Good Souncard for a Laptop

[jerrymc]

Since more and more are using Laptops for midi playback, I am wondering if any of you could offer advice as to a good Soundcard. I bought a Creative card on EBay some time ago, but found that it was not good at all. Its connected by USB. I have been using a Laptop for some time, and would invest in a decent card if one is available.

[levi2]

mostly sound cards are dedicated for audio ie wavs mp3 gaming you might find an external one dedicated to midi but it will prolly be expensive i think what you need is a sound module either yamaha or roland these are dedicated to midi you will need a midi to usb interface but they are quite cheap now also people use there keyboards linked to the laptop as there sounds are good. Or a cheap option is if you have winxp you can use the yamaha softsynth driver which emulate the sounds from the yamaha sound modules not as good but quite decent roland has one also edirol hyper canvas
hope this helps

[frank]

I agree with Levi, sound module is the best option.If want to lug a keyboards and stand around you will then need a cardboard cut out to stand behind it .

[JohnG]

Hi Jerry,

I think the modern way of replying to this is +1.

There are quite a few "audio cards" for laptops (PCMCIA) out there, but I'm deliberately distinguishing that from a "sound card". In my view that means it has audio but also, most importantly, a way of reproducing sound from MIDI messages. And it's important, of course, to make sure that your laptop can support a PCMCIA card. It's one of those little slots with a button to eject it. My Acer laptop has two slots a wider PCMCIA slot and a narrower cardbus express slot.

Now there are quite a few audio cards but precious few sound cards AFAIK. One of the few that I know of is the PCMCIA version of the Creative (yes I know!) Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS. This is a unit that loads sound fonts into its on-board memory in order to replay MIDI files. The best I can do is point you to a review of it here www.xbitlabs.com/articles/multimedia/display/audigy2-zs.html.

It's well worth reading the review because it helps with identifying those manufacturers of PCMCIA controllers with whom the device may be incompatible. Then check your laptop's specification. But, it would seem, that overall it's not too bad albeit it may not be compatible with all laptops.

However I opted, a while back, to run virtual instruments inside the laptop (using e.g. synthfont, or other more specialised sample libraries) and go for an audio only PCMCIA solution. I bought, for everyday use, an Echo Indigo io audio card, which has a single input and an output each of 3.5 mm. For more professional use I picked up 2nd hand from ebay an E-Mu 1616m PCMCIA. Both of which perform their jobs to my satisfaction.

Hope that helps?
JohnG.

[jerrymc]

FolsSincere thanks for your replies. For a "non techie", I will have to go off and digest this information, and, Im sure, a solution is contained within it. I will update later.

Jerry

[jerrymc]

You started my brain to think. I might have a solution. I have a Roland R A 90 Realtime arranger. Granted, its quite old but is a Roland. Today, I tried to play the files from the Laptop, through this, via a Midi interface. It works, but converts the Roland to GS mode, and I dont know the consequences of this....is it bypassing all of the internal Roland sounds???

Any advice appreciated.

[JohnG]

Hi Jerry,

I've just downloaded the manual for the RA-90 from Roland US and will study it. You should be able to get at the 256 on board GS sounds as well as another set of, what are called, LA synthesised sounds too. But it'll need a bit of reading before I can tell you how to do it. Give me a day or two if you would.

It would also be helpful if you can tell me what sequencing software you are using because a little editing of the MIDI files is almost certainly necessary to get the best out of the RA90.

Best regards,
JohnG.

[JC]

I bought a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS audio card a few years ago but I could never work out how to get it work with the Midi files, always sounded awful. But that was my lack of knowledge not the cards fault.

I'm using a little edirol module (can't remember the model number off the top of my head) I picked up cheap (and new) from Ebay, connects to the laptop via usb, sounds great, not as good as say a Roland Sonic Cell but certainly very good quality and around a $1000 cheaper!

