Gone are the days when computers hit store shelves as "deaf and dumb": today even the most budget models have a built-in sound card. Now speakers or headphones can be connected to any computer - be it office or gaming, desktop or mobile, expensive or cheap.
The problem is that the sound quality at the output of built-in cards often leaves much to be desired. Anyone understands that when choosing a motherboard, the last thing the buyer will pay attention to is the characteristics of the built-in sound card; the manufacturer also understands this. Therefore, the first (and often the only) criterion for choosing a sound chip for a motherboard by a manufacturer is its price.
Cheap sound chips have low-bit, low-speed DACs and are often very noisy - as a result, the output sound is far from ideal. And if for an office this sound quality may be enough, then for a home computer the capabilities of the built-in sound card may no longer be enough - if you connect a 5.1 (or 7.1) speaker system to your computer, then to get a truly three-dimensional sound picture, you will need an appropriate sound card.
A separate sound card is also required for the gaming computer - the built-in cards do not support surround sound technologies used in games.
If you are fond of writing music and / or playing musical instruments, you will need a sound card with a Midi interface and (possibly) high impedance input for connecting an electric guitar.
Classification of sound cards.
Although the principle of operation of all sound cards is the same, according to their characteristics and supported formats, they are usually divided into two classes: professional and multimedia.
Professional sound cards are used, as the name suggests, for professional audio work:
- to create high quality recordings from studio microphones;
- to record music from connected musical instruments;
- for "voice acting" (including polyphonic) and the imposition of sound effects on audio tracks of films;
Such cards are most often external, equipped with specialized connectors, regulators and multichannel high-performance ADCs (analog-to-digital converters). DACs (digital-to-analog converters) on such cards also have high speed and bit depth, providing high-quality sound output to the speakers. The main disadvantage of these cards is that they are expensive. In addition, these cards usually do not support in-game surround sound formats.
Multimedia cards are designed for an ordinary user and are presented in a wide range of prices and other characteristics. Such cards are characterized by the absence of professional connectors, a minimum of adjustments and a simple (usually single-channel) ADC. On the other hand, even the cheapest sound cards of this class have announced support for surround sound formats.
Characteristics of sound cards.
Location cards can be external or internal. Internal cards, as the name suggests, are installed inside the computer in a free expansion slot. External cards have their own case and are located outside the computer, connecting to it via an interface cable (usually USB). Such devices are most often used with mobile computers - laptops and tablets. However, it is not uncommon to use professional external sound cards with a desktop computer - built-in cards have a platform for connectors of limited dimensions, and a large number of connectors on it simply will not fit.
Format sound card corresponds to the number of playback channels and determines whether the multichannel speaker system connected to the sound card will work properly. Most sound cards provide only stereo sound reproduction (2.0 format, two playback channels). To connect and fully use 5.1 (6 channels) and 7.1 (8 channels) surround sound systems, you will need appropriate sound cards.
Digit capacity of the DAC determines how faithfully the high quality audio file will sound. It is important to understand that when playing a 16-bit audio file (for example, audio CD tracks), there will be no difference between playing it through a 16-bit or 24-bit DAC. The 16-bit width implies 65536 amplitude gradations - in most cases this is sufficient. But in theory, under ideal conditions, the human ear is capable of providing greater resolution. While the difference between 96 kHz and 48 kHz sampling is debatable, many people with good hearing can tell 16-bit from 24-bit audio in the absence of background noise. Therefore, if you are going to use a sound card for listening to high-quality audio (DVD and Blu-ray) and sounding Blu-ray movies, you should choose a model with a DAC bit rate of 24.
Maximum DAC Frequency determines how often digital data will be converted to an analog signal. The higher the sampling rate, the closer the conversion result to the original signal. It would seem that the higher this indicator, the better. But, according to Kotelnikov's theorem, to transmit a signal of any frequency, a sampling frequency is sufficient, twice the frequency of the signal itself. Taking into account that the highest frequency discernible by ear is 20 kHz (for most people, the upper limit of audible sound generally passes in the region of 15-18 kHz), a sampling rate of 40 kHz should be sufficient for high-quality digitization of any sound. The sampling rate of audio CD: 44.1 kHz, and the maximum sampling rate of mp-3 files: 48 kHz, are chosen based on this criterion. Accordingly, the DAC of a sound card that plays audio tracks and mp3 files must have a sampling rate of at least 48 kHz, otherwise the sound will be distorted.
