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t0lkien · 18th June 2007

For the final update, here is what I went with (though I got everything off eBay):

E-MU 1616m
(Because it has the best pre-amps and DACs for the price, enough bandwidth via the cardbus to minimize latency, and a fairly nice bunch of onboard DSPs. Plus I can use just the card without the microdock to mix and mess around with the DSPs)

ATH-M50 Headphones
(Because they have a nice flat response and fold up to save space, which is important for me because I travel)

Studio Projects B1 microphone
(Because it gets rave reviews for the price, and is recommended as a good alrounder for vocals and acoustic guitar. I will probably pick up an SM-57 as well just for a different sound)

It all installed and worked on my Vaio laptop, though I immediately discovered why people build recording rooms. My laptop has a loud fan and the B1 picks up everything (of course). I currently have it all set up so the laptop is under a thick pillow on the couch, and the mic is on a desk behind the couch with a curtain inbetween. I work the software from the desk via a wireless mouse. Drop ins are going to be nigh impossible, but it works

E-MU's patch link software is, just as everyone said, a steep learning curve. I still haven't figured it out. What no-one told me is that it's not optional. If you can't get it to work, you won't get sound at all. Luckily they have presets that will work "out of the box". If anyone else is thinking of using this interface, I would suggest not going above 48K, at least initially. There are features that don't work at the higher sampling rates, and lots of other little gremlins that crop up. Plus it has the power to kill other applications completely, such as Ableton.

Apart from that, it's a great sounding setup. Thanks to all for the help. It's already inspired me to start writing again (I got out of bed and recording a quick take of a new song idea at 2am last night).

18th June 2007	#23
t0lkien Gear interested Joined: May 2007 Posts: 26 Thread Starter	For the final update, here is what I went with (though I got everything off eBay): E-MU 1616m (Because it has the best pre-amps and DACs for the price, enough bandwidth via the cardbus to minimize latency, and a fairly nice bunch of onboard DSPs. Plus I can use just the card without the microdock to mix and mess around with the DSPs) ATH-M50 Headphones (Because they have a nice flat response and fold up to save space, which is important for me because I travel) Studio Projects B1 microphone (Because it gets rave reviews for the price, and is recommended as a good alrounder for vocals and acoustic guitar. I will probably pick up an SM-57 as well just for a different sound) It all installed and worked on my Vaio laptop, though I immediately discovered why people build recording rooms. My laptop has a loud fan and the B1 picks up everything (of course). I currently have it all set up so the laptop is under a thick pillow on the couch, and the mic is on a desk behind the couch with a curtain inbetween. I work the software from the desk via a wireless mouse. Drop ins are going to be nigh impossible, but it works E-MU's patch link software is, just as everyone said, a steep learning curve. I still haven't figured it out. What no-one told me is that it's not optional. If you can't get it to work, you won't get sound at all. Luckily they have presets that will work "out of the box". If anyone else is thinking of using this interface, I would suggest not going above 48K, at least initially. There are features that don't work at the higher sampling rates, and lots of other little gremlins that crop up. Plus it has the power to kill other applications completely, such as Ableton. Apart from that, it's a great sounding setup. Thanks to all for the help. It's already inspired me to start writing again (I got out of bed and recording a quick take of a new song idea at 2am last night).