[levi2]

thats what i was saying johnny you need a souncard dedicaated to midi i dont think they do them for laptops but theres is for desktop/tower but are expensive i still think if you want your midis to sound good is to get a sound module then you can use it on any system via midi interface

[JohnG]

Certainly the outboard sound module seems to be the most straightforward way of achieving quality sounds for the average,not highly computer literate, person. A USB to MIDI converter lead, and Bob's your uncle, well pretty well.

I have heard an Audigy 2 ZS (I think that was the name) laptop version (PCMCIA) sound really good in the hands of someone who had worked out how all the various utility programs that it came with worked. It seems too that it very much relies on the quality of the loaded sound fonts.

It seems that a good halfway house is to get a good audio card (not soundcard) and load Synthfont with some good samples (there's a huge number of freebies out there on the Web). There are a small number of reasonable PCMCIA audio cards out there too, which makes the overall package quite portable.

Just my 2d. as usual!
JohnG.

[jerrymc]

Thanks again folks for all the advice.

John G...I use Sonar 7 to edit the Midis. I will be delighted if you can advise further re the Roland RA 90.....and how this could improve to quality.

Jerry

[jerrymc]

Jan 8, 2011 9:09:57 GMT JohnG said:

Hi Jerry,

I've just downloaded the manual for the RA-90 from Roland US and will study it. You should be able to get at the 256 on board GS sounds as well as another set of, what are called, LA synthesised sounds too. But it'll need a bit of reading before I can tell you how to do it. Give me a day or two if you would.

It would also be helpful if you can tell me what sequencing software you are using because a little editing of the MIDI files is almost certainly necessary to get the best out of the RA90.

Best regards,
JohnG.

John

Sorry to be a pain....just wondering if you had any success with the Manual??

Jerry

[JohnG]

Jerry you're no pain,

I'm getting more forgetful as I get older (I wonder where that's going) and it's a good thing you reminded me. I've been into writing tutorials again and that's taken up some time and made me forget too.

So sorry.

I have the pdf of the RA90 on the screen in front of me as I write and will give it my attention right away.
Sonar 7 should be okay to do the edits you need in. I mostly use XGworks to sequence but also have a copy of Sonar 7 PE which I got cheap when version 8.5 came out. Always was a sucker for a bargain!

I'll try to get back to you today.
My apologies again.
Regards,
JohnG.

[JohnG]

Okay Jerry,
On the first scan through it seems as though the RA90 is really designed as an auto-accompaniment box for a MIDI piano or guitar or accordion. It has the standard set of 128 'voices' but calls them GS so I suspect they are of better quality than the ones on board the average laptop. These voices are accessed by sending the usual MIDI 'Program Change' message. And I think you've already discovered that? They're listed on page 20.

It also has another set of 128 LA voices, listed on page 21, and they are accessed by sending a MIDI 'Bank Select MSB' message set to the value of 127 before sending the Program Change message.. Top of that page. I'll tell you how to set that up in Sonar in a short while.

In addition it has a total of 8 drum kits. I haven't found the bit that explains how different sets are accessed but for the moment I'm assuming it's the standard GS way of sending a Program Change on the MIDI drum channel. Again more on how to do this later.

As far as I can see as well as internal styles and an arranger, it can respond to external MIDI data on just 6 MIDI channels (Upper, Lower, M bass, M drums, S effects and arranger). That's pretty standard for this kind of accompaniment box. So if what I think I understand so far that means you could have four (or 5) channels playing tunes, e.g. bass, rhythm guitar, maybe sax and a piano and a 'set' of drums. That might be a little limiting. But hey, the Beatles were only a four piece! And it's possible to change instruments in a track part way through a song as many times as you like.

There's a chunk of the manual devoted to explaining how to set the MIDI channel for the various sections starting around page 53, give or take a page. I think I would need the box in front of me to get my head around it, but I'll read it again later.

Essentially what you need to set up is a separate MIDI channel for Upper, Lower, M bass, S effects and Arr nger and drums on 10 (GM standard). So maybe go for channels one to five, it actually doesn't matter what channels you use as long as you assign drums to channel ten.

That's as far as I've got at the moment. I need to try to find the accompanying MIDI manual to work out a bit more.

Any help so far?
JohnG.