> From: "Cedric" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hiya,
> I'm very interested in buying the Xitel Storm Platinum sound card that =
> has got a digital output.
A good games card, but I wouldn't recommend any Vortex 2 card for digital
recording if you want perfect transfer.
> Although I have a few MP3's on my computer, it =
> is more to record from CD to minidisc than from MP3 to minidisc. So I if =
> my CDROM drive doesn't have any digital output, there is no point buying =
> a digital out soundcard because it would be analogue recording.
Not necessarily... you can rip tracks to your hard drive using a suitable
utility such as Exact Audio Copy (http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/), and then
edit as you like with something like CoolEdit 2K or appropriate before
playing the compilation out through the soundcard.
> Am I right ?
Well, it certainly makes more sense to save money if you don't need the
card... :)
> If so, how do I know if my CDROM drive has a digital output ? =
> What do I need to check in my computer ?=20
There should be a little 2-pin molex connector on the back of the CD-ROM
drive, next to the 4-pin analogue output. Also be aware that S/PDIF outputs
on some CD-ROMs don't work even if the pins are there, and some also don't
output valid S/PDIF until you start playing, meaning the first second or two
of the first track can be missed... :(
> another question : Is it better to record from CD to minidisc with a =
> computer that has a digital output or with a stereo that has a digital =
> output ?=20
A suitable CD player, certainly. About 99% of consumer soundcards (YMF744,
Vortex2 and EMU10K1 based ones, probably the FM801 as well) resample
everything to 48KHz internally, since they are designed to be used with AC97
codecs. In the case of the Vortex 2, the SRC is pretty decent, IMHO, but
it's still not perfect. YMF744 should be avoided at all costs. If anyone
wants to see just how much of a joke the so-called SRC is, I can send
spectral graphs...
Even the Vortex 2, which offers a variable rate digital output, cannot do
bit for bit accurate transfers judging by the bloke who tried playing some
HDCD encoded stuff into his outboard DAC, only for it to keep dropping in
and out of HDCD mode, signifying a corruption of the LSB... unfortunately,
when something gets put through an SRC, you almost never get back exactly
what you put in.
As I've said before in the past, the ONLY cheap boards which can do 1:1
44.1KHz at 24-bit wordlength, record without SCMS, and also put down track
marks for you are the C-Media 8338/8738 boards, which can be found for
roughly $25 (or equivalent) if you can find a dealer who sells them. This
exact same chipset is used by Midiman in their Dio2448, which costs far more
just for the benefit of built-in optical I/O.
If you're prepared to spend a little more, both the Midiman Dio2496 and
Hoontech DSP24s are nice boards (both based on the "professional" Envy24
chipset), and can handle up to 24-bit 96KHz digital I/O. I have the DSP24,
and it is a good piece of kit, but costs about 10 times as much as a CMI8738
board does, and doesn't support track marking either!
- Tom.
http://www.tbrowne.demon.co.uk
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