The Audio Ambiguity

Equipment
1

My microphone input is crap.
My other microphone input is also crap.
I have a ZOOM recorder which can be used as an audio interface. It is not crap, but it’s a pain in the butt to use because it doesn’t turn on when the computer turns on, and you have to navigate some menus to turn it on in audio interface mode.

I also have an USB Dac, which is quite nice because it has several inputs, and it lets me control whether to send the audio to the speakers or to the headphones, and control the volume from my desk. Also, it’s mostly digital so output to the speaker is sent over S/PDIF, and it also accepts S/PDIF input. However, I have not found a way to get sound from the S/PDIF input to go to the headphones, which makes no sense, also it behaves very weird when the PC input and the S/PDIF input is used at the same time. I think something internal crashes.

Now, I know that some of you out there have studio equipment and probably know more about audio interfaces than what is required for my application, but I really do enjoy a wee bit of overkill in these sort of situations… :slight_smile:

Now, let me tell you what I don’t have: A mixer.
I have several computers, microphones, analog and digital inputs. In my imagination, I imagine some sort of matrix mixing device where all inputs can be mixed and sent to all outputs. Ideally in glorious multichannel digital. I suspect that what I want doesn’t exist, or costs a fortune though, because I have not been able to find it.

There are thousands of DACs, there are thousands of Audio interfaces. Most of the DACs only lets you pick one audio input. Most of the Audio Interfaces only send data directly to the computer, and/or require special software to operate. (Which is usually not available for linux.) Also, most of the gear I can find is targeted to audiophiles, which in my dictionary is defined as “an idiot who pays a lot of extra money for features they don’t need”. I’m willing to pay for quality, but I want it measured and quantified, not pricey and rarefied.

Am I looking for something that doesn’t exist? Am I going to have to build it myself?

2

Hey, from the software side I can only suggest Voicemeeter Banana Mixer you can virtually connect inputs and outputs however you want. I recently used it to fake my windows into 7.1 because it didn’t want to do it for some reason. For the hardware side I’m not sure

3

I mostly run linux. While I do boot into windows sometimes, an audio solution that only works on windows isn’t really very helpful.

Right now I’m considering upgrading my sound blaster X4 to a sound blaster G8.
The G8 has two USB inputs, and also a Dolby Digital decoder. It’s possible that it will do most of what I need. (Except, I’ll still need a good audio interface for my microphone(s).)

4

Oh I see, sorry about that. Apparently Pulsemeeter exists which should be similar to the windows version, maybe that’s something.

for audio recording I can recommend Audient iD14 MKII or the smaller one are amazing for the price (based on my experience and extensive online reviews). I use it with guitars and mics

5

I’ll totally suggest the new FX-Pro if you’re gonna spend money anyhow. I had to convert a couple pc’s over recently to it and the difference as they say is night and day. I forget what the new cables cost b/c it was a release promo and included but be sure to get new cables too.

Here’s the specs.

Key Features of the New Audigy FX Pro

  • Audio Quality: Supports up to 32-bit / 384 kHz high-resolution audio and features a 120 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

  • Surround Sound: Offers discrete 7.1 channel audio, which is an upgrade from the 5.1-channel support of the Audigy FX V2.

  • Headphone Amp: Includes a built-in headphone amplifier capable of driving higher-impedance headphones.

  • Software: Debuts the Creative Nexus app, which provides a revamped user interface for sound control, including Auto EQ and Acoustic Engine technologies.

  • Design: Low-profile PCIe design, making it suitable for compact desktop systems and traditional towers.

6

As far as DAC’s I’ll refer you here. My knowledge there is way outdated.

@NoSloppy might well be the wizard here. Can ya chime in?

7

I think the G8 is better for my needs, because…

  1. volume knob
  2. HW button for switching between headphones and speakers
  3. can connect to two computers (USB)
  4. HDMI input for sound (eARC)
  5. Works regardless of what OS I’m running
  6. Sounds good once I disable all the processing it does by default. (I don’t my sound card to process the sound beyond mixing.)

It does not have 7.1 analog output, I feed my audio to a receiver using S/PDIF anyways. (I have a mild allergy to analog audio.)

1 Like
8

FWIW I’m smiling and laughing at those bits because I totally get it.