Does anybody know of any alternatives to an audio 8. I really want to start mixing 4 decks when I get my new laptop in a couple of weeks. I was going to buy an Audio 8 until I read a few posts saying they sound cold in comparison to the Xone 4D for example.
I currently have an Audio 4 and I must admit I don’t think the quality is bad but at the same time it doesn’t sound as clean and warm as my friends set up on his 1210 mk5 G’s with a Vestax mixer (not timecode). Im not sure if this is to do with me mixing internally on Traktor and I am just noticing the difference between analogue and digital.
I just don’t know whether to spend £320 on an Audio 8 if there is a sound card that sounds better. If in time I was to buy an Xone 42 or 92 I wouldn’t want to spend loads on a mixer if it will only ever sound as good as the audio interface. Any opinions or ideas?
IMO because of analogue vs. digital. It should sound clean, just usually stale in comparison to analogue. Traktor also lacks sound coloring options found in other DAW’s, but this can be compensated for.
M-audio Firewire 410, now the Firewire 610, is pretty decent. Never done me wrong.
Traktor isn’t a DAW software, it’s DJ software, first.
Second, I haven’t found my Audio8 to be cold at all. At that, if you think that the Audio4 is cold, but you’ll be mixing externally, then would it really matter? The color will be added by the mixer you plug it into.
Ok, I am in the same boat and I don’t really like the audio series from NI. I think the support is horrible as in drivers. I hate my audio4. Crackles, pops and audio drop as I call it. Compared to my friends motu, its shite. And before you say its setup improperly… I’m an IT by day and superhero by night. I feel they just don’t work with PC as well.
I want to find a new audio card to start my 4 deck mixing. I have been doing 2 channel for years and I want to expand. I am looking at the motu ultralite mk3. The kicker is I also produce and I like doing external mixing. Just my thing. I like recording bands and shit too.
So I need at least an audio card with the ability to output to 4 or 8 channels. I would keep my audio 4 for phono if I can’t find one with phono. Any ideas?
Just a note, if you do any timecode work, you are going to need an NI soundcard anyway… And as it’s been said already, when you’re mixing externally it’s going to be your mixer that’s going to color it more then any interface will. Digital interfaces are just that, digital, very sterile and uncolored. Unless you’re looking to invest $1k+ into some crazy nice interface with 8 outputs, then just grab the Audio8, mine’s done me great in stability and sound for the past 5 years with my Vestax PMC-08.
Haha I thought it was quite a revival too. No I don’t use timecode. Even though I have everything to do it. It’s just not my main thing. But that’s why I wanted to keep the audio4. That and the phono inputs.
What I wanted to do is, say traktor 4 channels output to 4 channels on a dj mixer. Ableton, inputs for my external synths and output to channel mixing. Whatever is capable with the audio card I go with. I use a microkorg, little phatty, a shit load of toy synths and a self designed and made modular based on lunettas and mfos modular.
I suppose I don’t need a card to output to 12 channels on a huge board. But what I did want is to be able to hook up a series of instruments and record them all separate. But I suppose that is more of the mixers job. Maybe I should just say fukkit and pick up an A&H zed12
