I just bought 2 of the DS2416s from zZounds... although one is a gift for my brother.
For those of you not familiar with this card... When installed inside a personal computer, the DS2416 digital mixing card offers the mixing power of the successful Yamaha 02R digital mixer plus 16 tracks of hard disk recording with up to 32-bit resolution. The DSP Factory appears to be a comprehensive digital mixing and recording system, providing full-time 24-channel digital mixing and two of Yamaha's top-quality digital effects processors, without having to rely on the computer's internal processing power.
Additionally, the DS2416 card includes an audio-streaming engine which provides 8 tracks of simultaneous recording to, and 16 tracks playback from, the computer's disk drive. I'm hoping this feature will give me greater success than I had with computer-based composition previously.
The card isn't flawless - it only supports a 33 MHz bus speed and there's no lightpipe, for example, but it's attractive in many ways... those of you who may be in the market for a card might consider it...
And besides, there's a deal to be had right now. Like you, I had an email flyer this week from zZounds and they're blowing out the DS2416 with a separate digital I/O interface card (that's two cards), with a MSRP of $1295... for only $299! It was something of an impulse buy for me - I didn't think they would last long at that price, although they are still in stock over there. Sweetwater and Musician's Friend are each still selling the card for $600. So, I bought two.
You can read about the zZounds deal here (there are two):
http://www.zzounds.com/love.music?p=p.YAMDS2416AX16AT&z=1022981872889
http://www.zzounds.com/love.music?p=p.YAMDS2416AX44&a=em032701
Best bet for info though is the Yamaha site, where you'll have to do a search for the DS2416. The brochure and Owner's Manual are worth perusing. On the Yamaha site, you'll see references to the sequencers supported... they've got some big names in there.
For reviews, check out:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/reviews/h2hsoundcards2/ds2416.asp
http://www.yamaha.com/proaudio/SHOWCASE/REVIEWS/review23.htm
Best of luck to you,
Kevin
Subject: OT: While we're talkin' Sound CardsLooks like a steal if you're using Windows & you need that kind of power - plus it looks like it might be supported by the manufacturer (unlike the core card...:< ) Plus you get the IO off the card, tho not completely out of the computer which would be nicer.
I'd want to know exactly which "Major Sequencers" support it, & how.
> Subject: OT: While we're talkin' Sound Cards
>
> I came across this offer from Zzounds:
>
> http://www.zzounds.com/love.music?p=p.YAMDS2416AX44&a=em032701
>
> It sounds like a great deal, but I haven't heard anything about this card.
> Is anyone on the list familiar with it and can offer a quick review?
>
> -skully
--
Graeme White