What is a sound card?

[Moustache_Bash]

And why would it use it with my DAW? Also, what sound card do you use?

[retinal orbita]

Isn't that inside the computer? Or is that the box you plug mics into and then record things via USB?

This sounds like a Windows issue....

[Mike]

Ermm... not sure this is serious, since the answer is easy to find, but...

A sound card is the interface between your computer and any external audio devices you connect. The term "sound card" is probably a little out of date. It is a holdover from the old ISA/PCI days, when that was pretty much the only option you had to connect a sound card. Now, practically every computer comes with "integrated sound," which you can automatically translate in your brain to "integrated sound card"-- the sound card functionality is integrated into the motherboard. Modern options are mostly USB interfaces or PCI-Express interfaces, although you can still use PCI sound cards (like the ones I have)

For the comment before mine, wondering if it is where you plug your mics, the answer is... sometimes. For example, I like M-Audio products, and have a few of their sound cards. One is an Audiophile 2496. It plugs into a PCI slot, and has jacks on the actual card for 2x unbalanced analog input and output, digital input and output, and midi. My Delta 66 has a big proprietary jack on the back that connects via a cable to a box, called a "breakout box". The breakout box just contains jacks-- 4x balanced analog input and output. There are digital input/output jacks on the back of the actual card itself. My Delta 44 has no jacks on the back, just the proprietary breakout box with 4x balanced analog inputs and outputs.

A lot of sound cards, particularly the ones that connect via USB, are sound cards and breakout boxes in one. They are typically called "audio interfaces."

The reason you would want to use a dedicated sound card with a DAW is pretty straight forward. Most sound cards that come with most computers handle two inputs-- left and right. When you record through a standard sound card's analog inputs, the audio is run through the cheapest (crappiest) Analog to Digital Converters (ADC) the manufacturer could find, and passed it on to your computer. When you play audio through the analog outputs, the digital audio is again sent through the cheapest Digital to Analog Converters (DAC), and out to your monitor speakers.

When you use a dedicated card, you usually accomplish two things. 1. The ADCs and DACs are much higher quality. That means less noise and more accuracy. 2. There are usually many more simultaneous inputs and outputs. When I combine all of my cards, I can simultaneously record and playback 10 analog audio channels, and 4 digital channels. Pretty slick.

Did that help?

Mike

[Moustache_Bash]

Did that help?

Yep! Thank you.