Do I need a good sound card to run SC?

[fixationdarknes]

Apparently I'm going to have to use SC as a standalone on one computer and then send the files to my other computer which has Pro Tools on it. Would it work on my normal gaming computer that doesn't have more than onboard sound card. Also, do I need any ports on my computer or anything like that?

Sorry, I'm new to this stuff and maybe this is posted somewhere, but I didn't seem to find it anywhere.

[Sam Fischmann]

Hello,

You'll need some way to get MIDI to the Choirs computer, and audio back from the Choirs computer into the Pro Tools computer. Usually this is done by hooking up MIDI cables from the output of the Pro Tools computer into the Choirs computer, and hooking up cables from the audio output of the Choirs computer into audio input of the Pro Tools computer.

-Sam

[Senso]

It’s always a good idea to avoid weak links in your audio set-up. For instance, a bad audio cable can make your thousands-of-dollars system sound awful. So try to get a sound card that has 24-bit sample, 96-resolution capability.

Also, a gaming computer is usually set up to be graphics intensive (visuals demand a lot from the CPU), whereas an audio computer must be set up to maximize sound. You may run into system conflicts if both are set up on the same system.

Anyway, my set-up sounds a lot like what you’re trying to do, so here’s how it’s configured:

Computer one: runs SC as a standalone, uses the US-122 external audio/midi interface. Connects to the computer via USB. This serves as the “sound card.” Master keyboard connected (via midi I/O) to the US-122.

Downloaded “maple midi” software, which supplies “virtual midi ports” that this set-up requires for WB to interact with SC.

Computer two: runs Pro Tools software, connects to Pro tools hardware digi002 via FireWire.

Connected the audio outs of the US-122 to an audio-in jack on the digi002. This allows “midi” data generated in WB and SC to be routed directly as audio, straight into any of the 32 Pro Tools audio tracks.

Obviously, everyone uses their own set-up, each with their own unique twists.

One last consideration: install as much RAM as you can. Even though a particular application (under Windows XP) can only access 2GB’s of RAM at once, it’s a good idea to install as much RAM as you can afford. The rest of your system will run more smoothly in the background.

[LEX]

More than anything, you want a sound card that has GOOD drivers.

The converters can be great, but if it means you have to run at 12ms latency or worse, then it is worthless.

The best latency is going to be 1.5ms. Not the greatest, but acceptable to work with is 6ms.
Anything higher, it will drive you nuts.

The lower the latency, the hard the CPU has to work. So your voice count will drop.
3ms on slave machines and 6ms on master here.

RME is widely known for great audio cards, and good drivers. For a standalone system, they would be my first choice.

Also, firewire adds 32buffers (64buffers is 1.5ms) to the exsisiting latency so with a FW interface there is almost another 1ms added to the latency.

If at all possible, stick with PCI cards rather than FW or USB.

LEX

[Senso]

Almost forget: Since you’ll be exchanging files between both systems, it might be a good idea to buy a digidesign-qualified card for the SC system as well.

This will allow you to load and back up Pro Tool sessions on both systems. Two-way compatibility is always a good idea.

If you go with an internal PCI card, you might try the M-powered (Pro Tools compatible) “Audiophile 2496.” This is the internal PCI card I use on my Pro Tools system. For some ideas on connecting with another computer, see above.

[XGener8or]

You need one with ASIO driver support. If you try to run it in standard Windows DX or whatever mode, you won't like it. Trust me.