Do you Need a Sound Card?

[@threeone6012]

I run 2 sound cards in SLI.

[@pengtroll6247]

mate wtf

[@rivaj]

Not CF? :D

[@NPC0010]

Good setup, you could probably run Crysis 3 on that with max volume!

[@pengtroll6247]

NPC 001 dude nice :)

[@axeenj]

Underrated comment

[@HugeAckMan420]

Personally I love my sound card! The range is amazing - it even manages to pick up Linus's high pitched voice.

[@violinviolator5841]

Where do i buy it?

[@HugeAckMan420]

@Nati man think you might have missed the joke there buddy

[@daniellescobedo760]

Jajajajajajja xD

[@lallisrinu502]

Which one do u have

[@sagerdood]

I have a soundblaster ae9...it make a huuuuge difference

[@AlmightyGTR]

Microphones do not convert Audio from analog to digital. A microphone simply converts sound from analog airwaves to an analog electrical signal. This electrical signal then hits your sound card to be converted to digital. Till the signal hits the sounds card, it is still analog.

[@MadsMilkyton]

AlmightyGTR Thank god someone else noticed, Go home linus your drunk!

[@sstkitm]

Brent Kullrich Linus doesn't write ncix videos, thats why they are never funny

[@MadsMilkyton]

TheJane HatsMatter Huh I thought it was funny, just a little error on his behalf!

[@wesleycredille2831]

AlmightyGTR Well to be perfectly, honest with you there are a lot of USB microphones out there. and they are mostly used for podcasts and VBlogging.

[@AlmightyGTR]

Wesley Credille Hi Wesley, I would love to agree with you, but those devices have a built in ADC. To your point, due to the layer of physical abstraction, an end user may see the whole package as a microphone, but we know better.

[@strollas]

man this guy is entertaining. should start his own youtube channel

[@GabriShally]

is it a satire? he already has...

[@sgt.rexpowercolt3221]

@@GabriShally really bro

[@hesusmushendwa7663]

Just visit Linus tech tips

[@dukcyboi1745]

@@GabriShally r/woosh

[@SanHydronoid]

Nice pfp

[@funghazi]

As an old person, it feels weird to have a computer without a sound card in it. That was THE hot upgrade back in the day.

[@igorthelight]

Now we have micro sound card in motherboard, but for better sound quality, soundcard still required. So, almost nothing changed ))) For videocard the same thing. But yeah, now you can have a PC without soundcard and without videocard )))

[@MasticinaAkicta]

Creative videocards with EAX, oh yeah.. good times. And it being the time of the P4's any cpu cycle spared by off loading was more performance in games. Yup I remember those times. It was the time that a soundcard actually would give you more FPS. Nowadays an onboard soundcard versus dedicated is about 0.0000024% performance loss/gain.

[@AmstradExin]

Except you had an Amiga...

[@taradead]

on-board audio has improved exponentially in the last few years....so much so, most people don't need extra hardware. You still might want a sound card upgrade if you're building a pro DAW...but most bedroom musicians will be more than fine with what's already built into a modern motherboard.

[@reaperreaper5098]

Sound cards have worse sound quality than built in chipsets and external DACs. The only saving grace on them would be additional ports, if it weren't for the horrible driver and software support and the fact that they disable onboard ports.

[@Shplayercz]

4.7 GHz OC on my sound card with water cooling, can i run Crysis 3 in 4k ?

[@TrollermanSixtysevan]

Yeah. Crysis isn't that hard to run at 4k

[@TrollermanSixtysevan]

It depends how well you want that 4k

[@TrollermanSixtysevan]

It also depends on what monitor you have as well as video card.

[@TrollermanSixtysevan]

You should probably buy a monitor, motherboard etc and not just a cpu, sound card and water.

[@Shplayercz]

ehmm a joke man

[@ShonkyLegs]

Of course I need a sound card; where else am I going to plug in my joystick?

[@OMA2k]

For those who don't understand the above comment, PCs in the 90s didn't have USB ports at all and the only way to connect a joystick was using the "game port" in a soundcard (very few PCs actually had an onboard game port), which looked like this: www.google.es/search?q=game+port&tbm=isch

[@morsetsk]

never switch on a joystick in my soundcard (90tys) i got a rgb cable that got to connect on a port on the mainboard,

[@Csilk]

good ol gravis gamepads and sticks.

[@Zombie_Burger]

lol, Haven't hear that in years.

[@docchocobo]

+=LFC= had one. Worked great with PSX emulators, but Saitek made an almost exact clone of a PSX controller. the only thing was that with the game port, you had a limited number of buttons. I think four was all you could have in total.

[@vapenation7061]

i need a sound card to listen to those ear rape videos in all of their glory

[@sevay]

LMAO

[@gortizy]

Yes I am nick crouton and yes i can rap england is my state

[@kyrogahz]

Lmaoooo

[@micahgilbertcubing5911]

Basically the answer to all of these videos is "it depends"

[@dakheelalmutairi2715]

True

[@tsjeriAu]

The answer is more along the lines of "you know if you need one".

[@user-yg8jf1zk9e]

He less of gives you a definite answer, and more of just explains the path and lets you pick your own route. He gives you the tools to decide yourself

[@sevay]

exactly lol

[@mr.2minutes161]

i bought one back then cuz my onboard power cant deal with high impedance, so yah.. you know why when you need it

[@jarvisgarcia2035]

Thanks for the video. I used to run sound cards for gaming back in the day but as I got older I noticed I don't detect much difference between those and onboard audio. It sucks getting old kiddos.

[@DurzoHighwind]

+Jarvis Garcia FeelsBadMan.jpg

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

+Jarvis Garcia It isn't just about sound quality. It is also about free CPU resources

[@RaspberryAntelope]

+Jarvis Garcia Oh but the ZxR makes a difference ;)

[@finitekosmos]

+RaspberryAntelope The ZxR is really very good.. :D

[@RaspberryAntelope]

finitekosmos yeah if someone ever tells me I don't need the sound card I have, I make them play a round of csgo and listen to a song afterwards to show both sides of the crystal audio!

[@Monody512]

What about reducing CPU load from game audio? Do built-in motherboard modules already accomplish that to the full extent? And what about reducing the number of "dropped" sounds and other glitches? Is that the realm of audio libraries exclusively?

[@Frosterino123]

Why is this not the top comment?

[@nathanwest2304]

there is a seperate audiochip on the mainboard, usually from realtec so technically you have a full size soundcard on the mainboard wich is located far away from the CPU, most of the time after the last expansionslot and even if the sound was produced by the CPU it would not remotely affect performance

[@Monody512]

Nathan West Okay... so then what causes "dropped" sounds? (When sounds randomly refuse to play.)

[@Chuckiele]

Open an mp3 file in your favourite media player and look at the task manager. The cpu usage of that is pretty much irrelevant. I cant compare that because 3D gaming audio is way more complicated than an mp3? Yes, I can. Because a soundcard doesnt care at all, what it is playing and if you refer to the days of EAX when the soundcard completely generated the 3D audio itself, those days are gone. There are practically no games that support those fancy techniques anymore but yes, they were great.

***** ......................... Have you ever compared on board audio to a good sound card? You sound like you are just moving with the herd.

[@abzeromusic]

Musician here. Getting an external sound card in an audio interface can be great not only for better sound quality, but powering microphones. Phantom power gives you options for almost any commercial microphones. Including dynamic and condenser microphones. Also the 1/4 in jacks can be used for instrument inputs such as Pianos, Electric Guitars, or turntables. As well as providing proper outputs for studio monitors (speakers). Your not going to want to run all these cables into your sound card. It can be done, but an audio interface makes life easier.

