Are internal Audio Interface cards a good idea anymore?

WaveLab
#1

I’m in the market for a cheap audio interface and was going to go with firewire again as I always do, but PCI cards have little latency. But yet they don’t seem to be a “hot” item. Are they frowned on lately for some reason?

I need to record just 1 XLR mic or 1/4 inch guitar cable at a time and thats it. Also should have midi inputs. I have 2 monitors that have 1/4" speaker cable. What is an internal card solution?

#2

I use an Echo Audio Layla 3G, stable drivers but I hear the RME is better (but also more expensive).

I’ve heard bad stories about Maudio gear though, it seems their drivers are not up to par in particular for use with Cubase.

#3

Yes but does RME have any “all in one” PCI card. I can only see that you need an external box AND the PCI card.

#4

Hi

Indeed Maudio has bad drivers had the fast track pro, never ever again…

Right now i got the rme 9632 hdsp and i am very happy

To get 1 midi in 1 midi out r/l out and r/l in and a headphone i use a breakoutcable.

http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_cables.php

Greetz Bassbase

#5

MAudio Delta Drivers seem good, run 64 buffers with no problems on a couple of our systems.

#6

Agreed - since FW seems to be slowly fading away - I would be going PCIe as a matter of preserving my investment - no telling what the motherboards of 3 years from now would use - but it’s a good bet PCIe will still be front and center - conversely - I would not bet money that FW could say the same…

VP

#7

I’ve had 2 M Audio units over the last 4 years for Laptop use and they’ve both performed faultlessly, one FW the other USB 2.

if you can pick up an RME PCI card cheap then it will still have some life as even the latest boards have 1 PCI slot on them and RME’s windows 7 x64 driver will work with windows 8 I would suspect.



MC

#8

RME AIO = All In One :wink:

#9

Just wanted to say that, if you’re on a tight budget, you can do a lot worse than M-Audio audiophile 2496 or better cards (about 6ms recording latency with ASIO / 24bit mix, and very cheap)

But, personally, I think a firewire external interface is probably the best bet, as it should be easier to protect from crosstalk / interference. That said, you’re likely to get the lowest latency with an internal interface.

I’ve heard good things about MOTU interfaces, which are well within the range of consumers, however I’ve not had the chance to use one myself so I can’t really compare it to anything.

** Some external interfaces (and some FW/USB cables) do a less than stellar job when it comes to shielding, and may not do an amazing job at keeping noise to a minimum. Read reviews, and check before buying.

** Disclaimer: personal opinions only, do not accept as undisputed fact, mileage may vary