Soundcards with 'built in' midi sound and efx are highly popular with game, video, and web developers. I find that soundcards which include built in midi sound & efx tend to 'trade off features for sound quality (noiser A/D-D/A converters, etc). The Audigy soundcard may work out fine for you, but if you want the best soundcard for recording a 'professional quality' CD, I recommend getting a 24 bit soundcard geared 'solely' for digital audio recording. Of course this is just my opinion. :;