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ZAMBU IP address: Logged Posts: 678
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Hi guys, I've just recently purchased a laptop (DELL) which I'm very happy with. I need to update the soundcard. Has anyone got any suggestions or recomendations as to what the best one to buy is? Ideally I'm looking at £100-£150. With stereo line in at 24bit is an essential. Anything extra would be a bonus. Also, can anyone suggest a good monitor system (as in studio monitors) as I've been using my old desktop speakers for the past few years but I've found I had to compensate for speaker deficiences. Anyone help?!!! Cheers PAUL B. |
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superspuds IP address: Logged Posts: 24
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Hi Paul, good sound card is an e-mu one. http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=505&subcategory=491&product=13554
Amazing monitors are the Yamaha HS80 or HS50's. Good for the money and much better than your current speakers are Edirol MA-7A (The ones I have)
If you want any help with studio etc.. you know where I live ;) |
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| ZAMBU IP address: Logged Posts: 678
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Cheers for that.... They are a little bit over my bugdet at the moment but they seem well worth the money. I may wait a little while before I spend the cash!!!!!!
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Jon1Darkstone IP address: Logged Posts: 29
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Hi I'd say if your running a laptop you should go for one of these ! http://www.dv247.com/invt/22462/ its An Ediriol UA-25, you can have 2 line in or mic in's and it meets your requirements ! Also because its external its easy to access and it does its DSP processing outside the system put simply if youve got plug-ins galore on the go in nuendo or cubase, the soundcard wont take more CPU off and cause problems. had you more budget i'd recomend the M-Box so you can be Pro-tools compatable but i take it your running Cubase or Nuendo ?
As for monitors I was gunna buy some HS Yammy's but digital village, really recomended the KRK Rokit 5's over the yam's and TBH they piss all over em ! they're ported at the bottom so you still get a decent and true low end when your mixing ! I have some and anyone who's mixed on em are really impressed ! they're a bit more pricey tho but well worth just getting the extra £80 together ! Link: - http://www.dv247.com/invt/21992/
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| ZAMBU IP address: Logged Posts: 678
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Hi, Thank you... I currently am in the process of trying to find a suitable mixer software(Inuendo, Cubase etc) all depends on what i can get my hands on!!!! I've been using a system starting with "C" (I can't for the life of me remember what its called... Its not cubase though) its a very simple recording system. I take it from your comments that Pro Tools is the best way to go....... I know a lot of pro's which use this (particularly in the progressive rock area anyway!!!) I will be looking into studio monitors very soon as I think i need to hear them to really decide... Its all down to personal preference (as with most things).. what I really need is something thats not gona colour the sound. Its difficult, I know, because of the acoustics of a room can adjust these things but I just need to improve on my desktop speakers which, in all fairness, are shit !!!!! |
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| Jon1Darkstone IP address: Logged Posts: 29
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Yeah ! the money is the only problem really with pro-tools ! anything soundcard wise that is digidesign will be compatible, as well as being compatible with the rest of the DAW's, i brought a Delta 10/10 a couple of years ago which was pricey but worth it, im getting another so i can have 16 in/out, but seldom have the need for it lol ! Pro-tools is Good i use it but im quite profficient with Nuendo aswell as i use both on my degree, pro-tools is just better at predicting what you want to do but I like Nuendo as a DAW just as much ! If your interested and at no expense , i can sort you out a version of Nuendo ? chuck some decent plug-ins your way also ! Jon
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| jenny IP address: Logged Posts: 5932
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I hope it's ok to intrude on this post but I wondered if i could ask for some advice please??? We use OTS programme on our laptop to riun all my backing tracks. We use the internal soundard on the laptop, but wonder if we used an external soundcard whether we would get a better sound etc? I'm not a techincal person (in fact i'm as thick as 2 very very short planks) when it comes to gadgets and gimzo's!! Can anyone suggest an idiot proof (or better still a jenny proof) soundcard that benefit it us, or am I better off staying with my internal laptop soundcard (BTW I haven't got a clue what it is But the laptop is an F20 Toshiba laptop and we use the SoundMax (I think that's what it is called or it would be SRS WOW thingy (that seems to give us a better sound than just left flat) Any simply advice in very easy understanable language(no techincial terms please) would be greatly appreciated,
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| Jon1Darkstone IP address: Logged Posts: 29
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yeah ! hi ! (sorry some technical terms but i'll explain as we go!)
