Audio Interface Sound Card Quality

Technically speaking a sound card is an audio interface but it features minimal inputs and outputs as well as lower audio recording quality.

Audio interface sound card quality. Many sound cards only have a consumer grade stereo line level input a headphone output and possibly also a consumer grade stereo line level output. Technically speaking a sound card is an audio interface but its limited sound quality and minimal i o make it less than ideal for recording. The award winning scarlett 2i2 2nd gen from focusrite. A professional music producer understands that the sound cards and audio interfaces are basically the same things with different names.

The main similarity between a sound card and an audio interface is that both act as the computer s sound card. That s why for anyone looking to produce electronic music on their computer or record high quality dj sets an audio interface is a real must have. A sound card also known as an audio card is an internal expansion card that provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs the term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces used for professional audio applications. That being said even the biggest audio interface manufacturers have low cost models with professional components nowadays.

The same goes for audio interfaces. Many audio interfaces offer lower bit rates like 16 bits but the quality is substandard. If that has answered your question then you can hop straight to our post that lists all the most popular audio. In short audio interface is the upgraded version of the traditional pci sound card with more functionalities and options.

Like with anything in life you get what you pay for. Having high quality digital converters mic preamps and other components can largely affect the cost. I enlisted will marshall a brooklyn based multi instrumentalist to help me evaluate the design and sound quality of each interface in his personal studio. Because an audio interface is quite simply what you need to get sound in and out of your computer.

Audio interfaces are a simple and inexpensive way to record sound from more than one source without compromising quality. If you want to make a good quality recording of your voice or any instrument and hear the results so that you can mix and master your recordings you will need an audio interface. Although surround hasn t taken off in a major way with professional musicians such features are now fairly common on mainstream audio interfaces such as creative s audigy series and terratec s dmx 6fire intended for games use and do also appear on various interfaces designed for musicians such as m audio s firewire 410 and delta 1010lt as well as high end products such as the prism sound. What s the difference between a sound card and an audio interface.

An audio interface lets you record all the inputs that it has available simultaneously while a sound card will only allow for tracks to be recorded one at a time. We recorded two audio samples on each.