Hey all,
I’m looking for a half decent soundcard with at least some sort of multi-outs that is well supported under Linux. (Renoise 2.8 x86_64 + Ubuntu 12 or Mint 13 most likely.) I run XP too so good windows support would be nice if not critical. This is going into a laptop with a docking station which also has onboard sound.
The thing is, I want a classic DB15 MIDI interface on the card so that limits my options for newer stuff. I don’t need super-high end professional gear. I’ve seen a lot of Sound Blaster Live 5.1s on the local classifieds site for really cheap (generally <$20), I understand they perform quite well with the kx drivers but how about Linux usage? Decent or avoid?
My understanding is I can map tracks to individual output channels with a 5.1/7.1 card? So I can route the kick drum to one, the bass synths to another, high hats and snare to a third, etc.? Is it possible to use the onboard sound as two additional channels (i.e. one stereo out) at the same time?
I’m a Buzz user on Windows but I’m getting really fed up trying to keep XP going and I have no interest in the newer Win versions. I’ve been dual booting Linux for a while but not generally using it for audio work. Time to migrate pretty soon.
Any advice appreciated,
Jay