Hello Guys and Girls,
I always like to post my technical questions to you guys first, as you always seem to come up with the goods, so once again - I have a question for the most excellent Tek Syndicate community!
Essentially I want to understand the difference between USB Audio interface and External SoundCard.
I'm looking to get a cheap solution for sound playback on Midi Keyboard, that is currently connected by USB. Currently to get around playback latency issues, I use an onboard soundcard with the ASIO4all drivers - http://www.asio4all.com/.
These seem to work pretty well, but at times they can really fug up, either being super laggy or just failing to detect the sound hardware at all.
So I thought simplest solution would be to go for ASIO compliant external sound card? But then - I saw these, USB audio interfaces.
So - http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/roland-duo-capture-usb-audio-interface--82561and http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/behringer-uca222-ultra-low-latency-2-in-2-out-usb-audio-interface--61721 are within my budget, but will the do what I want?
Are these just resulting me in square one and dependant on onboard sound hardware? Has everything effectively moved over to software audio these days. I'm sooo out of touch, the last soundcard I brought was Soundblaster 16!
Any advice and tips would be much appreciated.
A soundcard is very different than an interface. If you were to sum it up VERY shortly, a sound card is an output device, an interface is an input device. The biggest use for an interface, is to interface an instrument or mic that does not otherwise work directly with the PC's sound solution, either internal or external sound card or on-board audio. Soundcards, for the most part are not a nessecity unless, like me, you need an eloquent output solution. An Interface, can allow one to run direct into the computer from instruments that otherwise do not allow it. Guitars, for example, do not run directly to PC's unless they have that option built in.
Hey ProSonicLive, this is where I'm getting confused though, reading this article:
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/what-is-an-audio-interface
They seem to suggest
This problem was solved when manufacturers began to make sound cards in external boxes, which connected to the computer via a USB or Firewire connection (the kind you might use to connect a printer or camera to your computer). Thus, what is conventionally termed the audio interface was born. It is, in a nutshell, an external soundcard.
So this is the contradiction that is causing my confusion, I see lots of discussion that both suggest they are external sound cards or just interfaces. Simply, do you think the linked products will address my problem, if not, what do you think will.
Many thanks in advance!!!!