Instruction Manual

1227
Audio Hardware (Sound Cards) and Drivers
Beginner’s Guide to Cakewalk Software
Audio Hardware (Sound Cards) and Drivers
Audio
MIDI
Audio Hardware (Sound Cards) and
Drivers
There are many different brands of sound cards on the market today. This
section aims to help you get the best out of yours.
See:
Consumer and Professional
Consumer and Professional
There are many sound cards to choose from. Nearly every PC comes with
one. Some are nationally known brands and others are proprietary sound
cards that are made specifically for a single manufacturer. These sound
cards are called “consumer” cards. They are designed to handle the
general multimedia tasks most PC users have, like playing CDs or MP3s,
using your PC as a telephone, or playing computer games. Most consumer
sound cards fit the bill nicely for the average PC user. They can play and
record both audio and MIDI, but there are certain limitations which are
relevant for Cakewalk users. The following list covers the characteristics of
most consumer sound cards. This list is very general and does not
necessarily reflect every sound card that comes bundled with a PC.
Consumer grade sound card characteristics:
• Number of inputs and outputs—Consumer cards nearly always have
two inputs, mic and line in, and one output. Usually, these inputs and
outputs are stereo, meaning there is a left and right channel.
• Type of inputs and outputs—Consumer cards almost always have
eighth inch jacks, requiring an adaptor to use with standard quarter inch
cables (guitar cables, patch cables, etc.).
• Simultaneous recording and playback—Some older consumer sound
cards aren’t capable of simultaneous recording and playback. These
cards are called half-duplex. Cards that are capable of simultaneous
recording a playback are called full-duplex.
• 16-bit, 44100 resolution—Consumer cards are only capable of 16-bit
audio and a sampling rate of 44.1 KHz. While these settings are at CD