Sound Cards

To record and playback music we need to have either an internal sound card or external sound recording interface attached to the computer. Nearly all PC computers have internal sound cards, some are fixed onto the motherboard and others are attached separately onto one of the PCI slots of the motherboard.

Laptops have their sound card built into the motherboard. However, we can easily add more sound cards or external interfaces to our computer to improve the sound quality or provide more recording facilities.

Here are 3 examples of sound cards:

Example A

The most common type of sound card is built onto the motherboard inside most personal computers and laptops.

This type of sound card can use software drivers from the operating system – ie Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OSX etc. and is easily attached to external multimedia speakers.

There are normally 3 colour-coded mini-jack sockets on the card:

inputs of back of sound card

Green:     For outputting audio (to external speakers)

Blue:         To record audio

Red:          For inputting a microphone

Example B

Internal sound cards are attached to a PCI slot on the motherboard.

Separately fitted sound cards use less processing power, offer higher quality audio input / output and connect easier to external hardware like mixing desks and MIDI keyboards (if they have MIDI ports). Cards like this often offer higher quality sound card sounds, should you wish to use them – for example, games or playback of MIDI files, although not all sound cards have built-in sounds.

Example C

External units offer the capability of even greater sound quality, portability, easier connections for standard microphone cables, jack to jack cables and connections to mixing desks. Additionally, similar to Example B the processing power is carried out mainly by the hardware equipment.

Some external audio interfaces will allow more than just the normal stereo input and multiple inputs of more than 2 channels can be recorded simultaneously to your recording software. This makes it easier to record live band setups and much greater mixdown control later.

Installing a Sound Card

If you intend to install a new internal sound card it would be best to make sure you read the installation instructions first. Normally, software is installed before the hardware is connected.

Make sure the computer is switched off. When you are handling any sound cards with your fingers be careful not to touch any of the components on the card, static from your body can damage the card permanently. There is an anti-static bracelet that can be used to reduce static. Or, if you don’t have one – touching any steel parts of the computer first should help.

Sound Card Software

Sound cards require software drivers in order to work and connect properly with the computer operating system. Software drivers are usually provided on CD-ROM when you buy a computer and are pre-installed so you don’t have to do anything.

However, if you install a new sound card you should install the software drivers from the web. Each manufacturer of their sound card usually provides a free download area for the latest drivers.

Note: It’s important to have the latest drivers for your sound card because updates are being continually made to your operating system and also by your sound card manufacturer to fix bugs or improve functions. When upgrades are made to your operating system it’s normal for the sound card manufacturers to test and provide their customers with drivers that are compatible with the latest updates. However, in most cases if your sound card is working – just leave it!

The easiest way to upgrade is to find out the name and model of your sound card, type that info into Google followed by the words driver download and your operating system. For example if I have a sound card called Sound blaster Xtreme Audio and want the latest drivers then I would type in:

Sound blaster Xtreme Audio driver download windows xp. In most cases, this will get you a download page from the original manufacturers.

There is a software program called Belarc Advisor that will list all the hardware and software installed on your computer if you are having difficulty finding model numbers! Visit http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Professional Sound Cards and External Units

The differences between regular and professional sound devices can vary a lot. More professional sound cards have a higher audio quality for recording and playback, lower background noise, operate faster and provide connections for attaching MIDI interfaces, mixing desks, digital surround and firewire connections.

Buying Sound Cards With or Without Sounds

Some sound cards have their own synth engine on board. This means that they can be used by gamers for background MIDI sound or by some websites that use background music in the form of MIDI files. If this is not essential to have then it might be cheaper to buy a sound card without a synth engine.

Additionally, it’s also possible to use soft-synths. Soft-synths are synthesizers which are controlled by your computer and can be downloaded for free from various sites or bought commercially with more features. This will be covered more in-depth later.

Sound Cards with Dedicated MIDI Ports

For anybody wishing to connect a digital keyboard to their computer then a sound card with MIDI Ports is highly recommended. Sound cards with MIDI Ports are usually optimised for recording and have no problems with timing. One of the biggest problems that musicians face when connecting up a keyboard is delay time when recording. While the musician plays in time with the music or a metronome, on playback they discover that their timing is completely out.

Timing in MIDI is usually called latency – and there are hundreds of forums with unhappy people seeking solutions to their latency issues. Poor latency can make recording MIDI almost impossible.

Troubleshooting Latency Problems

Latency is an audio problem and not to be confused with any MIDI settings. Part of the problem is to do with the operating system and what drivers you are using when recording. This is the reason why I would highly recommend that you always use the manufacturers drivers as opposed to the generic audio drivers that the operating system can provide.