Hi Amy and Brian,

Between the two of you, I got that the Mic jack is irrelevant if using
an outboard preamp - so i will pick one of those up...

I also have a smoke-test machine, using a live drive...

But what I am hearing from Amy is that the LiveDrive serves no real
function, save for cosmetic. I take this to mean one can use the inputs
on the card itself...most cards...and one will get a quality level at
least as good if not better than the LiveDrive, even if using a 1/4 to
mini mic adaptor.

Well...that makes sense...especially if one is using an outboard preamp
- but doesn't the outboard preamp just plug into the Mic-in or Line-in
on the card anyway...bringing all the quality of the preamp down to the
connector on the card...the weakest link kind of principle?

So now the only issue left how to get Midi into the card, without a
LiveDrive - which has two Midi ports built onto it?

Can the Mic preamp go into the Mic in on an M-Audio Revolution, and
Midi, from some kind of socket adaptor, or, an outboard adaptor board,
either plugging into the Line in on the sound card?

Or is that silly...to think of getting Midi into a Revolution
card...because the card must have a Midi processing chip onboard? And
is it double silly to monkey around with a Revolution when for 55.00
more one can get an Audiophile 24/96?

In which case, I am back to the AudioPhile.






In article ,
says...
wrote in message


I have heard great things about the M-audio revolution sound card -
under 100.00 usd - but it doesn't have a live drive like my
SoundBlaster does...with a 1/4 inch mic in... the m-audio only has a
mini-jack for the mic in.

The mic inputs on consumer sound cards are generally pretty abysmal, no
matter what kind of input jack is used. Many of them are mono!

Does it matter much? 1/4 jack vs. mini jack?

The most obvious difference between otherwise comparable 1/4" jacks versus
minijacks relates to durability and reliability.

If a minijack is not broken and actually makes good contact, it passes small
electrical currents (i.e., line level audio) about as well as anything. But
I qualified this statement with two BIG ifs.

I consider the SoundBlaster "Live Drive" to be mostly cosmetic. I actually
bought one once, and ever since I've bought the OEM or MP3 versions of the
same cards.

As far as the M-Audio Revolution goes, I see it as primarily a playback
card. Last time I tested one, the line inputs were hyper-sensitive, and
could probably even pass for modest mic inputs. I could get a pretty clean
recording, but the input level control had to be turned down a ludicrous
amount, like the last notch before nothing. Anybody know if they fixed this
with later drivers?