[@wawaweewarice5302]

Short answer: Never Most people don't even have headphones that even remotely require amplification, and even if they do, they're much better off with an actual amp rather than "gaming" sound cards and cheap "gaming" headsets 

[@kr00m]

short answer: depends

[@wawaweewarice5302]

kr00m​​ no, there is absolutely no reason why you'd ever need a sound card. The built in amp is more than enough for 95% of headphones that most consumers use (cheap headphones, beats, bose, v moda, audio technica, portable Sennheiser headphones), and if you did need amplification you'd buy an actual amp rather than buying into a gimmick

[@SpektrikMusic]

External > Internal

[@wawaweewarice5302]

***** soundcards have an equalizer which changes the sound signature by adding color to your sound as well as making your output louder. There is nothing magical your soundcard does, you're falling into the placebo effect. Don't be a tard and act like I "listen to shit" because I don't use a soundcard. People who know what they're doing buy actual amp/dacs, not to mention your primary focus should be your headphones, not what "soundcard" you got.

[@SpektrikMusic]

^^^ What he said. And not headphones like gimmicky gaming headphones or anything beats/monster/fashion headphone stuff. Get well known quality products like sennheiser, audio technica, beyerdynamic etcetc.dont fall for the "the more drivers it has the better it is" bullshit.

[@7head7metal7]

I know I'm being kind of a smart ass here, but a microphone is definitely not (!) a analog to digital converter (except for some very few microphone types with a built in converter). A microphone converts sound pressure waves to elektrical signals, but both are still analog signals. The sound card on the other hand, has an analog to digital converter built in, and only there the conversion happens. It might be only a small detail in this context, but please don't over-simplify things. Otherwise this is an awesome video, thanks for your hard work!

[@YHRS]

William Topping just because it's inside a phone, That still doesn't turn a microphone into an adc. The phone's mic still has to send an analog signal to an adc inside the phone. Microphones and ADC are separate devices. Like metalhead said, presumably talking about stand-alone Microphones for pro audio, some mics come bundled with an internal ADC, but the vast majority don't. When you shop for microphones, look at the ratio of ones with XLR/TRS/TS connectors to the ones with USB connectors.

[@7head7metal7]

Your Home Recording Studio That's what I meant to say, thank you for clarification :)

[@NatePhysicsTutor]

I second this. As soon as he said it I was hoping someone else picked up on it.

[@TimSheehan]

William, you're talking about phones, a phone /has/ a microphone, but it is not /a/ microphone. By your logic I could say my speakers have a graphics card (a phone has a microphone and an ADC, my PC has speakers and a graphics card)

[@Aristoper]

Well a speaker is a microphone! ;)

[@khmergodhobbies]

back in the day i would spend $150-200 just for the soundblaster cards... now i can buy a mobo for less than that and it already has 7.1, fml

[@wadewilson3309]

Vandoeun Long yeah cause technology advances you know... heck 8gb of ram used to be ridiculous and not needed. Now its its pretty much the minimum.

[@cathlive267]

For some of us 8mb of ram used to be ridiculous and not needed lol.

[@mojtabagolestani3699]

im still using Augigy 2 ZS on windows 10 64-bit with moded driver and even its softwares are working ( important ones ) and its still better than my onboard sound card which is 24-bit 96khz in 5.1 7.1 , my sound card can't beat it never compare an onboard sound card with a dedicated sound cards like sound blaster ,... anyway people who should buy a sound blaster is who already have 5.1 7.1 speakers because its will be so much better if u buy dedicated sound card .

[@stormragez]

wrong... they use a códec or equalizer with teh sound blazter software wich is pretty fuckedup, the actual soundcard is realteck or something like that on the new motharboards and still not as good as a dedicated sound card.... on the otherside soundblaster Z cards have a bug on z77-z270 mothboards something about the fastboot stuff it get bugged somehow the system dont detectthem until you reboot a few times.... its pretty anoying....

[@deathguppie]

I still have one of those that I never put into my PC.. is it still worth trying?

[@maze42d]

But can it play Minesweeper at 44100 KHz?

[@georgesnow]

44100 khz !!!!?? Lmao

[@Jeroenske]

Oh wow here in the year 2046 DAC stands for Direct Audio to Cranium. No more speakers or headphones and let me tell you it's a blast.

[@ninja.saywhat]

woah

[@theweirdcactus4467]

is Trump dead ?

[@HaydenRoberts08]

We're all dead thanks to Trump.

[@Windwalker95]

Its so cool!

[@tonyk4031]

We already have Bone Induction headphones :) Ty for the future tips tho

[@hauskins9516]

Just hire a in home mariachi band for best quality experience.

[@pokemonman957]

It would probably be cheaper

[@xikefocus]

Audio from motherboard these day are pretty good, but still it can’t beat a dedicated sound card. I’m not sure about an external DAC is better than an internal sound card though. An internal sound card connect with the motherboard through a much faster PCI express interface. My Creative Blaster Audigy has excellent noise to signal ratio.

[@knifeyonline]

So for noobs watching, he's saying no. No you don't need to buy a sound card if you motherboard was made after windows7 was release, and if it wasn't a bargin bin budget model.

[@tovvie3089]

Joseph Stott i have a pc made in windows vista times, and it sounds the same as my gaming pc

[@amanc9835]

Joseph Stott I’m not a noob I just wanted to save time

[@amanc9835]

Joseph Stott but thanks

[@NaNekoRx10]

Lol someone here is deeeeaf

[@mmiisshhaa]

Joseph Stott i would really apreciate if you helped. Ive ben playing alot of cs lately and sound is important in that game. when i watch a stream their sound seems to be extremely cler as to where its coming from (not so much on my pc) so im wondering would one of those external things help that?

[@JustWickedSwede]

A microphone is not a analog to digital device o_O a microphone is analog to analog. It is basically a audiowave sensor.

[@jackielinde7568]

+En Person No, I microphone is a sensor that converts fluctuation in air pressure into an electrical signal. An Audio waveform isn't the same thing. That's a graphical representation of a recorded sound.

[@JustWickedSwede]

I was not talking about waveforms. I was talking about audio waves AKA. fluctuations in air pressure. 

[@MateusKahler]

+Jack Linde The electric wave form is an analog representation of the audio wave form.

[@MateusKahler]

+NEW PLAYER The point is that the microphone does no conversion. It sends the analog signal to the sound card, and the sound card does the analog to digital conversion.

[@MateusKahler]

***** Owh... I got it wrong then.

[@Gilmaris]

I remember the days when a sound card was the difference between internal speaker and midi. You telling me there's something new on the market?

[@Robbinsffxi]

Even the cheaper Sounds Cards do make a big difference in comparison to the best integrated ones. Less noise and more dynamics. I didn't think it would make much difference, but believe me, it does!

[@Aristoper]

Everything was a crutch for a computer processor back then though.

[@iNoToRiOuS]

Don't talk shit about my sennheiser hd 558 m80

[@PFAlt]

***** superbgifs.tumblr.com/post/61727130625

[@uglett]

MeGusta GameStation do you really compare sennheiser with beats? my old 80$ sennheiser PX100 still sound way better than any beats at over 200$ so thats the real joke

[@aceofspikes]

+iNoToRiOuS I'm running Grado RS2's thorugh a yamaha FX12 as my DAC.

[@IAMDIMITRI]

+Lub Ricator my 2$ in ear headphones are sounding better then beats; the left side does not even produce any sound.