Theoretically, such a sampling rate should be sufficient, but in practice sometimes there is a need for a higher frequency: a real audio signal does not fully meet the requirements of the Kotelnikov theorem and under certain conditions the signal may be distorted. Therefore, recordings with a sampling rate of 96 kHz are popular among connoisseurs of pure sound.
The DAC sampling rate is higher than that of the original file, it does not affect the sound quality, therefore, it makes sense to purchase a sound card with a DAC frequency higher than 48 kHz only if you are going to listen to blu-ray and DVD audio on your computer or loseless music with a sampling rate. greater than 48 kHz.
If you are firmly aiming at purchasing a sound card with a sampling rate higher than 48 kHz, then you should not save on the purchase. A DAC, like any other audio device, adds its own noise to the signal. In inexpensive models, the noise can be quite high, and given the high sampling rate, ultrasonic noise, which is dangerous for the speakers, can appear at the output of such a converter. Even in the audible range, the noise can be so high that it overshadows the gain from upsampling.
Maximum frequency and bit ADC determine how accurately the analog signal from the microphone or line input will be converted to digital. These parameters are important if the card is intended for high quality sound recording. For most household needs, a single-channel ADC with a maximum frequency of 44.1 kHz and 16 bits is sufficient.
To record stereo sound, you must have at least 2 recording channels.
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PCI | PCI-E | USB |
Connection interface determines how the sound card will be connected to the computer. PCI and PCI-E are the interfaces for connecting internal sound cards, which must be installed in the corresponding slot on the motherboard. USB - interface for connecting external sound cards.
Signal to noise ratio determines the level of noise added to the signal by the sound card itself. The higher the number, the clearer the sound remains. For listening to music, it is undesirable for this figure to be below 75 dB. Hi-Fi equipment provides a minimum of 90 dB, and high-quality Hi-End devices are capable of providing a signal-to-noise ratio of 110-120 dB and higher.
EAX, OpenAL, A3D support Determines if the card supports in-game surround sound formats. With the help of these formats (with the help of a multichannel speaker system), imaginary sound sources, sound reflections from virtual walls and other sound effects are created in space. Of course, all this requires that the game itself also supports this format.
ASIO support... ASIO is a software interface for direct (bypassing the operating system) data exchange between a sound card driver and a sound recording / playback program. The need for this format arose due to the fact that the Windows OS (which uses this format) may delay the transfer of audio data under high system load. By ear, this is defined as "jamming" and "slowing down" the sound. And, if (for example) when watching a movie one can not pay attention to isolated such cases, then with professional sound processing this is, of course, unacceptable.
At the same time, ASIO support is not a guarantee that audio tracks will sound without delays - much depends on the quality of the sound card and its drivers. You shouldn't expect a big effect from enabling this mode on a cheap base-level card.
Availability of digital output(S / PDIF, HDMI) allows digital audio to be sent to audio equipment that can receive such a signal, such as a home theater. With such a connection, the parameters of the DAC of the sound card are not important - the conversion of the digital signal into analog is performed by the DAC of the home theater. Such a connection is justified if the DAC of the home theater is better than the one built into the sound card.
Availability of digital input allows you to receive a digital signal from audio equipment (such as digital microphones and audio players). When using a digital input, the characteristics of the ADC of the sound card are not important - the sound already enters the card in digital form. In this case, the work of converting analog audio to digital (if any) is undertaken by the ADC of the device from which the digital audio signal comes.
Availability built-in headphone amplifier it will be useful if you often sit in front of the computer with headphones. If you have a high-quality high-impedance headphone, the presence of an amplifier is a must - otherwise they will sound quiet. You can buy a separate headphone amplifier, or you can choose a sound card with a built-in amplifier.
