Great PCI soundcard

I have had this unit for several years, and though technology, computers and software have all changed very quickly, this unit still stands up to the competition, and still has everything a home digital producer needs in a sound card. Sound quality is excellent, with 24-bit/96kHz full-duplex audio interface, the simple to use "break-out" box, has 4 balanced/unbalanced, +4dBu or -10dBV signal level analog inputs and outputs. If you need digital or SPDIF in/out options, i suggest you look at the next model up, the M-Audio Delta 66. The Delta 44 also boasts zero latency monitoring, and a 64-bit Pro Audio Driver, for support of some of the new 64-bit software, such as Ableton's Live 7 (a copy of Ableton Lite is included with this unit). The software & driver were very easy to install (I went to the m-audio website for the latest versions). As for the software interface itself, there is an icon that rests in your toolbar, and when you open it, there are several straight forward pages of monitoring and routing options. This has been the most functional software of any sound card I have used. The card itself has a 36-bit embedded DSP, enabling this software-driven patchbay/router for all analog and digital I/O—all with "extremely fast throughput for low-latency software monitoring". You can also access most of these controls within your software or sequencer (audio options or preferences). M-Audio typically does a great job of making sure their products work well with a wide variety of software.