[@IAMDIMITRI]

***** No, kinda the same freq response with lots of low bass. But smaller and cheaper =)

[@tinnitusthenight5545]

I'm an audio engineer and linus is wrong about microphones. Mics are transducers not digital converters, they only convert one energy to another. They take sound waves and convert them to electrical waves, both analog. A speaker conversely, lol, converts electrical waves to sound waves. There is nothing digital in this chain and the sound you get is almost exactly what you put in whereas digital recordings are close but imperfect interpretations of the original which at high quality no one can consistently differentiate. If he was referring to something like a usb mic it likely would have a digital converter inside of it as well but this is by no means standard for microphones.

[@MrMOGHammer]

most very good microphones are USB now. The more expensive ones being XLR. Analog mics are much harder to find these days.

[@jameskinstle6874]

@@MrMOGHammer In what world? Maybe if you are just talking gaming headsets and PC mics. But the highest quality microphones for audio reproduction/recording are still analog. Call me an audiophile snob, but I agree with Tinnitusthenight, analog is STILL king!

[@RabianskiT]

@Tinnitusthenight Thanks for clarification! :)

[@mmmbbb5680]

@@MrMOGHammer youre dreaming if you think there are any "very good" USB microphones. even entry-level microphones are XLR if youre more serious about audio than streaming

[@MrMOGHammer]

Mmm Bbb There is many very good USB microphones out there but of course XLR are best

[@mermaidman961]

Maybe my pc does need a sound card. Sometimes I listen to music and the bass is horrible on my headphones, but when I plug it into my phone they sound fine so it must be my computer.

[@Chuckiele]

Even the cheapest PC onboard audio is way better than a phones audio. There must be something else wrong.

[@mermaidman961]

***** Well it's a relatively new phone, it's the 6s. I already ordered a sound card anyway that has great reviews.

[@Chuckiele]

Ludwig Van Beethoven Even the newest Smartphone sounds crappy.

[@mermaidman961]

Chuckiele well it's better than my pc currently, that's why I've been using my phone for music. Here's hoping that the new card destroys both of them.

[@Chuckiele]

Ludwig Van Beethoven Depends on the card but usually it will.

[@lvlanson]

Great videos you are doing. Just to notice. The soundcard usually is DAC and ADC. A microphone converts sonic waves to electronic waves. Some very special microphones have ADCs too, but thats not the usual case. Only soundcards have converters, only very rarely devices have built in converters.

[@xdarrenx]

The irony is perhaps, that the sound in game, carries almost all the emotion. People are not scared when they see graphic imagery, but let them hear a scream or squealing pig outta nowhere, and they will jumpscare their chair. Also ask non gamers about super mario, most won't be able to answer basic questions, but ask them about the theme song, and everyone can hum it. Go listen back to your favourite soundtrack of games you played, you feel that? We call that nostalgia. Sound deserves it's place just as much if not more, than all the other facets.

[@MixAndMash]

2:25 Classic Linus.

[@shaylanchadha9044]

Me: Mom can I have Techquickie Mom: we have Techquickie at home *Techquickie at home* :

[@PinkasBrown44]

Listening to Linus´s voice pitch fluctuations with a high-end dedicated sound card is a torture. Stick to on-board sound. lol

[@MLWJ1993]

PinkasBrown44 that didn't help onboard detected it and played it too 😣.

[@PinkasBrown44]

But at least you still have your audition... :D :D :D

[@massid2844]

you deserve more likes

[@jasoneyes01]

The difference between an audiophile Sound Blaster and onboard sound is less distortion in the form of JITTER also higher slew rate.... Makes for sound which is natural and dynamic.

[@REDKLOK_-_The_Original]

I salvaged a Sound Blaster Live card from 1999. I am also going to look for a Roland MIDI unit. I haven't quite decided on which one yet, but I used this stuff back from the 90's and (pardon the pun) had a blast. Can't wait to make a big convoluted mess to piss off the MRS and get to relive the fun. EDIT: I have a 16 channel mixer that came with a USB out, so if anyone wants something to mix or plug in sound inputs with a lot of control, I would recommend a Peavey or Yamaha mixer with USB out. Mine's a 16 channel, but there are 4 to 6 channel mixers for more simpler tasks than music production. I happened to have mine from music production, but they were great for Let's Plays and live streaming back in the day.

[@Lofote]

Did you say a microphone has a ADC? Why? The signal it outputs is still analog, your sound card makes it digital afterwards.

[@HalloweenJoni99]

+Lofote Maybe he meant USB microphone

[@herbert_ACAB]

I think what you are talking about is a microphone coupled with a speaker. A microphone DOES convert sound waves into electrical signals, which is reconverted into analogue sound waves in the speakers.

[@Lofote]

Thats true, but it is not converted to a digital signal.

[@kgbboy]

A microphone is definitely not an ADC. It converts sound into an analogue electrical signal. I think that here, Linus and apparently a few others just misunderstood what Analogue actually is. As Linus said, a digital signal is indeed a 1 or a 0, represented by 2 reference voltage levels, e.g 3.3V and 0V. Your voltage is one or the other. With analogue, the voltage has an infinite number of levels. Rather than just 0 and 3.3, it can be at 2.1 or 1.775 or -2.32 or whatever. A speaker works by using the voltage to push the speaker cone in and out, generating pressure waves in the air. The higher the voltage, the harder it pushes, and thus the louder the sound. Analogue is used for this because it's capable of pushing gently as well as hard. So a DAC is used to take the harsh (and actually audibly nonsensical due to encoding..) digital signal and converting it to a smooth, realistic sound.

[@Lofote]

***** Of course they do. But USB mics are not the standard to buy ;)...

[@JoyousUnicorn]

What about for USB headphones like the Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma USB

[@JoyousUnicorn]

+Mr Liima I got with gift money and my brother had a pair of kraken pros. I liked his so I got my pair. Also I know what 7.1 surround is. I like the chroma also; it's a nice touch.

[@lemailsen]

+eXclusive™ I wanna do that too (I got the same headset, btw they are not headphones LOL) I really wonder if that's a great idea??

[@daltonstauffer1487]

+eXclusive™ You are definitely better off with stereo over 7.1 sound because having all those speakers crammed in a headset usually means worse quality sound. So if you want virtual surround sound just get software like razer surround. But if you want to spend a little money, get a sound card like the Asus Xonar which are not too expensive.

[@JoyousUnicorn]

Dalton Stauffer They are razer kraken 7.1 They are virtual surround.

[@daltonstauffer1487]

+Mr Liima Right so they are all stereo headsets just with different software to give you different virtual sound.

[@Red_wine]

Yes, because I CAN'T HEAR THE FUCKING VIDEO, SOMEBODY SEND HALP PLS

[@kikiesiin2172]

plug in *HEADPHONES*

[@Red_wine]

Turo Kumpulainen both front IO and rear IO audio ports do not work, even after installing several audio and motherboard drivers

[@saturnGEEK]

+T_bus Are you using HDMI for your video output?

[@Red_wine]

***** I was, now I finally have got a soundcard and everything is lovely once again

[@saturnGEEK]

T_bus Adjusting default audio outputs are usually the most simplest option...

[@SlowMenThinking]

Audio Interface on a pci bus with high end DAC and ADC, balanced inputs and outputs. a very clean external amplifier and 1 pair of full range speakers and a separate headphone amplifier. Used for audio production recording, mixing much track audio. Its all run at industry standard sample rates and clock rates. it has the second equal DAC I have owned first was a $5k unit I sold off many years ago for a nice tidy profit, as at that time i had little use for it. In the end if it is not pulling duty it gets sold

[@kekagiso]

Is this just a carefully crafted DAC ad?

[@taatuu25]

Oh yes. Sponsored by the DAC company

[@alexburlton3265]

+taatuu25 LMAO XD

[@rexydallas8D]

Considering they failed to mention hardware accelerated audio (or true OpenAL) at all...