Phantom Microphone Power Used when connecting studio condenser microphones - this microphone is believed to provide the best voice recording. To connect conventional dynamic microphones, the phantom power must be turned off, otherwise the microphone may be damaged.
High impedance instrument input (Hi-Z) is intended for direct connection of electronic musical instruments with high impedance pickups (for example, electric guitars, electric cellos, violins, etc.). When such instruments are connected to a regular line input, the frequency response of the signal may be distorted.
Balanced inputs and outputs necessary when increased protection against noise induced on audio cables is required. Unlike conventional (unbalanced) inputs, balanced inputs use three wires per channel instead of two. In the normal input, one wire is the ground, the second is used to transmit the audio signal. Noise induced on the audio signal is readily transmitted to the ADC input, spoiling the main sound. In a balanced input, one wire is ground, the second is an audio signal, and the third is an antiphase audio signal. In the card, the antiphase audio signal is subtracted from the main one, while the induced noise - since it occurs in the same phase on both signals - disappears, and the useful signal is amplified.
On balanced inputs, a universal connector is often used, which can work both as balanced and unbalanced.
ASIO support, phantom microphone power supply, high frequency and bit depth ADC, balanced, instrument and Midi inputs are the distinctive features of professional sound cards capable of producing high-quality sound recording.
The installed external sound card for the USB laptop makes it possible to significantly improve the sound quality.
Moreover, laptop manufacturers usually do not supply them with high-quality audio systems.
An integrated card is usually not enough to get flawless sound, and in simple models of computers, sometimes you can't even count on a normal sounding audio recording and a legible movie soundtrack.
Why do you need an external sound card?
The decision to purchase an external sound card should be made in the following cases:
- get good sound on your laptop when needed. The problem can be solved by connecting audio speakers, but this will only increase the sound volume, but not the quality;
- in case of failure of the main, built-in card.
Features of external models
Typically, an external sound card is a small device the size of a flash drive or card reader.
Strengthens the likeness and way of connecting to a laptop - via USB.
More expensive models reach the size of an external hard drive, and the most productive ones have dimensions comparable to the laptop itself.
The capabilities of any external card include:
- sound enhancement compared to the built-in laptop system;
- connection of one or more microphones, headphones or audio speakers.
The functionality of the more expensive models includes volume buttons and indicators.
Top models are characterized by the presence of various connectors and interfaces, for example, analog output channels and coaxial output, although their dimensions are much larger than that of compact sound cards.
The advantages of external sound cards are as follows:
- a dramatic improvement in the quality of playback and, when choosing a suitable model, audio recording;
- mobility, allowing you to connect an external card to any other computer - both stationary and portable. Also, the device often connects to a tablet or phone;
- a sufficiently large assortment of models in order to choose both a functional and an affordable device;
- easy sound adjustment, including volume, timbre and bass using buttons on the card body. On a laptop without an external sound device, this can only be done programmatically.
For low-power and old laptops, the card can take the load off the processor.
Indeed, due to the fact that sound processing occurs with the help of an external device, the computing power of the computer itself is freed.
EAX technology can provide environmental sound effects, which will be a good advantage for the player using multi-channel audio gaming applications.
The most profitable option
A sound card like Dynamode C-Media 108 (7.1) can be an excellent choice for high-quality sound.
The advantages of the model are compactness, ease of use, a durable case and a minimal cost (about 300 rubles), and among the disadvantages is a relatively small functionality.
This sound card is worth buying for a laptop that has a broken built-in sound card.
With its help, it is quite possible to connect a 7.1 audio system - the sound will be better than when plugged into a regular jack, but not as high quality as when using more functional models.
Portable Home Theater Card
The advantages of the external sound adapter ASUS Xonar U7 are in the following characteristics:
- the presence, in addition to the usual mini-jack connectors for headphones and a microphone, also an eight-channel analog output, which improves the sound for a home theater audio system;
- full compliance with all parameters for a good sound card - sound 24 bit / 192 kHz and signal-to-noise ratio at 114 dB, resistance range up to 150 ohms;
- ease of connection and configuration.
The cost of this card, which can be called a good option for fans of watching movies with good quality, does not exceed 3000 rubles.
