In reality, you don't really need anything fancy or sophisticated to make a great recording. Most PC's have sufficient audio cards to do the job, and the human ear cannot detect many of the differences some folks talke about in respect to frequency response. Here's a link to something I posted several months ago and most of the folks that have followed the procedure have said it worked just fine for them. I'll let you be the judge! http://psrtutorial.com/Lessons/L_Recording/LPR-MakeCD/lpr-makecd.htm

BTW: The program I use for recording is Cakewalk's Music Creator 2003, which sells for under $40 at Best Buy. It's a multitrack program that does everything you can do with Acid Pro, but costs a lot less.

Good Luck,

Gary

The reason there is a confusion is because some posters did not understand the question.

The question is not whether to get USB ports or not. All new DAWs must have USB2.0 ports.

The question is whether to get a sound card that is based on USB2. And the answer is definitely NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read the question carefully people. The real professional choices for sound cards are either PCI or Firewire (specifically MOTU)... NOT USB2.

Here is a High Speed USB Sound Card from Creative that is quite a bit less expensive than the Aardvark Direct Pro Q10 PCI Audio Card:
http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/index/Creative_Sound_Blaster_Audigy_2_NX.htm

Some PCI Audio Cards are 'linked' to a PC externally. In other words, the actual Sound Card is 'outside' (called a 'break-out' box). the PC Case and Cabled to the PCI Bus by an included PCI interface adapter. The M-Audio Delta 44 PCI Sound Card is a good example. A break-out box can theoretically and for all intents and purposes "eliminate" the unwanted "noise" from the Audio signal. Which could provide a 'cleaner' sound to your recordings.

Here is another USB (although it is a USB 1.1 spec Sound Card):
http://www1.dealtime.com/xPF-Midiman_Audiosport_USB_Quattro

A USB 2.0 or Firewire Sound Card is recommended because of the higher transfer speed capability.

Investigate further on your own before you buy is my advice.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 11-06-2003).]

keybplayer,

For professional recording, I strongly recommend none of these USB sound cards. No professional studio will carry them.

Both the Motif ES and Pa1xpro have USB AND Midi interfaces. The Pa1xpro also includes an SPDIF output, ie., [Digital Output]. The Motif ES has an "option" to add a SPDIF connection by way of an 'add-on' Board.

New Yorker: You can still use a PCI Sound Card by simply running the Pa1xpro or Motif ES's 'Main Outs' to either a MIXER 'then' to the PC/MAC or with some Sound Cards 'directly' to the Sound Card and then into the PC/MAC.

USB 2.0 or Firewire interface Sound Cards only "benefit" when the PC/MAC "also" have USB 2.0 or Firewire interfaces, ie., "high speed" Bus connections. So the Computer will need to be USB 2.0 or Firewire capable.

Midi In/Outs are only used for Midi data NOT Audio. So you wouldn't be able to use the Midi In/Outputs for recording Audio.

Best regards,
Mike

"OK, how I can found out if the keyboard will connect using USB and not MIDI interface?
Let's say Motif ES or Pa1xPro?
"

New Yorker, both of these keyboards can be connected via MIDI or USB to do MIDI work. For USB connection, all you would need is a USB cable, for MIDI connection you will need a MIDI interface on your computer.

Again, keep in mind this is only for MIDI signals, you cannot transfer audio from your keyboard using the built-in USB connector into your computer, for audio you will need an audio interface (it could be a USB, Firewire or a PCI interface, but it is a seperate interface than what's already in your keyboard).

You may want to tell us what exactly you are trying to achieve with a sound card:

Do you need a Pro or consumer level card?
Are you planning to do multi track recording?
How many audio ins/outs do you need for your work?
Do you have multiple instruments that you need to connect to your computer via MIDI?

All these questions depend on whether you should go USB, Firewire or PCI route. I see responses with pro level to very basic consumer level recommendations and IMHO you need to let us know what you are trying to do first.

Well, since Motif ES and PApro have USB ports, I assume they are 2.0 'cause they came out in 2003 and USB 2.0 came out I believe in 2001?

No, both the Pa1X Pro and Motif ES use USB 1.1 specification NOT 2.0. And there in lies the problem New Yorker. Keyboards do NOT use the USB interface for Audio Streaming because for one they only use USB 1.1 which has a transfer rate of about 12 mb/sec. And another reason being they (the Keyboards themselves) are not set up to output the Keyboard sound, ie., Key playing, Styles, Midi files, Multi-Pad, Sequenced data, etc., through the USB port[s]. That is the job of the "Main/Auxiliary Outputs on the Keyboard. If on the other hand a Keyboard had USB 2.0 or Firewire interfaces a logical assumption would be to utilize them for Audio Outputs to Stream Audio and Midi to a DAW or Computer. USB 2.0 has a transfer rate of up to 480 Mb/sec. Firewire has a transfer rate of up to 400 Mb/sec. Firewire 2nd generation has a transfer rate of up to 800 Mb/sec. Mind boggling to say the least. PS: (The Midi ports are used for streaming Midi data).

For the time being though you would simply use the Main Outputs of the Keyboard and run them to a good Mixer and then output that signal to a PC/MAC and into your PC/MAC Sound Card whether it be a PCI, USB, USB 2.0, or Firewire Card. Then use a good Multi-track recording software program to 'record' the sound[s] from your Keyboard. The Multi-track software will record the data as a .Wav file in most cases and then you can convert the .wav file into .mp3 by using a converting software. Then you could put the .mp3 files onto a CD by way of a CD-RW Drive on the Computer.

When Keyboard Manufacturers start making Keyboards with USB 2.0 and Firewire interfaces I think it will be a huge advancement in the Music making process and will consequently speed up the whole process tremendously. Until then were relegated to using the Main/Aux Outputs of the Keyboard to output the sounds of the Keyboard into a separate Mixer and or directly into a qualified Sound Card then into a PC/MAC and record the sounds on the PC/MAC using Multi-track recording software, etc.

Best regards,
Mike

Thanks all.

I think it is about time for manufacturers to include USB 2.0, not USB 1.0.

Yamaha and Co.: What's up with the delay????

NewYorker,

There is no professional sound card that is USB2. The professional audio and video community has adopted firewire. USB is useful for other things such as midi interfaces. The theoritical speed transfer is as not important as the practical rates of transfer with reliability and support. Will this change in the future? Maybe. But if it is changed, I would suspect Firewire2 will be introduced over anything else.

The best card will be simply determined by your choice of Software. Are you going Steinberg Cubase or Nuendo path? But you really cannot buy any professional USB2 audio card. It simply does not exist.

The examples mentioned are not professional and will even cost you more money. Because you will find out after buying them, that they will not do the job and so you have to buy another one from scratch. But that really depends on you. What are you trying to accomplish. Are you trying to build something professional?