Inexpensive Laptop Sound Solution

Sinorm · Post by **Sinorm** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:16 am

Reading these forums, I saw someone mention that only two outputs of the Audigy 2 PCMCIA card show up in SCS. Are there any other inexpensive cards surround sound cards that work correctly with this program? Either USB, firewire, or PCMCIA, but something under the ~$300 that the m-audio fireware 410 costs would be great for those of us in less professional settings that can't afford to spend that much money on the sound playback.

Sinorm · Post by **Sinorm** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 5:06 pm

So no one has ever tried to use a standard 5.1 sound card with this program? I find it hard to believe that no one has tried that. What drivers, etc, does the card need to have for it to work with this program?

Mike Daniell · Post by **Mike Daniell** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:47 pm

As far as a standard 5.1 card is concerned I can tell you that my on-board C-Media AC97 works perfectly with SCS and I can output to any speaker. Some users have reported incompatibilities between SCS and Creative Labs cards.

Even though the C-Media card works OK, I wouldn't use it for a production as my M-Audio Delta 44 provides far superior quality and balanced outputs.

jpudsey · Post by **jpudsey** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:01 am

I use an emagic 2/6 USB sound card with my laptop which has never let me down. It has 6 outputs. It also has digital I/O on coaxial connections, which is handy if you are working in stereo and using a digital mixing desk. This sound card doesn't appear to be available new any more, but in the UK they regularly come up on eBay for around £100 ($200-ish, I think!).

It is a little bulky to carry around - bigger than the breakout box on the Delta 44 - but it does also double as a 2 port USB hub, and the Digital I/O can be converted to act as MIDI I/O, which can be useful sometimes.

I've never actually tried to use this card to create surround sound with SCS - I've always worked in good old fashioned stereo, and it works fine for that - perhaps Mike can confirm whether the multiple outputs on this card are supprted?

Mike Daniell · Post by **Mike Daniell** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 7:33 pm

I can't confirm if multiple outputs on the emagic are supported by SCS as I would need one to test it with. However, I would be surprised if SCS could not at least support directing sound to any output or output pair.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:22 am

I use the Griffin iMic USB audio device as the line-out from my laptop at the theater. It works great. You can even use two of them, and run the line-outs to different amplifiers for, say, onstage vs. offstage effects. I think the iMics run about $40 or less, so they're easy to use and very inexpensive.