Game card
Those who like to play games, where the sound quality is as important as the video parameters, will appreciate the capabilities of the Bahamut model.
This external card from Thermaltake works with both Windows and MacOS, is distinguished by its attractive appearance and the presence of buttons on the case for turning on and off connected devices (headphones, microphone, speakers).
When connecting the card, be sure to install the drivers (included), and in the process of using - update them in a timely manner.
The cost of the model is in the middle range - from 2500 to 3000 rubles.
Universal option
A decent mid-priced external sound card is the Creative Sound Blaster Play 2.
Despite its small size, this device provides surround sound and allows for virtually interference-free audio recording.
SBX Pro Studio technology delivers a noticeable volume boost over the built-in card and delivers a 3D sound experience for any type of audio system, from headphones to 7.1.
Among other advantages of the card is convenient control through the corresponding application. At the same time, on the body of the device itself there are no buttons for controlling the sound.
However, the lack of external control makes it compact, making it easy to carry the Sound Blaster Play 2 from place to place.
The cost of the gadget in online stores does not exceed 2,500 rubles, but you can find options for 1,600 rubles.
Figure 7 External Sound Blaster Play! 2 - modest in appearance, but quite functional
Almost any novice musician has faced the problem of choosing a sound card. Long gone are the years when everyone had the same sound card - Sound Blaster! Today, the range of equipment is simply huge, but choosing the right version of a sound card from this variety is not an easy task.
A bit of history.
Previously, most computers did not have a separate sound card, and many did not even think about outputting sound from a PC. Others could buy the only model on the market in those early years - the same SB from Creative. And the map really looked like a map.
Years have passed, and now sound cards look like boxes of various sizes with a bunch of different "spinners" that look almost the same to an inexperienced user.
Today we will learn how to understand this variety, select equipment in relation to your tasks, buy what you really need.
Types of sound cards
Let's divide sound cards into conditional categories (so it will be easier for us to understand them), let's analyze for whom each group is intended and what basic functionality it has. This will help us determine what equipment you need to perform exactly the tasks that you set yourself.
1. Let's start with the simplest category of sound cards. These are devices designed to replace the ZK built into the motherboard in laptops and personal computers. They usually have a rather small body, often a non-disconnectable USB cable. The main task of these devices is to output sound from the computer. Optionally, there is the ability to connect a microphone / guitar, headphones. The quality of these devices is far from professional, but they also surpass the notorious AC97.
Such devices will help if a sound card suddenly fails in a laptop, or if you need to output sound to an external device with quality and delays that exceed that of RealTek.
Examples of such sound cards are the UCA series from Behringer, the U24XL and UGM96 from ESI.
External sound card for computer BEHRINGER UCA222
2. The next category is larger in size and wider in functionality. These sound cards already have on board a microphone preamplifier (often with phantom power), a high impedance input for a guitar, and a headphone jack. Can provide Direct Monitoring, etc. However, these are still portable devices that you can take with you, for example, to the park to play music outdoors. They do not need external power, and the functionality is more than enough for most electronic musicians, aspiring rappers and independent composers. Also, this group of devices will be of interest to Youtube bloggers, because most of them hardly need to connect more than one microphone. The quality of the converters of these devices is one step higher, and the presence of a microphone preamplifier with phantom power will allow you to achieve more transparent sounding of vocals, more intelligible speech recording.
In the photo - Steinberg UR12 sound card for connecting one microphone
3. The third broad category consists of two-channel devices that have 2 inputs and 2 outputs as standard. This group includes both budget and much more expensive sound cards. In fact, they differ slightly from the previous group. The presence of two full-fledged inputs (often on combined connectors) allows you to write simultaneously 2 microphones, or 2 guitars, or a synthesizer / piano in stereo. Some devices of this group have not 2, but 4 outputs, which allows you to connect 2 pairs of monitors in a small studio or send sound to an external effect processor. Also of interest are devices that have digital S / P-DIF connectors as additional ones, which can be used to connect external devices, excluding conversion to analog.
