recommended external soundcard for multiple lines in?

aaron_m12345's icon

hi there,
im working on an installation that requires multi adcs. 3/4 maybe more
all i need is multiple lines in for max to receive different data. is there cheap external soundcard that anyone can recommend which could do this. they all seem quite pricey and function beyond my needs
any leads would be great,
thanks!

brendan mccloskey's icon

define "cheap"

As it's for an installation, you will also want "reliable"

:)

aaron_m12345's icon

like no more than £200? as its only maybe an extra adc i need i thought theyre might a cheap reliable option. any ideas? / recommendations? pretty new in this department

brendan mccloskey's icon

Well, personal experience suggests that several Focusrite or MOTU usb audio interfaces occupy the middle ground (c. £200) on a price-reliability spectrum. Try ebay or gumtree for secondhand. And when you google the names below, add the word "review" to get a feel for opinions, sound-on-sound reviews are pretty reliable.

Alesis i04: £120
Focusrite Saffire 6: £150
Lexicon Omega: £135
M-Audio C400: £160
Tascam US600: £165

the list goes on...

If you ensure that you have 2X line ins plus 2X mic/line ins you're good to go.

Brendan

aaron_m12345's icon

thanks !

aaron_m12345's icon

would this guy work? http://www.amazon.com/Vestax-VAI-40-Audio-Interface-Silver/dp/B0012UF1ZG
so i would be able to get adc 1, adc 2, adc 3 and so on
just checking before i commit to buy !

thanks again

brendan mccloskey's icon

As long as your audio sources are mono and line level instruments, then this appears to have 4 phono inputs. And ASIO/Core audio support too. This is cheaper though:

Brendan

aaron_m12345's icon

sorry whats line level? i have the patch functioning off the line in on a mac, shouldnt these function the same?
also i split the line in two so definitely was mono sourced! audio line ins would be better than phonos too, but i guess i can just buy adapters for that

thanks !

brendan mccloskey's icon

Mics output a weak signal and require preamp boosting of the signal, usually with special connectors (XLR), line-level (usually CD/mp3 players, HW synths etc) is more powerful and is usually either -10dB or +4dB (it's more complex than that but, what the hey). Guitars are a special case. You can convert mono line level to phono input with an adapter connector, but not guitar.

Now go buy stuff!

Stephane Morisse's icon

What kind of 'data' do you want max to receive ?