Сhoosing an audio card

[Archy_London]

Could you, please, help me with choice of audio card. I need that thing for playing songs on my midi keyboard without any latency. So, I suppose it should maintain ASIO driver. Can you advise me, please, something not very expensive. To be honest I hope for price not more than 70 dollars. Please!

[MarkOne]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

It might be good to know what software you’ll be using on your PC. It also might be helpful if we knew which keyboard.

I’m assuming you’ll want to bring stereo audio into the computer.

I’d be looking at some of the Beheringer interfaces which fall into your price range. The UM2 is about $50ish. And would provide a low latency input over USB.

Another question. Are you wanting to bring MIDI into the computer too?

[James Perrett]

I think you will need to go up to the Behringer UMC0202 if you want an ASIO driver. When I last looked (admittedly a while ago), the UM2 used ASIO4All to work with ASIO software.

[MarkOne]

I think you will need to go up to the Behringer UMC0202 if you want an ASIO driver. When I last looked (admittedly a while ago), the UM2 used ASIO4All to work with ASIO software.

Well the Behringer site seems to suggest there is a dedicated ASIO driver

https://behringerdriver.com/behringer- ... e_vignette

But I make no guarantee as to its performance. Or even if it’s a repackaged ASIO4ALL

[ef37a]

Hi Archy, I strongly suggest you do not go for the cheapest, single mic input interface. You will regret it very quickly.

Sweetwater have the UMC202HD at just under $100 and available on finance if you really cannot find the extra 30 bucks.

However, do you have any second hand or charity stores in your area? You might pickup a Native Instruments KA6 mk1 quite cheaply and that will certainly give you very low latency. Lower quite possibly than the Behringers can achieve since I know of no one who has posted a test of same?

I had a 204HD for a month but stupidly never got around to checking it out with my Evo controller kbd before sending it to son in France.

Dave.

[Wonks]

Here's the Julian Kraus review of the UM2.
https://youtu.be/Yxh2ftsSpJg

16 bit only, 44.1kHz or 48kHz. ASIO4ALL or MME drivers, no dedicated ASIO drivers for it.

Phantom power can introduce noise and you can't go by the clip light to indicate a good recording level.

It's not an interface I'd recommend for a beginner and 24 bit recording is pretty much a necessity these days in order to maintain headroom and a good noise level.

[The Elf]

Good options above, but the 'next step up' UMC204HD also has MIDI that the 202 lacks. You maybe don't know why you'd need it at this point, but old-fashioned MIDI ports (i.e. not USB) may save your life in the future!

I'm aware that this is starting to hike the price up, but, as Mike says, better to get the right thing at the start, or the regrets will begin very soon after purchase. From what I can see the 204 is slightly above your budget, but it would be worth the extra push.

[Archy_London]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

It might be good to know what software you’ll be using on your PC. It also might be helpful if we knew which keyboard.

I’m assuming you’ll want to bring stereo audio into the computer.

I’d be looking at some of the Beheringer interfaces which fall into your price range. The UM2 is about $50ish. And would provide a low latency input over USB.

Another question. Are you wanting to bring MIDI into the computer too?

I am travelling right now. So, I have only my laptop (asus expert book b1500).

I am a saxophonist. And for this moment I have a Yamaha YDS-150 (digital saxophone), which I want to use for silent practice. That is my keyboard.

I suppose I will use Cubase or maybe FL studio for playing and recording. So, for this moment I have only one problem for resolve. It is latency.

But, maybe later, I will buy sort of Akai mpk mini mk3 for comfortable making tracks and etc.

Thank you!

[Archy_London]

Hi Archy, I strongly suggest you do not go for the cheapest, single mic input interface. You will regret it very quickly.

Sweetwater have the UMC202HD at just under $100 and available on finance if you really cannot find the extra 30 bucks.

However, do you have any second hand or charity stores in your area? You might pickup a Native Instruments KA6 mk1 quite cheaply and that will certainly give you very low latency. Lower quite possibly than the Behringers can achieve since I know of no one who has posted a test of same?

I had a 204HD for a month but stupidly never got around to checking it out with my Evo controller kbd before sending it to son in France.

Dave.

Hi, Dave! Thank you very much!

I will think about UMC202HD, because it seems to be better idea, than I had before.

But as for Native Instruments, I guess, that I can't afford such a purchase. To be honest it's seems very expensive even used. But thank for this advice too! I really appreciate it. Maybe, I will use this advice in future!

How I already written in reply above, I am traveling and I have the digital saxophone (yds-150), but I can't practice for a reason latency. And in near future maybe I will buy mini midi keybourd to addition for making something in the studio (I always used FL studio for recording acustic instruments, but, I guess, it will be more productive to use Cubase for making something digital). So, for this moment I trying to resolve only annoying latency.

Thank you very much for help and reply, Dave!

[James Perrett]

Does your digital saxophone work as an audio interface via USB or does it just do power and MIDI? The manual seemed a bit vague on exactly what the USB connector could be used for but I notice that they include a USB driver download on the web page.

[Archy_London]

Does your digital saxophone work as an audio interface via USB or does it just do power and MIDI? The manual seemed a bit vague on exactly what the USB connector could be used for but I notice that they include a USB driver download on the web page.

Yes, it works through USB like usual keyboard!

[ef37a]

Archy, I have poured over the manual for that sax and I can find no mention of MIDI data being available via the USB port? The sax has BlueTooth but that is not noted for low latency.

