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Katie U
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 2:28 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
We are specifying components for a yet to be purchased mobile Windows 10 computer

What are the preferred external sound cards?
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Zuill
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 5:00 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
I've been using the built in card for so many years with great success that I never thought to waste money on an external sound card. Also, Finale has had issues with some of them.

What is the need of an external sound card?

Zuill

"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
 
Win 7 64bit, 2011b, 2012c, 2014d, 2014.5 
 
Favorite Forum quote: "Please, everybody, IGNORE THE TROLL!"

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Debussy
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 5:23 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
I use UR22 from Steinberg and have never had any issues with it. Works great with Finale 2014.5
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Katie U
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 6:55 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Two excellent replies. We are new to Finale.

I am reading Finale Support help and saw that we needed a sound card. My husband plays the double bass in community chamber and orchestra groups. Does some arrangements for the smaller groups. Loves big bands. He has time to do more. No need to record, just arrange and compose.

Maybe the first thing to spec is the midi keyboard. Any advice for this forum? Start a new question?

Thanks,
Katie U
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Zuill
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 7:21 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
For your use, the built-in sound card that is on your motherboard should be fine. Realtek is the most common one. Make sure you have the drivers that the motherboard manufacturer supplies for their own soundcard. Do not use Microsoft's, as it is lacking in features and will not afford the control you will need over sample rate.

As far as a keyboard for input, all you need is a MIDI controller, as you'll have the built-in sound. The one I would recommend is not available in the US anymore, so I don't have any advice there.

Since I'm not sure what the Mobile Windows 10 computer is, my advice may not be good. Is it just a Laptop? Not a cloud based device? As long as it installs Finale, then it must be okay.

Zuill

"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
 
Win 7 64bit, 2011b, 2012c, 2014d, 2014.5 
 
Favorite Forum quote: "Please, everybody, IGNORE THE TROLL!"

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Zuill
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 7:52 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Windows 10 Mobile is for phones. I don't know what a Windows 10 Mobile computer is. Does that even have the ability to run Finale?

Zuill

"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
 
Win 7 64bit, 2011b, 2012c, 2014d, 2014.5 
 
Favorite Forum quote: "Please, everybody, IGNORE THE TROLL!"

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Katie U
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 8:06 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
The proposed system is a Dell New Precision Series 7510, a laptop. The OS Windows 10.
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Zuill
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  		   Posted 3/31/2016 8:23 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
I can't find specifics on the Dell website, but I'm guessing it uses a Realtek onboard sound card. That should be all you need. You might want to ask someone at Dell to be sure.

Zuill

"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
 
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Favorite Forum quote: "Please, everybody, IGNORE THE TROLL!"

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Bob Stiffler
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  		   Posted 4/1/2016 11:17 AM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Katie:

To address your question about midi keyboard one needs to know a bit about your keyboard skills and potential other uses of the keyboard.
I am a pretty good piano player and do much of my inputting to Finale using my midi keyboard. Other users swear by other methods of getting data into Finale.

If you are novice piano players, get an inexpensive (maybe 65 note) keyboard from Sams or Costco. Just make sure it has two or three midi connectors on the back of it or it has a USB midi input.
You might find a cheap keyboard in yard sale or pawn shop. Some old Casio keyboards have worked well in the past for me. It must be "GM" (General Midi) compatible.

If you get an expensive keyboard, ($1000 to $4000) buy on the internet net to save sales tax.

I use a Casio PX-360 ( about $900) which is a couple of years old. It has a pretty good sound set, built in speakers, weighs 26 pounds, weighted keyboard and I think a three year guarantee.. I occasionally use it for gigs around town. It is GM2 (General Midi Revision 2) compatible. It has lots of fun built in drun patterns to help your husband do big band arrangements. Finale 2015.5 makes provision for "GM2".

Good luck on your search.

Bob Stiffler

Bob Stiffler
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Finale 3.7...all.....Finale 2014D
HP I7 Laptop, 35" flat screen monitor
Lots of Keyboards and clarinets

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nordensten
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  		   Posted 4/1/2016 5:58 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Katie U said...
We are specifying components for a yet to be purchased mobile Windows 10 computer

What are the preferred external sound cards?


External or dedicated (pci) sound cards all have much better D/A converters than onboard ones. E.g much better audio quality. If you have quipment and samples to match, it's worth getting. Also if you want to record audio and thus need ASIO. RME, Focusrite, Steinberg... Latter very good value for money...