kk ! On a Laptop and in Most cases on a PC/Mac you want to use an external Soundcard for many reasons ! but the most important one is for 'Processing' ! the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) at the moment is being carried out by your Laptop , so it takes up what the CPU (computer's internal processor) can handle, this can make your tracks judder or 'Stutter' if its on the limit !, also a different soundcard (which is external) gives you more flexiblity with the amount of programs it can run at once ! mainly as the DSP is carried out in the unit outside of the computer system ( the external soundcard) ! Just means you can have more going on with your program live with tracks/ effects/ compressors etc ! and the card wont limit you ! Can i ask are the backing tracks not sounding as they should ? if so in what way ? Right your software ! ..... i strongly recomend using something different ! something that gives you more control over your EQ leveling ! similar programs are ..... Ableton Live and Stylus ! but i recon maybe even if you could get hold of a crack copy of Nuendo it would give you Tons more options ! honestly ! as i said to Paul (Zambo) i could sort you out one if youre having problems finding one ! OTS is ok however it just depends how much you wanna push through it ?? Hope this helps ! Just make sure that Your computer Spec is up to the job of any soundcard you buy ! ie. is compatable ! The Edirol in the email i sent to paul above is a good card for the money ! (its very easy to use !) cheers Jon
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| jenny IP address: Logged Posts: 5932
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I don't have any specific problems with the backing tracks, it's just once soem one told us we should definately use an external sound card, so it's always been in the back of our minds that perhaps we should consider it. I'm not sure I understood everything you said (coz i'm really thick when it comes to computer programs etc!!) So if i explain what we do. I don't use the laptop for anything else, just for running OTS. The mixing etc is done via the misxing desk (Er have a wire out of the headphone jack into the mixing desk (with a ground loop isolator inbetween to stop that buzz you get when plugged into the mains) I personally love OTS, as it's easy to use, easy to do set lists and find songs. It also has easy to use tempo/pitch change when needed (isn't ofen but occassionally a life saver!) There are a lot of EQ's on OTS, but the only one we use is the DJ one as the bass can really kick through our system (espeically the backing tracks) and we have found this really helps with distortion and givign a nice even level without having to constantly adjust things. I wouldn't change from OTS, as for use it's ideal. We don't really use it to it's full potential (mainly coz we don't know how to!!)
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| Spike IP address: Logged Posts: 2560
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Hi Jenny. On the assumption that you're Jenny Barlow I would say the sounds you get from your soundcard are already incredibly good (I had a listen to a couple of the tracks on your website and your backing discs sound superb). The only benefit I can see with an external card would be to free up the workload on your processor. This would enable you to add effects and so on to your sounds without pushing the laptop to breaking point. |
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| Jon1Darkstone IP address: Logged Posts: 29
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I see ! so there's no real issue with your sound then ? yeah in which case, If your looking for an external soundcard Then its a good idea If you have the cash an wish to get one, For the reasons in the post above ! |
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| Spike IP address: Logged Posts: 2560
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Hi Jon. Didn't mean to undermine your posts, old chap. I agree with everything you say. I'm just assuming that the recorded stuff on Jenny's website is the same as her live set-up. If so, there's certainly nothing wrong with the sounds themselves. But there are of course added benefits to having an external card - as you pointed out. Maybe the sounds on the recorded stuff are from a different source, I've no idea. |
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| jenny IP address: Logged Posts: 5932
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Thanks guys. I think we will look at getting one in the future when we have some spare cash floating about (i'm guess i'm hoping for a miracle!!). Thanks for the compliments on the backing, it's nice to get a professional opinion on things (especially when we are getting things right!!) Thanks guys |
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| DARKSTONE IP address: Logged Posts: Too Many!!!
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Brain Overload !!!!!! Brain Overload !!!!!! Brain Overload !!!!!! Brain Overload !!!!!!
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| Jon1Darkstone IP address: Logged Posts: 29
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No worries Spike ! I wasn't offended, just wandered if there was an issue with the sound (ive not heard em! ) i'll have to have a listen out of interest !, (musically that is ! ) Edited: Jon1Darkstone - Fri 16 May 2008 (2:38PM) |
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| Discussion > Musicians' Chat > Help with laptop | |||
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