Sound is produced when two or more objects collide, releasing a wave of energy which in turn forces changes in the surrounding air pressure. These changes in pressure are received by our eardrums, and our brain interprets them as sound. … [Read more...]
Sound Card Components
The modern PC sound card contains several hardware systems relating to the production and capture of audio, the two main audio subsystems being for digital audio capture and replay and music synthesis along with some glue hardware. … [Read more...]
Frequency Modulation
The first widespread technology to be used in sound cards was Frequency Modulation, or FM, which was developed in the early 1970s by Dr John Chowning of Stanford University. FM synthesisers produce sound by generating a pure sine wave, known as … [Read more...]
WaveTable Synthesis
WaveTable doesn't use carriers and modulators to create sound, but actual samples of real instruments. A sample is a digital representation of a waveform produced by an instrument. ISA-based cards generally store samples … [Read more...]
Sound Card Connectivity
Since 1998, when the fashion was established by Creative Technology's highly successful SoundBlaster Live! card, many soundcards have enhanced connectivity via use an additional I/O card, which fills a 5.25in drive blanking plate and is connected to the main card using a short ribbon cable. In its … [Read more...]
Sound Card Standards
As well as producing sound, sound cards double-up as CD-ROM interfaces, supporting the three proprietary interfaces for Sony, Mitsumi and Panasonic drives in addition to the increasingly popular SCSI and IDE/EIDE standards. … [Read more...]
A3D Sound Cards
Originally developed in 1997 in collaboration NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for use in flight simulators, Aureal's A3D technology has subsequently progressed through a number of versions. ASD1 improved upon DS3D by … [Read more...]
EAX Sound Cards
First introduced with its SoundBlaster Live! soundcards in 1998, Creative Technology's Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) began as a simple way to add reverberation to DS3D. Reverb - the wash of echoes produced when sound waves bounce off … [Read more...]
Midi Sound Cards
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, has been around since the early 1980s. It was developed to provide a standard way of interfacing music controllers such as keyboards to sound generators like synthesisers and drum machines. As … [Read more...]
General Midi
In September of 1991 the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee (JMSC) created the beginning of a new era in MIDI technology, by adopting the General MIDI System Level 1, referred to as GM or GM1. … [Read more...]