M-audio M-Track, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 / 2i4, Behringer UMC202 / UMC204, Steinberg UR22 / UR242, Roland Duo / Quad-capture are popular and loved by many devices that are perfect for a small home studio or musicians who need to write 2 channel at the input at the same time.
Pictured is a small home recording studio
4. We have come to the most functional, most powerful category of ZK. These are multichannel interfaces, most often made in a river or half-river case, with a bunch of different buttons, lamps, twists and from a distance they look like an airplane control panel.
In this category there are both budget devices, for example, Behringer FCA1616, M-audio M-Track Quad, Tascam US 4 * 4 / US 16 * 08, Focusrite Scarlett 18i8, Presonus audiobox 1818vsl, and professional audio interfaces from RME, Universal Audio , Avid, Prism sound, allowing you to record about 12-30 channels simultaneously. The cost of such equipment can reach hundreds of thousands of rubles, so these devices are mainly chosen by professional studios. Devices in this class are equipped with high-quality mic preamps for transparent and neutral sound. Such devices are characterized by low latency when working with audio. If you are a professional musician, if you need to write a live drum kit, choir, ensemble - these devices are just for you.
Professional sound card TASCAM US 16 x 08
Additional functions.
After we figured out the groups of devices, let's look at what additional functions they may have, the presence or absence of which will help you decide on the choice of the interface:
Not all devices are equipped with phantom powered mic preamps, so if you intend to use a condenser microphone, such a preamplifier is a must;
Not all devices are equipped with an instrumental input, if you only write vocals, if you are a vlogger or rap artist, it may not matter to you. For guitarists, this entrance is vital;
Some devices may have not one, but two headphone outputs, which will be very useful when recording vocals.
For some musicians, devices with a built-in DSP can be very helpful. This processor will allow you to apply some effects without connecting an external processor. The list of possible effects is usually limited to a couple of reverbs, a compressor and an EQ, but even that is enough.
Separately, I would like to note the Universal Audio Apollo devices, which have up to four DSP-processors on board, with the ability to use various plug-ins. The UA Store sells quality reverbs, equalizers, compressors, tape emulators, and other effect processors. They work on these cards almost without delay, allowing you to enrich the sound of your composition.
Apollo 8 Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface
Finally.
Summarizing the above, when choosing an interface, you must decide on the following parameters:
Number of inputs / outputs. Do you need to write yourself a loved one or a choir?
- Their configuration. Writing a condenser microphone, a guitar, or both?
- The presence of separate controls for the main mix and headphones.
- Availability of multiple headphone outputs.
- Availability of digital inputs / outputs, MIDI interface, S / PDIF, ADAT.
- Ability to work without a power supply.
- The presence of a DSP processor.
- Convenient drivers, additional software.
Having answered these questions, you can easily choose a sound card that best suits your requirements, has all the necessary functionality at the moment, and maybe even has some margin for the future.
The main task of any sound card is to convert digital data into a simple one that can be transferred to headphones or speakers. All motherboards released today are already built in, and they provide the necessary sound quality.
But some sound cards do not have enough functionality for all programs to work, for example, they cannot play and record sound at the same time. Therefore, in order to expand the playback capabilities, a separate sound card is used, for example, a USB sound card, and for a little money, the sound quality can be significantly improved.
Another plus of such a sound card: it can slightly unload the computer's processor. The fact is that the standard card transfers many of the sound processing functions to the processor, besides this, it also takes up a certain part of the memory. So an additional USB sound card is a rational purchase anyway.
According to the connection method, three groups of cards can be distinguished:
- Via PCI or PCI Express slot. This connection is through connectors located directly on the motherboard. Such cards are somewhat cheaper than similar external ones. But in terms of quality and functionality, they usually lose to them.
- External USB sound card - connects via USB port, fits any laptop or versatility is one of its advantages. A modern USB sound card can immediately output sound when recording,
- External FireWire cards - connected via FireWire. These are the highest quality professional sound cards, they are resistant to interference. To connect them to a laptop, you need a PCMCI - FireWire adapter.
