Audio card with XLR connection

[AnthonyMA]

Please could someone recommend an audio card with XLR socket(s), preferably under £100? The M-Audio 2496 seems very well thought of but it's old... Many thanks

[nat8808]

The M-audio 2496 doesn't have XLRs either ..

Are we talking digital, AES-EBU XLRs or analogue balanced output XLRs?

For a good card with XLRs and under £100 it probably will HAVE to be old..

Do you want it to be a card (i.e. internal) or USB?

[Rothchild]

Very few of them have XLR outs (if any?), lots have balanced jacks through (so you use a tip/ring/sleeve 'stereo' jack on it wired to and XLR)

[Rothchild]

For just over a ton this looks like a good option for an audiophile looking for a decent soundcard with balanced outputs and some useful features on the box:

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/tascam-us-322-usb-audio-interface--200690

Slightly less flash and a couple of quid more but, I have the predecessor to this: http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/roland-duo-capture-ex-usb-audio-interface--101539 (the UA25 is what I've got) it's absolutely indestructable and a rock solid performer also has balanced outs on TRS jacks.

[AnthonyMA]

I should have made it clearer: I am speaking from a position of complete ignorance. All I do know is that I have a Rode NT2-A microphone and a nice long XLR (male/female) lead, and that a friend wants to use this to record something. What I am missing is the card hence the request for help. Perhaps the Tascam US-322 recommended by Rothchild will do the job. Thanks to everyone.

[Rothchild]

Both the Tascam and the Edirol are perfect for what you're trying to do, as you need a microphone pre-amp stage and which provides 'phantom power' (which both of these have). If it's the input stage that you're looking for then you can probably save some more money and get a sound card with unbalanced outputs, but I think either of these represent a good price / performance balance.

Have you also sorted out the software side of things? My preference is for REAPER www.reaper.fm

[AnthonyMA]

I love Reaper's description of cost ("not so much")! Without wishing to make you feel unwell (and it may be a perfectly good program), I have Sony's Sound Forge Audio Studio 10. However, as I have rarely used this, I can't even claim that "at least I know how to use it", because I don't! Would Reaper be an improvement?

[Rothchild]

Sound forge is an amazing 2 track editor, so it depends what you want to do in terms of your recordings.

Reaper is a multitrack recording, mixing and editing tool (as in you can simultaniously record as many channels as you have inputs for and mix down as many tracks as there's processing power for). The issue with Reaper is it is incredibly flexible and powerful which can also make it a bit daunting for new users, but from the bottom of the learning curve it all looks steep, you need to assess how far you might ever want to climb!

Reaper is free to download and is in a sense 'honesty ware' in that the demo is unexpiring and unencumbered most of us find it so good that we have no issue paying the small reg fee to contribute to its ongoing development so you've nothign to lose in snagging a copy and seeing how you get on with it.

[AnthonyMA]

Marc, you are a star and a bringer of all good things. Very many thanks.

[Rothchild]

No worries, feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding recording (either in terms of how to use the mic or software related) I've a fair bit of experience with both.

[AnthonyMA]

The Tascam comes with Cubase LE6. Is that a useful addition to the armoury?