Recommend a sound card
Hello DJ Tech Toolers,
As you can see by the number of posts that I have, I haven’t been on these forums for very long. So I’m fairly new.
Now to get to the point, this is what I would like answered (if possible): What is a good sound card for £150 and under?
I currently have a Numark Mixtrack Pro (with Numark DJ I/O). However, I will be upgrading controllers soon. So I just want some good expert advice (please!)
Many thanks,
Daily Crisis
DJ soundcard or production soundcard?
How much I/O do you need
Do you need midi I/O
Does it have to be USB powered or can you afford to have an external 24v power supply
What controller you getting? Many if not all now have a built in soundcard…
NOTE: I don’t know anything about soundcards, hence why I’m asking for advice!
Cheers.
The NI Audio 2 is a direct upgrade from the DJIO, giving you 2 output channels, the only drawback is you need a TRS>RCA adaptor.
However, if you upgrade to a controller with an interface, such as an S2, you would not need another soundcard.
I’m thinking of purchasing the Traktor S4. I’ve heard some good stuff about it and one of my DJ mates has recommended it to me, he says it’s the best on the market at the moment. However that may change come christmas
but my price range is up to £700.
Also I come from Brighton too 
Ok. Looks good, but what about for music production?
Will also add that the A2 comes with the 1/4in to rca adaptors
I’m thinking about purchasing the Traktor S4. However, come christmas there may be a better controller out on the market.
Also I see you come from Brighton, I come from Brighton too
Sounds good. I don’t mind purchasing an adapter. Will I need another sound card for music production though?
You CAN use it for production no problem, but theres only the one set of outputs and no inputs (so no multi-monitor system or hardware inputs)
The S4 and (as was said earlier) pretty much every new all-in-one style controller has a built-in soundcard.
For outs only, the NI Audio 2 is a great sound card. It is reliable, loud, and survives life in a gig bag.
If you need inputs, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 is hard to beat at your price point.
Inputs will be for monitors etc. right? I don’t think I’ll need that yet. It will be most likely that I will purchase the Traktor S4. However, will I need an additional sound card for music production? Or even would it be better to get the NI Audio 2 (as it seems to be everyone’s choice on this thread).
inputs are for recording anything, mics, external synths, send/return FX units etc, your outputs are for monitors
The S4 is a reasonable “all in one” solution for starting out. “Production” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Depending on your workflow, you may benefit from having an additional sound card…but you can delay that purchase for a while.
+1
Inputs are for getting audio INTO your computer. In addition to the list that Cook gave, I would add that inputs can be useful for recording vinyl or cassette tapes into the computer.
Mics are not just about vocals. Having a mic input of reasonable quality (USB headset mics are not reasonable quality) can be VERY handy for recording sounds to turn into sound packs (see the Mad Zack tutorials for examples).
Ok I don’t think I want anything fancy like that, just play the record!
Cook - What would you recommend me to do?
At the moment this is my setup:
Pretty standard PC.
2 USB SteelSeries Soundcards (I used to be a bit of a gamer)
Numark Mixtrack Pro Controller
Sennheiser HD-25 Headphones
Acoustic Energy Aego-M Sub and Speakers
In the Mixtrack Pro I have Red/White RCA cables going to both decks and they are RCA to Mini-jack. One sound card is an audio splitter for my two RCA to Mini-jack leads. The other sound card is for my master speakers.
Soon I will most likely be purchasing the Traktor S4 (I’m also thinking about Numark 4Trak or something similair with that price range) and it looks like the internal soundcard in that controller looks like it’ll be good enough. However what about for music production and performing live?
Cheers.
I was only suggesting stuff for producing mate, for just DJing, unless you want to use timecode the A2 is perfect
The big question: Would it be optimal to get the NI Audio 2 alongside the Traktor S4 internal soundcard?
Could you help a brother out please?
Could you explain what timecode is please? (Or is it just a case of google).