[@ruiruima4723]

"Oops, I dropped it..." ...........

[@dekzYT]

Some say till this day he's still dropping expensive hardware.

[@windstarpro]

Yes, I think you do need a sound card. I was having a problem with the onboard sound loosing parts of sound when a base line would hit due to poor dynamic range that the onboard sound was capable of. I would lower the signal volume to help some. I got rid of the sound fade by using a Sound Blaster Blaster Z PCIe. Not a problem now. Much clearer sound. It is a little more than your typical card out there, but worth it.

[@GymmyRhys]

why does everyone on the Internet put 'loose' instead of 'lose'...

[@windstarpro]

because shit happens@@GymmyRhys

[@BlackGhostAudio]

Great video, but it should be noted that most microphones produce an analog signal. Analog to digital (A/D) conversion typically takes place when the analog signal from a microphone is run through an audio interface. However, USB microphones contain a built-in D/A converter, which is why you're able to connect them directly to your computer.

[@ZILtoid1991]

One thing you missed about soundcards: Higher end soundcards tend to have a processor, which supposed to reduce the load on CPU by processing most of the effects, however they're not very supported.

[@kr00m]

László Szerémi same with DAC/amp

[@Amehdion]

kr00m That cant possibly be true, how would your DAC interface with the CPU? via USB cable? A sound card would have a direct PCI interface and dedicated CPU lanes, so it would be able to take over processing for positional audio, effects, etc. A DAC just converts digital signal to analogue and an amp just increases the power behind the signal, none of which actually do any processing to the audio. You would have to have a very special DAC with a built in EQ and audio processor for this to happen.

[@kr00m]

Amehdion Asynchronous USB

[@ZILtoid1991]

There're actually a few USB signal processors for pro audio applications, but all of the Sound Blasters with DSP are internal.

[@Amehdion]

kr00m what about Async USB? As far as I'm aware it doesn't change the functionality of a DAC or amp and allow it to process audio effects magically. It smooths out the "jittering audio" inherent to Synchronous USB DACs, and further removes the DAC from effects process by giving the DAC it's own independent clock separate from the audio chipset.

[@Asphaltheizer]

I remember plugging into my new Soundblaster 16 in 1992, and suddenly Ultima 7 sounded soooo cool !

[@Fjerid]

Tschay Aar Big bro I was just a few months old when you did that. How were times back then?

[@Fjerid]

Cerus98 20gb HDDs were the bomb? My god hahaha! I do remember the dialup internet but I cant imagine how bad it was back then... damn

[@Fjerid]

because optical writers and discs were so expensive? I'm so glad we've come so far lol. And no wonder video's/pictures quality was so bad... data was measured in mbs!

[@Fjerid]

Yeah that's one of the downsides to it... my little cousins are brainwashed/mesmerized are dumbed down by technology. Not necessarily the fault of tech. Tech is neutral, sure it's their parents fault. But just saying, there used to be more kids playing outside haha. And yeah... I remember waiting while the vids buffered till i got to beat my meat lol. I can't imagine the hell you guys must've been through since it used to be even slower back then. Then again, i'm on nofap for years now and it has drastically changed my life for the better. I guess it all comes down to moderation!

[@Fjerid]

Hahaha not married yet bro, hopefully soon!

[@ThePotFather]

BUT I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO STOP MY RABBIT CANCER!!!!!!

[@509noah]

+POTDAD Smackfad (Demon King) And I need to know what by bit-rate and frequency is!!!!!!!

[@ThePotFather]

WE'RE DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!

[@nictheperson6709]

+POTDAD Smackfad (Demon King) NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO We're gonna be like "What?" and we're gonna look like fools!

[@stumbling]

+POTDAD Smackfad (Demon King) 1 dollar headphones… inserted rectally.

[@jovanjanevski3747]

+POTDAD Smackfad (Demon King) I am the 100-th like, i won the internet.

[@TesikLP]

2:55 a microphone only converts sound to analog signal, the ADC is actually a part of the sound chip and it converts the analog signal to binary samples at a given sample rate.

[@cyb3ar897]

That moment when you have no hissing, distortion, or crackling, because your motherboard has high quality audio built in...:)

[@cyb3ar897]

***** Asrock Z97 Anniversary Edition.

[@DarkShadow482]

***** Honestly just get the new motherboards that are on the market man. Most if not all new motherboards have pretty decent sound quality for MOST headphones.

[@btoiscool]

GGhostly Raven Sadly tho;ugh most mobo's don't have amps, which I need.

[@btoiscool]

Martin Landart I didn't say a sound card, I said mobo. Additionally, I don't want to hear that shitty buzzing sound.

[@ToadRoach]

Godin The Killer Sadly if you suffer from Tinnitus, it doesn't matter how much you spend on sound equipment you are always going to hear that shitty buzzing sound. I haven't bothered with sound cards for along time and never heard any shitty buzzing sounds.

[@aLmAnZio]

You could have talked about how soundcards back in the day was hardware accelerated, and how that is today. And is there external devices with 5.1 outputs? I use a 5.1 headset, running on a 15 year old Audigy 2 ZS platinium Pro, it was top of the line back then and it's still pretty damned good!

[@geluix69]

I wish you would do a DAW build , instead of always the gamer or video editing build.

[@saturnGEEK]

And good storage. All dependent on how many devices are being recorded, and what the quality/bitrate of the recording is.

[@saturnGEEK]

avs kjhkjfhcv Some DAWs can have issues if your hard drive cannot record data fast enough. That only happens when you're trying to record something at some insane bit & sample rate with multiple inputs.

[@geluix69]

I record in 96K 24bit, then I can downsample to 44K 16bit if its needed. but like you said HD performance is crucial has specially with vocals, sometime ill record in 192k 24bit. the interface is thunderbolt because its only one that can handle the data flow with no latency issues. USB type C is coming soon, so I might make the switch.

[@geluix69]

DAWs dont require the same specs, don't need a crazy video card. But HD record rates are VERY important when recording in 192K 24bit. otherwise you get latency issue and buffering glitches. the data needs to be backed up also with no write errors. video editing is another world. Ive been running a studio for 23 years. when you edit video its already recorded, its just editing so latency isn't an issue.

[@saturnGEEK]

jean luc Dubinator Linus doesn't know anything about music production. His main focus is consumer products & gaming/video editing machines with 1-2 channels audio embedded in the video itself.

[@goldblade84]

I personally recommend two or more sound cards if your setup calls for it: 1) My Creative sound card runs the 7.1 gaming speakers mounted on the wall, it can also use "What-You-Hear" as a recording source. 2) I use the On-board sound Realtek HD's computer case headphone jacks as an output to headphones by my bed so I can enjoy movies at night without waking the neighbors. Having multiple sound card outputs allows me to switch in windows without additional software, and keeps the same settings without me messing with it every time I want to switch (I'm not even sure you can, since I think case outputs override the rear ones). Any additional sound cards or external USB sound cards are good for additional inputs or production outputs (DJ software that uses multiple sound cards for playing music and sampling at the same time).

[@lomna17]

I like how he teams about $250 headphones and then proceeds to show Bose headphones, not good $250 cans from audio technica, sennheiser or beyerdynamic

[@ernestoditerribile]

You forgot Grado, Stax, AKG and Focal. Along with Beyerdynamic those are the brands to buy. Only HD600,HD250, HD800 and the electrostatic Sennheiser headphones are good. The cheap ones are really rubbish.

