Today my friends we talk about the sound card! Exciting stuff right? Well it may not be “exciting” like a Steven Segall movie, but it’s important.
Your sound card is going to dictate the quality of music that you create in your home studio. The sound card is what transfers the sound from the Mic or Keyboard or whatever the heck you are trying to get sound out of, to your computer and it’s recording software. So as the theory goes, the better the sound card the better the sound.
When we are talking about a “sound card” we don’t necessarily mean an internal sound card that you have to bust open your computer to install, we could also be talking about a card (or box really) that you connect to your computer via firewire or USB.
Let’s talk about WHY you need a new sound card, one that is better than the pre-installed card that comes with your computer. The cards that generally come with computers aren’t exactly designed for the type of recording you are doing, there is going to be a delay from the inputs to your computer, that means everything is going to be slightly off. We call this effect latency. You don’t want that, because when you play back your tracks you’ll notice whatever you just recorded is off from where you want it to be, that’s lame.
A sound card (or box) is specially made so that this effect is minimized. So why do you want a new sound card?
-They come ready to record without that latency issue thanks to ASIO drivers that were created to help you record your first hit!
-Unlike the sound card that is currently sitting inside your computer you can plug all sorts of stuff into a sound card that you buy! This means a mic, a guitar, a keyboard, a whatever else you can find a plug for. Neat!
-A lot of sound cards have some software that ONLY come with that particular sound card. For example my personal favorite cheap card, the Toneport UX2, comes with GearBox. It has all sorts of neato preamps you can play with and make your mic sound like a multitude of things. But this software doesn’t only distort the mic, if you want you can give your instruments added effects (like playing an acoustic guitar and making it sound like an electric!)
-You now have the ability, with most sound cards, to record multiple instruments at once. So your band can jam with headphones on, and instruments attached the sound card so you get a really nice, clean, sound. Awesome!
So what sort of sound card do you want? That’s a great question, there are a lot of really great ones out there, but you have to ask yourself how much recording are you going to be doing at once. If you are just a one-man-ban you aren’t going to need a multitude of inputs, just 1 of each you are using (Microphone, Instrument, Other?). Or if you are a rapper and just want to sound good over beats you really just need a sound card with a phantom power mic in. Sound Cards go from the not so complex, to the very complex ready to rock your rear off.
Some sound cards that I prefer (remember I don’t prefer any sound cards that you have to install in your computer. Every time you bust open your computer that runs a risk!)
Toneport UX2 – This one is one that I really like, it’s cheap (you can find it on Ebay for around 140 new…and much less used), and it comes with a great software bundle that will save you money later on.
Edirol UA-25EX- This is another one that I approve of, it’s kind of like the UX2, but a little bit more pricey (around $240.00). It’s a Roland so it comes with a powerful recording software that the world loves, cakewalk.
Lexicon Lambda – This is a cool little unit, the really nice thing is that like the other cards I listed it’s not huge. You can move it around with your laptop or whatever you want to do. My favorite part about this unit (because it has all the parts you want) is the price tag -you can get it on Ebay for like $70 used. Nothing wrong with a used unit people!
Those are just some of the units out there, honestly there are a ton that could fit your needs just hit up eBay or whatever the heck you use and look around. If push comes to shove you can ask me and I can help you out even further if I know your exact situation.
Your homework – Get out there on the web and decide what type of interface you are looking for in terms of a sound card. Remember, know your computer, that is key if you want to get an interface that will work with your computer/operating system!
Class Dismissed!
Professor Nooge