pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

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. Historically, the replay and music synthesis subsystem has produced sound waves in one of two ways:

  • through an internal FM synthesiser
  • by playing a digitised, or sampled, sound.

The digital audio section of a sound card consists of a matched pair of 16-bit digital-to-analogue (DAC) and analogue-to-digital (ADC) converters and a programmable sample rate generator. The computer reads the sample data to or from the converters. The sample rate generator clocks the converters and is controlled by the PC. While it can be any frequency above 5kHz, it’s usually a fraction of 44.1kHz.

Sound

Most cards use one or more Direct Memory Access (DMA) channels to read and write the digital audio data to and from the audio hardware. DMA-based cards that implement simultaneous recording and playback (or full duplex operation) use two channels, increasing the complexity of installation and the potential for DMA clashes with other hardware. Some cards also provide a direct digital output using an optical or coaxial S/PDIF connection.

A card’s sound generator is based on a custom Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that replays the required musical notes by multiplexing reads from different areas of the wavetable memory at differing speeds to give the required pitches. The maximum number of notes available is related to the processing power available in the DSP and is referred to as the card’s polyphony.

DSPs use complex algorithms to create effects such as reverb, chorus and delay. Reverb gives the impression that the instruments are being played in large concert halls. Chorus is used to give the impression that many instruments are playing at once when in fact there’s only one. Adding a stereo delay to a guitar part, for example, can thicken the texture and give it a spacious stereo presence.

  • How Do Computers Make Pictures?
  • Graphic Card Resolution
  • Graphic Card Colour Depth
  • Graphic Card Components
  • Graphic Card Memory
  • Graphic Card Driver Software
  • 3d Accelerated Graphic Cards
  • Graphic Card Geometry
  • 3D Rendering
  • FSAA Graphic Card Technology
  • Digital Graphic Cards
  • DVI Graphic Cards
  • HDCP Technology
  • Graphic Card HDMI Ports
  • Graphic Card Display Port
  • Unified Display Special Interest Group
  • DirectX
  • OpenGL technology
  • Direct3D
  • Talisman
  • Fahrenheit Graphic Cards
  • SLI Technology
  • CrossFire Graphic Cards

Filed Under: Sound Cards

Latest Articles

System Mechanic Pro Review

System Mechanic Pro Review

PROS: Windows software utility to keep the PC operating optimally. Additional products included to assist with maintaining performance include anti virus and spyware, Drive Scrubber 3, System Shield 4 and Search and Recover 5. Solid registry cleaning program. CONS: Comprehensive system tune up … [Read More...]

Android’s Quick Draining Apps – What To Do

Android devices are like our best friends. With endless gaming and networking,  your phone or tablet can really make your life easier. However, there are times that  as we use our gadgets we notice that they tend to become slower and the batteries drain faster. And if your device is new, you may … [Read More...]

How to Turn on Firewall in Windows 7

Keeping your computer secure is important if connected to the Internet. One of the best forms of protection you can implement is a firewall. If you already have a firewall device between you and your modem, then you are in good shape. However, if you have a computer directly connected to a network … [Read More...]

Why Cross-Chain Trading Is the Future of Crypto Investing?

The rapid growth and evolution of the cryptocurrency market have opened up exciting opportunities for investors. Within this dynamic landscape, … [Read More...]

Revolutionize Your Internet Experience with Orbi 960 – The Ultimate WiFi System

In a world where seamless connectivity is essential, slow and unreliable internet connections are a major problem. Whether you are running a business, … [Read More...]

Do You Need a VPN When Trading Cryptocurrency?

There’s no doubt that the biggest global industries in 2023 are tech-driven, while there remains a significant crossover between many of these … [Read More...]

Goodbye Bitcoin: the 3 alternative cryptocurrencies that have great upside potential, according to experts

Bitcoin has been a very lucrative investment for people that got into it early. One report from The Motley Fool pointed out that $10 of bitcoin … [Read More...]

Self-driving cars face their Achilles’ heel and may be targets of hackers

The market for self-driving cars is booming. Customers spent $22.22 billion on these autonomous vehicles in 2021 and they will likely spend more in … [Read More...]

How to avoid scams with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies got a bad reputation when scams multiplied like ants on a piece of cake. Even today many people associate bitcoin and other … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

OSI Model

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model describes how information from a software application in one … [Read More...]

Remove InstantRadioPlay Toolbar

InstantRadioPlay Toolbar is another problematic toolbar that promises to offer useful features. It will allow you to listen to the radio online … [Read More...]

SCSI External Config

This particular scanner has been shipped with a SCSI ID factory setting of 5. Since that's not going to cause any conflict with other SCSI IDs, the … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors