Sound Card

Mark Dershaw · Post by **Mark Dershaw** » 1 Sep 2010 4:20 am

I'm getting ready to purchase a laptop and BIAB will be my first install. Is there a particular sound card that I should be looking for that will enhance the sound of my tracks?

Robert Tripp · Post by **Robert Tripp** » 1 Sep 2010 6:06 am

Hi Mark,

Most laptops come with a built in sound system on the mother board, (integrated). Most laptops do not have slots for an add on sound card, as far as I know. There are external sound modules such as the keytron, roland, etc. There is probably a PCM sound card or a mini version built into a flash drive that you could plug into a USB port. The software version of coyote Forte from PG Music isn't a bad choice for the money, and many people use it as their primary sound source.

Good luck.

Rob

Mark Dershaw · Post by **Mark Dershaw** » 1 Sep 2010 6:26 am

That must be what "high definition chip set" means. I've noticed that some laptops have other descriptions for the sound card, such as "SRS Sound". Would that be a sound card installed at the time of manufacture?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 1 Sep 2010 6:35 am

Most people who complain about BIAB sounding like carnival music is because of an inferior sound card.
You might be limited as to choice of sound cards with a laptop but with my desktop, I installed a high end sound card.

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 1 Sep 2010 6:36 am

Mark,Go to the computer section here on the forum and ask your question on sound cards..Pretty smart dudes there.And yes,the Coyote Forte is real good software.

Mark Dershaw · Post by **Mark Dershaw** » 1 Sep 2010 8:48 am

Alright, I'm there. Thanks.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 1 Sep 2010 11:47 am

Sorry to disagree, but in my experience an expensive sound card is not necessary. People have wasted a lot of money on expensive sound cards that they didn't need. You must to have some way to produce the sounds. This can be either a software synth, such as the Roland Sound Canvas DXI software synth, the Coyote mentioned above, or a new one from Roland/Cakewalk TTS-1, available from PG Music, or you can use an outboard sound module such as a keyboard synth, or other hardward module.

Spend as much money as you want and you'll get decent piano and bass sounds from any of these. No synth is going to make fiddles sound real. BIAB solves this problem with Real Tracks. Real Tracks are actual recordings of people playing real instruments.

This is explained in my DVD Band In A Box Made Easy. You can read about it and see demos on my website. There's songs there done with nothing more that the standard sound card that comes with a computer and the software synths that come with BIAB.

To get good sound from BIAB, I recommend using your existing sound card, a software synth mentioned above, and most important, a good amplifier speaker system to output the sounds through.

My set up is to use whatever sound card comes with the laptop, desktop, whatever....... a software synth such as Roland VSC dxi, and use the Real Drums and sometimes other Real Tracks.... all run through either my stereo system or my recording studio interface and powered monitors.

See my website for more information and demos:

www.rickcampbellworld.com