SoundBlaster Sound Card

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PoolGate

PoolGate

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My computer (i5/4th - 2014) is not Windows11 compatible. Since Windows11 is EOS next year, I am planning my replacement. I was thinking to build my own (i7/13th) which I used to do a lot. Are sound cards a thing anymore? I know all motherboards have built-in sound but was thinking to put in a sound card anyway. SoundBlaster cards are around $100. This isn't a budget build.

Main reason I ask is my son records voice-overs for YouTube videos and was complaining about his onboard sound quality so we'll probably get one for him just to see what it does.
 
Yes, sound boards in PCs are a thing of the past.

Your son should be using a high-quality USB-C interface microphone that does all the analog-to-digital conversion in the microphone.

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Or even higher quality is a broadcast quality microphone with an XLR connector to an external digital A/D box that connects with USB-C.

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These can be used as audio input to whatever device he is recording on.

I have a mix of Win 10 and Win 11 PC's I use. There is little functional difference between them. I expect Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for Windows 10. But if Win 11 gives you the reason to build a new PC then go for it. I am waiting until I can build a PC with real local AI chip processing.
 
Will he get anything from a sound card? He had me listen to a recording he made from a YouTube video. In the copy he says it sounds "tinny" to him. I can not tell much of a difference. I figure if the sound processing is done on a dedicated card, it may sound better. Not to mention SoundBlaster's HUGE audio mixing capability.

Yeah only reason is Win10 end of support (end of updates) next year.

My son has this one. Amazon.com
 
What device, speakers, headphone are you listening to the tinny playback?

Is tinny on the recording or coming from the playback? Tinny is hearing the high-frequency sounds. You have old ears while he has young ears. The high frequencies are what you lose as you age.

There are many different sound coding formats, and many are lossy and lose frequencies to compress the size of the audio. See Audio coding format - Wikipedia

YouTube is not trying to maintain sound fidelity when they stream.

Your son needs to record his voiceovers locally, listen to them using a high-quality headset for quality control, and see how they sound. If they sound different when YouTube streams them, it is an issue with the encoding used.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Macs are better …. 😂
Click to expand...
Mac A/V software can be better due to the higher quality CODECs generally available with MAC OS.

Mac hardware is the same as PC hardware.

Microsoft does not provide high-quality CODECs with Windows. They can be purchased and added to PCs.
 
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ajw22 said:
Mac hardware is the same as PC hardware.
Click to expand...

Back in the day, IBM used to make the CPUs for Apple. The same technology that built IBMs mainframe hardware (best of breed and incomparable to any other major hardware manufacturer … ) built Apple chips. Then Apple got all ***** about the price and went to Intel … that turned Macs into jokes. Mac on Intel sucked badly and so, yes, Mac and PC hardware became somewhat indistinguishable. Once Apple realized that they were no longer differentiating themselves in the hardware space, they finally gave Intel the heave-ho and went to TSMC (an IBM wannabe for sure …). TSMC/Apple Silicon does a better job at making a more unified architecture for Apple products because Apple can tailor their chips to what they need rather than trying to shoe-horn the proprietary Intel architecture into their devices. On the memory side, most manufacturers use Micron or Samsung. Apple Retina displays and hardware are made by Samsung.

GarageBand is a free Apple product that is a great tool for entry-level podcasters. Final Cut Pro is the premier offering on a Mac that can create near-Hollywood level video content.
 
I do agree with Allen though that high quality external gear like microphones, pop filters, armatures, ring-lighting, etc, will make a huge difference on the end product. If you do get an external microphone, I highly recommend a solid adjustable armature to hold it. Placing a mic on a table top is a great way to pickup stray vibrations from the house.

If your kiddo is serious about podcasting and related content creation, it’s a great skill to learn when you’re young.
 
ajw22 said:
What device, speakers, headphone are you listening to the tinny playback?

Is tinny on the recording or coming from the playback? Tinny is hearing the high-frequency sounds. You have old ears while he has young ears. The high frequencies are what you lose as you age.

There are many different sound coding formats, and many are lossy and lose frequencies to compress the size of the audio. See Audio coding format - Wikipedia

YouTube is not trying to maintain sound fidelity when they stream.

Your son needs to record his voiceovers locally, listen to them using a high-quality headset for quality control, and see how they sound. If they sound different when YouTube streams them, it is an issue with the encoding used.
Click to expand...

He has the below. Headphones are here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B477BHS

He plays the YouTube video and records from his mic while recording the whole thing locally. When he plays it back, it is from a clip on his computer at that point. I will suggest he try to change the CODEC for a better quality one. Wouldn't the SoundBlaster come with better CODECs?