When buying a sound card, pay attention to the number of inputs and outputs it has. The more, the better. There must be a MIDI input and a MIDI output. They are for connecting a MIDI keyboard. By plugging it in, you get a good synthesizer. It's good if there are optical SPDIF outputs. The SPDIF optical interface provides the highest quality, purest sound. To record music from instruments, you also need the appropriate number of inputs / outputs to connect the required number of devices, although you can record them one at a time.
You should also look at the number of microphone ones and the sound card can be supplemented with special inputs for synchronization during multichannel recording and additional monitor outputs.
Today, the variety of market offers allows you to easily find a card of the required quality and price. By paying a modest amount for your purchase, you can significantly improve the sound quality of your computer and expand its functionality. Even a simple USB sound card can provide this.
A high-quality card can become the basis for a home sound studio, it comes with its own software for ease of use, but this card is very expensive. Such devices are used by professionals in their work, a simple layman needs an additional internal card to get high-quality surround sound to accompany games and watch movies.
A home computer as a personal entertainment center, of course, cannot do without sound. Once upon a time, the only sound a computer made was an annoying squeak produced by a tiny speaker inside the computer case. Time has passed, this speaker is still in every system unit, but now its purpose is completely different - by its signals, you can find out what kind of malfunctions are associated with the computer. But listening to music, watching movies, the roar of space war in a computer game - for all this you need an audio card ("").
Similarly to a video card, a sound card can be either external, sold separately, or internal, when a special microcircuit is placed on the motherboard that performs all the functions of an audio card. In fact, it is currently very difficult to find a motherboard that lacks this audio chip. Let's go back to fig. 1.7. All of these audio connectors, located on the back of the computer case, indicate that the corresponding audio chip is built into the system board. In this case, the microcircuit performs only part of the functions for processing and transmitting sound, while the other part is assigned to the central processor or a set of microcircuits. The most popular embedded audio architecture is called АС'97... If you come across this name, be sure - we are talking about an audio-diomicrocircuit built into the motherboard, thanks to which you, in principle, will not need to purchase a separate sound card. However, not all so simple.
Why do you need an external sound card?
Indeed, if the motherboard already has audio microcircuit, why might you need to purchase some kind of external, and even more expensive, card? The answer here is as simple as when choosing an integrated or separate video card - quality and speed. The sound quality of the built-in audio microcircuits, very mediocre. No, they allow you to listen to music, play games, connect external speakers and any headphones or microphones, but lovers of really clear and deep sound will be extremely unhappy. They will be outraged by the noise in the headphones (since audio microcircuit located on the motherboard, it reacts very sensitively to all processes occurring in it), and "flat", uninteresting sound, which will not be helped by any equalizer.
If you are really a fan of high-quality sound and want to use expensive headphones or an audio system with your computer, you cannot do without an external audio card. The external audio card contains its own processor, which not only frees the computer's central processor from tasks related to sound processing, but also provides really high-quality sound, support for multichannel sound (if you want to connect, for example, 5 speakers and woofer), three-dimensional sound effects, various connectors, including optical, etc. You don't need to be a Mozart to distinguish the sound quality of an integrated audio chip from an external audio card, it will be so obvious. However, in order to enjoy all the benefits of an audio card, first of all you need a high-quality audio material, as well as decent headphones or an audio system, otherwise you will not feel any difference on, for example, simple plastic headphones.
The de facto monopoly on the sound card market is Creative and its audio adapters Sound Blaster, which is not surprising, because it was thanks to Creative that high-quality sound once appeared in a hitherto "dumb" computer. At the same time, Sound Blaster is a common, historically established name for audio cards from Creative, while real models are called Audigy or X-Fi.
The sound cards of the Audigy 4 and Audigy 6 series are now somewhat outdated, but they still provide excellent sound quality. In turn, sound cards Creative X-Fi(and their various flavors, such as the X-Fi Platinum or the X-Fi ExtremeMusic, the differences between which we'll talk about in Chapter 5) are some of the highest quality audio cards out there. Some audio cards, in addition to their own processor, also contain their own RAM, which can be useful in various computer games that support this function.
Both video and audio cards require - a special program through which the operating system finds out exactly how it can interact with a particular device.
