USB soundcards for laptop recording - Music-Web Forums

Thorolf · #1 11-01-2007, 11:03 PM

reith asked for alternatives on USB soudcards for laptops, that could have the combination of mic inputs (with phantom power), and headphone monitoring output.

I firstly suggested M-Audio Fast Track Pro

which is good, of course.
I have checked some more and want to bring your attention also to

Emu 0404 USB 2.0

especially, as this can record 24/192, which is state of the art at the moment, and also to

Tascam US-144

I also include the Sound On Sound review of the Emu 0404 USB 2.0 from January 2007.

Regards

reith · #2 12-01-2007, 09:45 PM

Thanks for these extra suggestions.

There's hardly anything to choose between them.

Just an aside: I'm always intrigued by this insistence on 24bit conversion (what's the resolution? 144db?)... probably a commercial necessity now that everyone's at it. Just that the best S/N ratio is 117db, nominally about 104db (less, for an instrument), which means that any benefit of the least significant 6 bits is lost under the noise floor...in fact, they might as well be conversion of the noise! Hmm, well at least we get high quality noise.

cheers,
Reith.

Thorolf · #3 12-01-2007, 10:02 PM

What the CD format offers is just 16 bit anyway. The problem is, how to get there. The main problem with recording digitally is the lack of headroom. The recording clips at above 0db, as opposed to analogue media, where you get free soft clipping naturally.

Recording digitally, you need to record with margins to the top 0db, to avoid ruining it by that occational unexpected peak (this especially goes for classical performances) where an ugly hard clipping kicks in, and the take is ruined in inrepairable ways. It doesn’t take many db below zero to eat all those extra bits, hence the need for all the bits.

The other reason you want to go for the bit race, is that your raw coded take will need post-production/mastering in most cases, and to feed such number crunching algorithms, more bits are always good. You often get better results with a 16 bit recording, if processing it at, say 24 bits, and then convert back to 16, than to do all in 16 bits.

Regards

reith · #4 13-01-2007, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by Thorolf

The problem is, how to get there. The main problem with recording digitally is the lack of headroom. The recording clips at above 0db, as opposed to analogue media, where you get free soft clipping naturally.
Regards

Thanks. Yes, digital recording is something I have yet to do (beyond converting analogue media which allows time to check everything). It's about 6 years since I recorded anything "live" and then on a portastudio though I had some better gear at home. I checked the loudest bits against a +3db max when I had the chance. But as you say, these things happen.

It struck me that some kind of soft clipper could be constructed - a voltage controlled amp fed by an envelope follower to compress the highest amplitudes like a soft limiter but then....more noise. There's probably a circuit or product out there already and I haven't found it.

One can't win!
cheers...

Thorolf · #5 13-01-2007, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by reith

It struck me that some kind of soft clipper could be constructed - a voltage controlled amp fed by an envelope follower to compress the highest amplitudes like a soft limiter but then....more noise.

You just described your favourite expensive valve preamp…

Regards

Boneman · #6 25-02-2007, 09:51 AM

I think I have stumbled into a parrallell world here! I just want to plug and play! Can you help?

reith · #7 25-02-2007, 05:33 PM

Then...just plug in and play. The good thing about these gadgets is that you can hear as you record...or monitor, if you want to be suave.

Give it a go!

Violoncello · #8 02-04-2007, 05:57 PM

What's wrong with recording through an ordinary mike into the computer? Is it possible?

Thanks.

Thorolf · #9 11-04-2007, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Violoncello

What's wrong with recording through an ordinary mike into the computer? Is it possible?

It’s usually possible. The downsides are mainly that the resultant recording is mono only, and that the built in audio converters on most computers are of low quality. So the main thing here is pushing the big “better”-button.

Regards