[linux-audio-user] High channel (>8), pro-quality sound card recommendations?

[Sampo Savolainen]

Quoting Rick Wright <riwright at vt.edu>:

> Hi All,
> 
> I'm looking for recommendations for a high-quality desktop sound card 
> that has more than 8 analog inputs and outputs.  I plan to use this for 
> real-time I/O processing of audio signals with JACK, BruteFIR, and other
> 
> audio apps. so it has to be well supported in Linux.  I need ~10 
> independent (and externally accessible) analog I/O channels right now, 
> but would like a solution that gives me room to grow.
> 
> I've heard recommendations for Hammerfall products on this list before 
> as well as syncing multiple ICE1712 cards following instructions here:
> http://www.sound-man.co.uk/linuxaudio/ice1712multi.html

If money isn't an issue, I would go for RME products.

The HDSP9652 will give you 3 x ADAT I/O. One adat will give you 8 channels
at 44.1k or 48k or 4 channels at 88.2k or 96k. With that card you would get
a total of 24 or 12 channels of both input and output depending on SR.

For true "room to grow" ge the HDSP MADI card and the ADI-648 for a total of
8 x ADAT I/O. That'll give you 64 or 32 channels of both input and output
depending on SR.

Of course, these options leave you to purchase a AD/DA converter of your
liking. Which gives you more options, but costs a lot of more money.

Wordclocking a bunch of m-audio delta 1010's will be a _lot_ cheaper, but it
has it's downsides: you're stuck with the converters (and the options) in
the 1010's and you're in for a bit of configuring to get the linked 1010's
working. 

Also, this path needs more PCI slots. Consider this: if you really need 32
channels of 88.2k or 96k, you will need 4 PCI slots. To get to the 64
offered by the MADI option, you will need 8. The HDSP MADI only needs one.


  Sampo Savolainen