Spot, need clarification please.

MyST wrote on 5/22/2004, 12:34 PM

You wrote in another thread,

"The Terratec is also a noisy card. I reviewed this a while back on the DMN. For output, it's a decent card; most are. For input? Like most cards that convert on a PCI, it's noisy. Way too noisy for a low level like a turntable. Way to noisy for serious work with a mic as well. But decent as an output format card."

What do you think of the Terratec Phase 28 if used as a "prosumer" card? What I mean is that I'm looking at sound cards now, but if I eventually get into editing as a part-time job, I don't want to have to re-invest in a new card.
You said it was noisy. More so than say a Delta 410 pci card?
I'd be using it for mic work as well, but nothing serious. Is it still too noisy.

To explain...
I would be using Vegas to edit, both in stereo and 5.1.
All music used to go with the videos would be created in Acid Por 4.0 using loops and a soft synth. The only inputs I'd need would be for my mic. I need a pre-amp for the mic.

Ideally, I'd be editing existing home movies for others, and making movies for myself.

So, would you recommend this card, or is a Revolution 7.1 with Behringer mixer (for the mic pre-amp) a better option?

Thanks for your time.

Mario

PS: If budget allows, I'll be hooking it up to the M-Audio LX4 5.1 kit.

Comments

DavidMcKnight wrote on 5/22/2004, 2:14 PM

You didn't ask me....so I should probably just shut up now ;) but I'll jump in for .02 worth..

Generally a lower-cost sound card is noisy because the analog-to-digital converters are on the PCI card that is in the PC case, thereby *usually* introducing unwanted noise. Pro level cards will use better A-D converters and put them on a separate breakout box which will result in lower noise.

There is a test you can do, just record the input of your sound card for a minute or so. With the soundblaster and other consumer cards, when you play back that file, you hear all kinds of hum, interference, etc. - because there is NO signal to cover it up. The theory is that if you record silence with the more expensive Delta and Echo cards,. you should hear nothing or not much of anything.

- David

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/22/2004, 3:35 PM

I have an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum because I liked the breakout box but I realize now that I should probably buy a pro audio card they next time. When I record with SoundForge, my meters register –65.7L –66.8R as the noise floor. I can record silence and zoom all the way in on the timeline and I don’t see anything but a straight line. How much more silent are the pro audio cards?

~jr

Spot|DSE wrote on 5/22/2004, 4:56 PM

The pro sound cards are generally pretty quiet. With nothing connected, they're silent. The DAC's are better, quieter, and more robust as you spend more. Creative is getting better and better though. I saw a beta of a professional level card from them at NAB, so expect to see something soon.
Not much more to add beyond that, DMcknight and JR explained it pretty well.

riredale wrote on 5/22/2004, 5:37 PM

I have a super-cheap 6-channel sound card ($13!) in my system, and it works great, but the audio input is very noisy (about -45db). I didn't care, because I already had a little external USB device called Imic to bring in audio, and it's good down to about -65db, which is plenty good for my documentary stuff. The Imic is very popular with the Macintosh crowd and sells for about $30. It's also great for my laptop.

MyST wrote on 5/22/2004, 5:38 PM

OK, I appreciate everyone's input. I really do.
However, I'm having a heck of a time getting people's opinion on the Phase 28 by Terratec. I tried the Vegas-Audio forum, and although the thread started getting nasty, I did get some recommendations for other cards. When I asked about the Phase 28, I got diddly for a response. I can't seem to find any reviews on the net either. Epinions.com doesn't have anything on it.
Since I can't get an opinion one way or the other, I guess I'll see about getting the (now discontinued) pci version of the Delta 410.
I do realize that balanced ins/outs and the converters in a breakout box are ideal, but my budget (or lack of) won't allow it.
I guess that's why I was hoping someone had good things to say about the Phase 28. Nothing else with balanced ins/outs even comes close in price.
The old "too good to be true" I guess.

Edit: Here's the link for the Phase 28 product description. You gotta admit, it looks good!

http://produceren.terratec.net/product.php?pid=3

Mario

DavidMcKnight wrote on 5/22/2004, 7:28 PM

Here are some Terratac postings and reviews...sorry for the long url's, and in some of the discussions you gotta go down a few posts before any mention of terratec is made. Good luck!
- David

http://www.techspot.com/reviews/hardware/terratec_sixpack51/index.shtml

http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=4:237

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&threadm=bo18im%24d1c%243%40sparta.btinternet.com&rnum=4&prev=/groups%3Fsourceid%3Dnavclient%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26q%3DTerratec%2Bphase%2B28

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&threadm=gprvcvk8o6nisk3qjfhgpm2gp1cfc2hms1%404ax.com&rnum=6&prev=/groups%3Fsourceid%3Dnavclient%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26q%3DTerratec%2Bphase%2B28

busterkeaton wrote on 5/23/2004, 11:14 AM

Myst,

I just recorded with nothing hooked up to my M-audio Revolution sound card for 15 seconds
The levels were -62.7L and -62.0R

roger_74 wrote on 5/23/2004, 11:30 AM

I can record silence and zoom all the way in on the timeline and I don’t see anything but a straight line. How much more silent are the pro audio cards?

You need to zoom vertically, not just horizontally. Use the magnifying glasses on the left.

MyST wrote on 5/23/2004, 1:16 PM

Thanks busterkeaton.
I guess M-Audio is the way to go. As opposed to Terratec, it's made it's reputation for quality already.

Mario