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Line-level inputs and outputs are great for hooking up outboard processors, headphone amps (for creating separate headphone mixes), and studio monitors.ĭigital I/O may not seem important when you’re first starting out, but it can be incredibly useful down the road. If you’re going to plug your guitar or keyboard straight into your interface, make sure that the interface you buy has instrument-level (also called hi-Z) inputs. If you’re going to use condenser microphones, then you’ll want to make sure that your interface’s preamps are also equipped with phantom power. Most audio interfaces include two or more microphone preamps. If you’re a singer/songwriter, then you may only need a pair of inputs, as long as they’re the right inputs.
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The range of audio interfaces includes everything from 2-channel desktop units to systems that can record hundreds of channels. The number and type of inputs and outputs you need depends entirely on what you want to be able to record, now and in the future. With the possible exception of computer connectivity (more on that below), no other feature is as important for choosing your audio interface as its I/O (input and output) configuration. Sound cards are great for hooking up a pair of hi-fi speakers and playing back compressed audio, but you’re going to need a reliable audio interface for recording and monitoring production-quality audio.
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It’s also impossible to track a full drum kit (let alone a full band) with only two channels of input. Electromagnetic and radio interference, jitter, and excessive latency all degrade or negatively affect audio both on the way in and on the way out. Many sound cards only have a consumer-grade stereo line level input, a headphone output, and possibly also a consumer-grade stereo line level output. Technically speaking, a sound card is an audio interface, but its limited sound quality and minimal I/O make it less than ideal for recording. There are several reasons to use a dedicated audio interface, rather than the sound card built into your computer. Most audio interfaces include line-level analog inputs and outputs, one or more microphone preamplifiers, and may even include digital inputs and outputs such as AES, S/PDIF, or ADAT (lightpipe).
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This same audio interface also performs the same process in reverse, receiving digital audio information from your computer and converting it into an analog signal that you can hear through your studio monitors or headphones. It sends that digital audio to your computer via some kind of connection (e.g., Thunderbolt, USB, FireWire, or a special PCI/PCIe card). A typical audio interface converts analog signals into the digital audio information that your computer can process. For friendly, expert guidance, call a Sales Engineer now at (800) 222-4700!Īn audio interface is the hardware that connects your microphones and other audio gear to your computer.
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