I was telling him that my ears probably could not pick up what he was hearing. 😂🤣😮😫

1733228367480.png
1733228417619.png
 
So that’s a dynamic microphone. They are good in noisy environments BUT they have limited sensitivity and you have to have them close to your mouth when speaking or else your voice will get washed out with background noise. Condenser mics are better quality and very sensitive but you need a good audio environment (think sound room) to get the most out of them. With the mic you have there you’re going to want to use a pop filter to avoid weird plosive sounds every time you speak the letter “p”.

I have found that XLR connections are better than USB but you need an interface (audio mixer) to the computer. When the mic has a USB connector, the A/D is done inside the mic and you have no control over how they have implemented the conversion. This can lead to all sorts of downgraded audio.

Like most hobbies, you can get really wild and expensive (how’s that HAM radio setup going?), so you have to find what works for your budget and live with the trade offs. “Cheap is never quality and quality is never cheap” as the old saying goes …
 

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It looks like most Soundblaster products are now external to the PC.

Sound Blaster - Creative Labs (United States)

Sound Blaster internal & external DAC and amp sound cards for PC, laptop, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and mobile phones. Ideal for gaming & home entertainment. Free shipping on orders over US$35.
us.creative.com

CODECs depend on what software is bundled with the hardware.
 
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ajw22 said:
It looks like most Soundblaster products are now external to the PC.

Sound Blaster - Creative Labs (United States)

Sound Blaster internal & external DAC and amp sound cards for PC, laptop, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and mobile phones. Ideal for gaming & home entertainment. Free shipping on orders over US$35.
us.creative.com

CODECs depend on what software is bundled with the hardware.
Click to expand...

I decided to do this and get an external one. It'll be under the tree for him!

 
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PoolGate said:
That is interesting! But, my PC is 10 years old. I am looking forward to building a new one!
Click to expand...

Show us your build when you’re done! I only do Macs these days but, back in my younger years, I built a few PCs for myself. The added cost (not much really) was well worth the flexibility and upgrades. So much better than the premade stuff on the shelves. Nowadays you can get some really cool cases.

One piece of advice - don’t overlook the power supply!! It’s mundane but you absolutely want to have plenty of juice to power your PC. Cooling is also important too - a high-end PC can double as space-heater considering the power that these components consume.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Show us your build when you’re done! I only do Macs these days but, back in my younger years, I built a few PCs for myself. The added cost (not much really) was well worth the flexibility and upgrades. So much better than the premade stuff on the shelves. Nowadays you can get some really cool cases.

One piece of advice - don’t overlook the power supply!! It’s mundane but you absolutely want to have plenty of juice to power your PC. Cooling is also important too - a high-end PC can double as space-heater considering the power that these components consume.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah I am planning big things in that department. I'll get a gaming case and liquid cooling. I saw this cooler that has an LCD screen on it. Looked like fun! Hopefully the new computer doesn't double the electric bill! :sick: I learned long ago in my PC support days that on/off cycles are the enemy of electronics. So I keep my computers running 24x7x365. The one I am on now has been on for 10 years and never had a single issue.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Back in the day, IBM used to make the CPUs for Apple. The same technology that built IBMs mainframe hardware (best of breed and incomparable to any other major hardware manufacturer … ) built Apple chips. Then Apple got all ***** about the price and went to Intel … that turned Macs into jokes. Mac on Intel sucked badly and so, yes, Mac and PC hardware became somewhat indistinguishable.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, the transition away from PPC was due to IBM's inability to scale down the 970's (G5's) power and heat requirements to work in a notebook. Even the fastest Power Mac G5s required liquid cooling to get around this problem - which, in 2004, was pretty exotic outside of enthusiast PC builds. By the time the transition was in full effect, such as when the dual Xeon Mac Pros were released, the Intel parts were spanking anything IBM had provided to Apple up to that point. The only place a comparable Intel Mac wasn't outperforming a G4/G5 Mac was when an application was running under Rosetta translation rather than a Universal Binary.

Prior to the Intel transition, Apple had been in contract talks with PA Semi to use their more efficient POWER-derived processors, which actually at the time offered better performance-per-watt than the earliest Core Duos, but Apple ended up with Intel in the end. A side note, Apple actually later bought PA Semi and brought them in-house to develop the A* mobile processors and the Apple Silicon stuff they derived from it.

As for TSMC, they are simply the fab. Apple designs the processors in-house and TSMC builds them. Outside of that, they have no involvement in Apple Silicon and unlike the AIM alliance, they are not co-designing the processors with Apple.
 

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