to say their flagship program Reason opened up a lot of doors, for a lot of musicians. Its huge sound bank was, and is something every good musician need in their toolbox. Its layout reasonably (ahem) simple.

It just didn’t record audio! One minor flaw, but quite a big one if your looking for that all-in-one piece of software to ‘record’ you band for instance.

That’s where record steps in. Propellerhead Software’s brand new recording software. Record gives you unlimited audio tracks, world class effects and mixing gear, and a whole new take on music recording. With an intuitive, straightforward interface and a hands-on approach to capturing performances, Record was designed for musicians – not audio engineers. This is recording done right.

Record now – not later.

Recording music is all about seizing the moment. Capturing a perfect performance – or even nailing that idea before it goes away – requires tools that are ready when you are. Record is always ready. Created with musicians in mind, Record lets you create record ready channels in an instant, minimizing the steps between idea and actual recording. The result equals more music – and less dialog boxes. Simply plug in, breathe out and you’re ready to go.

Line 6 in the mix

For guitar and bass players, Record comes installed with separate guitar and bass POD® units from amp and cab simulation experts Line 6 Inc. With bass and guitar amplifiers available for every single track in your Record project, you are never short of interesting tones and timbres. As the Line 6 amplifiers are insert effects and don’t affect the original instrument signal, you are free to change your amplifier and cabinet settings at any point in time – even after laying down your track.

The Record rack

All the instruments, processors and effect units used in a song are housed inside Record’s customizable rack. Any device created is automatically and logically patched into the rack, but if you’re feeling adventurous or need to do some routing of your own, just flip your entire Record rack over and all the cables are all yours!

The Record Effects

Your Record rack can be stacked with an infinite number of reverbs, distortion units, delays, dynamic processors, mastering EQs – everything you need to shape and color your sounds. Click and drag effects straight to the rack, or load any of the expertly crafted patches.

EQ Section

The mixing console features a warm sounding EQ section with high and low pass filters, high and low shelving filters as well as parametric midrange filters. This is where you can add some extra polish to your recordings, and the sound is just fabulous.

Channel Dynamics

Every channel has its own fully featured dynamics section with compressor, gate and expander functions.

Effect Sends

The console has eight dedicated effect sends and each channel’s sends can be set to work pre or post fader. Adding a send effect to the mixer is a two mouseclick affair. Simply right-click in the mixer’s master section and select what effect you want to use. Simple!

Insert effects

Record’s mixer features a clever way to handle insert effects. As explained on the Record page, each track in Record is made up of three components: a sequencer track, an rack device (audio track or mix device) and a mixer channel. In the rack device, you can put all the insert effects you want on your sound, and you can also map controls on the insert effects to the insert section in the mixer. These setups can then be saved as patches for instant recall. Record ships with a large library of ready-made insert patches for a wide array of applications. Reason users will recognize this method from Reason’s combinator, so in essence this is like having a dedicated combinator per mixer channel.

Fader Section

Here’s the control you will find yourself using more than anything else in the mixer. As the name and the picture implies, this is where the faders are and this is also where you set the pan, handle solo and mute. Stereo channels also have a stereo width control.

Master Compressor

The Master compressor is what gives your music that final touch. The legendary dynamics processor it was modeled after is in use in studios all over the world.

ACTIVISION AND LINE 6 ANNOUNCE FULL LINE 6 POD GUITAR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION INTO GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR MUSIC STUDIO

Activision and Line 6, Inc. announced today that Guitar Hero World Tour will integrate Line 6’s guitar tone technology, enabling gamers to use amps, cabs and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD in the game’s Music Studio.
For the first time ever, video game players will have access to the same guitar processing technology used by professional musicians

Activision, Inc.  and Line 6, Inc. have announced that Guitar Hero® World Tour for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system will integrate Line 6’s guitar tone technology, enabling gamers to use amps, cabs and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD® in the game’s Music Studio. The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to compose, record, edit and share their own rock ’n’ roll anthems.

The sound modeling technology of Line 6’s POD is integrated into Guitar Hero World Tour’s Music Studio so gamers can now join the ranks of elite POD using bands including, U2, Radiohead, Keane, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Story of the Year, Slipknot, Dashboard Confessional, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Garbage, Lenny Kravitz and countless others.

“With Guitar Hero World Tour’s new Music Studio functionality, we wanted to give gamers access to the most authentic music creation tools available, so we went to the pacesetters of professional guitar technology—Line 6,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. “The integration of Line 6 technology in the game underscores our commitment to delivering unprecedented innovation to the Guitar Hero® franchise that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music.”

The signature sounds of legendary bands and top musicians today come from a combination of guitar amps, cabs and effects. Through digital signal processing, POD delivers accurate emulations of the most coveted amplifiers, effects and cabinets ever made. It is famous for revolutionizing the way guitarists record, perform, rehearse, and write songs. It eliminates the need for complicated setups with its proprietary technology for simulating the complex interaction of amplifiers, effects, microphones, speaker cabinets and room acoustics. Whether POD is used with headphones to practice, for direct recording or playing live, POD is what musicians turn to for the best guitar sound.

