Best External Soundcard for DJing with a Macbook?

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:25 am

Firstly, I am really sorry for making a new thread for something which I should be able to find in previous ones but I am really struggling to find out exactly what i need!

I am essentially a beginner so you have all been there, any advice or info is a great help so please feel free to chip in.

I am looking for an external sound card, USB or Firewire, to run with my 2Ghz, 512 Mb, 5400rpm Dual Core Macbook running Ableton 5.2 (there is no way I can afford to upgrade to 6 yet!) I have been using Ableton for a little while now and love it, but am limited without some sort of prelistening device. I have been scanning the market and have decided that I need something with two sets of dedicated outputs to either some speakers (or a mixer then speakers) and obviously a headphone input to pre-listen tracks. I am also thinking of getting a faderfox to control Live with so my ext. soundcard needs a midi in and out.

I am going to be using this both in my room through some pretty standard speakers, and in a club for my new upcoming clubnight (fingers crossed).

The dilemma I have come to is this - I have a fair amount of money to play with (in my view anyway), and can probably stretch to £150 ($300) for an external soundcard but am I better off buying something like this USB - MIDI cable

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop ... t_id/15388

to connect the faderfox and then a cheaper usb soundcard like this

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop ... ct_id/7842

to cue tracks and connect to my speakers/ a club rig.

Or do i go whole hog and get something which encorperates the two functions such as an Audio Kontrol 1
http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=ak1dj

or an M-Audio Audiophile
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop ... ct_id/3357?

It seems to me like I should go for the more expensive ones, as these will surely have better sound quality and especially as I have the money to do so and I am going to be playing at club level.
But is this merely going to be overkill? Are these soundcards decent options or are there others i should look for? What are peoples experiences of them with Live, do they have good latency? Is there much of a difference of latency between Firewire devices and USB?

In writing this I have also just realised that the Audio Kontrol doesn't actually have RCA outputs so I would have to connect them to a more advanced set of speakers than my own and it would not connect to my mixer. In fact it is starting to sound like the Audiophile is one of the few Ext. Soundcards in my price range. But just to give an idea of what sort of thing I am looking for...

Sorry for sounding like an absolute no hoper but in case you hadn't guessed, I am pretty confused.

Thanks in advance,

Patrick

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:55 am

In other news...

There is such a thing as a 1/4" TRS to RCA connector...

silly me

spiral · Post by **spiral** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:21 am

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/ensemble.php
http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet.php

ARDJ · Post by **ARDJ** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:43 am

motu ultralite, i use it when i perform live and in my home studio. couldn't be happier with it(and i've gone thru my slew of cards)

MarkH · Post by **MarkH** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:03 am

TC Konnekt Live. I use the Fabrik C plugin that comes with it on my Main-Mix output. Sounds great and doesn't even use any CPU since the DSP is built into the Konnekt Live.

muthafunka · Post by **muthafunka** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:17 am

Just to confuse the issue...if you get a single (read single stereo) out device, you can still use the built-in soundcard for monitoring by setting up an aggregate device in OSX's sound prefs. Aggregate device,,,they're my new fave thing. 'Agggregate Device', wasn't that a Stiff Little Fingers song??

chrysalis33rpm · Post by **chrysalis33rpm** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:16 am

I'd also look at the echo indigo dj...small, cheap, and portable. I've never used one but I've heard they're fine for playing clubs.

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:15 pm

Cheers for the help everyone, will definately look into those alternatives. I am kind of leaning toward the Audio Kontrol at the moment. The extra midi control is alluring. Just wondered if anyone else has any experience with it in a similar kind of set up?

I'd had a look at the echo before, seems pretty good, and the aggregate device thing is a good point, of course you can use the built in soundcard to prelisten. Suspect device - stiff little fingers.

With a decent ext. soundcard is it a massively noticible difference in sound quality than just the line out of your laptop? And has anyone noticed much of a difference in speeds between usb and firewire?

Thanks again, and sorry for the complete Noob questions

bassreflex · Post by **bassreflex** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:57 pm

Well I did the same search and after a few long hard days of thinking I've decided to go with the ultarlite... a) the price is great b) it has plenty of features c) if you ever plan on owning any hard synths you'll need the extra inputs and outputs.

Honestly... think towards the future

if you spend 300$ on a sound card now and in 2 years spend 600$ because its not good enough you just wasted 300$

Save up and get what is going to work for you for a while!