[@kiwiandapple503]

No, there are "bad" headphones from those companies from sure. But a lot of headphones are "good" for certain music styles. It really matters a lot! Some headphones are terrible for classical, rock & metal music while they are probably much better for hardcore, R&B, hip-hop, dubstep and what else. And vice versa as well.. Now yes, there are for sure headphones that are just bad no matter what music you like, like almost all Beats by Dre's for example. But from the brands you and @lomna17 mentioned.. there aren't a lot that really are bad. I disagree with the Sennheiser HD250 being that "amazing" either, it are pretty nice bass headphones - but they're pretty damn old and hard to get. The HD518, 558 and 598's are really awesome headphones especially considering their price. I personally have the HD518 & 598s and absolutely love them.

[@39zack]

+Ernesto dí Terríbílé B&W

[@ernestoditerribile]

+Zack yep I know the P5 it's quite good

[@MaxiiBoii23]

Bose is still good.

[@Reconseal4050]

Sound card if you use speakers and external DAC if headphones only

[@Renulin]

+PhantomMatrix And if both, there are some sound cards out there with a separate dedicated amplified headphone output that you can switch to through its software. Sound card was really the best option for me, sometimes I want headphones, sometimes my 5.1 speakers, and virtual headphone surround sound is something I don't intend on giving up.

[@jacobbirch284]

I'm a bit of a noob about pcs. But if I have wired headphones, do I need to buy anything extra to use them?

[@ninja.saywhat]

i use both speakers and headphones. it's like 70% of the time i use headphones and the rest with speakers. so should i get both sound card and dac?

[@sadaki93]

I always have one question: Should I set my sound to 44100hz or 48000hz for gaming? Some Relic games have options but most games I just plain don't know.

[@SpektrikMusic]

Honestly no difference. But 48000

[@spacecadet2827]

Sadaki it won't matter. it's just a frequency bandwidth. 48 is slightly better, but the difference is like between 256kbs and 320 kbs with mp3. you couldn't tell the difference. it's good to match them if editing video but otherwise not a problem

[@sadaki93]

Space Cadet Normally I set to 44100hz for music as I don't like upscaling as it sound airy than it normally would on 48k. It's just me though.

[@spacecadet2827]

Sadaki it's a better option IMO.

[@ScureHD]

Sadaki Most games are using 44,1khz sounds so 44,1khz is fine. 48khz is only good for movies. But its not like you will hear any differences anyway, even if the source is really 48khz.

[@MajicFreeman]

I'd recommend even people that don't do music production look into usb interfaces as well. For just a little more money they have top of the line audio, low latency and loads more options. M-audio, Behringer, and Tascam make decent ones for cheap. My presonus 4 in 4 out is amazing for music production and waaaay cheaper than it was just 10 years ago.

[@Martinchox]

i have a beyerdynamic dt 770 pro 250 ohm what i need to sound better ?

[@SpektrikMusic]

Dac. Definitely dac.

[@EdgeOfDarkness86]

Tinchox DAC and a good AMP.

[@tjarsun]

Tinchox Asus Xonar STX

[@QueenGoesYT]

Tinchox a screwdriver stabbed in your ear. That u need to make the sound better hear.

[@Martinchox]

QueenGoesYT left or right ?

[@ChristopheChardon]

No way you will get close to Asus Xonar STX with a same priced external DAC. And yes, the STX is far supérior to any MB integrated solution.

[@btoiscool]

Christophe Chardon Okay, I can do it for less.

[@ChristopheChardon]

Godin The Killer What do you mean?

[@btoiscool]

Christophe Chardon There's really good, respected dac/amp combos for less than a hundred dollars. On top of that, they will power and give high end headphones a interference free sound.

[@jonesnj07]

Christophe Chardon it's still intergrated and will still have interference, my aune t1 mk2 vacum tube dac for less than the asus crad will blow it out of the water with sound quality, because it is a vacum tube, it's impossible for electrical interference, don't talk rubbish even a dac half the price of the crad will sounds muc better.

[@ChristopheChardon]

Nathan Jones If you can hear any interference on my STX Asus, I give it to you !! (mounted on a Sabertooth Z97) . Same with the phone amp.

[@therealrussellsmyth]

You had me at ‘save yourself from Rabbit cancer’

[@theadambar]

I tried all kinds of stuff. External gaming DACs with amps, external Hi-Fi DACs, external SoundCourd for gamers, external soundcard and controllers for music production and even a high-end amp with built-in DAC. And after all that, I still always go back to my Creative internal sound cards. At this moment, I use X-FI Extreme Music, and it's just great. Even though there is always some kind of interference and crackling if you really listen for it. For some reason, nothing else sounds so good to me. It was the same before with older Creative higher echelon internal soundcards. I used to have Creative SoundBlaster 64 Awe Gold, and it sounded just as good, if not better.

[@garfuber6934]

70% of the people don't need anything other than the built in

[@yyyyyom]

I just bought one to make my case to look fuller :P

[@moileung]

GarFuber back in early 90s sound cards are king. You need em in your games. Sound Blaster/Creative Labs was raking lots of money those times. Then come 2010+ integrated sound came with motherboards already. Realtek is raking money now.

[@wapted]

GarFuber 99.9% of people don't need dedicated sound cards.

[@SlinkiestPopi]

GarFuber imo soundcards make the audio quality a lot higher than the integrated sound card.

[@MasticinaAkicta]

***** Ah EAX, great times, it sounded better to. But then came windows Vista and killed of EAX. With that the whole reason to run a Creative card. I did run an usb driven sound card [Asus AV100 based] for my laptop though. Because the sound on my laptop was HORRIBLE.

[@moonchild-w1d]

someone please help me. i assembled a pc with msi z370 motherboard. what i noticed being a music producer is laptop inbuilt sound is better than pc motherboard. so i bought one scarlett solo usb audio interface. it definetely improved the sound but it's still does not give clear & compressed sound as laptop has. can anyone can suggest me what i missed ?

[@carloscarbajal5621]

1- what do you mean by (clear and compressed sound)? 2- laptop inbuilt sound is better than the top notch Realtek® ALC1220 of the msi z370?are you serious man? 3- what such mythical laptop are you using? whose audio better than the excellent scarlett solo usb audio interface ?!!!

[@moonchild-w1d]

@@carloscarbajal5621 like any normal laptop sound is better than my motherboard sound. i am very very sensitive when it comes to audio cause i have listen every detail & mix my music. i talked with some pc shopkeepers, they said me the same. laptop inbuilt sound are different than pc motherboard. for gamers may be this motherboard sounds doesn't bother at all but for production, sounds are little muddy than laptop.

[@jasonhanjk]

Mic is basically a device that converts sound pressure to analog signal.

[@danielwang2155]

Yes! I also commented with the same note. A mic just turns mechanical energy into electrical energy. The signal from the mic is still analog, based on an energy pattern.

[@electron-1979]

+Daniel Wang Yes!

[@BertGrink]

I guess Linus were referring to the new breed of microphones which have a built-in ADC and USB port.

[@flexai]

+Daniel Wang does an external sound card improve a microphone's quality when recording?

[@danielwang2155]

Are you recording into a computer either way?

[@cameronfowler7248]

Didn't realize interference was such a big issue for people. I guess I got lucky and have pretty solid on board sound because I don't really get any of the degradation mentioned. I really should get a nice surround sound setup some day, but for now I am enjoying my Hyper X Cloud II headset with inline sound card to boost the quality a bit.

[@ayush_panchal]

are sound cards necessary for a pc or i am good without a sound card in my new pc i m gonna build?

[@FreshBagelz]

+Ayush Panchal Prettymuch all modern motherboards have built in audio, so no you don't have to get a soundcard.

[@ayush_panchal]

+FreshBagelz Thnx bro!

