Hello there! I'm about to buy a brand new sound card in which I can plug my electric guitar, and keyboard if possible, (I can't in my current one) but I seriously don't know a thing about hardware. I'm prepared to put every coin aside I have and I'm already planning on getting a job. So... Which card to you recommend, and, do I need to make sure I have extra equipment b/c I otherwise blow my card up or do something terrible to it? Money doesn't matter at the moment (and I don't know how much a proper card costs (I guess around a 300/400€ though)). I realise that if I want to become a real proffesional I'll need the proper equipment and plugging instruments into my computer is one of them... -Stenny

Well, as far as guitars go, you should avoid directly plugging your e-guitar into your sound card, and mic the amp instead.

As far as sound cards go for pro use, everyone has their favorites. I have a Audiophile 2496, which I bought for its GSIF compatibility (for use with Gigastudio).

I'm very satisfied with the card so far, and got mine for about a hundred american dollars.

ok, so I'll need an amp. Are these delivered with proffesional cards or do I need to buy one myself? I don't know if a card needs a specific amp, or specific sequencers.

-Stenny

Er..the guitar amp. as in:

(the thing that is neither the guitar nor the rock star)

oh thát amp! I thought I needed a special one for my computer or something...

Yes, whenever possible go for real sound instead of the direct feed into the PC. Mic the amp if you can. There's no substitution for the unique displacement of air and space that audio creates for capturing.

But then you're talking about hooking up a mic to your PC, which is also recommended you get a dedicated audio interface for. Even getting a traditional external mic PreAmp you wouldn't want to route that audio through a standard/onboard sound card. Someone just asked this recently and I tossed them a bunch of audio interfaces like the 2396 krikkit mentioned. There's the Safire from Lexicon, the Mbox from DigiDesign, the 1820M from EMU, and a bunch of similarly equipped "break out" boxes that include decent pre amps to capture mic level signals.

You can record the guitar signal "direct" into these interfaces as well without a real mic/amp setup, but you'll lose that authentic guitar sound. Though when you record an amp with a mic, you may want to record the "direct" or "dry" sound for additional layering and processing...

...but now I'm getting ahead of myself. Look into getting an audio interface above whatever came with your machine and the rest will follow that.

Ok thanks...Are these cards also coupled with certain sequencers (like: you can't use the MBox with, uhm, cakewalk sonar)?

-Stenny

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/pcmusician.htm

http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=PCMusFAQ

Quote: Original post by stenny
Ok thanks...Are these cards also coupled with certain sequencers (like: you can't use the MBox with, uhm, cakewalk sonar)?

-Stenny

Actually you can use an Mbox with Sonar. But if you have an Mbox than you most likely have ProTools LE. Yeah, almost all audio interfaces come with sequencers, usually LE versions but useable certainly to start out with something.

Tony

It was just an example, the MBox + sonar, but thanks :)...