A really cheap n’ Cheerful 2in/8out soundcard
So i’m planning on Modding my APC40 to include a sound card and wanted something that most certainly would not break the bank, sound decent enough and have lots of flexibility…
I managed locally to pick up an Encore ENMAB-SCM for just over $20 - really didn’t know what to expect until I tried it.
The good
- VERY low output noise, I can generally hear high/low end hiss/EM Noise from a bad sound card though my headphones clearly (built in MBP output sounds horrible BTW).
- High Gain - I was pleasantly surprised that it was about 1/3 louder than my Previous Numark DJIO.
- S/PDIF in and out - not that i’ll use it, but nice addition.
- Dual Mic Inputs, Single Line input (Mic’s share the line channels in mono).
- Separate Headphone monitor - (more on this later).
- Works in OSX and Linux without installing anything.
- Volume Control on top
- Latency is less than the Numark IO in Ableton (8ms)
The Bad
- No Power input - USB only.
- Minijack outputs - Adaptors may be needed.
- Mic inputs are in a weird place (on the side)
- Only 48k/16bit (plenty for playing MP3’s though)
- Line/Mic input are pretty friggin Noisy (I don’t plan on using it anyhow).
All in all though despite its shortcomings, its an decent enough lil soundcard with reasonable SNR (-97db)
If you are in the market for a budget card to get you moving or just knocking around as a spare, worth checking out.
Like I said, I bought it to mod my APC, something to kickstart the project with and was expecting complete crap - but was pleasantly surprised when I tried it in the shop.
The good news is - its small enough to fit inside I believe 
