Ableton Forum

Call me impatient, but I'm tired of waiting for Vista drivers for the M-Audio Audiophile 2496. I recently built a new PC and using the onboard sound isn't quite cutting it for me.

I've thought about going back to XP, but I want to keep Vista for a few reasons, and I'd rather not dual boot.

Anyway, I'm thinking about going with a different sound card/interface. Can anyone recommend something with Vista support? Not quite sure how much I'm looking to spend, so throw anything reasonable at me. This is just for home use, though I do spend most of my time producing at home. I do not currently have a board, so I guess all I really need is one output.

I've actually been entertaining the idea of picking up a console, but I guess that's a whole different scenario. I haven't done much research and I'm not quite sure if it's worth it for me.

Anyone have experienced with EMU or ESI cards? Any input regarding those?

Anyway, if you guys could recommend something I'd really appreciate it!


EDIT: Completely forgot to mention what I'll be doing. Basically working in Ableton and will be going out to my monitors. I won't be doing much recording, other than DJ sets and eventually I may hook up a Mic, but I'll worry about that later.

i used the emu 0404 pci for roughly 2 years before upgrading to the motu 2408 card i currently use. On the laptop with vista, im using a motu ultralite, firewire interface. The drivers are specific for vista, and so far ( 6 months of use including several weekly residencies and production use) it has worked flawlessly. Install was a breeze, and the interface is recognized everytime, sounds great, and is extremly stable.

its a bit expensive for casual use ($550 or so US) but well worth the peace of mind and sound quality.

it touts 2 mic inputs, with phantom and pads on each, and an additional 8 line inputs, aswell as 10 outputs and midi in/out.

the unit comes with the vista drivers in the box, the interface, pwer supply and manual. So you dont get alot of extra software or vsts with it, your basically paying for the driver and excellent support, stable platform.

hope this helps!

forgot to mention, the emu 0404 pci i used for several years before upgrading was probably the best under $100 card ive ever heard, and had plenty of in and out, digital and midi for your stated needs.

not sure on thier current vista support, would check the site to be positive there, and i also noticed they released the card in usb form aswell, if your on a lappy.

If your Firewire card has a TI chipset, then get a MOTU Ultralite.