New Creative Audigy cards

Question

Has anyone tried the new Creative Audigy cards, the specs on the PlatinumXL look good for the price, I really like the idea of the breakout box.
Any input would be apreciated, the review I read did not say anything about W2K drivers or compatibility.
Thanx
The Seeker

Answer 1

alleycat:
quote:
So you can make noise I can't hear? And that you can't record to any media available on the market today? Okay ... so what is your point? If you get near one, make it.
If you are that deaf, then obviously I can't convince you. But plenty of us around here aren't. And you can record 24/96 on Tascam DA45HR's, Mackie HDR 24/96,
any PC equipped with the right soundcard, DVD recorders (yes, they are available and this may be the cheapest option), and there are probably a few more as well.
quote:
And since the Audigy does 96K 32bit internal processing, I'm still waiting for a point. The internal bandwidth for specialized effects processing is there.
I was talking about the computer's internal 32 bit processing. Many soundcards handle 32 bit bitstreams, which prevents the need for bit unpacking, but the 32 bit floating point processing wouldn't be handled in the card anyway. Most people use FX processing in software, because this is far more flexible than anything on a soundcard, especially for multitrack recording, unless it has oodles of DSP available, as some do (
not Creative Labs...).
quote:
And then you compress it down to 16bit for actual recording...
Well. it's downsampled, and the 32 bit float is outputted as 16 bit if you want to write to a CD, but not everybody wants to do that.
quote:
Making statements about the unit doesn't define a problem with it. Real problems are defined by things that limit real musicians or engineers, not by the lack of some extra bits which aren't usable or audible to humans.
Look, just because
you can't hear the difference doesn't mean that others can't. And as a bald statement of fact, for
recording, this card is NOT a 'significant' improvement over the Live!. It's a 16 bit 48K card with slightly more attention paid to the analog front end, which was certainly a problem with the original Live!. Oh, yes, 16 bit audio. It has been established for a long time that if you are going to output stuff at 16 bit 44.1K, then you should ideally digitise at a greater bit depth, especially if you intend to manipulate the data. This has even more significance when the A/D converter is on a soundcard in an electrically noisy environment, as you are unlikely to even reach your 16 bit resolution because of the noise. That's certainly the case with the Live! and the Audigy. The reviews claim that the Audigy will average about 90dB SNR when recording, which
at best means that you will only manage to make a 15 bit original. If you lose it at this stage, you'll never get it back. Even most 18 bit cards have trouble with this, and the difference is clearly audible in the end results.
As far as vinyl and recording goes, there seems to be a consensus view amongst the people that do a lot of it that there is significant detail at low levels on a lot of records, and on a higher bit rate and bit depth system, you will be able to capture this with suitable equipment. The argument is that it is then possible to make the best correctly dithered 16 bit recording possible, and still be able to audibly recover the low level signals. I'm not sure how far I personally agree with the dither argument, but if it is true, then you certainly need to be able to digitise at greater than 16 bit depth.
quote:
Oh my god, a point. Too bad it has no relevance. Show me a single sound card with -90db noise level and clean recordings of high db music in both highs and lows (much more relevant to actual production work) _WITH_ an external patch bay that I can purchase for less than $210 (what I paid for the Platinum EX)
Midiman Delta 44, if you shop around. It's a 24/96 card with a breakout box. Not only that, but you can upgrade the breakout box to an Omni I/O if you want. The spec beats the Audigy hands down for music apps, but not for games, I suspect. I'm sorry, I can't find one as bad as your SNR spec...
quote:
Yes -- there are a LOT of much better cards, with more inputs, cleaner audio and better noise control. Last I checked they start at $650 and go up from there. Since the only point you even attempted to make was 'value' ... what are you trying to say? Is a pro card a better value for the money than the Audigy? Certainly. Is a pro card within the no-pro's budget? Unlikely.
Well, if you don't mind compromising the breakout box slightly (breakout leads, expansion capabilities, etc.), in the same price bracket there's the Audiophile 2496, Terratec 24/96 card, Hoontech do a range of stuff with breakout and upgrade possibilities, Marian does the USB1 20 bit USB breakout box
much cheaper than the Audigy (rather less facilities, admittedly) and there are any number of cards without breakouts but with improved audio specs at the same price point. Many of the standalone cards are
significantly cheaper than the Audigy.
I'm quite happy to concede that the Audigy's S/PDIF may be capable of accepting a 24/96 bitstream, if you can provide it, but the rest of the spec is pretty average when you compare it to other 24/96 cards. Creative have also continued to provide support for the soundfont system, which many people find useful as a sampler. But at heart, it's still a games card. Creative knows where their biggest market is likely to be.
As far as insults are concerned, I said that you need to learn a bit more. I also read your other thread, where you said that you'd managed to get 'up to speed in a month', or whatever. I've seen
no evidence that this is the case. Things have changed out of all recognition in the last ten years as far as the practical realisation of recording is concerned. The basic principles have not altered, but just about everything else has.
And they say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. You should consider this carefully.
Steve
Edited by - SteveG on 09/29/2001 7:40:27 PM