[@ayush_panchal]

+FreshBagelz :D

[@ayush_panchal]

+FreshBagelz does this mother board have built-in audio? Mother board 👇🏻 ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 Mother board

[@FreshBagelz]

Yes, honestly unless you are buying a really old mother board you won't find one without built in audio.

[@NormaleEcoStudios]

There is a mistake Microphones converts sound in audio, then you need ad analog to digital converter to use the signal on the computer

[@NWProductionsHD]

that is precisely as he stated

[@croneryveit9070]

No he actually said mic's convert analog to digital, MOST mics convert audio to analog, and the PC converts that data into digital.

[@moeb1us]

since I watched several videos on that field, this immediately put me off. There is so much bs spreading that it is really hard to seperate good info from bad. Why would he do this mistake?

[@kenvinkernow]

Yes, a Microphone and SPEAKER are the same thing. Mic converts an Analog audio signal to an electrical signal, a speaker does the opposite. And yes they are both transducers. I once recorded a session through a set of in-ear headphones. You had to get close to pick up the audio, but it worked.

[@darkhawk1979]

So you're not going to talk about people who want DTS sound from PC games?

[@huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue]

He clearly said that he isnt touching the hardcore audiophile shit. Most people dont care anyways and its less work for him. Problem?

[@darkhawk1979]

DTS is hardly "hardcore audiophile shit", HTPCs are quite common now.

[@huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue]

darkhawk1979 well he didn't really say it in these exact words :V

[@aaroncarlyledevos]

I'd just look for a motherboard with a built in audio chip set that encodes in DTS or Dolby.

[@darkhawk1979]

Mine does but it's not intuitive how to enable it.

[@kmw5100]

I just ordered a soundblaster ZX for my computer since I do record and mix my own music as a hobby. it's pretty good for the price, I don't notice the hissing that I did before getting it, so that's a plus. Also the Audio control module is pretty cool, allowing me to have a mic for CS without having to buy a modmic for my AD500x's as I was planning to do. Though I've heard the modmic is incredible for what it is, and I still might buy it later, but at least I can communicate without using my old like $5 desk mic from the 90's and giving everyone in the lobby cancer.

[@mrsmiley9772]

Linus, I dig your channel and the work all of you do to make quality videos, so clearly all of you have some sort of experience with video and audio hardware and software. I'm a starting out sound engineer for mainly music, and id like to see more videos on sound cards, audio interfaces and software tips with Pro Tools and Adobe Audition. Thanks!

[@napoleanbonaparte8299]

But i'm deaf

[@mavmav0YT]

I'm blind

[@napoleanbonaparte8299]

AirDragon k

[@mavmav0YT]

+hamidoudou k

[@LulzingBoy]

+John Oliver thanks for making my day

[@bagman6641]

+John Oliver savage

[@homerthompson6028]

Shouldn't you get a sound card anyway for better base audio quality because let's say you buy a crappy 20 dollar motherboard with crappy integrated sound, and then you buy a DAC, aren't you just, in a sense, trying to polish a turd?

[@blarbful]

No, because you're passing a raw digital signal to the DAC which will handle the conversion of the signal on it's own. But you may want a sound card as well as DAC for the software features (like eq settings) or the hardware processing features (like EAX or 3D sound) which could be passed to a DAC through a digital audio (S/PDIF) connection.

[@MrMOGHammer]

The kind of people that buy 20$ cheap motherboard probably would never put anything in the 3 digits space pricewise in that POS.

[@ciddax754]

There are external soundcards too. They bring all the mumbo jumbo of a soundcard and connect typically via USB (there are some around for thunderbolt and firewire). They have the advandage of not beeing inside the PC. But connected per USB brings another layer of abstraction. That costs you so about 1ms latency. That is not much, but when you are using your PC as an virtual guitar amp or effect processor you get it on top of the normal driver latency. There was a time, where the soundcard helped you with your fps in games. It had (and some still have) mighty sound effect processors which rendered all those effects in hardware on the soundcard (those steps behind you coming down from a stairway and so on). This way your CPU was not bothered with those effects, which could helped with fps. EAX was a decto standard in the days. Nowadays it's integrated into DirectX. If your soundcard has such an effect processor, it's done in hardware on the card. Otherwise DirectX fills the gap and does it on the CPU. The amount of used CPU time is with our monstrous processors negligible.

[@cameronmcmaster4323]

If I had a choice, I would rather have a sound card. I really don't think that the interference is that bad since I've used a cheap one and haven't had any problems.

[@btoiscool]

Cameron Mcmaster you must use cheap headphones then, in which no wonder.

[@cameronmcmaster4323]

Godin The Killer I was actually using the card through speakers.

[@genejen]

Cameron Mcmaster if you only aim for cheap sound card, on-board can do just about the same. I bought a DAC for laptop because well... laptop, it was obvious that it could play music fully. now that i have experienced how much more "full" audio quality can be coming a DAC. I'm hooked.

[@MadsMilkyton]

Cameron Mcmaster Pretty much, DAC's also don't have a ADC for mics but at the end of the day you wouldn't pair $300 pair of headphones with an $80 sound card which for the recorded is an upgrade over most MOBO in built sound! I'm actually using a presonous audio interface 2x2 I/O for my Shure headphones and mic!

[@SmokingCrop]

Gene Jen cheap sound card with an AMP is a lot better than a shitty integrated soundchip to drive high end headphones.

[@mortenrobinson]

I use an expensive USB audio interface, but this is because i am a hobby musician and an audiophile and i need the XLR3-outputs for my super ultra top-notch high end top of the line studio monitors :-P For most people who just plug in some cheap pc-monitors the on-board sound will be fine.

[@alessandrospoletini]

Demonwhisper monitors? what does that have to do with audio?

[@mortenrobinson]

alessandrospoletini speaker monitors, for monitoring audio ;-)

[@mortenrobinson]

***** Adam A7X speakers and an Adam Sub 8 subwoofer ;-) I am really happy with them btw, they are excellent for my purposes :-)

[@D0olzBeatz]

Demonwhisper What interface do you use with them A7x's? Them things look sweet, waaaaay better than my rokit 5's I bet. And touching on audiophile, check out Wilson Audio Alexia. An audiophile's dream to listen to them.

[@hawkshot2001]

I've got something else... Computer -> HDMI -> Receiver. Technically it is a DAC setup, but for some reason I never hear about it in these types of debates.

[@SlurpKing100]

That would imply that the reciever is both a display and a speaker right? Most speakers on monitors suck ass.

[@hawkshot2001]

+DeliciousCookies The receiver takes the audio and passes the video to the monitor.

[@jimmygrey6848]

Mines similar, HDMI from the PC to my TV then Optical to a surround system.

[@aaroncarlyledevos]

this is a really great choice, one I use as well. if you don't mind the space taken up by a traditional receiver and 5.1 or higher setup, and your audio chip set can encode in Dolby or DTS, it really works great. You get a digital signal encoded and sent from your computer, which then gets decoded in your receiver. This eliminates the problem of interference from the PC (as long as you have a decent receiver).

[@chrisinminneapolis2367]

hawkshot2001 so youre going to use a external device, the dac, because it creates less audio interference, and run it to a receiver, which causes audio interference? hmmmmm. my point being if you are going to be a audiophile you do everything perfect. drop the receiver and invest in amps. pc to dac to amps to speakers.

[@t0sh400]

Yes, you need an external one. Usually onboard or even usb-dongles in close proximity to your case will pickup electronic noise and this will be audible on higher volume or sometimes even on low. This can be difficult to get rid of as most equipment is still not properly shielded against it. I would return any audio equipment immedietly if its not shielded. This is the only reason were buying a soundcard is required. Soundcards also don't help with virtual instruments. Most processing is done on the CPU. An actual DSP unit will be much more expensive than any average soundcard. Even the pricey ones. Again, also often lack shielding. So.. get an external soundcard and try to place it away from the computer as far as possible. Not saying there may not be an onboard that is flawless without buzzing when the GPU is busy, ymmv, but i never encountered one.

