tl;dr, however I wanted to mention:
Quote:
Originally Posted by treewhispers  I got a E-MU 1212m. the converters are claimed to be good (mastering-grade) - ist this right? |
I had a 1212m for about 3 years, and it went on the fritz (not sure why). I loved mine so much that I just got a new one. I use it along with an M-Audio DMP3. Total cost is around $300, and I think you could easily spend $1k and still not be as good.
Of course, if you need more than 2 ins and outs you need something else, but if that's all you need then you're golden. I mostly do VSTi production work, occasionally tracking my digital piano or the occasional vocal.