need a sound card for NLE work

B

Bruce Watson

Veteran
I've built a new NLE computer. The built-in audio from the motherboard (Asus z87-expert) is... disappointing. I'd like to have better audio while editing, and while listening to music (iTunes, internet radio, the random CD, etc.) while working on other, non-NLE things. All through headphones (Sony MDR-7506).

I'm looking for the biggest-bang-for-the-buck sound card that'll give me a nice step up from motherboard audio. Needs to work with an Intel HD Audio 10 pin header (from the case's front panel headphone jack). Not gaming, don't really need or care about interfacing to a HT rig.
 
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Sound cards can be fine, but with the latest generation of USB audio interfaces, there's nothing you can do with an interface that you cannot do with a card. The interfaces can also be used as your computer's primary i/o, so all of your sound can move through it from your NLE, DAW, iTunes, etc. Plus, the interfaces tend to be much less expensive than the professional sound cards.

Best bang for the buck? AKAI EIE Pro (silver, not red), or the Focusrite Scarlet series.
 
Bruce Watson said:
Guys, I really do want a sound card, not an external interface. At least for now.
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Bruce, you want what you want, so go for it. But, as I researched sound card options a while back and then realized what a quality interface could do for me, I changed my tune, fast. The actual audio performance of a good card is the best thing about them, when you consider all the kludgy stuff you have to do to get audio in and out with cable breakouts, they don't sound so good. If you do use a card, integration with your editor can be important; they don't all play nice. If you are a Pro-tools user, M-Audio might be a good choice for integration, but read around for your specific editor and card.

If you do want a card, you might consider something with an external breakout box to ease connectivity.

My conclusion on the whole card versus interface business was that while cards can offer good performance, I ended up thinking they were more for gaming than video.

Grant
 
I don't mess around with sound cards. Not worth the hassle. They are expensive and don't give you the options a good interface gives you. I have a Mackie Onyx Blackjack. It's really basic and no frills, but it works for me AND it comes with the Mackie Traction software which is pretty cool for what it is. I use it all the time. Not as good as pro tools for sound design and editing, but great for basic stuff.
 
No sound card recommendations? At all? I must not be asking this question correctly. This really is just about getting better sound from my NLE to my headphones on my PC's front panel. I don't need anything else. No options, no flexibility. And not another box taking up space on my desk.

Oh well, I'll keep looking.
 
The really basic sound cards ($25-ish) that do just that aren't going to offer much improved performance over the one your computer already has. You could go up to the $150-300 range and get things like 5.1 and digital optical outputs, but that's the price range of a basic USB interface. You brought up the "eventually" of VO recording and other capabilities, so why not knock all that out now instead of eventually buying two devices? The 2-input Focusrite Scarlet is very compact and won't take up much space at all.
 
I don't see the need for a better sound card for what you just described. Just plug your headphones into the headphone jack on your computer and call it a day. Spending money on a good sound card isn't worth it when you can put that money towards something useful, like an interface. If you want to have gear taking up room, then this is the wrong business to be in.
 
davefisk said:
I don't see the need for a better sound card for what you just described.
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You already made that clear, but then you didn't start this thread. I did. I do see the need, or I wouldn't have started this thread. Your assertion that you don't see a need is pointless and irritating. And frankly, it's not at all like you. You're usually quite helpful to people. What's up bro? If I inadvertently pissed you off, I apologize.

davefisk said:
Just plug your headphones into the headphone jack on your computer and call it a day.
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Thanks for your "advice" but I respectfully decline.

davefisk said:
Spending money on a good sound card isn't worth it when you can put that money towards something useful, like an interface. If you want to have gear taking up room, then this is the wrong business to be in.
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With all due respect, you don't know what business I'm in. The business I'm in is immaterial to my request for information on a possible sound card.

And it's pretty clear that I'm not going to get any information about a possible sound card on this thread, so I capitulate. Thread's all yours; I'm done here.
 
Jeez Bruce, lighten up. You asked a specific question, and for lots of reasons, you didn't get the answer you requested. I'm sure you can find an answer to your question somewhere, but what you got here were unvarnished opinions from some pretty knowledgable folks on why you might want to consider a different path. So you want what you want, no problem, but you got some really good information......just sayin.

A few weeks ago, a new member asked some questions and I piped in first and gave him some very reasonable suggestions. The guy crapped all over me because I didn't answer in a fashion he preferred. Strange thing, if you followed the thread for a week or so, he ended up agreeing to most everything I suggested. This isn't about a dust-up between me and a newb, it's about how you accept advice. I've certainly had my mind opened here on many occasions, and am much the better for it.

Grant
 
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Whoa there, Bruce.

