Theory- 27 :- What is a Sound Card?

 What is a Sound Card?


The Sound Card is an expansion card that allows the computer to send audio information to an audio device like speakers or a pair of headphones.

Nearly all sound cards support MIDI, a standard for representing music electronically. In addition, most sound cards are Sound Blastercompatible, which means that they can process commands written for a Sound Blaster card, the de facto standard for PC sound.

History of the Sound Card

The sound card, capable of 4-voice music synthesis, Gooch Synthetic Woodwind is considered the first sound card. It was used by PLATO terminals, which was invented by Sherwin Gooch in 1972.

AdLib was one of the first companies that began to manufacture sound cards or IBM PC-compatible computers. In 1987, on the basis of the Yamaha YM3812 sound chip, AdLib developed the Music Synthesizer Card.

Although until 1988, sound cards were very uncommon for the IBM PC. For the majority of IBM PC users to produce sound and music, the internal PC speaker was the only way. Consequently, basing "beeps and boops," sound was described that was led to the common nickname "beeper. At the time sounds were played, there was a need to stop all other processing.

The Consumer Electronics Show that the PC's were unable to become the leading home computer as they only had limited sound, it was stated by a panel of computer-game CEOs in 1988. As compared to current products, it required a $49-79 sound card with better capability. In 1989, it was founded in a Computer Gaming World survey that AdLib, six Roland and Covox, and seven Creative Music System/Game Blaster were planned 18 of 25 game companies to support.

Sound cards use two basic methods to translate digital data into analog sounds:

FM Synthesis mimics different musical instruments according to builtin formulas. Wave table Synthesis relies on recordings of actual instruments to produce sound. Wave table synthesis produces more accurate sound, but is also more expensive.

Uses of a Sound Card

The primary use of a sound card is to provide sound that you hear from playing music with varying formats and degrees of control. The source of the sound may be in the form of streamed audio, a file, CD or DVD , etc. There are many applications of a computer where a sound card can be used, which areas are as follows:

  • Games.
  • Voice recognition.
  • Watch movies.
  • Creating and playing MIDI.
  • Educational software.
  • Audio and video conferencing.
  • Business presentations. 
  • Record dictations.
  • Audio CDs and listening to music.

Types of Sound Cards

The sound card is an expansion component in the computer that makes capable you to hear the sound, which comes from video files, mp3 file, and more other. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, sound cards first started to enter the mainstream. In modern times, almost all computers come with one. Mainly, sound cards have three types, and all contain their own advantages.

  • Motherboard Sound Chips The sound cards were costly add-on cards when they were introduced for the first time. Its cost was hundreds of dollars.

    When the computer sound technology became available at a low price, miniaturization technology allowed computer hardware manufacturers to produce sound into a single chip. In modern times, there is a rare chance to find a computer not containing motherboard sound chip. Even if they only contain a separate sound card. The motherboard sound chips made sound card affordable for all computer owners. You can identify if your system has a motherboard sound chip.

  • Standard Sound Cards 

Inside the computer, a standard sound card connects to one of the slots. Using a sound card rather than motherboard sound chip, offer a benefit as it contains its own processor chips.And,
a motherboard sound chip produce sound on the basis of the computer processor. When playing games, a standard sound card offers better performance as it creates less of a load on the main processor.



  • External Sound Adapters 

An external sound adapter has all the same features like standard sound card. It is a small box that enables connection to computer with the help of USB or FireWire port, instead of an internal expansion slot. Sometimes, it contains a feature that is not included by a standard sound card, such as physical volume control knobs and extra inputs and outputs. As compared to the standard sound card, it is much easier to move an external sound adapter to a new computer. Also, with USB or FireWire expansion slots, it is the only way to upgrade the sound of a laptop.



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