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"Recommendations for high end audio?"

Looking for a really good sound card with breakout box of some sort, along with really good speakers. Wanting to start recording guitar and use my PC as a sort of home studio.

As for the card, I was looking at this: [URL]http://www.secure-server-centre.com/eurotech/webpdf/terratec/dmx6fire.pdf[/URL]

Not sure about speakers though.

I currently have an NF7-S with soundstorm audio onboard, which has always been good enough, up until now. Because I can't actually connect a guitar to the PC.

[URL]http://www.carillondirect.com[/URL]

I'm not that up on the hardware (except for studio gear), but it's normally what is recommended by shops is the best. And of course, the more you spend the better quality the equipment. Carillon have some good budget solutions though.

I forgot you're an audio engineering student or whatever M_M.

Alrighty then, so since I'm not planning on buying Abbey Road quite yet, any suggestions for a home PC to record my home (poor) guitar playing?

I've got the Audigy 2 Sound card and just bought a new set of speakers. Well, technically they're not speakers, they're Studio Monitors. Damned good 'n all. Not all that loud (2x 6W satellites + 18W subwoofer) but the sound quality is fantastic. They're made by Yamaha - look them up at TurnKey.uk.com. Cost £50 +del, Active Studio Monitors.

Damarus wrote:
> The current Audigy 2 drivers are crap for Half Life 2. I seem to get
> alot of strange noises playing the game. So for now I've switched
> back to my onboard.

There is a thread on some halflife forum about this and its been proven to NOT be a driver problem but actually a problem with Halflife and memory management.

The current Audigy 2 drivers are crap for Half Life 2. I seem to get alot of strange noises playing the game. So for now I've switched back to my onboard.

You can't do any sort of mixing or mastering with a pair of home computer speakers. You need a pair of monitors, sound-proofed walls (as close to an anenchoic chamber as you can get), a rack system to incorporate it all and a professional finaliser to produce a master with. Then you need software to clean it all up, a decent pair of studio microphones to record it all in stereo in the first place, a mixer to sort the levels on the mics, and a drink holder.

And a Carillon PC. Look them up - designed for audio stuff.

Well Ali, that one I do know. Audigy 2. Not the best card for general audio quality, but it is the best for gamers as it has better support for EAX and other game sound protocols. What I'm looking for is one with really good audio quality for recording purposes.

I do like the Terratec. A friend of mine who worked for a radio station as a tester for their PC based systems thinks it is pretty good. Of course a broadcast quality card would be better, but as he put it, "it'll cost an arm, a leg and at least three heads".

Cheers tig, I'll have a look at Logitech ones. These Creatives are good enough for games, but I think I could do with something a bit bigger and louder.

ÂLŠ†ÂÎR wrote:
> You read my mind. Looking for exactly the same thing. Currently
> running On-Board audio with AC97 codec. Looking for the best Sound
> Card out there that will cater for gaming needs. Not into mixing or
> anything like that, just looking for a decent card.

If you want the best GAMING card, then anything from the Audigy 2 range is what you should be looking for...

As for speakers, everyday I get more and more impressed with my Logitech Z-5300s - then again I dont make music, but based on the quality of these I would go Logitech...

You read my mind. Looking for exactly the same thing. Currently running On-Board audio with AC97 codec. Looking for the best Sound Card out there that will cater for gaming needs. Not into mixing or anything like that, just looking for a decent card.