“Line 6 strives to push the boundaries, from revolutionizing the way guitarists record to how they perform live to helping enable the creative process for musicians,” said Marcus Ryle, Line 6 Founder and SVP of Research and Development. “Thanks to the incredible processing power of the of the next generation video game consoles, we placed the actual tone algorithms right into the game to give gamers the tools to choose their own sounds for the music they create. For the first time, gamers will have the ability to compose and record with the same technology used by professional musicians.”

Line 6 Backtrack – Instant portable recorder/ instant reply for guitar

In a an already very busy market Line 6 have took the plunge into portable recording devices. So lets take a look at what features this has to offer.

“BackTrack™ provides total inspiration control anywhere you play music or feel inspired, including at home, in the studio, at soundcheck and at rehearsal.”

At home, BackTrack offers the best ways to capture and organize all your musical ideas.

* Like a creative safety net, BackTrack makes sure all your ideas are captured
* “Instant replay” anything you just played by pressing “Play”
* Separate your best ideas from the rest by pressing “Mark”

In the studio, BackTrack gives you a head-start turning your inspirations into complete songs.

* Drag the better-than-CD-quality .WAV files right into your recording software
* The clean and pristine audio offers total plug-in processing flexibility
* Packed with your ideas, BackTrack is your portable idea vault

At soundcheck, BackTrack redefines the entire experience.

* Adjust your tone hands-free while BackTrack loops a song or riff
* Walk around the venue and check your tone while BackTrack does the playing for you
* Capture the energy of your live show and drag the high-quality audio to your DAW

At rehearsal, there’s no end to what BackTrack can do for you and your band.

* BackTrack + Mic records your whole band with stunning clarity
* Capture a direct signal perfect for dragging to your DAW by putting BackTrack in-line between your guitar and your amp
* Capture your guitar tone by putting BackTrack in-line after your amp or effects

I would personally would love to see this device fitted in the future with an onboard modelling chip like that of the pocket POD, Im almost suprised its notalready  featured here. But you still get a lot of amazing features for your buck.

Getting my Guitar to my P.C. ?

One of the most requested pieces of information here at Musicians Tools is “How do I get my guitar into my P.C.”!

This is a qustion that in the past required quite a complex answer and one which was could be costly and of course is limited to your guitar equipment.

In other words if you only had a 15 w Peavy combo, that’s all you were recording with!

Not to mention needing the right Room, Microphones, Pre-amps and everything else that you come to expect from a recording chain.

Now using modern software based technology my  “Guitar rig” may comprise of a guitar, a lead, an audio interface and a laptop.

Here is some examples of the easiest way to get recording your guitar with outstanding results.

IK Multimedia StealthPlug Inc Amplitube 2 Live

Compact, cable-like, USB audio card for guitarists to plug into the world of software based amp and effects modeling. With an in-line guitar cable USB audio interface housing a 1/4” jack on one side and a USB port on the other, entering the world of software based amp and effects modeling is as simple as plugging your guitar into your computer. StealthPlug also includes volume adjustment buttons, indication LED, and a 1/8” stereo output for headphones, powered speakers, or an amp.

The perfect mobile solution for playing, recording, or practicing – anytime and anywhere.

Use AmpliTube Live, for playing and AmpliTube LE within your recording environment for the ultimate in flexibility. For live playing or practicing anywhere at any time, the StealthPlug is a complete guitar amp and effects modeling solution. Use the StealthPlug with AmpliTube Live and LE, in either plug-in or standalone format, with all major Mac and PC platforms.
Easy to use, just plug your guitar into your computer.

Install the software, connect the StealthPlug to your guitar and a USB port on your computer, and you’re ready to rock. There has never been an easier way to enter into the digital world of software based guitar amp and effects modeling..

Line 6 TonePort UX2

Featuring a graphical interface that most guitarists will find easy to understand

TonePort™ is like a rack full of premium tube recording equipment, plus a perfectly engineered recording room for guitar and bass, thanks to our acclaimed guitar/bass direct tone with mic and cab modeling. What else would you expect from the makers of the revolutionary POD® product family? TonePort even comes with a special version of the popular recording application Ableton Live created for Line 6 so you can start making great sounding recordings as soon as you open the box!GearBox™

The included GearBox™ software controls TonePort and gives you a premium tone front end for all your recordings. Includes meticulously crafted models of premium tube studio preamps, vintage guitar and bass rigs, and sought after, personality-rich effects. This is the tone that pros rely on and only Line 6 provides.  Now it comes to your desktop with TonePort.

ToneDirect™With Line 6’s exclusive ToneDirect™ monitoring, you get fully processed audio in real time while you track!  Far better than recording through plug-ins, it avoids the latency from your recording program and operating system.  ToneDirect also easily beats analog direct monitoring options that force you to record guitar without hearing the amp model and effects, or struggle to get an inspired vocal with no reverb!  With GearBox software and TonePort hardware, it’s easy to get amazing sounding recordings every time inspiration hits.

