can anyone tell me what exactly happens in a sound card?

Question

i want to know the very details of the processings that happens in it.. which kind of microprocessors are used and how do they work... in short a-z info about the components and working of a sound card.... if anyone knows it or knows where it can be found on net then pls pls reply... thanks..

pls... i want in detail and not the summary.. may be all the stuff like sampling and analog to digital... etc.etc..

Answer 1

Modern sound cards are a combination of multiple componets:

FM sound generator -- generates music notes / tones

Digital to Analog converter -- converts digital signals like WAV file into audible sounds, one is needed per channel. For example, for 5.1, you have 6 channels to process.

Analog to Digital converter -- digitizes sound from MIC or LINE IN

Some also have onboard memory and CPU for onboard processing of sound. For example, by adding a slight delay from left to right, you gain spatial info. Add echo, distortion, and more through a lot of different signal processing. Remove noise, normalize sound, and more. All can be done with onboard CPU instead of the PC's CPU.

Some also have built-in ROM for better instrument sounds than can be generated by FM generator. Some Creative cards have RAM where different instrument sets (called SoundBanks) can be uploaded into the card.

Then there's a mixer that allows mixing these sounds into the output.

Answer 2

if u want to know all about your sound card, go and study first electricity and magnetism, then application of electronics and/or computers architecture. that means 4 years of study in a great university. Simply.No?
If i tell u all, u read but i bet cause u don't understand anything.
Good luck!

Answer 3

In simple words data gets converted to sound waves. thats it