USB Soundcard Advice

[Ferryman_1957]

Are they any good? I am doing more mastering in a DAW on the PC and I have excellent speakers but a so-so soundcard. I just need something for high quality playback when mastering and a plug in sound card seems the way to go, but I have never used one.

What do you all think?

Cheers,

Nigel

[Oldrottenhead]

would you not be cheaper relacing your existing soundcard with a better internal one?

[Facemask93]

I use my BR-800

[Ferryman_1957]

would you not be cheaper relacing your existing soundcard with a better internal one?

Can't I'm afraid. It's my work laptop PC which sits in my study where I do my home recording, soundcard can't be changed (breaks our IT laws). Can't drag the home PC in as the family have that too often.

I use my BR-800

I have gone off it for mastering. Not enough control, I preferred the MBR. I spent some time getting to know the mastering capabilities in Samplitude over the Xmas break and I do prefer them.

Cheers,

Nigel

[64Guitars]

I use my BR-800

I have gone off it for mastering. Not enough control, I preferred the MBR. I spent some time getting to know the mastering capabilities in Samplitude over the Xmas break and I do prefer them.

I assumed Rob was talking about using the BR-800 as an audio interface, eliminating the sound card from your playback system. Audio from your computer would go to the BR-800 via USB, then from the BR's Line Out jacks to a stereo amplifier or active monitors. Have you tried that?

[Ferryman_1957]

I think I will go for one of the Creative Soundblaster ones.....

[Flash Harry]

I recently got a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. Fabulous.

Two mic preamps, phantom power if required. Another handful of inputs and outputs. Very quiet and works well with Reaper. It's ASIO so I guess it will work with pretty much any of them.

[Facemask93]

That's exactly what I meant 64 , I can't see the need to spend money when you already have the perfect interface there in your system

[Ferryman_1957]

The problem is mastering - I am mastering using Samplitude on the PC. I find the mastering effects on the BR800 too limited, so I am exporting the mixed stereo wav file to a PC for final mastering. Also, Samplitude can do CD production, which the BR800 can't. I plan to produce a concept album, so I will want all the tracks to have similar volume levels and mastering feel. That's hard to achieve with the limited visual output of the BR800 (the level bars are pretty small).

So I just want to make sure that I am getting the best sound output possible from the PC when mastering.

Cheers,

Nigel  

[Geir]

The problem is mastering - I am mastering using Samplitude on the PC. I find the mastering effects on the BR800 too limited, so I am exporting the mixed stereo wav file to a PC for final mastering. Also, Samplitude can do CD production, which the BR800 can't. I plan to produce a concept album, so I will want all the tracks to have similar volume levels and mastering feel. That's hard to achieve with the limited visual output of the BR800 (the level bars are pretty small).

So I just want to make sure that I am getting the best sound output possible from the PC when mastering.

Cheers,

Nigel 

You could still use the BR800 as just a soundcard when mastering tho ! I don't have, and probably never will have, a high end sound-card, so for me using the 800 (or 80) as a soundcard would be my best option even if I chose to do the mastering process in a DAW or dedicated mastering SW.