soundcard

smartstuff · Post by **smartstuff** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:16 pm

hello, I'm new to these forum and music production in general, so if I sound like a newbie, don't be surprised - I am.

Anyway, I'm looking for a external Soundcard, something for my Macbook. I'm looking for something that will be decent for Ableton Live and Native Instruments Traktor (for DJing). Perhaps in the future, I'd like to learn Logic too.

Need somthing that is quite inexpensive and reliable, and will allow me to mix music. (so that I have seperate channels for output and listening to tracks on headphones).

Any help appreciated.

youngstar · Post by **youngstar** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:20 pm

M-Audio.com almost every firewire Soundcard will do the Job, Otherwise if you need high Tech Sound card Try Fireface 400 ,it will never let you down ever !

http://www.rme-audio.com/english/firewire/ff400.htm

chaircrusher · Post by **chaircrusher** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:58 pm

youngstar wrote:M-Audio.com almost every firewire Soundcard will do the Job, Otherwise if you need high Tech Sound card Try Fireface 400 ,it will never let you down ever !

http://www.rme-audio.com/english/firewire/ff400.htm

except if you have a newer macbook with the crapulous firewire chipset. These work like crap with any Firewire audio interface.

The most reliable laptop solution is one of the RME Hammerfall DSP expresscards.
Unfortunately you probably wanted to spend maybe 1/10 of the $1250 a HDSP Expresscard + Multiface costs. Oops.

There is a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Expresscard interface. They're less than $100 so they're worth trying to see how well they work...

smartstuff · Post by **smartstuff** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:21 pm

i thought Creative Soundcards do not work with Mac's. Ain't that right?

was thinking about the 2 M-Audio ones:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/F ... -main.html

or this

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/M ... -main.html

??

channelite · Post by **channelite** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:55 am

M-Audio Fast Track Pro looks like it would be good. 2 ins and 4 outs. Spdif, midi, looks like it's bus powered, $199.

If you wanted to spend more, the motu ultralite, $549, looks pretty solid. Or maybe a MBox2 Pro on ebay.

dazzer · Post by **dazzer** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:33 am

Ultralite works well with my MB, in spite of its non TI chipset.

My advice would be whatever you buy, take your MB to the shop and see if the interface works with it.