Interface vs Sound Card - Do you know...?

Many musicians beginning their independent music production have to travel down the path of understanding the signal chain: the equipment that gets your sound from the sound source into a recorded media. One of the main parts of the signal chain is the soundcard (when we talk digital music). It has come to my attention that many bedroom musicians still misunderstand the difference between a soundcard and an interface.

The audio interface

Though most will call it a soundcard (for sake of simplicity), an audio interface (or AI) is actually a pre-amp and converter combined into one body. The purpose of an AI is to raise the level of the incoming sound signal from mic level to line level (this is the pre-amp part of the audio interface), and to turn that analog signal into digital bits (this is the converter part of the audio interface). Many audio interfaces also include +48v phantom power (for use with condenser mics) and are usually connected to the computer via USB of Firewire.

The soundcard

A soundcard, on the other hand, is just a converter. It's called a soundcard because that's what it does in a normal household computer: to convert the digital data in the computer to analog sound that comes out the computer speakers. In normal computers, not many people use the soundcard to input sound into the computer, although it can be used for that also.

A converter that sits outside the computer body is often called an external soundcard. But if you explore the various recording equipment available for purchase, you will understand that a converter doesn't always have to be a card (though it often is). High end premium quality converters are often shaped like a box that a recording engineer fits onto his equipment rack.

The difference

By the two explanations above, we can see how a soundcard is different than an audio interface:

1. A soundcard does not have pre-amps. Stand alone converters do one thing: to convert analog to digital data and vice versa.
2. A soundcard is the specialized name for the converter.
3. A soundcard is a converter alone. An audio interface is a converter plus preamps.

I hope this short article can help you better understand the parts of your signal chain.

To your equipment savviness,
Endy

Make Your Life Easier - Sound Automation

The beauty of digital technology in music production is the simple fact that we can save our work in any condition at any time and recall them in the exact same settings as when we left off (a fact I'm sure many musicians and engineers take for granted). Another benefit is the use of automation: that is we can automate parameters within our music production software. Most of the major software allow full automation of virtually all parameters, therefore placing the limit on our creativity alone.

Automation maybe a feature that many musicians pay little attention too, especially those who are just starting out. At first, automation may seem like a tedious job, and can be a major turn-off since it isn't the most intuitive thing to do. But proficiency using automation in our music production, whether in the music arrangement stage or the mixing stage, will allow us to explore creative avenues otherwise blocked if we neglect automation.

Using automation in composing and arranging music

This technique may be used more heavily in electronic dance music production than any other style. Listen to the leading contemporary electronic dance tracks, and you can listen to the detailed programming of synthesizers and effects take place to create a stunning soundscape worthy of dance floors all around the globe. Automation is used in EDM production, as a way to manipulate filter controls and other controls that shape the sound of the instruments in the arrangement. It can also be used to bring an instrument in and out of the mix, not only by volume, but also by cut-off frequency and resonance (I'm sure you've heard this technique before in EDM). Further use of automation in arranging might be to make effects kick in mid-song, or bring it out during a different part. For example, adding delay to the guitar at the chorus, or increasing the reverb on the snare during the bridge.

Using automation in mixing music

Which leads us to the more subtle use of automation: to mix music. Sometimes, you dial in a perfect EQ for the piano during the verse, but then realize it doesn't suit the chorus. You could split it up to a different track (which is easier actually), or you could automate the EQ during the chorus. For the vocals, you might add more reverb or switch to a different delay for the coda, to bring it out and add some majesty to the part. The use of automation for mixing is virtually limited only to our creative imagination, as there are a myriad of "weird" effects out there (some of them free too) that can give even weirder sounds when combined with automation.