Audio interface vs. Soundcard?

sablabaesj

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Aug 30, 2013
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Hi, I'm building my first pc for music production, and I didn't add any souncard, since I wanted to add one later (for some reason :p).

I'm just wondering, is there any difference between an audio interface and a souncard? And what should I buy for making music?

If you want to see the whole build, it's here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BLw0
 
The onboard audio - Intel high definition audio - is pretty good. It really depends on how high tech you want to go. Audio is only as strong as it's weakest component (audio source > cables > amplifier > speaker wire > speakers). If you have a mid-range speaker setup, you probably will never notice a difference in the audio output of a high end sound card and the onboard audio interface. If you are doing 100% digital recording (i.e. digital source > digital mixer > PC), the sound card isn't actually utilized for the production, as it only goes from the PC > speakers. If you recorded directly to DVD or CD, and play the resulting tracks on a high end stereo rig, it would sound the same.
 

houldendub

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Dec 19, 2011
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I would say go for an audio interface. Internal sound cards always seem to be fairly expensive for what they are, and an audio interface will allow you put MIDI instruments through with ease. Even a standard NI Traktor Audio 2 will give you great quality audio.

I'd say have a look through this link:

http://www.djkit.com/category.php?id=497

Just to see what tickles your fancy really, comparing on what your budget allows you. Lemmie know if you have any other questions :)
 

sablabaesj

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Aug 30, 2013
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Thanks, that was very useful, I don't want to use more than 170$, since most of my money went to the pc, and i haven't bought any monitors yet (I'm gonna be a poor man after all of the purchases).
 

houldendub

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Dec 19, 2011
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Ahaaa, in that case, I'd say spend the dosh on monitors, much more worth it, save up and get an audio interface after that though, don't forget one.

The first response said that the General HD drivers are fine; protip, THEY AREN'T. They're very laggy (lots of latency), will max out easily, and are just generally not designed for amateur or even pro level audio work. It's a tiny chip for it, it's like using onboard graphics instead of a dedicated graphics card, it just isn't good enough. I have a set of drivers I can recommend which will get rid of latency but won't do much good regarding quality, I'll have to wait till I'm home though as I can't remember the name.

I mean, it's a bit pointless to spend all that cash on a computer that has very good processing power, only to skimp out on the part that gives you the best audio quality!