Audio Drivers
Most people today can't imagine using a PC without an audio system capable of playing CDs, MP3 files, and other media. Aside from server class hardware that has no need for audio capabilities, nearly every PC sold today has an audio device of some type. Your PC's audio device may be built into the motherboard, or you may be using a specialized card that's plugged into the PCI bus.
Originally, PCs did not come with audio devices other than the basic speaker that's connected directly to two leads on the motherboard. No software was available to play music or other audio files (which didn't exist anyway) through this device. It was used mainly for POST ("Power On Self Test") tones and occasional application alerts, though some developers created applications that allowed the speaker to play music. Consumer grade add-in audio cards became popular in the early 1990s, and initially were 8 bit ISA ("Industry Standard Architecture") devices like Creative Labs' SoundBlaster. At the same time, companies like Turtle Beach were developing much higher grade audio cards designed with musicians in mind. SoundBlaster cards were relatively inexpensive compared to the Turtle Beach offerings, and relied on the PC CPU for most audio processing. This limited their capabilities and placed a load on the PC. Typically, improvements in technology permitted the creation of ever faster audio devices. Newer cards incorporated onboard audio processing CPUs that removed the load from the PC's CPU, and began supporting higher bit rates (32, 64, and then 128 bits). After the millennium, multi-channel cards capable of supporting surround sound and other functions became common. Under Windows, access to the audio device is managed by the OS itself. No single application can take control of the audio device, which is why it's possible for multiple applications to send output simultaneously to the audio device. This was impossible during the days of DOS and Windows 3.1. Turtle Beach and Creative Labs are still the predominant manufacturers of after-market sound cards. Many motherboards today incorporate built-in 5 or 7-channel audio devices. Users have the option of disabling these devices, usually via BIOS settings, if they prefer a higher end device. Modern versions of Windows, along with Plug-and-Play hardware, allow automatic detection of newly installed audio cards as well as other peripherals. Generally, you can plug them in and they'll just work. » Download Audio Drivers |
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