(Finale 1.0 (1988) -> 2014.5) using 2014.5 (on Win since 1997)
Cubase 8.5 Pro & Reaper - Vienna Ensemble Pro - Ircam SPAT - Hauptwerk 4 - Overture 5
Libraries: VSL, Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, Xsample, Embertone, Wallander, Pianoteq, Sample Modeling, EWQL +++
Garritan Steinway - Garritan CFX pianos
Multiple Windows computers W7/W8.1/i7/32GB

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Zoots
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  		   Posted 4/1/2016 6:16 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Buy the computer and try the on-board sound card. If it isn't to your liking then upgrade to an external. Like everything else, the weakest link in the chain will be the major factor in how well things sound. Bad source equals bad sound regardless of the card, amplifier and speakers. I'm happy with my Realtek on-board sound because I figure if it can play a CD/DVD to my satisfaction it certainly will play my Finale outputs.

Finale 2012c
JABB3/Aria

Smartscore Pro X2

Windows 10

Intel i7 with more than I need

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bvstudios
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  		   Posted 4/1/2016 7:13 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Chalk up another vote for starting with the built-in card. It sounds like what your husband plans to do is more focussed on sheet music than audio, and if that's the case, the audio from the built-in will be more than good enough to serve as a reference check to see how the arrangements play.

Later, if he truly wants higher fidelity, it might be worthwhile to move to a better card. Meantime, it may be an idea to invest a little money in some modest reference monitors and get away from the bottom-heavy "pc speakers" that really do nothing for the real sound you're creating.

K M Frye




Finale 2014d, PM 2011, 2010, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2000

GPO4, WORLD, JABB3

M-Audio, Boss JS8, Roland VSC-55 Sound Canvas, Rhodes 660 workstation, Roland MC-50 composer (yeh- it's old, but it works if you can find the floppies), Reaper 4.32

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Jolora
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  		   Posted 4/2/2016 10:33 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
bvstudios said...
Meantime, it may be an idea to invest a little money in some modest reference monitors and get away from the bottom-heavy "pc speakers" that really do nothing for the real sound you're creating.


+1 here too. The best quality sound card and sound samples money can buy are simply wasted if the speakers are junk (like the ones in nearly every laptop will be). In fact, a good quality output source (speakers or headphones) can make even the default GM sounds shine.

Joe

Finale v1 through 2014.5
JW Plugins; TG Tools (Full)
Garritan GPO 4; Garritan COMB 2; Garritan JABB 3
Anvil Studio 2015 midi editor

Windows 10 64-bit, Intel i7-4771, 32GB RAM

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sandalwood
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  		   Posted 4/3/2016 12:37 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Reporting an extensive blind-testing carried out in 2014, this lengthy article

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-19.html

says, among concluding remarks,

"Using world-class headphones, a $2 Realtek integrated audio codec could not be reliably distinguished from the $2000 Benchmark DAC2 HGC in a four-device round-up. Again, all four devices sounded great. The same might not apply to full-sized speakers; we can't say, since we didn't test them. But as far as some of the best headphones in the world go, we stand by these test results."

Finale 2014d, 2014.5, Notion 5, GPO4, Miroslav Philharmonik
W10, i7

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nordensten
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  		   Posted 4/3/2016 1:02 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
The greatest variable in music is peoples' ears/hearing. My son is able to hear the bitrate of an mp3 and the brand difference between capacitors used in power amplifiers. He recently purchased a new (very expensive) laptop, and simply couldn't live with the onboard audio. His nerves didn't settle until he got himself a RME Babyface soundcard ... just sayin'...

(Finale 1.0 (1988) -> 2014.5) using 2014.5 (on Win since 1997)
Cubase 8.5 Pro & Reaper - Vienna Ensemble Pro - Ircam SPAT - Hauptwerk 4 - Overture 5
Libraries: VSL, Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, Xsample, Embertone, Wallander, Pianoteq, Sample Modeling, EWQL +++
Garritan Steinway - Garritan CFX pianos
Multiple Windows computers W7/W8.1/i7/32GB

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Motet
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  		   Posted 4/3/2016 1:12 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
The difference is that sandalwood's article used a blind test whereas your son knew he was listening to a built-in sound card. Maybe there is a difference he can hear, but without a blind test it's anecdotal evidence and one can't know if there's unconscious bias. The advice above to start with the built-in sound seems good to me.

Finale 2014.5, 2011b, 2005, TGTools
Windows 7, MIDI input
Finale Transposition Chart

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nordensten
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  		   Posted 4/3/2016 4:32 PM (GMT -6)    Quote This PostAlert An Admin About This Post.
Oh! That was just an example. He has actually taken part in several blind tests, with flying colors. He's not a musician though, that might explain it.

(Finale 1.0 (1988) -> 2014.5) using 2014.5 (on Win since 1997)
Cubase 8.5 Pro & Reaper - Vienna Ensemble Pro - Ircam SPAT - Hauptwerk 4 - Overture 5
Libraries: VSL, Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, Xsample, Embertone, Wallander, Pianoteq, Sample Modeling, EWQL +++
Garritan Steinway - Garritan CFX pianos
Multiple Windows computers W7/W8.1/i7/32GB

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