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How does Soundcard affects on Sound in Studio ?
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Shikoatha-Droid
IsraTrance Junior Member
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37
Posts :
35
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 15:09:52
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Hi Mates, the difference between an ordinary sound card and better sound card ? i want to hear an opinion of you experienced guys...?  |
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killik
IsraTrance Junior Member
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186
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 15:25
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im not the uber pro in that area but ive got 2 soundcards on my computer. the onboard soundcard and the "good" external one. when i switch from onboard to external inside the daw it sounds like as if i would have stood behind the monitors all the time.
and of course better soundcards got better latencys and so on. |
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knocz
Moderator
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1151
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 16:06
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Well, what's the sound card for? The same a video card is for, to relieve the CPU from processing. In this case, the sound card is a specialized piece of hardware for sound operations ->that doesn't mean every sound card has DSP possibilities, but the most certain thing is:
The more powerful the sound card, the bigger your projects can be without your DAW getting a "hickup".
Also, you can get a higher sound definition with a better sound card (and more inputs/outputs [I/O]). Internal ones go for 16 bit @ 44100 Hz with generally 2 in/2 out, my Firebox sound card gives me 6 in / 8 out in 24 bit quality @ 96000 Hz, so yeah, it generates higher quality sounds for my speakers.
What that means (apart of having more I/O's) is the sound has a better definition. Comparing it to images (easier to understand)the sound is less "pixelized". If my screen (or speakers, with the analogy) are crap, I won't be able to notice the quality difference. If my video card (sound card) is crap, then no matter how good data source I have and how good the screen (speakers) is, the video card (sound card) will only give a certain quality and that's what you will see (hear).
Last point, I can live without crystal clear sound quality, I can get it done with just 2in/2out, but one of the greatest features of a sound card is the ultra low latency (the little delay it takes for you to press key and the computer to play the respective sound). With an internal sound card you don't get a close to immediate feedback, which IMO kills the vibe in the studio, killing the sound. But if latency isn't an issue, like rendering the track to a way file, then the quality of the file should be the same with both cards. When playing the file, the better card will be, well, better at faithfully transposing the audio data to your ears, compared to a lamer sound card.
 Super Banana Sauce http://www.soundcloud.com/knocz |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
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162
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8087
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 17:22
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if i had to use my mbp soundcard it wouldnt bother me much for making psy tunes, i talk about the mbp cause it s the only onboard i m a little familiar with..onboard can be ok specially when you use it just as d/a, it s not cause of this your mix will start to sound like crap.
these day a laptop a headphone is all you need to get your sound on par with what is released on the best labels ,with some work. the prouf is many sucessufl electronic producers make their tunes on the roads ..some dont even have studio .
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orgytime
IsraTrance Full Member
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120
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1703
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 21:48
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Alien Bug
IsraTrance Junior Member
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27
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682
Posted : Jan 27, 2012 22:09
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Quote:
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On 2012-01-27 16:06, knocz wrote:
Well, what's the sound card for? The same a video card is for, to relieve the CPU from processing. In this case, the sound card is a specialized piece of hardware for sound operations ->that doesn't mean every sound card has DSP possibilities
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*Soundcards with dedicated DSP
-TC Powercore (not expanded anymore)
-Creamware Scope
I don't remember more right now.
Other soundcards (everyone) also have a DSP, but this don't make "magic" and not release CPU from work. You can get better performance if the soundcard has written good drivers, but dont count on such an additional 1GB RAM or 3GHz processor onboard 
http://www.beatport.com/release/cross-the-atoms/1042450
http://soundcloud.com/alien-bug
http://www.facebook.com/ali3nBug |
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makus
Overdream
Started Topics :
82
Posts :
3087
Posted : Jan 28, 2012 13:59
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Quote:
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On 2012-01-27 16:06, knocz wrote:
Well, what's the sound card for? The same a video card is for, to relieve the CPU from processing. In this case, the sound card is a specialized piece of hardware for sound operations ->that doesn't mean every sound card has DSP possibilities, but the most certain thing is:
The more powerful the sound card, the bigger your projects can be without your DAW getting a "hickup".
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Sorry, but this is not true. Sound card does not engaged in such processing at all.
Hey PsuPriest, di you read this? It gives good answers to you question:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card#Professional_soundcards_.28audio_interfaces.29
www.overdreamstudio.com |
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jsrobinson
IsraTrance Junior Member
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85
Posted : Jan 28, 2012 22:10
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Running thru a non ASIO sound card is going to potentially give you rather colored sound as well.
If you're running thru DirectSound or your regular sound card drivers, there are often loads of post-processing effect put into the sound.
Not to mention a regular 3.5mm line-in jack can't record audio for crap, and you'll get loads of interference if trying to run studio monitors from a split 3.5mm jack or something. |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
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8087
Posted : Jan 28, 2012 22:35
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man i m so glad i don't use pc anymore cause of this asio crap...that the first thing i enjoyed on mac.. the audio driver work like a breeze and as it should be...asio was really sucky and i guess i had some of the best driver with rme ,years of pain when using multi apps ,routing audio... but i guess now it s better. |
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makus
Overdream
Started Topics :
82
Posts :
3087
Posted : Jan 28, 2012 23:08
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