[LAU] Laptop soundcard

[Peter O'Doherty]

Many thanks Robert, Arnold and Len for your very helpful advice.

Up to now I have only been doing sound synthesis but want to start 
recording and live processing of sound too, so I'll take your advice and 
get a usb device.

Thanks,
Peter


On 01/30/2015 02:53 PM, Len Ovens wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2015, Arnold Krille wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:08:59 +0100 Peter O'Doherty
>> <kevinpeterodoherty at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> My laptop (running ubuntu) has the following (audio) specs. I know
>>> it's probably subjective, but is this considered "good enough" for
>>> pro audio work or should I invest in an external sound card? (Or for
>>> that matter a better laptop?!) And if so, which soundcard is
>>> recommended?
>>> 00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio
>>> Controller (rev 03)
>>
>> The only thing "high definition" about the integrated audio interfaces
>> in laptops is in the name. Other than that they will sound okayish with
>> their speakers or with equally "high definition" head-phones. But as
>> soon as you connect them to a real amplifier/PA (and fix the
>> ground-loops) you will notice the noise and crappy quality. And after
>> connecting the laptop with a normal-sized audio-cable for more then 5
>> times you will get crackles from the broken soldering connection of the
>> plug...
>
> What he didn't say is that (at least what I have found) the output is 
> the better part. The input circuitry (important for recording) is 
> worse as it is designed to allow the use of skype and not much else. 
> If you are doing pure synth music with no audio inputs. The HDA audio 
> would be ok. To record audio, you would at least need an external mic 
> pre... and for the cost of that one may as well get at least a USB 
> audio IF which would generally include the mic pre anyway.
>
> USB insertion cycles is not that high BTW. It may be as low as 700 
> depending on the quality of the usb plug.
>
>> Get a usb device or a firewire device if your laptop supports it.
>
> +1
>
> -- 
> Len Ovens
> www.ovenwerks.net
>
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