M-Audio Delta 1010

Careful, you need an old PC because it works with a big PCI card, BUT you can easily find one in a garage sale... I found my Pentium 4, 4ghz for 20 euros 3 years ago, and I haven't had a problem to this day.
THE TRICK: Buy the Delta 1010 secondhand and you'll end up with a soundcard with multiple inputs and outputs and an awesome sound that is more than enough to produce an album (some pros have been surprised at the audio quality of my productions). You should obviously use quality cables and gear with it. It has ZERO LATENCY (5ms only, which is inaudible, so, to me, that's zero latency).
I have never used MIDI, I use it exclusively for audio and have never had a single issue. Very good reproduction. It's nearly perfect with vovox cables.

USE

I have been able to record up to 90 minutes without a sweat, although it crashes with more than 24 tracks, due to the computer, not the soundcard.
HOWEVER, it has zero latency. I can insert effects in real time during mixdown and the soundcard doesn't even flinch.

OPERATION

Everything is very easy. I only work with windows XP pro.

OVERALL OPINION

You need a very low BUDGET to make yourself with a PC and a great card, which will allow you to invest your money on high-end gear. And this is an important point, because even if you get the latest computer and soundcard but you only use average gear, you'll end up with an average sound.
And don't forget the cables. When you have high-end gear, the difference is flagrant, be it with guitars, keyboards, speakers, AND mics (I read somewhere that you can't really tell the difference between a vovox and a normal cable with a mic, but I think that depends more on the mic).

Bottom line, it's like night and day with the vovox. Connect good gear to a cheap pc and this card and you'll get a fantastic sound. I have never had a single problem with latency mixing in real time with effects.
READ THE REVIEW ON AUDIOFANZINE

I bought it less than 5 months ago due to its 8 ins/outs
And also for the high-quality converters

USE

Very good indeed
Simplicity, stability
I use it with cubase with an old lucid audio
Playback with Cubase and ins/outs management is impeccable
I've also tested it with two deltas...and it's awesome!!

OPERATION

It's very easy to use on a PC with cubase

OVERALL OPINION

A highly competent professional recommended it to me when it came out. I was just starting out with my home studio, so the price was quite remarkable. I think its value for money is almost unbeatable, given the quality of the converters. I've been in some home studios with more expensive gear that isn't as good. Having hardware gear, its 8 ins/out are a real treat. I'm seriously considering buying a second one for more comfort

Good soundcard. I've used it with win 2000 and XP.
PC: 2 gb, 512mb, 32GB HDD.
8 inputs/outputs to record a drum kit or several musicians.
Desktop PC mandatory because it works with a PCI card.
I've had no sync issues with MTC or Wordclock.
M-Audio takes driver updates very seriously.

USE

I've had no sync issues with MTC or Wordclock.
M-Audio takes driver updates very seriously (see site). Insignificant latency. It's perfect for live recording, with a sequencer like Sonar or Cubase.

OPERATION

The pack includes the rack unit + the PCI card + installation software + user's manual (but it can also be downloaded from the M-Audio website).
Easy installation, but make sure to read about the electrical connections and to understand how it works.

OVERALL OPINION

This card is outdated today: It has no preamps, no XLR connectors, no FireWire or USB ports, so you can't connect it to a laptop. But its (secondhand) price is unbeatable.

Features are very basic..has midi, 8 I/O's plus SPDIF to make it 10 I/O's, thus the name 1010. Wish it had a headphone jack but with a mixer that is solved. But has a very clean look to it and fits in my rack perfectly.

Price paid: $280 USD

UTILIZATION

Very easy to setup--just make sure you update to the latest drivers but it is 64bit and PCI-X compatible also. There is some compatiblity issues with Apple Dual 1.8 / 2.0 G5's. http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.faq&ID=b9f145c1c2ef3fd398ae0c17b1a4cb48

GETTING STARTED

Quality is top notch...There are many M-audio interfaces to choose from but this one is right up there with the best for analog. Considering it came out years ago..it is still very good. Just make sure you check PCI compatiblity with Macs when purchasing. http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta1010-main.html

OVERALL OPINION

Very clean for a package in this price range..So clean that with proper speakers, cables and line conditioners...the sound of bad humming is non-existant. Read other reviews from other retailers to get more information.

Love it..for my purposes for a in home studio..I am glad I bought this to go with my protools m-powered 7.0 setup.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: Smithy ( 4-, 2006)