Choosing the best professional sound card can be overwhelming. Identify your computer’s power level, decide on internal or external, research compatible models with desired features and price range. Popular brands include M-Audio, Creative, and Audiotrak.
With the many options available in audio technology, choosing the best professional sound card can be a daunting task. Start by identifying the power level of your current workstation to make sure you get professional sound card hardware that your computer is powerful enough to use. Decide whether you want an internal or external sound card, and determine which sound cards are compatible with your current sound setup, including the software you will use with the sound card. Research your sound card choices to determine which models have the features you want within your price range, and choose a sound card based on which of these options meet your needs for the best value.
High quality professional sound cards are available as both internal and external hardware. If you want your sound card to be portable, consider an external sound card that connects to your computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Firewire connection, but make sure your computer has the necessary input plugs to connect the sound card professional. External professional sound cards are also a good choice for computer users who need a lot of audio inputs but have limited space in their computer case.
Internal professional sound cards are best used in dedicated professional studio computers with a separate patch board assembly for instrument and microphone inputs. Separating instrument cables from the studio computer can prevent the computer from being damaged if the cables are accidentally pulled. Compare the cables you use for your audio devices and speakers with the available input and output jacks on each sound card to determine if the sound card’s inputs are compatible with your current equipment. If your audio equipment is not compatible with the new sound card, you will need to purchase adapters to connect them, which is an additional cost.
Professional sound cards can be reasonably inexpensive hardware devices, or they can be complex studio-quality devices that cost as much as a car. If the sky’s the limit when it comes to price and computer horsepower, choosing the best professional sound card configuration can come down to identifying the audio equipment used in your recordings as the ones you want to create. Search for the studio where your favorite recordings were made and find out what audio equipment they use in their studio. Often, audio equipment or studio information is listed in an album’s liner notes. Recording studio websites often list the computer recording equipment and accessories they use to record.
Common manufacturers of professional sound card devices include M-Audio®, Creative® and Audiotrak®. Creative is the creator of the Sound Blaster product lines. The Sound Blaster® Audigy® series of sound cards offer low-cost, high-feature sound card devices for advanced amateur musicians on a budget, but professionals often look down on Sound Blaster® for high-end professional sound. M-Audio® is one of the best-known industry-standard manufacturers of professional-grade sound cards. Also known as Avid®, M-Audio® is commonly bundled with Pro Tools®, one of the most popular professional recording suites.
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