Question

Explain the architecture of sound card in multimedia

Answer 1

A sound card is a computer expansion card that can input and output sound under control of computer programs.

Audio files on a computer consist of digital data just like any other file on a computer. Sounds we can hear consist of waves that travel through the air - sounds are analog. The primary function of a sound card is to translate between digital and analog information, just like a video card. Sound cards typically have four major components:

The digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which makes it possible to convert digital data to analog sound.

The analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which makes it possible to make digital recordings from analog sound inputs.

An interface to connect to the motherboard, typically using Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
Input and output connectors so you can plug in headphones, speakers or a microphone - many computer systems have speakers and microphone built-in, but connectors allow you to use higher quality external devices to play or record sound.


On some sound cards, the two types of converters are integrated into CODEC a single coder/decoder chip. Some sound cards also have a digital signal processor (DSP), a built-in processing unit. The DSP takes some of the load of the central processing unit (CPU) to convert between digital and analog. Similarly, some sound cards have their own memory. Sound cards without a DSP or memory will use the motherboard's CPU and memory.