Sture

Hello,

there seems to be a lot of APS users still around (like PITmaster) with a lot of talent!

I am interested to hear what recommendations you might have. I have one APS and one A2 Platinum eX and mainly record vocals and acoustic guitars through Shure BG4.1 microphones using APS balanced input. Other VST instruments and drums controlled by Midi keyboard and sequenced by Cubase SX2.

Today I use APS with native EMU software (1.6 for XP) as I like their interface and the A2 with kX drivers (I sometimes use the DSP for some special effects and setups). I have been waiting and hoping for 24-bit kX drivers, but they might never come.

Would you recommend me to use the APS with Kx drivers or Emu drivers as input (as the noise is lower and the external box uses balanced cables) or to use the A2 Plat. eX as input with Creative drivers in 24-bit mode for lowest noise recording (but not balanced and phantom supplied, I believe)? There are probably other combinations like using kX for both, but that would not give me the easier GUI of the Emu apps. Perhaps I do not even need the Audigy 2 at all?

I monitor through headphones. Also use an external Boss GX-700 Guitar effect that is controlled via Midi.

Thanks in advance for your advise!

Sture

miguel

For audio quality kX beats the emu drivers, the asio driver uses less cpu too. The rest (gui, etc) is a matter of taste.

Comparing the aps to the audigy, you should do your own tests, but here's my experience. Every rmma loopback test I've seen from an audigy even at 24 bit was overall worse than tests I did on my aps. Still the audigy is a very good card for output so I guess the problem is in the input converters. If you add that the aps has balanced inputs and preamps for guitar and mic with phantom I think it makes the aps a better card for recording.

An ideal sollution would be to record using the aps and pass the audio to audigy through spdif and have the audigy SYNC to that incoming spdif signal. Then the audigy's driver would "talk" to the audio sequencer.

The audigy would use the creative drivers so you could record at 24 bit (wich is great if you apply some dsp effect, you avoid truncation to 16bit) and monitor at 24 bit through the audigy's good sounding analog out (good for the same truncation thingie).

So it all depends on if the audigy running creative drivers can run on an external clock coming through spdif. If not, passing audio digitally from a card to the other isn't much useful at all because the inherent resampling outweights any gain from 24 bit asio.

I hope I explained myself half decently

Maddogg6

Just FYI on my A2 ZS PLAT (not PLAT 2)

The 'Phantom Power' ability is MARKETING LIE - I get +8V (theoretical 12V is possible - but PP is +48V) when the MIC jumper is set to condensor.

So DO NOT expect to power any condensors of any worth - its for those cheap electrets like for teamspeak mics - not a Large Diaphram Condensor.

If nothing else - the audigy with KX makes a great EFFECTS send/return - as well as 2 more MIDI synths...

Thats prolly what Id do in your shoes.
Actually, because of the way I work... Id prolly set up sonar to use the ASP ASIO ONLY when I record from Microphone - (much more rare occasion for me) - and use KX ASIO for everything else. (record guitars, compose MIDI, mixing etc.)

miguel

I forgot to say that this is my view willing to mantain absolute quality. Otherwise my best bet is to put both with kX and hook each other digitally with as many ins and outs as possible and you get an audio routing/mixing/effecting/multichanneling/blah blah powerhouse

Sture

Thanks both to miguel and Maddogg6 for your advise!

I guess I will need to do some tests to find the best setup for me and compare the different options available.

Hope to see some more opinions from other APS & A2 users as well!

Sture

trevbushell

hi sture, i use APS with kx drivers as i have found the drivers SOOO much more user friendly than the aps drivers (once you get used to them). they give the power back to you.

i also think (my personal opinion) that my music has sounded much better quality wise since switching to kx!! that may be because ive got better but i think its mainly because the sound quality is better (?) and i can control and use kx much more than aps drivers (which are more limited).

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Sture

Hi trevbushell,

Thanks for your input!

I have used kX driver with Live and Audigy2 since first revision ;-) and I know that they are superior in many ways because they are so flexible. However, the APS mixer is enough for my needs to record a couple of guitars and vocals as the rest is controlled from Cubase.

But, there are still bugs with kX (midi drums no longer work, SF size is lot less than APS, phase issues as reported by PITmaster). Does kX now support the headphones of the APS front panel?

Perhaps you have uploaded your DSP setup into the database (my.kxproject.com)? I will take a look and see if that gives me any good ideas! *** Checked, but could not find ***

Sture

PITmaster

If you want to use kX Synths use 3538h version until 3538 final release - 3538i has midi drums issue. Another bug (all versions) is some notes are missing during Synth playback, specialy short and duplicated in two or more channels. Sometimes midi drum notes are missing too with complex projects. If you want to dump all channels to one audio then dump first drum channel to audio1 and the rest to audio2.

I use APS's audio-ins and audio-outs because are the best. My APS DSP is for audio-in processing and Audigy2 DSP is for synths processing. I always use Audigy with ASIO applications and games.
Both cards are connected via 3 digital connections.
APS A5/A6 -> Audigy CD spdif
APS A7/A8 -> Audigy spdif in1 (not sure now, can't check at this moment)
Audigy2 spdif out -> APS CD spdif

You may try my Audigy setup. Stereo Chorus and APS Everb presets (copied from APS 1.6):
www.gdynia.mm.pl/~MMmaster/kx/APSEverb.kxp
www.gdynia.mm.pl/~MMmaster/kx/StereoChorus.kxp

Two simple sumators are required:
www.gdynia.mm.pl/~MMmaster/kx/+2.da
www.gdynia.mm.pl/~MMmaster/kx/+3.da

Audigy setup:
www.gdynia.mm.pl/~MMmaster/kx/A2_midi_best.kx

APS setup - not available on my server now. I may upload it this evening if you want.


PITmaster

Sture

That would be very kind, but there is no rush as I have some other private stuff to care of during the weekend. As an alternative you can send it by email to happy.frog at glocalnet.net

I have also downloaded your APS setup from the my.kxproject.com, but have not had time to test it yet.

Thanks in advance!

Sture