It also has a headphone output so you could surely record that? You might even get away with a very cheap gadget I use with a headset to talk to my son over Skype? This is the TECKNET USB dongle and has two 3.5mm stereo jacks. One takes audio in, your H/P feed and the other allows headphones for monitoring.
You can record the audio very simply using Audacity.

I have no idea if the conversion latency will be low enough for you but at about a tenner a pop, not much to try?

Or, you could simply plug the USB port into your laptop (not USB 3.0 for some reason?) and see what occurs. If you don't already have Cubase I would suggest Reaper. If by chance it DOES send MIDI data via USB you could also get Pianoteq's demo and play a Steinway on your sax! Such fun!

Dave.

[Archy_London]

Dave, maybe I didn't quite understand you or not fully explained. Sorry about that. : )

I can use the saxophone through bluetooth for example or immediately through headphones, but basic sounds, how it very often heppens, very poor.

So, I need nice synth sounds or acoustic sounds from plugins on my laptop. Ofcourse I can use only saxophone itself, but it's really hard for my ears.

In this case I am trying to find the way for using all spectrum of plugin sounds of laptop for my practice and getting pleasure of it! That's the deal!

Thank you, Dave!

[ef37a]

Dave, maybe I didn't quite understand you or not fully explained. Sorry about that. : )

I can use the saxophone through bluetooth for example or immediately through headphones, but basic sounds, how it very often heppens, very poor.

So, I need nice synth sounds or acoustic sounds from plugins on my laptop. Ofcourse I can use only saxophone itself, but it's really hard for my ears.

In this case I am trying to find the way for using all spectrum of plugin sounds of laptop for my practice and getting pleasure of it! That's the deal!

Thank you, Dave!

So, if I understand correctly, you can transmit MIDI data via BTth but the latency is too high? If that is the case I fear there is little you can do about it.

The only other chance is if MIDI data does go via USB and if not that is a bloody disgrace in my opinion because that sax is not a toy! However, even if USB 'does' MIDI the software and laptop might not be optimized for the task.

I have had an idea but need to cobble some kit together to prove it out.

Bear with!

Dave.

[tea for two]

So, I need nice synth sounds or acoustic sounds from plugins on my laptop.

Hey Archy

This is how I use my Jamstik+ which is kind of poor man's equivalent for Bass and Guitar.
So I used the Micro USB from Jamstik+ via USB A cable plugged into computer. Then I use a basic audio interface as my Alesis Core 1 plugged into computer.
This way I can play Synth sounds Acoustic sounds from plugins on my computer using the Jamstik+
The sounds come out from the Alesis Core 1 on my headphones plugged into Alesis Core 1.

I noticed your Yamaha digital Sax also has Micro USB to Host same as my Jamstik+

So you should in theory require just a Micro USB to standard USB A cable to connect your Yamaha to your computer.
Thereafter a basic audio interface to connect to your computer. Then headphone connected to the headphone out of this audio interface.

So when you have connected these up you should be able to play Synths, Acoustic sounds from plugins via your Yamaha connected to computer.
Thereafter hear what you are playing through the audio interface connected to the computer.
Same as I do with my Jamstik+

[ef37a]

So, I need nice synth sounds or acoustic sounds from plugins on my laptop.

Hey Archy

This is how I use my Jamstik+ which is kind of poor man's equivalent for Bass and Guitar.
So I used the Micro USB from Jamstik+ via USB A cable plugged into computer. Then I use a basic audio interface as my Alesis Core 1 plugged into computer.
This way I can play Synth sounds Acoustic sounds from plugins on my computer using the Jamstik+
The sounds come out from the Alesis Core 1 on my headphones plugged into Alesis Core 1.

I noticed your Yamaha digital Sax also has Micro USB to Host same as my Jamstik+

So you should in theory require just a Micro USB to standard USB A cable to connect your Yamaha to your computer.
Thereafter a basic audio interface to connect to your computer. Then headphone connected to the headphone out of this audio interface.

So when you have connected these up you should be able to play Synths, Acoustic sounds from plugins via your Yamaha connected to computer.
Thereafter hear what you are playing through the audio interface connected to the computer.
Same as I do with my Jamstik+

Pretty much what I've just done, except I plugged a USB controller kbd into this laptop and sent Pianoteq out via my M4. Even at 64 samples there was no sign of clicks or stuttering and (it said) latency was 1.5mSecs.

This all of course hangs on data coming from the USB port on the sax.

Dave.

[James Perrett]

This all of course hangs on data coming from the USB port on the sax.

As I mentioned above, Yamaha offer a USB driver and I don't think they would do that for no reason. There must be some kind of data coming from the USB but the question is, what sort of data?

[Archy_London]

Ok, thank you very much! I made this on my laptop. So, now al the sound from my laptop including all sounds of studio and plugins goes through the saxophone and after that to my headphones without (with minimum) latency. And that's great! Thank you!

But there is one last, but huge problem: with sounds of my plugins I hear sounds of digital saxophone itself Moreover, they are overlaps for each other and, for example sound of plugin crushed.

Sound of saxophone itself sounds fine, but sound of plugin become a monster, and they are overlaps to each other. For this moment I can't fix that.

[ef37a]

In MIDI keyboards that generate their own sounds there is a function called "Local Off". This kills the synths own sounds and just allows the VSTis to speak. There might be something similar in the Yamaha software.

Dave.

[Archy_London]

I am infinitely grateful for your help! Thank you very much!