Lesson 1: A Sound Card (obviously)
* The first one is PCI. This means it is plugged in to a slot on your motherboard.
* Another is the internal sound device. This means it is actually built in to your motherboard from the factory (my motherboard has this, as most newer motherboards have this feature also).
* Finally there is external. This is a unique concept, it is actually a separate control unit cabled from the pc. From what I have seen, it looks promising. You can check it out more at Creative Labs also I recommend visitng TechTutorials for more info on sound cards, and other informative stuff...
Let's look at the basic setup on almost any sound card ever made. Some have more ports than this, but for now we will just stick with what we need. Virtually every sound card has 4 basic ports, and some even integrate a mini amplifier.
These ports are usually from left to right:
Blue = Line Input. This is where you would plug in an amplifier sound source.
Pink = Microphone Input. This is where you would never,,ever,,plug in an amplifier sound source.
Green = Audio / Line Output. This connects to speakers, or an external amplifier.
Finally, the elongated one is The Joystick / MIDI Port. However this port may or may not be present these days as many newer joysticks, and midi instruments now connect via usb.
Caution: Never go by color codes because some manufacturers don't use them, or may even reverse the color codes. Read the instruction with the card, and take a closer look before you plug anything in. Most cards will either be marked with line, mic, spkr, etc, or at least little images like the ones in the picture for each port.
This is what you will probably see, or the actual words.
One final note: If you dont have at least this many ports on your sound card..I think its time to upgrade a bit, don't you :) Sound cards can be bought for as little as 5 bucks these days. But hey, we been through all this before, huh? :O)
End Lesson 1. ..Next Lesson: Hardware..and the women who love it..Next Oprah..heh heh