[@aryandivyanshu8324]

How many channels does this guy owns?

[@ronaldorivers236]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@cm01]

He never owned NCIX, he worked for them and doesn't any more. LTT and Tech Quickie are his main ones.

[@dekzYT]

actually NCIX owned him :)

[@Alejandro-Te]

I watch the whole video and I still have no idea whether I need the damn sound card for piano recordings. And that is probably because reading a script like a machine-gun attracts more people than a real explanation.

[@hellterminator]

If you're talking about a real piano and a microphone, then yes. Inputs on built-in sound cards suck pretty hard. If you're talking about a keyboard, you should be able to connect it via USB or some other data port and record to MIDI.

[@Alejandro-Te]

***** Thank you very much! I use a half-tale piano. I'm going to record mainly classical music. What card would you recommend? Thanks again.

[@hellterminator]

Citriano Torres I'm sorry. I can tell you that for high quality recording you need a good microphone and a good sound card or external ADC, but I don't know enough about recording equipment to be able to recommend something specific.

[@wartoc3708]

+Citriano Torres I'll do my best to give some answers here, but music production is a whole can a worms that is not easily done in a simple video catering to general/broad scope PC usage. I completely disagree with the line noise being caused by internal components of a PC. You will only see that extreme bleeding in bottom of the barrel products and really shitty cable management. One of the main reasons for using a specialized audio interface is the ability for most of them to utilize CPU offloading. This is important for recording and listening to multiple channels at once (also known as ASIO or ASynchronous Input Output). For most consumer needs, audio is a low priority CPU operation. What you are looking for (in industry terms) is an Audio Interface. If you were to go down to your local music shop and ask for an ADC you may get something quite different. An Audio Interface comes in 3 flavors: External, Internal, or Internal with breakout box. For your setup you will need an Audio Interface with at least 2 XLR (with phantom power) inputs. 2 decent condenser microphones (one for high frequencies and one for low), you can get away with a single in a pinch. You shouldn't need to spend more than $1000 for everything including cables (Just avoid Hosa cables if possible). Focusrite 2i2 or PreSonus 22VSL for just the piano. Or if you want some expandability to record additional mic'ed instruments or vocals simultaneously the Focusrite 18i8 or PreSonus 44VSL. Sweetwater is offering a bundle (no I don't work for them, I've just bought a lot of equipment from them in the past so they are a goto reference for general equipment to be purchased online) of 2 AKG C214s, Focusrite 2i2, cables and stands for $700 (www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C214-2i2). That's about as close to turnkey as you can get for your needs. Just my opinion based on years of experience as an audio engineer, gearhead, and certified cheap bastard that doesn't want to sacrifice quality. Take it for what it is.

[@SitNSpinRecords]

If your computer can record at or above 16 bit 44100khz then use your computer. A standard cd is pressed at 16 bit 44100khz If you want better than cd, (studio quality) record in 24 bit 9600, but the file sizes will be huge. 24-96 is higher quality than the human ear can distinguish. If your computer can't record at the rate (quality) you want, you'll need a interface or soundcard. Avid and M-Audio make good to high end audio gear. A lot of record labels use Avid and M-Audio gear. If you aren't doing audio production, then look at a sound blaster card or sound max. Those are cheap and can still handle 5.1, 7.1 set ups. Some are even 24 bit 9600.. To me, a quality Mic and mic placement is more important than the card. A high quality card recording with a crap mic or bad placement will still produce a crappy recording. A good mic on a lower quality card (16-44100) will still sound as good as any store bought cd.

[@jamesheim3679]

Hasn't been a need for sound card in more than 10 years...

[@DFX2KX]

Unless you need the extra connections or want to drive bigger speakers, yeah. The onboard audio on this motherboard is decent. not great, but decent.

[@Gamevet]

I use Creative Sound Blaster cards, because they support DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital Live. I've had 2 boards that claimed that they provided 8 channel surround, but failed to deliver on those promises.

[@davidperry4013]

You are going to need a sound card if you have high end headphones

[@DFX2KX]

MP3s sound alright. as good as Lossless? no. but, as the Russian saying goes "Better is the enemy if good enough"

[@PlatinumEagleStudios]

Yes, there is still a need. Ever hear of music producers using DAW programs???? You need a high-end card to drive high end speakers and headphones and to get crystal clear audio. The Creative Labs Soundblaster cards are by far the best cards on the market right now because their highest end cards come with a control knob that connects to the card and you can control the volume right from the knob and even plug in headphones to it too. They are pricey, yes, but they are worth it if you want the best sound possible.

[@OlegLecinsky]

2:57 - microphone does *what*? It doesn't convert analog to digital. It converts sonic waves to analog signal. Its opposite isn't DAC, but speakers :) Microphone's analog signal then gets converted to digital by the sound card, onboard audio, external professional ADC, etc.

[@Zola_RSN]

#RealtekMasterRace

[@pandoraspanther8327]

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAxdddddAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAenditbobAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAkillmeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

#Hackintosh+PatchedAppleHDA.kextMasterRace

[@TopHatProductions115]

Pfft. #CreativeAudigyMasterRace

[@futurisma]

Came for the sound card, stayed for this cutie

[@darrylelam256]

0:34 I'll likely still look like a fool but thanks for the info lol

[@kymkymo]

Two points Linus: firstly, as another comment pointed out, MICs are not analog to digital converters, they simply translate mechanical vibrations in the air to electrical analog signals, which are then converted to digital either within the PC or in a separate Ananlog to digital converter. Some mics have ADCs built in, but the vast majority do not, and even when they do, that does not make the mic an ADC. Secondly, what you refer to as a DAC is actually an audio interface, a DAC is the separate complement that converts digital to analog. When a device incorporates multiple components such as DACs, amplifiers, and phantom power (to provide a mic with a power source), then it is an audio interface, not any one of these components.

[@BenDovaAlready]

i need a good souncard, this vid sounds high pitched on mine

[@ingetnamnellerkanal]

sun car brum brum

[@truthfinder4973]

lmao dang mine the same the guy sound high pitch lmao

[@BenDovaAlready]

reminds me of vhs fast forward

[@truthfinder4973]

+mynewname lmao dang true true

[@BenDovaAlready]

yup lol

[@azraelle6232]

Being half-deaf has its advantages - I don't have to spend stupid amounts of money on dank audio equipment.

[@gabrielgarcia9822]

"Why is only one side of your surround sound system here?"

[@LazyCreepypasta]

tbh system sound is fine for me.

[@elxctronicz9567]

Ali Abbas do i need sound cards or no its basically KZbin recording 4k Editing and rendering in 4K Gaming 4K Watching 4K Vids on yt And basically just browsing and surfing the internet

[@MrMOGHammer]

The whole 4K thing here has nothing to do about the quality of the sound of the videos. Audio and Image are 2 separate things that need their own processing.

[@purpleey]

@@elxctronicz9567 why u mentioning graphics when ur worried about sound 😂😂😂

[@Phenom98]

1 mono channel squarewave beeper speaker sounds good to me

[@QuixoteX]

Most microphones, especially many of the ones you show, are strictly analog devices. They convert sound to an analog audio signal. Many of those mics require a pre amp and then a ADC (some even require phantom power). Now there are microphones that have an ADC built in and output to USB.

[@matsomo]

One thing I'm uncertain about tho. Can a sound card help out with the performance of a DAW when creating music with a lot of plugins running at the same time, just like how a graphics card increases the performance of a game?

