I’m currently running TPro + BCD3000, and am in the process of upgrading to the VCI-100 so will be in need of a decent soundcard.
My laptop has no PCMCIA port, nor a FW port, and I’m looking for something to give me a headphone monitor and master out, preferably balanced, that is powered via USB and provides decent sound.
A mic in would be great as well, as I currently use one on my show …
Ideally looking to spend under £150 and don’t mind eBay rummaging for a bargain.
I recently upgraded my soundcard and got a terratec phase 26 usb.
At first, I was concerned about the 16bit output, until I did some more research and released that just about every song out there has been recorded at 16bit. You can set it to 24/96 but that restricts the number of ins/outs.
By default its a 5.1 out, with headphone socket (and gain adjust), and has 4 inputs, but be warned, only one is ‘active’ at a time. However, you can have multiple things plugged into the inputs and switch quickly between them using a panel on the front of the unit.
That makes it ideal for switching between say a turn table (it has phono input with RIAA), an ipod and a mic for instance.. (mic input also converts the mono mic signal to stereo automatically, and has a gain adjust) All of these can be easily routed through traktor using audio/through on an unused deck.
It works under xp and vista, but there is no asio support for vista 64 as of yet (same for most cards I understand).
i picked one up for 150usd new on ebay last year. i’ve never given a second thought to its dependability because it’s never failed me in the least bit. not even a furrowed brow, or even the palms upturned, shrug-shouldered scowl at your gear in the booth gesture (universal reaction to suspected equipment failure and occasional bad dj-ing).
really though, i’ve been able to depend heavily on it until i sold it last week after downsizing to an otus rig. it’s very stable, has intimidating latency, and the output level is not shabby at all.
i think the only other interface that surpasses the nio in terms of performance vs. price is probably the NI audio 4 dj. a4’s are loud (really loud), encased in aluminum, and generally only $25-50us more than the nio.
afterpost edit bonus: the nio is a pretty decent midi and audio input interface as well. i’ve lent it to friends for mobile field recording, sketching band demos, and even simple bedroom tracking all with satisfactory results.
(understandably) Not that arsed by the “‘Overloud’ Guitar amp and distortion pedal effects” and the effects engine, as I’ll be using the TPro bits and bobs on the occasions
Nice that it’s got and XLR mic input though
e2a:
Hang on it says “Two inputs simultaneously only - either stereo RCA phono or the XLR and Jack” So I doubt I could use both L:R RCA and the Mic in
trashed my way through several soundcards over the years,
currently using NI’s audio 8 dj which i got when i upgraded to t scratch pro and it works a treat, rock solid performance, excellent audio quality, high build quality, has mic in and headphone out, 7 other outs, might be pushing your price range a little, but ive seen them for around £170, also its got a relatively small footprint
The Audio8 is pricey, but I think it’s worth it. It’s got a large number of ins and outs, a mic in, and midi in/out. It’s got really handy LED read outs to make sure everything is where it should be, and, well, it’s sturdy as a rock.
The Audio Kontrol 1 is great. I’ve got a VCI-100 too and can vouch for the set up. It’s designed for digital djing but i also use it for my studio set up.
Crisp sound and rugged for sticking in a bag and taking to gigs etc.
It’s also good because it’s got balanced 1/4" Jack outputs rather than RCA for if you ever want to get active monitors for a home studio set up studio.
Then for pluging into a mixer you just need a couple of rca to jack adapters and you can plug into standard dj mixer at a club.
It’s even got a few midi knobs on it so you can actually set those up for basic control (ie crossfader and volume) I’ve played a couple of house parties just with the Audio Kontrol 1 when i didn’t want to bring my vci-100 too.
