System = PC running Win2000, Sibelius 4, Kontakt2, VDl 2, and M-Audio 49e Keyboard - none of which are setup yet so I'm sure I will find many answers on how to do that here.
Question: My PC is actually a converted server so RAM and Speed don't seem to be an issue, but there is no sound card at all. Is there a recommendation for a Midi sound card of the highest quality? Do I even need one if I use the M-Audio for playback? I'm switching from pencil and paper to the pc and I write Full orchestral pieces as well as Percussion arranging, so I need something that can handle many, many voices at once. Any experienced responses are welcomed, even if its just a ";stay away from x brand"; kind of response or if there is already a string on the forum I missed, sending me there works as well. Thank you, Frank
[quote author=PercArranger link=topic=1555.msg7334#msg7334 date=1170639364] Newbie here so be gentle -
System = PC running Win2000, Sibelius 4, Kontakt2, VDl 2, and M-Audio 49e Keyboard - none of which are setup yet so I'm sure I will find many answers on how to do that here.
Question: My PC is actually a converted server so RAM and Speed don't seem to be an issue, but there is no sound card at all. Is there a recommendation for a Midi sound card of the highest quality? Do I even need one if I use the M-Audio for playback? I'm switching from pencil and paper to the pc and I write Full orchestral pieces as well as Percussion arranging, so I need something that can handle many, many voices at once. Any experienced responses are welcomed, even if its just a ";stay away from x brand"; kind of response or if there is already a string on the forum I missed, sending me there works as well. Thank you, Frank
[/quote]
Welcome Frank!
Not sure how much RAM your former server actually has, but keep in mind that Windows 2000 is not officially supported by the Native Instruments Kontakt 2 program or Kontakt Player (VDL2). It may work fine for you, but if it doesn't, know that this would fall under the ";...at your own risk"; category. Check VDL2 System Requirements at: https://www.tapspace.com/vdl2/
From your wording, I get the sense that you may be a little confused. The M-Audio Keystation 49e you bought is simply a midi controller which you'd be using as an input device. It is not an audio interface (soundcard). [i]Audio[/i] and [i]MIDI[/i] are two separate things. Sounds like you may have the midi part handled (though you may still need to download Maple or Midi Yoke for your virtual midi cable). But you do need an audio interface. There are some that do both (like the ozone, and many others), but you don't necessarily need to do that. It's just one way to do it. Do some searching on this forum as this questions comes up from time to time. In fact, I think this topic was just being discussed recently. In a nutshell, shoot for something that has ASIO driver support, and perhaps target brands that specialize in pro audio rather than gaming (avoid Comp USA or Best Buy, and maybe focus on music dealers like Sweetwater or even Guitar Center). You can expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $1000+ depending on what you need.
If you really want to do some homework on this stuff, check the thread about ";learn more about audio/midi"; in the helpful hints forum. It has links to several other forums that focus on audio, and you'd find a wealth of information if you spend some time on those as well.
I recommend M-Audio cards. Good price and performance, and without the bloat of the Soundblaster cards.
I wonder about your PC though. If it's running Win 2000... and the computer is actually 7 years old, or even 3 years old, it probably isn't going to handle writing for full orchestra. For that you will need a newer dual-core cpu (Core 2 Duo, Athlon 64 X2) or multi-cpu system ( newer Opteron) with 2 GB of RAM for full percussion ensemble and a lot more for full orchestra. Windows 2000 is not meant for media creation, so you might also run into driver and incompatibility issues.
L
Legacy Forum Post
said
about 16 years ago
[quote author=Jim Casella link=topic=1555.msg7338#msg7338 date=1170661337] There are several basic, but helpful FAQ links on audio interfaces at the sweetwater page under the sidebar ";shop smart"; at: http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/computer-audio/audio_interfaces/ [/quote]
Since your system is a converted server, you might not have any PCI slots for soundcards. No worries - there are several quality external audio devices (ie. firewire/usb) from the link above. Sweetwater is company for ";pro"; musicians (or those wanting to be pro), so everything they offer is high quality and they have great customer service.
Legacy Forum Post
System = PC running Win2000, Sibelius 4, Kontakt2, VDl 2, and M-Audio 49e Keyboard - none of which are setup yet so I'm sure I will find many answers on how to do that here.
Question: My PC is actually a converted server so RAM and Speed don't seem to be an issue, but there is no sound card at all. Is there a recommendation for a Midi sound card of the highest quality? Do I even need one if I use the M-Audio for playback? I'm switching from pencil and paper to the pc and I write Full orchestral pieces as well as Percussion arranging, so I need something that can handle many, many voices at once. Any experienced responses are welcomed, even if its just a ";stay away from x brand"; kind of response or if there is already a string on the forum I missed, sending me there works as well.
Thank you,
Frank