Just look at these specifications, this system is not only easy to use but a very powerful system featuring many inputs and and outputs for different applications

Specification

• 2 Mic Inputs with +48v Phantom Power
• 2 Guitar/Bass Inputs – use the Pad input for guitars and basses with high level pickup outputs, or the normal input
• Stereo Line Inputs for your line out level gear
• Stereo Digital Output S/PDIF via RCA
• Stereo Line Outputs via balanced 1/4-inch
• Stereo Monitor Input via stereo 1/4-inch jack
• Headphone Output with independent volume knob
• VU Meters assignable to input, record send, output and monitor levels
• Footswitch Jacks send MIDI commands to recording programs (start/stop, punch in/out, etc.)
• Pro Audio Performance with over 100dB signal-to-noise & dynamic range
• Tone Direct™ monitoring – unique, full tone low latency monitoring regardless of recording software’s buffer size
• 44.1 & 48KHz, 16 & 24 bit recording
• 96KHz mode with built-in sample rate conversion for simultaneous input and output
• USB-powered
• Rock-solid Drivers: ASIO, WDM, Mac OS X

VOX JamVOX Jam and practice tool for Guitar

This new device is not only a guitar set up, a recording interface, a microphone pre amp and a full modelling suite but a computer audio monitor and full “Jam and practise tool ” for guitarists. Thi sinterace really can remove guitar and ‘reveal ‘guitar fro song sin your .mp3 collection allowing easier analysis of parts, a must for the eager musician

The JamVOX is an integrated monitor and software system that extracts the guitar from any MP3 and plugs you into the mix of their favorite bands.

JamVOX gives guitarists instant access to dozens of legendary amps and effects all in one easy to use “drag and drop” software interface. Revolutionary Guitar XTracktion (GXT) technology lets you remove the guitar part of your favorite song with the push of a button. Best of all, you can then take the lead yourself with instant rock star tone! Alternatively, you can extract or isolate the guitar part, slow down the tempo, and practice any style of music without changing the pitch.

The VOX JamVOX includes authentic software models, or recreations, of 19 famous guitar amps and 54 vintage and modern effects, so you’ll be able to perfectly reproduce the sounds of your favorite guitarists. JamVOX also comes with a dedicated full-range USB monitor speaker, so there’s no need for complex wiring or any specialized knowledge of computer music.

A two-CD 28-song bundle of guitar play-along tracks of famous songs, courtesy of Hal Leonard Corporation, is also included, with classic play-along songs such as Day Tripper by The Beatles, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, Hot For Teacher by Van Halen, Crossroads by Cream, Am I Evil? by Metallica, and many more.

JamVOX Software features:

• 19 amp models ranging from vintage to modern: Virtual Valve Reactor even reproduces the operation of vacuum tube power amps including VOX AC15, VOX AC15TB, VOX AC30, and more.
• 12 cabinet models that meticulously simulate the speaker response and cabinet design including VOX AC15, VOX AC30, VOX AD412, TWEED 1×8, TWEED 1×12, and more.
• 54 high-quality effect models: 18 pedal-type, 12 modulation-type, 11 delay-type, 12 reverb, noise reduction including TUBE OD, ORANGE DIST, FUZZ, OCTAFUZZ, VOX WAH, ROTARY, TALK MOD REVERSE DELAY, ECHO PLUS Delay, reverbs and many more.
• Drag and drop six effect units to freely specify their routing
• More than 100 Guitar programs that include the guitar sounds of famous songs and guitarists
• Pickup modeling function lets you produce the sounds of different pickups than those actually on the connected guitar

IK Multimedia StealthPlug Inc Amplitube 2 Live

Compact, cable-like, USB audio card for guitarists to plug into the world of software based amp and effects modeling. With an in-line guitar cable USB audio interface housing a 1/4” jack on one side and a USB port on the other, entering the world of software based amp and effects modeling is as simple as plugging your guitar into your…

Line 6 TonePort UX2

Professional producers, engineers, and musicians turn to Line 6 in studios around the world because they know that great mixes start with great recordings.  Now we’re introducing the world’s first line of recording & modeling interfaces with our pro grade tone for guitar, bass, vocals, and more. TonePort™ is like a rack full of premium tube recording equipment,…

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 – Kontrol Edition

The All-Inclusive, Professional Sound Equipment for Guitar and Bass: Guitar Rig 3 is the ultimate all-in-one guitar and bass solution. Simply connect your guitar with your computer via the enhanced Rig Kontrol 3 foot pedal and you are ready to go. The on-board studio-quality soundcard routes the signal to your speakers, while the software grants you access to…

VOX JamVOX Jam and practice tool for Guitar

The JamVOX is an integrated monitor and software system that extracts the guitar from any MP3 and plugs you into the mix of their favorite bands. JamVOX gives guitarists instant access to dozens of legendary amps and effects all in one easy to use “drag and drop” software interface. Revolutionary Guitar XTracktion (GXT) technology lets you remove the guitar part…