--- In
AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com, "dan" <danielesamas@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, i would like to know if there's someone in the group who uses that combo, 'cause my pc audio card produces some glitch noise and the recording is imperfect.
>
> I have a Terratec Phase22.
>
> Of couse is my audiocard's fault, so i would be glad to know a 'perfect'
> combination with no problems at all, with zero latency and clean recording.
>
> So, what kind of pc audio card you got?
>
> dan
>
Dan,
This isn't a topic frequently discussed on AN1x-list and I feel you would be best served searching out forums specific to digital recording. You might want to Google for articles on `Optimizing Windows for Audio' because there is a lot written on the subject. Some of it will be specific to optimizing a workstation for USB Audio interfaces but, there is certain to be plenty regarding PCI audio interfaces.
Your post makes no mention of your experience, i.e. are you new to digital recording or are you an intermediate or advanced. user? You may want to check out some articles at Tweakheadz TweakHeadz Lab Electronic Musician's Hangout or maybe KVR Audio
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/for a start... make certain to check for a FAQ to see if there is already information available regarding your situation.
You should consider providing some details of your current set-up, i.e. which version of Windows you're running: XP/Vista/Win 7, the specification of your PC, which DAW or 2-track Editor your recording with, etc. and a description of the problem and under what circumstances it occurs.
I checked the Terratec website as I'm not familiar with the Phase22 and it appears this an older PCI audio interface (2003 - 2004?) You may want to check you are running the current drivers as supplied by Terratec. Or are you using an alternative like ASIO4All? The first thing I would suggest is to check the buffer settings in use while tracking vs mixing. This may take some trial and error, but it would be best to set the buffer to lowest value at which your system will record a clean signal while tracking and increase the buffer to a larger value when mixing.
If you are determined to seek out a new audio interface, and I'm not saying this is a bad idea, you will need to determine whether you want to stick with a PCI card vs a USB or Firewire audio interface. USB audio interfaces are prevalaint these days where as Firewire is still popular for Mac user's - less so for PC user's. There are current offerings from M-Audio, Echo Digital Audio, E-mu and RME - no doubt I've overlooked overlooked offerings from other manufacturers.
I'm not big on M-Audio, but they sell a lot of product so they must get something right. Look into their Audiophile or Delta audio interfaces. I used an Echo Gina about 8 - 10 years back and would consider their MIA MIDI card if I were in the market. E-mu has a number of offerings, but they are part and parcel of Creative Technology who no longer seems to be held in the same regard as they once were (probably why they market their sounds cards under the E-mu brand? Just a guess... ) If you have money to spend, RME is probably heads and shoulders above these others, but their offerings fetch a premium price.
Many manufacturers have their own support forums. I would suggest you browse the forums to see what type of issues user's are posting. This may be a good indicator to `stay away' from a particular model if it has issues with a PC configuration similar to your own.
If you're on a budget, a determining factor may be the bundled software offerings. For example, M-Audio is owned by Avid so some of their products include Pro Tools M Powered where as others include a product specific version of Live Lite. The E-mu software package seems compelling to me as I'm familiar with some of the included titles.
Hope this is of some help to you. Good luck.
Jon