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Topic: Sound card latency and music sequencing (Read 3585 times) previous topic - next topic
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Sound card latency and music sequencing

If you use software sequencing, and no hardware (e.g. cubase with libraries, no external inputs like keyboards) do you even need a professional sound card? Isn't everything done by the CPU in this case? None of those manufactures of DAWs even list a good sound card as a requirement. They seem to insist on you having SSDs, lots of ram (some even recommend 16gb), and a multi core CPU.

Sound card latency and music sequencing

Reply #1 –
Quote from: HTS on
If you use software sequencing, and no hardware (e.g. cubase with libraries, no external inputs like keyboards) do you even need a professional sound card? Isn't everything done by the CPU in this case? None of those manufactures of DAWs even list a good sound card as a requirement. They seem to insist on you having SSDs, lots of ram (some even recommend 16gb), and a multi core CPU.


Soundcards are for playing and recording audio.  If you're just processing pre-recorded data, then no you don't need a sound card (except maybe to listen to the result).

Sound card latency and music sequencing

Reply #2 –
Quote from: saratoga on
Quote from: HTS on
If you use software sequencing, and no hardware (e.g. cubase with libraries, no external inputs like keyboards) do you even need a professional sound card? Isn't everything done by the CPU in this case? None of those manufactures of DAWs even list a good sound card as a requirement. They seem to insist on you having SSDs, lots of ram (some even recommend 16gb), and a multi core CPU.

(except maybe to listen to the result).

What does that mean? If I want to generate a performance of a work, and make it into a wav file, the computer can do it without going through the sound card?

Sound card latency and music sequencing

Reply #3 –
Yes.
 

Sound card latency and music sequencing

Reply #4 –
Quote from: HTS on
If you use software sequencing, and no hardware (e.g. cubase with libraries, no external inputs like keyboards) do you even need a professional sound card?


I don't think so.

Quote
Isn't everything done by the CPU in this case?


AFAIK, yes.

Quote
None of those manufactures of DAWs even list a good sound card as a requirement.


This must be no accident. As you next observe they aren't shy about demanding expensive hardware.

Quote
They seem to insist on you having SSDs, lots of ram (some even recommend 16gb), and a multi core CPU.


Yes, they aren't shy about demanding expensive hardware.  The wave tables that they are based on must be huge!