You didn't make me mad and I'm sorry if I made you upset.

I offered the advice I did because I've been down the path you are on now and found it better to go the interface route.

If you absolutely have to have a sound card, then I did a quick search on newegg.com for you and found this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...TMATCH&Description=sound+card&N=-1&isNodeId=1

As you'll see, there are lots of options. Some seem to fit your requirements and the price points are all over the place. I'm not a sound card expert, but I can say Asus makes solid stuff, so I'd trust a product made by them. I can't say if the headphone outputs on any of these will be better than the built in headphone jack you currently have, but there ya go.
 
Bruce Watson said:
No sound card recommendations? At all? I must not be asking this question correctly. This really is just about getting better sound from my NLE to my headphones on my PC's front panel. I don't need anything else. No options, no flexibility. And not another box taking up space on my desk.

Oh well, I'll keep looking.
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Bruce,

Part of the problem with the question is that there are a lot of sound folks in this section and they are not going to like sound cards.
The reasons are pretty straight forward, they don't work for sound work. The only "cards" you will generally see a sound person use are cards that connect to an interface. My ProTools HD uses a "card" but it goes to an audio interface.

A card that you can plug a 1/8" jack into or maybe a pair of RCA jacks is not something of much use to sound people.

Second problem and why big boy sound cards go to interfaces is that the inside of a computer is a RF rats nest. So the only way to not have that be a BIG problem is to get all that analog audio as far away as possible. So the analog section is in the box and the signal is all digital by the time it get into the rats nest. A "card" like you describe is the analog in the rats nest so it is generally much noisier than anything with a break out box.

None of that means you should not get a card, just that you should probably be asking in a section loaded with picture editors not a bunch of sound guys.

You don't want to edit with headphones because that is as big a PITA for a picture editor as it is for a sound editor. You want to have some decent sound in your speakers because your going to spend a LOT of time listening to them. So you do want to bump up the quality.

But truthfully the best "bang for the buck" is going to be an interface that plus into a USB port. I understand why you don't want that, but going internal will be more expensive for the same quality level and that level will never be as high as the box can be. You would think it would be the other way around but If I make a USB box I can sell it to anybody. If I make a card I can only sell it to people who have that particular slot and are willing to open up the box to install it. That is a MUCH smaller market. Now subtract from that sound people and musicians and you can see why it's a really limited market.
 
Hi
I don't want to make anyone more upset. The motherboard soundchip you have is quite good, but yes you are disappointed. Add on sound has moved outside the box becasue of RF (radio frequency) issues. It takes substantial $$ to make a good internal soundcard. So you really don't find cheap and good internal cards. Look at RME for useful internal soundcards. The chip on your board is already there so companies don't make soundcards that are the same quality. I just built a really nice editing machine for a client and used the high end onboard soundchip for testing until the RME BabyFace came in. The RF on the internal chip was really bad. A waste with the Neuaman Monitors. By the way i really like the Sony 7506s. I find the replacement cushions difficult to keep on. Only complaint. Great luck in your quest.
 
For the record, in case anyone stumbles on this pitiful excuse for a thread in the future and wonders if there's a solution, I found a sound card that does what I want. It's a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX, less than $30 USD. Met my requirements for an HDA front panel header on card, and Windows 8.1 driver. Installation was more painful than it needed to be, but now that it's done it's fine.

Sound quality is cleaner, less noisy, has better dynamic range, and it's flatter across the range than the onboard RealTek chip. Makes dialog a little more understandable, and music a little more dynamic with more separation between the instruments. Not a huge increase in sound quality, but noticeable. Which is what I was looking for.

Works for me, clearly YMMV.
 
Bruce Watson said:
For the record, in case anyone stumbles on this pitiful excuse for a thread in the future and wonders if there's a solution, I found a sound card that does what I want. It's a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX, less than $30 USD. Met my requirements for an HDA front panel header on card, and Windows 8.1 driver. Installation was more painful than it needed to be, but now that it's done it's fine.

Sound quality is cleaner, less noisy, has better dynamic range, and it's flatter across the range than the onboard RealTek chip. Makes dialog a little more understandable, and music a little more dynamic with more separation between the instruments. Not a huge increase in sound quality, but noticeable. Which is what I was looking for.

Works for me, clearly YMMV.
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Not a pitiful thread, just a pitiful attitude attitude on your part. You made it clear, you wanted something that was not for gaming.
You got answers from professionals based on what professionals would use. No true professional would even consider using a gaming soundcard for serious audio work. You're happy, that's good. When anyone (like myself) reads this thread, it will be you who they think less of, not the people trying to offer you wisdom.
 
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