Does anyone know if any of these sound cards output the signal onto CH1&2 in Audacity when using spdif into them ?
I’m using a focusrite saffire pro 14 & the signal appears on CH 5&6 in Audacity !
That kind of interface will be very hard to find these days.
When audio interfaces were new and expensive, some of the simpler 2 in, 2 out interfaces had that kind of setup. Default would be analog 1 & 2 in. A switch would permit to choose the extra spdif. Sometimes the switch would be automatic.
These days, if there still is spdif in, it’s mostly on 8 channel interfaces and the spdif is 7&8, or, more likely, 9&10.
Some ASIO driver/setup software permits routing to other channels, even mixing and doing stuff like loopback routing. But again, that’s on 8 channel boxes.
There used to be some four in, four out boxes, like the one you have currently. But it seems nobody makes these anymore, as for a few bucks more, you’ll get 8 channels. And some people need 8 channels for drum recording only…
Would be good if Audacity were to make remapping of inputs possible
Stupid farmer’s trick:
Record 6 channels, discard the first four after recording?
Yes of course one can do that. Just a bit of a faff that’s all
Model: Vincent PHO 701
Summary: Audiophile Quality Phono Pre-Amp.
==> (From Audioadvisor.com) Vincent Audio’s two-chassis PHO-701 MM/MC phono preamp improves upon the best-selling PHO-700 with two great new features. First, it offers a USB output, allowing you to archive your vinyl tracks to your computer using easily available software you’ll find on the Web, including free Audacity software.
Manufacturer’s Websites:
==> Home https://www.vincent-tac.de/en/home.html
==> Product Sheet: https://www.vincent-tac.de/en/product-lines/tubeline/pho-701.html
==> Product Manual: https://www.vincent-tac.de/fileadmin/pdf/BDA/Phono/BDA_PHO-701_DE_EN_FR.pdf
Ins and outs:
==> Inputs: 1 x Stereo RCA
==> Outputs: 1 x Stereo RCA
==> Computer connection: USB
Pros:
==> Product Manual recommends Audacity
==> USB works ‘plug and play’. Audacity detected the input and defaulted to ‘MME’ and ‘Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)’ and it just worked.
Cons:
==> The supplied USB cable (USB-A on the computer side and USB-B on the pre-amp side) is ridiculously short (1 meter) for this application. OK, if you are using a laptop you can move your computer to within 1 meter of the pre-amp maybe, but less likely a desktop. I substituted a previously unused 2 meter USB-A/USB-B cable from a printer - it works fine. If you don’t already have one they are pretty inexpensive.
==> The documentation says the USB output is ‘CD quality’ - which I guess means that it is Project rate is limited to 44100. If you are going to cut MP3’s that is fine, but if you want higher quality, you would need to use the analog outputs as line-level input to some other audio interface. I use the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which also works well (which I will also review).
Model: FocusRite Scarlett 2i2
Summary: “This is Focusrite’s compact yet versatile 2-in, 2-out USB audio interface”.
==> Note: I have been using this with Audacity on Windows 10 for over a year with absolutely zero issues after setup. But since it has been so long since installation, I cannot really remember what setup problems I had (but see ‘Cons’ below).
Manufacturer’s Websites:
==> Home https://focusrite.com/
==> Product Sheet: https://focusrite.com/usb-audio-interface/scarlett/scarlett-2i2
==> Product Manual: PDF Download available from link on Product Sheet
Ins and outs:
==> Inputs: 2 x mono instrument jacks (line level)
==> Outputs: 2 x mono instrument jacks (line level); Headphone Jack
==> Computer connection: USB
Pros:
==> Supported Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
==> USB works ‘plug and play’. Audacity detects the input as ‘FocusRite USB’
==> “Works flawlessly with all major DAWs on Windows and Mac” (including Audacity)
Cons:
==> I remember having to fumble around a bit to get the Windows 10 mixer set to the correct audio device - but I suspect that was because I had previously been using an internal audio card (M-Delta) that is no longer supported (or rather support had to be restored every time Windows applied an update).
==> I remember having a bit of doubt that the channel input gain was balanced because each channel has its own separate gain control. To test, I used a signal generator on a phone and plugged it into Audacity and compared. The balance was just right whenever the two channel controls were set at the same setting.
Here is my review about Creative SB X-Fi Surround 5.1
http://leomus.ru/blog/sound-card-creative-sb-x-fi-surround-5.1
In my opinion, early SB cards were more clearly and good sounding devices, compared to new devices like X-Fi and HD series. I found some cliping and noises while music playing from Yandex Music.
Good sound to everyone!
I was searching the forum for an issue I encountered when recording live for the first time to my computer (2012 MacBook Pro, MacOS Mojave 10.4) using Zoom H2N as mic with USB interface and Audacity. Then I saw this review about Zoom H2 and wanted to report the issue and see what others have to say:
The recording comes out with about + 5% shift in pitch and may be slightly higher speed also. Cannot be too sure about the speed because it is so slight. I am able to make it sound almost original my reducing just the pitch but that is annoying. Being an EE, I feel there is a clock frequency mismatch between H2 and the codec on the MacBook. BTW, both Audacity and H2 are set for 44.1KHz. Recording on to a SIM card in H2 and then transferring to computer works fine but I want to avoid the extra step and also for the convenience of recording multiple tracks etc.
