looking into getting a really good soundcard at some point relatively soon. time to revamp my home studio. a few questions, though.
i'm going to (eventually) be getting the following:
yamaha hs50m powered monitors x2
yamaha hs10w powered sub
audio-technica atm450 condenser x2 (possibly, hvaen't decided yet)
with this comes the need to get a good soundcard or audio interface. i currently use a mobilepre with my desktop, which by definition isn't the best idea (but it'll be able to handle the output for the subs and inputs from the mics if needed). it's a usb-based interface, though, so i'm worried about overloading the usb bus.
thing is, i'd also like to be able to run midi from my axiom 49 (and possibly a 76-key no-frills controller at some point) into this to reduce the lag that usb currently gives me.
i'm assuming i'd need an external interface for the amount of inputs and outputs i want. is firewire my only option, or is there something that hooks up through a pci or pci-x slot and uses a cable or something to go to the external interface?
so, i'm looking for an audio card that supports the following:
:4-8 inputs, preferably 8
:xlr or 1/4" output, preferably both
:midi inputs of some kind. i'd prefer it if it had inputs for two different keyboards - should i get a splitter or something, or what?
:complete flexibility and workability with windows 7 64-bit (or xp 64-bit, if not)
i'm comfortable spending around 400-500$ for this, but if i need to spend more to get significantly more value out of it, i'm kind of ok with that. i don't want this to be some $2k monster, though.
i'm looking at the presonus firestudio project or the focusrite saffire pro 40 right now. i've never used firewire before. anything to know about it? i'm also looking at the delta 1010 pci setup, with the big cable to a rack-mount setup. i like the concept, but it's more than i would like to spend.