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Starting a Home Studio, looking for quality PC interface

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Topic Starting a Home Studio, looking for quality PC interface
I've never had a complete home studio setup before, and I don't think I need much here. All I'm really trying to set up is a microphone for vocals. I already have a MIDI keyboard connected to my PC via MIDI cables, connected through my Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro's external module. I use software called Reason 4 (Propellerheads) with it.


I'm looking into some professional-level products for a home studio, but I'm hung up with trying to find a good audio interface. The X-Fi Elite Pro does not have XLR input.

I've settled on Audio-Technica AT4047 Condenser Microphone, and I've found a Phantom power supply for it, as well as a good K&M stand. With the microphone itself having a price tag of about $425, I want an A/D converter that won't drop the quality.

All I'm connecting to this converter, whatever I go with, is just that one microphone. I don't think I'll ever need more inputs, as I'm just a keyboardist (soon to be a guitarist hopefully, haha).

The E-Mu 0202 USB 2.0 interface is the first one I came across that seems to match what I'm looking for. However, people seem to have mixed feelings about whether this really does deliver studio-level sound. Again, that's a pricey mic. Is this choice of a converter going to degrade the sound quality of the mic? Are there any better interfaces?

Thanks a bunch in advance.
2
Hi,

Because of the pricey mics, I think the best you have to do is to have a good preamp with phantom power (for the Audio Technica) and then use the output from it to the soundcard - I don't know about the Phanthom power supply you're talking about. If you have a good preamp, then any "semi-pro" soundcard should be fine: the weakness of the soundcard often is the preamps, especially for microphones. For line-level signals, any "middle-range" interface should be fine.

Now we need someone to give you advice on which preamp to use, if you decide to use a preamp. I can't give advice about preamps.
3
Thanks for the response!

I don't know a heck of a lot about preamps. What I do know is that the E-Mu 0202 has one. The description of the product states:

"The 0202 USB sets a new standard in portable USB audio, providing users with two Class-A preamps that can be run independently or in stereo to amplify guitars, keyboards or microphones, with individual ground lift switches for optimal audio performance."

The power supply is the ART Phantom III.