[@stephan2203]

Yes i want to know too :(

[@MrMOGHammer]

one word, no. DAWs with their plugins will mostly be CPU/Memory hungry. The more plugins you use the more CPU time it will use. And most people recording music with daw will use external ASIO capable sound interface to connect guitars, keyboards, and mics. ASIO is very low latency so it's good for recording an instrument you play and hear it at the same time. The internal sound card would induce some lag between the note you play and the note you hear, making it virtually impossible to play. Some high end sound cards will be ASIO capable though.

[@arafatzahan3697]

Spoiler Alert: No .

[@QueenGoesYT]

Make a video explaining to the console peasants that you can't get true surround with a single 3.5mm audio jack. The number of people who think they have surround sound with just one jack is way too high! Also; so much snake oil in these comments...

[@C0d0ps]

QueenGoesYT Ye, so much snake oil...

[@btoiscool]

QueenGoesYT Step one: Buy a DAC Step two: Buy a open back hard phone step three: buy a microphone step four: hook it all together. I call bullshit.

[@MadsMilkyton]

QueenGoesYT You forgot about those headsets with the tiny shitty speakers placed all around the ear cups for surround sound .......!

[@blueovalfan23]

Brent Kullrich what's he's saying is with a 3.5mm headphone jack you have 3 poles. 1 for the ground, 1 for the left positive and 1 for the, you guessed it, right positive. at best you'd get a stereo effect with a delay or echo, i'd think that would sound like crap in headphone though. you'd be surprised how convincing a stereo effect can be with a large clear sounding headphone. i've got a pair of sennhiesers that fool me sometimes and they're a low end model. the games or media sometimes have good enough audio that it's hard to tell. my cheapo earbuds, nothing like them, won't fool anyone.

[@MadsMilkyton]

blueovalfan23 Miss read my comment mate! I was justing having a go a stupid headsets that have multiple speakers like the Coolermaster sirus s, they are fucking shocking! Most games like FPS do use postional audio through EAX technology which is a digital signal over stereo which emulates which direction gunfire and footsteps are coming from! Some Surround sound technologies can be used with decent stereo headphones for a more immersive experience but others can fuck with it.

[@thunderloong]

Hey guys. Sentey Arches GS-4731 USB device - best sound I've had from a USB and the best microphone on headset I've ever used. This is an UNPAID plug... its that good! It has a rumblecoil pair instead of bass drivers as well - the microphone compensates for that!

[@jameshiggins4067]

"Sound Cards vs... I dropped it 😂"

[@toxicwaste1581]

0:30 the what gets me every time

[@esrefpivcic4781]

My headphones just died while watching this video...

[@morpheas768]

I bought a Creative X-Fi Fatality back when it came out. The card is actually a PCI card, thats how old it is. I believe it was back in 2006, not quite sure anymore. Its been roughly 10 years (or more) and the card is still working properly, with not just heavy, but extreme use of constantly listening to music for many hours a day, and every computer build I have had was with this card installed. Some of my PC's in the past would run 24/7, never shut them down. It has been functioning properly all this time, sounds amazing, has every feature I could possibly need, and is actually the oldest piece of computer hardware I own that still works like a charm. Overall, I'd say it has functioned for over 50000 hours, and its just damn near unbelievable. What usually happens, is that I'll upgrade computer parts, or do a massive overhaul, or just get a whole new tower, and that same X-Fi will be removed from the old PC, and simply be installed onto the new PC. Best investment I ever made in any piece of computer hardware.

[@KastaRules]

Sound Blaster FTW!

[@homeycdawg]

I just saved myself from rabbit cancer.

[@ratshitstrap8622]

well if you like sound, ur gonna need at least one i'm pretty sure...

[@stopthrm]

Hey Linus, I know this video is like a bajillion years old at this point, but I would like to bring up a caveat about not having a sound card. I want surround sound for my gaming in Windows with digital audio out going to my stereo. However, from what I can tell, if you're just using the standard Realtek alc- whatever chip from your motherboard it will only output 2.1. There is always a delay in the sound when something happens on your desktop due to a lack of some kind of Dolby signal being constantly output by the drivers to the stereo, causing a delay in the 'action'. There won't be any kind of delay when watching a movie, because the content on the movie is dictating to the codec in windows what to do with the sound. Sound cards that support optical audio out especially for gaming tend to support something along the lines of Dolby Digital live where the Direct Sound drivers that windows uses are pipped through the card's drivers and translated into a Dolby signal that your Stereo can make sense of and keeps the loop going at all times. I've heard of some on board chips that in the past supported something like Dolby live (ASRock) to get this same effect but from what little I can gather, those motherboards are becoming fewer and farther between these days. There are ways of hacking and using unsigned drivers to achieve the same kind of Dolby live signal that sound cards can output but I really don't like the idea of opening up my operating system to using unsigned drivers to 'unlock' functionality that is supposedly already there for Realtek ALC family of chips. Is there some other way to achieve all of this?

[@tls5870]

I got a 486 with that soundblaster 16bit yo

[@airbomb34]

sound cards? What is this 1995?

[@PlatinumEagleStudios]

+airbomb34 Maybe. But sound cards provide very high quality sound. My laptop has a Realtek ausio chip inside of it and it sounds fantastic

[@airbomb34]

EpicEverythingDude75 again what is this 1995? Onboard audio chips provide great sound quality now days.

[@PlatinumEagleStudios]

airbomb34 Yeah. Like Mine :D plus, it came with the Realtek HD Audio Control Panel witch allows me to change the sound settings such as a 10 band EQ, different sound presets such as bathroom, hall, auditorium, and more. It is pretty cool and it allows me to get the perfect sound that I want for my music and other stuff

[@PlatinumEagleStudios]

Michael Walsh You realise those "studio" cables don't actually sound better? I am using standard speaker wire I picked up at an audio store for 25 bucks and they were cut in 5 foot sections so i picked up 2 sets and it sounds great. I am just sick and tired of all these "audiophiles" who are all like "YAY let's spend a thousand bucks on high end gold plated cables because they sound better". Really they sound the same. The cable doesn't really matter, it's the speakers that make the difference. But that's just me.

[@PlatinumEagleStudios]

Michael Walsh So in a sense, I can get my Bose 301 to sound better if I pick the right cable? The guy at the store said that this cable sounds good and works well and I agree with him. This is just your basic cable with clear plastic insulation and the wire itself is standard copper wire. it sounds good and my speakers are placed the right way. I called Bose and the rap told me that they need to be placed 12 to 20 feet apart and no more or less then a foot from the corners of the room for optimal sound and performancwe. So I did just that. And it really does sound amazing. The Bose have Stereo Everywhere technology witch uses a side firing angles 2 inch mid woofer witch reflects the sound off the corners and out around the room. this greatly expands the sound stage of these bad boys by a great amount. this technology also helps by completely removing any "sweet spots" caused by other speakers thus slowing for more listening spots. In my test, I found that this technology is amazing because it sounds like the music is coming from all directions and immerses you in it. I like that.

[@turbominator]

does he screw up his voice intentionally? sounds horrible

[@turbominator]

+rick dick it goes superhigh and starts squeaking or squealing idk the word

[@turbominator]

no i mean squealing and then his voice also breaks like he's going through puberty

[@MycketTuff]

+turbominator He's tiny, ever heard a hamster try to be vocal? Kinda the same thing.

[@jorgejacome7125]

2:56 Mics are NOT ADCs, they are transducers (mecanical energy or sound to electrical energy). The ADCs (electrical signal to 0s & 1s) are usually on the audio interface or in the CPU. Please, correct this info.

[@perc3072]

hahahaha shut up weird al