New PC doesn't sound good even with headphones?

H

Huffy

New member
I just bought a new PC and tried to do a lot of research to see which one would be best for music production. I wanted to buy a Macbook Pro but didn't have the budget because I wanted money leftover for VST's, Controllers, speakers etc.

The first thing I noticed however is that listening to music on it, even through headphones, just doesn't seem as clean as my old computer or even on my phone. Additionally, putting the computer on max volume with my headphones plugged in doesn't even come close to the max volume on my phone with headphones.

I didn't really understand if computer models affected playback through external hardware like headphones and speakers, can someone shed some light on this for me? Is this the real reason why people choose Mac over PC? Does this actually affect quality, or just volume? Is there anything I can buy like a new soundcard to improve the sound from my PC?

Thank you in advance!
 
Checked the audio driver settings?
Also, audio interfaces and internal[non stock] sound cards are the best you will find period. Some comps come with decent ones though. Audio chips whatever they're called in the motherboard or somethin.


Default driver isn't bad at all, but isn't as good imo as external audio interfaces for latency or quality.
 
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How do I check the audio driver settings and what am I checking for? It says it's working fine when I check the properties but I don't know if there's anything I can optimize?
 
No equalizer or anything?
Same computer type?[Intel, AMD etc]
No enhancements tab?[which imo makes it sound worse lol]


Realtek has an equalizer for some versions.
Equalizer apo's basically universal equalizer for windows in all it's versions cept the oldest.
But maybe you got a different soundcard in another computer than the one in your old comp.
 
The soundcard appears to be Conexant SmartAudio HD, and all the tabs are General, Driver, Details, and Events, none of which has any equalizer or anything.
 
Your old computer had to be a realtek then because I think the Conexant chipset can't use realtek but that could be wrong.


Using an audio interface bypasses that anyways but dam I think that's it man, unless your older one was also the same chipset then I'm clueless :/
 
If you're serious about making music you will buy a decent sound card or interface. The fact that it's a PC and not Mac is not the factor here. The issue is you're using a nonsense sound card.
 
Can you point me to any good soundcards, and where I can learn more about them and their differences? Not sure how easy it is to replace in my laptop but obviously it's good information to have either way.
 
I've always used external audio interfaces. I had an Alesis IO2, which I managed to break last year.

I now use an M-Audio M-Track.

Never had a problem with either and they are both affordable. By getting external audio interfaces at least you can hook them up to any PC/laptop - you aren't limited if you decide to upgrade in the future.
 
Huffy said:
Can you point me to any good soundcards, and where I can learn more about them and their differences? Not sure how easy it is to replace in my laptop but obviously it's good information to have either way.
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2in 2out USB audio interfaces are plentiful...
Focusrite (Scarlett range)
steinberg
Presonus
M-Audio
roland
all do good reasonably priced 2in-2out USB boxes that are worth checking out.
you don't replace the onboard soundcard; you bypass it. Use the USB interface and forget the onboard even exists!
 
Sounds good, I'll buy one and look into it, thank you all. What's noticeably different between cheaper (~100$) models and more upscale 500$ ones? Do I really need to invest that much right now?
 
Huffy said:
Sounds good, I'll buy one and look into it, thank you all. What's noticeably different between cheaper (~100$) models and more upscale 500$ ones? Do I really need to invest that much right now?
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Mainly an increase in inputs and outputs, sometimes DPS (one of the reasons I'm looking at the UR44)... In higher end brands (RME/UAD) the pres and AD/DA are on another level.
But those £100/£150 2in/2out boxes are definitely worth the money as a starting point.
It's important to remember that your interface/soundcard (& it's drivers) does more than just get audio in and out; it also does a lot in alleviating pressure off the CPU when running complex audio tasks... When your running a shed load of plugs you'll definitely appreciate that!

I started out on a Yamaha 4-Track portastudio (I still have a Tascam that I use sometimes) and in 2000ish (maybe 2001) I got an Akai DPS12i... It was a really cool little all in one box and I made some great recordings on it but the pres and converters in the Focusrite Scarlett (and most likely any other modern USB audio interface) are much, much better.

Making dope music of a reasonably high quality in 2015 is relatively cheap in comparison to what it was. That Akai box cost me just less than a grand back then (and was outdated quickly with a fairly sudden emergence of consumer grade computer recording equipment) and was much more limited than any of the major DAWs available now...

I'm digressing... Beer... I guess it depends on what you need your interface/soundcard to do...
If you have a load of outboard FX/compression/synths and want to record full drumkits or bands then you'll need extra ins and outs...
if (the majority of) your instruments and fx are coming from software and your just tracking the odd vocal a 2in/2out box will see you right.


BEER!!!
 
So just to clarify, regardless of whether or not I have a Mac or PC, I should always be using an external soundcard for making music? My current computer seems to kind of jump around in volume and mess up on equalizing things, so will bypassing the integrated sound card with an external one definitely clear up these problems? All I'd really be using the external one for is just processing the audio and maybe recording vocals, and with an i7 i'm not too worried about the strain on the CPU to be honest.
 
Huffy said:
So just to clarify, regardless of whether or not I have a Mac or PC, I should always be using an external soundcard for making music? My current computer seems to kind of jump around in volume and mess up on equalizing things, so will bypassing the integrated sound card with an external one definitely clear up these problems? All I'd really be using the external one for is just processing the audio and maybe recording vocals, and with an i7 i'm not too worried about the strain on the CPU to be honest.
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You can fit any part in the system you wish, you just need to order via a sales person, rather than online.

stock soundcarcs tend to have terrible ASIO drivers and with poor ASIO drivers means your going to lose a lot of your available performance. There are a limited number of internal pro cards these days, as they are no longer big sellers given that most users want to plug it into their home system and Laptop on the road, which you simply can't do with a PCIe card. Manufacturers as such don't wish to invest R&D money and time in something that isn't going to sell to the widest market segment possible.

The are a few exceptions, such as broadcast level cards or your RME / Lynx cards but then the cost is one arm + leg as the simply isn't the economies of scale in place to bring the price down on them in the same way USB interfaces have crashed in price over the last decade.

If you're going to record vocals then you need a interface . The cpu is irrelevant
 
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