I need the Emu card because quite simply, I'm a serious aspiring musician and can't afford a recording setup OR a source for my headphone setup.
I'm eighteen years old; started piano when I was about six, but quit when I was twelve. Right before my sixteenth birthday, I was sitting in my room listening to my Numark cans (thought they were good at the time) and Rhapsody in Blue came on. Something clicked; as soon as I heard it I knew I had to play that peice no matter how ludicrous it seemed. So, for my sixteenth birthday, I asked for a cheap baby grand piano instead of a crappy car. My parents agreed and the search for a teacher began. By pure chance one day I found a teacher who agreed to teach me Rhapsody in Blue on one condition - that she would get to revamp my entire technique and teacher me theory/sight reading. I agreed, and to my own surprise, six months later I had memorized and performed the complete piano solo of Rhapsody in Blue, as played by Gershwin. No watered down stuff.
A year and a half later, here I am, just accepted into Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for a piano performance degree. In one year, I learned Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Gershwin, Chopin, Bach, and even more. I put in three to four hours of day practicing and it all paid off. I still can't believe I got into CCM; they accepted 20 out of 250-300 applicants from 16 different countries. And they took me! I have exactly a year and a half of serious training! The odds are too ridiculous to describe.
Which brings me to my next point - I drastically need recording equipment. Right now, I do own a M-audio Audiophile USB. HOWEVER, it has been rendered completely useless thanks to the most bizzare problem I've ever had - every two minutes or so the device starts playing the music out of sync and overlaid with a wonderfully annoying LOUD popping effect. The entire device AND computer has to be rebooted for it to be fixed. So alas, I have resorted to AC97 onboard audio, which is torture for me.
As you probably have noticed, I have great headphones, a great amp, and no source for my computer (where I listen AND record from). I can't even record with the onboard sound; and I need to start producing demo/audition discs badly. So far I have a cheap condensor mic pair and cables, but no source or mic preamp because I can't afford one. Thanks to prom I won't be able to in the future.
Anyway I realize there are a lot of people who could use this card and it is very generous for you to give it away. I also know that if I were to receive the card, it would be used every single day in both a high end headphone rig which gives me tremendous pleasure as well in an ultra-budget recording rig which will hopefully help me jumpstart my career. It will certainly be well used. In fact, I will promise to post a couple of recordings as soon as I get a mic preamp.
No matter who gets it, props for giving it away.
