What soundcard?

[Sepheh]

I am building myself a new computer going to be mainly used for film editing, designing, sound recording, mixing and editing, and occasional gaming. I don't have a budget. I have figured out my entire system but seriously lack inspiration on a sound card. I do not know anything about them really, I have always just gone by what people have told me is good. Now I need a sound card that will be good for recording, so needs a midi input. I do not even know what a good brand is. I know I will need to shop elsewhere than overclockers for the type im looking for. Bearing in mind my budget is unlimited will someone recommend me a sound set up that will be possible to set up to be used with a full mixing desk and several inputs. My intention is to use this computer as a starting point of a career in the music industry. I will be working with my Dad who is already in the business, so literally only the best will do.

So yeah, sumarised... I just need the best sound card, and mixing desk anyone can recommend. Possibly a few choices would be good! Many thanks

 

[Codmate]

Well - really we do need a budget, becuase if you were to buy the 'best' soundcard you may need to look into a mortage.

Personally, I'm a big fan of M-Audio sound cards and audio interfaces. Their drivers are tried and tested, and their hardware is nicely put together and works well.

They have a large range of products to choose from, for various budgets.
To give the best advice I really need to know what you are planning to record and how.

For instance - are you doing ADR, recording full bands or maybe just audio books?
All these have different challanges and requirements.

The M-Audio Delta1010 is a popular choice amongst home recording enthusiasts, as it has plenty of ins and outs, MIDI and converters outside the noisy PC environment.
http://www.dv247.com/invt/4600
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta1010-main.html

If you aren't recording many things at the same time on to seperate tracks (i.e. you only need to record to two tracks at once), something like the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 or 192 would suffice.
http://www.dv247.com/invt/2062

If I had the cash I would go for a MOTU unit, like this (one of the cheap ones):
http://www.dv247.com/invt/7264

Not all of these soundcards/audio-interfaces have MIDI, so you may need a seperate MIDI unit like this:
http://www.dv247.com/invt/9263

If you're planning to record with microphones, you will need decent pre-amps.
They can be extraordinarily expensive, or very cheap - but are worth investing in, especially for any kind of vocal recording.
Here are some examples:
http://www.dv247.com/invt/4808
http://www.dv247.com/invt/2736
http://www.dv247.com/invt/20526
http://www.dv247.com/invt/25591

Most mixing desks come with pre-amps built in. These vary wildly in quality.

If you're recording with condensor microphones you will most likely need phantom power on your pre's (or desk).

To reccomend mics I *really* need to know what you're recording.

I don't know much about mixing desks as I do all my mixing in software. Many people take this route, so look into whether you want a bona fide mixing desk, or a 'control surface'.