I have tons of tapes that I want to transfer to computer using H2 and Audacity but that project also has the same issue.
I wonder if this has been observed before and what solution was recommended.
Thanks much in advance!
Yes that’s possible, though I’ve not noticed any speed problems with my H2.
If that’s the case, then I would expect the problem to also occur if you record onto a flash card in the H2. This could be useful for testing whether it’s the Mac, the Zoom, or both that are a bit out. The digital recording on the flash card can be copied to any number of computers / MP3 players / audio CD / …
I think it would be worth testing such a recording by playing on multiple devices to see how much variation in speed there is on different devices.
If that’s the case, then I would expect the problem to also occur if you record onto a flash card in the H2. This could be useful for testing whether it’s the Mac, the Zoom, or both that are a bit out. The digital recording on the flash card can be copied to any number of computers / MP3 players / audio CD / …
I think it would be worth testing such a recording by playing on multiple devices to see how much variation in speed there is on different devices.
Steve, Thanks for your suggestion.
Let me explain more what I said in the original posting. I have recorded many times in the past (live or through line input) onto SD card inserted in the H2N, transferred the file to mac and then used Audacity for editing. That works fine without any pitch shift I am talking about. That makes sense because there is no sound card clock frequency clash when a digital file (.wav or mp3) is transferred from SD card to mac.
However this time I was trying to use H2N as a USB mic and record directly onto mac using Audacity program. This way I avoid the extra step of file transfers from SD card to mac. This is when I noticed the pitch shift in the recording. Here I see a frequency clash between H2n sound card vs mac sound card.
The same issue occurs when I use H2N as the USB interface and instead of using the built in mic of H2N, I give line input to H2N.
Again, I am looking to see if this has been observed before and how it was handled.
Thanks much!
It turns out this problem had been reported before many years ago. But then recently a solution was posted by GKo:
I tried the same thing. i.e. switched both Zoom H2N and Audacity to 48KHz sampling rate and the problem of pitch shift went away!
Thanks to GKo!
Is this issue specific to Macs? (I’ve used a Zoom H2 as a USB mic with Linux and had no problem recording at 44100 Hz)
I’m looking for a USB soundcard that has decent bass response, is still in production, but doesn’t cost more than $100-200.
16-bit 48kHz stereo line input is sufficient (though faster sampling or greater bid depth wouldn’t be rejected).
There’s an interesting discussion at:
about upgrading the input capacitors on a unit similar to my StarTech unit; but in my case identification of the related capacitors is not easy, and in any case they appear to be sandwiched in a tight spot between two connectors so would be very difficult to recap. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. – Clark2
Anything in that price range should be fine. Your main consideration should be on what features you need. Do you need microphone inputs, and if so, one or two, and do you need phantom power? Do you need a dedicated “instrument” input? Do you need zero latency monitoring?
Steve – I don’t need any of that, just decent-quality line inputs with reasonably flat frequency response. (Maybe much of the rest comes along for the ride?) I’m just converting old reel-to-reel tapes, and the occasional out-of-print CD with copy protection, to audio CDs. For this I can do adequate monitoring through Audacity on the laptop.
What I do need is a few recommendations. I’ve done some searching online and haven’t found much between the low end (StarTech and similar, where nobody even mentions frequency response) and fancy items over $1K. It seems that low-end sound-card ICs like the CM6206 have perfectly adequate A/D converters but are typically integrated with el-cheapo discrete components that seriously degrade performance… – Clark2
If you are able to control the output level from the tape machine, then a Behringer UCA-202 will probably be sufficient (around $30). It’s a basic stereo-in / stereo-out line level USB audio device (16-bit 44.1 / 48 kHz). I use one to record from my mixing desk, and it has served me well for years. Note that the only control is the headphone level, so it requires that you feed it with an appropriate (line level) signal.
Steve – The specs on this unit look outstanding, and it does everything I need. Two more questions if I may:
- Since the UCA-202 is on backorder, but the UCA-222 appears identical and is currently available from Amazon for only $10(!), do you know of any reason not to buy that one?
- What would be the next step up in an external stereo USB sound card if I wanted, say, a faster sampling rate and/or more bit depth? Does that push me way over $100?
Best Regards – Clark2 (Sorry for all the dorking around with this post – I think I’ve now got it right!)
P.S. – The Scarlet 2i2 third generation looks pretty amazing at $170 (but it’s probably way overkill for my purposes)! – J.W.
The UCA 202 and 222 are very similar (the UCA-222 is pink).
$10 sounds too cheap 
A while back there were a load of fake “Behringer UCG-102” being sold on-line. If you buy from Amazon at that price, ensure that the seller has a good reputation and a good returns policy.
My choice would be another Behringer; the “UMC202HD”. (There’s also a UMC22, but the UMC202HD is a good step up from that, and still under $100).
Steve – It’s already ordered (for $10, what the heck, “ships from and sold by Amazon.com”). Is there any way to recognize a real Behringer, perhaps by opening the box?
Steve – Looks like a real winner, and at half the price of the Scarlet 2i2! Thanks again for all your help on this. – Clark2