• Registered: 2011-03-23
  • Posts: 1

Topic: Just want some friendly advice...

I'm not an RME user yet, but I'm planning on it. I've been making MIDI music for a while now and I just want to upgrade the quality of my equipment. This is what I have:

iMac Intel 2.0 GHz

88-key MIDI controller

M-Audio Firewire Solo

Adam Audio studio monitors (A7's I think)

That's it. My idea is that a better audio interface will increase the sound quality of my music. I don't do external audio at the moment, but I'm definitely open to it. I've been considering the RME Fireface 400.

Some questions I have are:

Do I need a preamp? Should I get a preamp?
Do I need external AD/DA converters? (I heard RME's are very good already).

Thanks a lot.

  • Registered: 2007-05-09
  • Posts: 174

Re: Just want some friendly advice...

What MIDI instruments are you using to make your sounds?  If you're using software synthesisers on your computer and mixing down internally, the soundcard has no direct effect on audio quality.   Having said that, a better soundcard will give you a more accurate picture of what your mix sounds like while you're working on it.  But optimising your monitor speakers and room treatment will make ENORMOUSLY more difference.

I suspect that at present you are using just one output pair on your M-Audio Firewire Solo, and none of the inputs.  WIll you be using microphones?  If you're aiming to add external MIDI instruments, how many simultaneous input pairs will you need?