On-board audio for budget solution?

[sprnva]

On the other end of the scale, the Behringer UCA202 is cheap and apparently cheerful. It only supports 48KHz output though. They have their own ASIO drivers but ASIO4All might also work.

[Kaine]

The supported audio format list makes me wonder, what format is the live output that is produced by a DAW, i.e. before mixing down? Whatever it is, is that supported as well? Live streaming so to speak?

Yes, all sound cards do. I've never really thought about it as encoding doesn't really become an issue until you save/export it, I suppose PCM would be the closest to the required description but I'm open to corrections.

[Mister Natural]

budget board : http://www.ebay.com/itm/EMU-0404-PCI-So ... SwT5tWPP8Y

peace

[rod_zero]

Steinberg has the best drivers in the low end market, the UR12 is an excellent option.

After using RME for so many years I just can't imagine working with asio4all, or subpar drivers again. So IMHO saving for something like a babyface is worth.

I would love if RME made an interface just with a DA converter which make possible to use their drivers, small like an USB stick. I would love that to use windows laptops.

[fluffy_little_something]

That Steinberg thingy looks pretty good, it seems basic yet very solid, just what I need. The NI device is stylish, but I prefer the bulky design.
But I will try the onboard thingy with asio4all first. If it doesn't work, I can still get the UR12.

Since ASIO was developed by Steinberg, I am not surprised they have the best ASIO drivers

[chk071]

Also make sure you have the right cables and stuff. The Steinberg interface has cinch speaker outputs, while the NI one has mini jack, as far as i could see.

[fluffy_little_something]

You mean, I can't force two cinch connectors into a mini jack?!?

[chk071]

Not quite.

[Kaine]

Steinberg has the best drivers in the low end market, the UR12 is an excellent option.

Under £150 they are in the top 20% but the NI drivers are far better performers if OP doesn't need inputs. The outputs on the K2 are 2 X Stereo 1/4" jack.

Once you get to around £200 the Zoom UAC 2, wins on every every metric when compared with any other interface for less than £350, but then that would depend on how lowend you want to keep your lowend!

[bronxsound]

emu 1212 card would get my highest recommendation if you are after audio interface plugged into the mobo

http://www.creative.com/emu/products/pr ... ?pid=19169

[Kaine]

The EMU cards have been discontinued for a few years with no offical w8 or w10 support as far as I can remember.

[bronxsound]

you are right Kaine. I have just checked their website
it is a shame as it was a stellar piece of gear.

[fluffy_little_something]

Emu belongs to Creative?!

Anyway, I don't need professional equipment, I am more than happy with the sound of the Asus sound card I have, the only issue is the driver.
A $150 sound card would be way too good for me, I don't need studio quality, my computer can't handle running stuff at 192 kHz, anyway. Nor do I want to mix down to giant files that I can't easily attach to mails.

I used to have a cheap Creative card years ago ($30 or so), it sounded great as well, but given the price it probably did not have ASIO drivers, don't remember because I did not use DAW's etc. back then.

Basically, all that matters to me is ASIO's low latency and solid operation. In terms of sound quality I am pretty sure the latest Realtek chips are enough for me. I have a small external amp for headphones/speakers, so I don't need powerful outputs on the computer.

[fmr]

The point is NOT if the cards can do 96 kHz or even 192 kHz. There are sound cards that can do that that are cheaper than others that can't. Except that the latter are from better builders, and come with better drivers. When you buy a sound card, and you are wanting to use it for music production, you should look for a builder that has music production among its priorities, and have a track record of driver quality and support.

Nowadays, the difference in quality relies more in the software part than in the hardware part (most of it is just about assembling componentes, anyway)

Realtek are (cheap) chip builders, nothing else. Their drivers are problematic (to say the least) even in regular Windows use, and they simply don't care much (if at all) about that part of the business. Relying on that chip for music production is asking for trouble. Usually, I put their chips to sleep in my computers, since they cause more troubles than usefulness.

I would follow the advice to invest in harware from NI. At least they know how to code good drivers.

[chk071]

In terms of sound quality I am pretty sure the latest Realtek chips are enough for me.

I for one was disapointed when i compared my 40 € ASUS card to the onboard chip from my former mainboard. Gotta say that it's quite a good chip in the ASUS card though, which is also built into the more expensive ASUS card, it's just that this card lacks the features the more expensive cards have. And if you go for the Creative Soundblaster Z, or one of the dedicated audio Interfaces recommended here, you should have really good sound. I'd go for that tbh, what's all the nice sounding soft synths worth, if the audio hardware doesn't output properly.