What sound card(s) should i purchase?

[sparktite]

I havent been on this forum in a while. Ive been following dj tech tools for a while tho, until i hit a brick wall when i was trying to map my vci100 to traktor.

Note that i know very little about djing, or using computers for making music. Ive only ever used sony acid i believe it was called, for a bit.

Anyways i remember reading that i needed a sound car that could play my left track in my left ear, and my right track in my right ear when using traktor. Back then i was using a creative sound blaster card on my computer, i read that i needed some sort of external sound card to be able to hear the different tracks in different ears.

Im planning on staying away from the sound blaster cards from creative since ive had nuthin but problems with them, and now every time i restart my computer my computer forgets that the card exists.
So can anyone suggest what sound card(s) i should purchase?

What setup would i need if im trying to play games in 7.1 surround sound, and wanting to mix songs with headphones?

I will need to use digitial audio out, for my music as well as my gaming headphones. I think im limited to 5.1 with digital audio right? Thats what i heard. Im hooking this up to my home theater setup which is 7.1 surround sound.

[kostis12345]

If your using a desktop(which I suppose you are) i'd suggest to take a look at PCI sound cards. I've got an M-audio Revolution 7.1 and a Delta 410. They are a bit old but they are great cards.
Note: 7.1 is not really supported in games and movies. At most you'll get a 5.1 signal that has two of its signals split in two to give you a pseudo-7.1

[sparktite]

Yeah i just found out a few days ago lol

I thought pc games would still support 7.1 tho

Either way im trying to use my regular 5.1 speakers, headphones, or my av receiver for my home theater which is 7.1

I just wanna make sure i get the right setup because i want to be able to mix songs with headphones. I might need new ones, i just have some messed up Bose headphones and thats about it, my others broke, and someone stole my beats headphones.

Other than wanting that, i just want a a reliable sound card i can use with my 5.1 and has at least 1 digital audio out. Im using the sound blaster fatal1ty champ edition sound card which is still damn expensive, but i cant take having to reset all my settings on ever restart. Its some problems that a bunch of ppl r dealing with but seems like theres no solution so far not even in the beta drivers.
I also remember being told a while ago on these forums that sound blaster sound cards arent really that good /shrug

So PCI cards are what i should be looking for? I believe PCI E 16X is what video cards use correct? Currently my sound card uses some little tiny PCI plug smaller than the video card ones and smaller than the regular sized ones. Im guessing you want me looking for the medium sized PCI instead of the snubby little one im using or the X16 correct?

[Onimode]

The type of card you can use is restricted to what slots are open on your motherboard. Do you have open PCI or PCI-e slots? www.newegg.com could bear a sound card you're looking for.

Also, some additional reading you might be able to use:
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conventional_PCI"]Conventional PCI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Padlock-black.svg" class="image"><img alt="Padlock-black.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Padlock-black.svg/40px-Padlock-black.svg.png"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/d/d9/Padlock-black.svg/40px-Padlock-black.svg.png[/ame]
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express"]PCI Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:PCIExpress.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/PCIExpress.jpg/250px-PCIExpress.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/f/fc/PCIExpress.jpg/250px-PCIExpress.jpg[/ame]

[defektedtoy]

Couldn't one essentially just pick up an Audio 2? That way, if you ever wanted to perform on the go, you already have a portable sound card.

[kostis12345]

He asked for a 7.1 so no, an Audio 2 would fit :\
Take a look at the m-audio revo 7.1:
http://www.moesrealm.com/img/revo_02.jpg

[TABS]

vci-100 and traktor don't have split cue. Split cue is hardware based.

Read
http://co.native-instruments.com/for...d.php?p=680364

An A2DJ will work.

Have a nice day.

[kostis12345]

Again, he's asking for a 7.1 card so none of the NI Audio cards suit his needs.
If you just want to have Split Cue, you can get a NI Audio card.

[sparktite]

Right now i have a X1 PCI E and a regular PCI slot i can use. I do plan to upgrade my board once ive saved up enough tho. Gonna go all out for a triple card SLI setup.

I need a card that allows me to use 7.1 surround sound with an audio receiver. I believe digital audio is limited to 5.1 correct? I need at least 1 digital audio out for my headphones.

I also would like to switch between using my home theater system and my regular headphones. I dont mind swapping cords to switch between the two. I will be using it for listening to music, making music, and gaming.
Im probably gonna use ableton or something other than traktor, i may wind up using traktor tho, i just have to find out what im more comfortable with.

What about just getting a nice setup that has 1 digi out and can do 7.1? Then i get an external card for splitting the sound for the headphones? I noticed u guys said that traktor splits the music per ear for you, but that wasnt the case with my headphones. I also dont like how complicated traktor is, and will be using tons of other programs.

Also wondering if anyone has any links for headphone buying guides. Mine are all busted up. My fave headphones ive ever heard or used were the dr dre beats, but idk if thats a good pair for mixing.

-Thanks

[fullenglishpint]

I would be amazed if you can find an internal sound card that supports 7.1 surround sound but also has low enough driver latency for DJing.