Recording Soundcards and Programs

[crashtest42]

What are some good soundcards to use that are designed for use with instruments? What are some good programs to use? Thanks for any help ya'll!

[jjr0319]

im building a new DAW for myself have been researching sound cards for about a month. there's so many out there to choose from, it gets a little confusing and annoying at times. here's my take on it:

1) no soundblasters! they're great for watching DVDs, listening to CD's, or playing games, but that's it. for recording purposes, they suck.

2) get something with good A/D convertors. the new standard is now 24/96. mostly all the "pro" audio cards have these. dont ask me to explain what that means, just look for the 24/96

3) most of these pro audio cards have "1/4 (same as a guitar cable) ins/outs. some even have XLR inputs (for mics) that come with pre's.

4) there are multiple formats avaliable: PCI (Desktop), USB, Firewire 1394, PCMCIA (Laptop). it depends on what type of computer you have. generally the PCI and PCMCIA are faster/more stable than USB and firewire.

5) these cards range anywhere from $99 - $$$$$$$. it depends on your budget.

If you let me know your budget, what type you need, and what you record, I could recommend some cards for you.

In regards to software, I guess only two questions (budget and recording needs) apply.

Let me know what your looking for. Thanks

[isaac]

yeah...don't go for USB stuff. get a PCI card like an echo gina 24bit digital recorder. multiple inputs, etc. etc.