“The PC has turned media into an active creation activity, instead of just a passive, TV-watching, radio-listening "let-it-wash-over-you" experience. We can make and edit movies. We can doctor digital photos. We can record and remix music.
While you can do basic recording using your motherboard's integrated audio, in most cases the results won't sound especially good. An Audigy 2 sound card has clean enough inputs and outputs to do some home recording, and even supports ASIO, the driver standard for most professional and prosumer audio applications. But it lacks the 1/4-inch jacks you'll want for connecting instruments. If you're ready to get more serious, it's time to leave the world of sound cards behind, and delve into the realm of audio interface cards.
A semantic difference, you say? Not really. Audio interface cards are specifically designed for audio and music production. They usually won't accelerate game audio, and their mixer applications are much more intricate and granular. They also offer up a lot more I/O—both analog and digital. Cards offering 8-in/8-out are typical, and are usually priced at around $400–$500. Also, the software bundles usually come with audio sequencers and wave editors rather than media player applications and games.
Another important difference is the price: Most decent audio interfaces start at $150 and head north from there. Cards like M-Audio's Delta 44, Echo Audio's Mia MIDI and E-MU's 1212M are in this price band, and all represent good entry-level solutions. But E-MU has gone one better. The company has taken its 1212M interface, and trimmed some features from it to produce the 0404, a $99 2-in/2-out (analog) audio interface card that delivers very impressive performance at that price point.
Are you ready to get your groove on and gear up to record all those musical ideas dancing around in your head? Read on to see if the 0404 is the right place to start for you. Continued...
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | |
 | |
| • | Introduction |
| • | Guided Tour |
| • | How We Tested |
| • | RightMark Audio Analyzer Results |
| • | SoundForge Noise Floor Results |
| • | Hands-On Time |
| • | The Proteus X Synth Software |
| • | Final Thoughts/What to Buy” |
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1753502,00.asp
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