One of the most important aspects of computer music production is a sound card to get sounds into and out of the computer. If you use software synthesizers, you also need something better than a typical SoundBlaster to get the latency down to reasonable levels so you can play with the instrument live. I’ve been using an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 for this purpose for a few months, and it’s a great card for the $99 price.

Now M-Audio and Digidesign have collaborated to produce Pro Tools M-Powered, a specialized version of Pro Tools that works with M-Audio’s hardware, including the economical 2496.

I’ve never been a Pro Tools user, originally because I couldn’t afford the dedicated hardware and now because I have way too much invested in Cubase. I’m still not planning on switching platforms, but it’s nice to know that the barrier to entry for Pro Tools systems has come way down.