Sound Card Upgrade

Dan Crook · Post by **Dan Crook** » 4 Apr 2000 10:24 am

Im looking to purchase a Digital Audio Interface that will work with Cakewalk or Vegas Pro for multitrack record and playback. Does anyone have an opinion or expierence with a certain card.

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D. Crook
Left-Handed Super-Pro

Graham · Post by **Graham** » 4 Apr 2000 2:22 pm

Dan:
Check out the Soundblaster Live Platinum card with the Live Drive feature. This is an interface that goes into a 5 1/4 bay and has all the sound card plugins on it but at the front of the computer as well as the back on the soundcard. Has midi din in/out plugs right on the live drive as well as rca spdif in/out jacks which allows you to connect a dat player (for example) to the card. Great soundcard with up to 48kHz sampling.

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

Kenny Davis · Post by **Kenny Davis** » 6 Apr 2000 4:29 pm

I second Graham's comment - I recently installed the S.B. Platinum along with Cambridge Soundworks digital speakers. In fact, I'm running a Panasonic DAT through it as I type! The features are great, and has decent software as well. I continue to use Cool Edit for my music editing, though.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 6 Apr 2000 6:55 pm

what's the ballpark price on this wonder of technology?

Dan Crook · Post by **Dan Crook** » 7 Apr 2000 7:51 am

Is the SoundBlaster Card a full duplex and how many ins and outs does it have.

Thanks for the info.

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D. Crook
Left-Handed Super-Pro

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 7 Apr 2000 8:08 am

Creative Labs SB Live Platinum product info page

Rich Paton · Post by **Rich Paton** » 7 Apr 2000 2:49 pm

Ditto the recommendation for the soundblaster! I have an "old" '97 or so AWE-64 ISA board that still kicks total butt, even on difficult MIDI tracks & timing, it sounds great.

I think the Soundblaster Platinum Live! card goes for around $160, mail-order.

You can check nationwide pricing on any PC component here:
http://www.pricewatch.com/catlistf.htm <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Rich Paton on 08 April 2000 at 06:39 PM.]</p></FONT>

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 9 Apr 2000 4:28 pm

I have soundblaster live and considered going to "platinum" at $150 or so. After much soulsearching and agony, I have decided (so far)to go with the Roland sound module JV-2080. That's a $1200 decision but the streaming samples I've heard at their site make it worthwile, as long as I can get the country expansion card with it. The ad in West La music catalog seem to indicate that it comes with 8 expansion modules, and that I must confirm. As much as I dislike putting out that much money, I dislike even more handing someone a tape or cd that I know is second rate in my own eyes.
Ken

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 9 Apr 2000 6:15 pm

The JV-2080 comes with 4 empty slots for those expansion boards. The boards cost a few hundred apiece. You might be better off with a cheaper Roland that has many or most of the same sounds. There is a whole series of JV-xxxx modules and XP-xx keyboards, and they all are different versions of the same thing. $1200 for a JV-2080 sounds too high for what you need. For example XP-30 is $999 and comes with 3 of the expansion boards already built in, plus a keyboard.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 10 Apr 2000 6:36 pm

Earnest: Thanks for your post. I called West LA music today and tho their add sounds like their including some of the modules, I figured it was too good to be true, and of course, was. Tho I haven't heard it, there is a module that features country sounds and that would be my first choice to use. Midi keyboards I have. While I would like all sounds to be as good as they can be, the fiddle sound (hard as it is to duplicate) is a major concern. My next choice (I think) might be a 1010 as it has one expansion slot.

There are so many choices out there, how can one know what is best? At $500 and up, it gets expensive to buy until I find one I like. If any given jv or xp has the same voices available then the choices become much simpler. Thanks to you I know understand the jv is a module and the xp is keys. Any other information that you have to pass on is most welcome not just for myself but for Dan who started the thread and for others who have posted or are just reading. Thanks a lot.
Ken

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 10 Apr 2000 7:41 pm

What sound modules do you have already?
I would be careful of spending money on an expansion card of country sounds. If you think it wil do what a real fiddler can can you will be disappointed since you just can't do with a keyboard the things that a fiddler can do with his hands. Same for a steel guitar of course but we steel players don;t have to worry about trying to do that with a synth.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 11 Apr 2000 5:37 pm

Earnest. Having stood side by side on stage with a terrific fiddle player for 3 years, I understand your comments. No way can anything duplicate the real thing. My quest is more for ambiance and a feel of the song. The same will hold true of my own steel playing at this stage. I believe I will go for the JV-1010 as I must do something to progress. When I get past the learning curve I will post about it on the forum, good report or bad, so that others may be advised.
Ken