E-MU 0404 USB

The E-MU 0404 USB interface gives you a pretty good audio recording quality to your PC ( don’t think you can use with a MAC). It has a ultra low noise, and is a very well built unit. The latency is very low with Windows XP and you can overdub and record without that delay that a lot of cheaper interface has. They have built the E-MU 0404 around the whole “Plug and Play” theme because they wanted to give the customer to ability to use this device very easily without a bunch of driver problems and hardware/software configuration problems. For the short time which I had a chance to work with it , I encountered very few problems. The really only issue I encountered was when I couldn’t get Acid Pro to recognize the interface, but once I restarted the system it recognized it and the problem was solved.


UTILIZATION

Your system will need at least 256MB and 900MB of free disk space in order to be able to install the E-MU 0404 USB interface. This is a must, so double check your system before purchasing the 0404 to make sure its compatible and everything is in order. If you are using Windows XP you will have to be using Service Pack 2 if you have SP 1 you wont be able to use the interface.


GETTING STARTED

No manual was needed to install or se the E-MU 0404 interface. The setup was easy and quick, and all of the functions of the interface are easy to use and access.


OVERALL OPINION

The precision and quality of sound is average, nothing that really stands out. But what can you expect for an interface this price. I have tried several other E-MU interfaces before this one and they all provide good quality. Outside of the issue with Acid Pro recognizing it, I had not a single other issue with this on XP systems. Great buy.

it is a good sound card that gives me satisfaction I use with windows xp
on windows 7 there is no driver if you have the pro version

UTILIZATION

the drivers are stable, no complaints

GETTING STARTED

Installation is done with the help of the forum, actually not obvious we must respect the process of installing the cd that came with the card

OVERALL OPINION

I know more but at least two or three years is a sound card but very small budget
I like the ease of use midi output jack headphone and audio microphone and instrument
it is a good external sound card

Purchased for use in a home studio with Live (mainly working with VSTi and Audio) catches her.

Asus laptop PC with i7, 6GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

UTILIZATION

Stable drivers windows 7 64bits in use with Live 8, against cracking as soon as I used the XLR to live with the performer. A slightly larger latency (6ms) solved the problem.

I have not managed to crack with a large number of tracks, but I'm far from being efficient on this point ...

GETTING STARTED

Trouble-free installation, the most difficult was to find the driver for windows 7 (still in beta).

No need for manual, all buttons are accessible directly on the top side of the card, it is very convenient.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 2 years now, no worries except those crunches recording, solved by increasing the buffer.

I've tried other cards before a fast track pro and audiophile firewire M-Audio.

What I like most is the strength of the connection card / computer, the quality of its output (headphones or monitors), the buttons very accessible and quality péamplis.

Against by the fact that it is not self-powered by USB port imposes an additional constraint compared to other cards. But the quality of the preamp is also this aspect to be seen in relation to its own use.

In the end I am very pleased with this card in the same situation I would do this choice certainly.

What characteristics have motivated your choice?

The fact that it is equipped with the famous "Miracle DAC" There's probably a lot.
Admittedly, I use my PC to listen bloated disco (99% of Flac, ape, wavpack, mostly with very good quality) and I was tired of the sound of my old Terratec.
The external box is also a plus (knobs, easy and safe connection) even if I only use a fraction of the possibilities.


For what purpose?
What is your config (Motherboard / CPU / RAM / Disk, ...)? Use music lover passionate but demanding PC (MSI P 45, Intel E 8400, 4 and 8 GB hard drives in case Lancool 10 K and external, Win XP SP 2) and in recent days: AMD FX 6100 on Asus and Samsung SSD 830 M5A97PRO , Seven Win Pro 64 bit

For now, I do not register, but it will come (I scratch a little acoustic guitar

UTILIZATION

The drivers are stable? Yes, no worries Soux 7 or XP Pro 64 bit, although I prefer not to rotate with a Beta driver ... but hey, I must say that for me it makes no difference.
How often are updated? I think yes.
It should nevertheless not lose sight of what many have already pointed out before: ASIO only very desirable, if you want to overcome the vagaries of Windows.
What software do you use most often? Following livére not serve me very little. I use Foobar and J River Media (thus reading)

GETTING STARTED

The installation is done it without problem?

No worries for me, but I have a long history of PC, it should help. Anyway, I never had to complain. With that said, with low-performance PCs (an old P4 3.0 HT Shuttle and 1.5 GB of Ram and a lot of périphériqueriques in USB1 and 2, caused at distant crackling, resolved by relieving the USB ports ... perhaps a matter of bandwidth?
Anyway, it seems to me not made to support the antiques ... (why there PCI cards, it seems to me, just as good but less-demanding system resources)
Have you encountered any incompatibilities? No, just a small bug in Foobar when changing sampling. This bug does not occur elsewhere in foobar (which does not store the oversampling, it is up to 44.1 kHz) and nothing seems to indicate that the card is there for something ...


The general configuration is easy? Very
The manual is clear and sufficient? Manual mainly useful for info (at the hardware level anyway) and quite comprehensive. For those who want to delve into the software, it's light, on the other hand ... but hey, we can say that it must be often the case with suites also charged.

OVERALL OPINION

How long you use it? 4 years (mid 2008 purchase)
What is so special that you love the most, least?
The sound: incredibly bright, airy, super-aggressive but sharp and chiselled. A jewel that does better than any CD player I had and I've had at least five, including some very expensive.
The qualifier Miracle DAC was far from being usurped!
Did you tried many other models before buying it? No, I knew the advanced chipsets (Azalia, supposedly the top, but pales compared to 0404) and Terratec 16 bits (not terrible, trumpets aggressive, non-existent ventilation, poor stereo) not to mention a phalanx of Guillemot (Yamaha) and Creative (SB Live, sometimes very very good) through the years. But even before the purchase, no other test. USB, its rivals were almost nonexistent at this time, it has faciliét choice ...
How would you rate the quality / price? Super,
With experience, you do again this choice? Meanwhile rivals came out in quantity and it is no longer for sale secondhand ... but I will not hesitate! Anyway, the new USB O202 sounds worse. I borrowed because I wanted to equip a second PC, but I was not even more, it sounds good but it is still behind the 0404.

With experience, you do again this choice? ...
No doubt! I love him as I freaking going to Win 7 have to do without. I know I need to find both, but I do not think I'll find one day sound better than that.
As it will turn on my PC, I keep it!

I confess I do not understand that this card is so little star while it's a gem (well, aesthetically, it's way ... but hey, among serious people who cares!)