Windows legacy audio componentsThis article describes audio APIs and components in Microsoft Windows which are now obsolete or deprecated.
Digital audio workstationA digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations, from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrated stand-alone unit, all the way to a highly complex configuration of numerous components controlled by a central computer.Latency (audio)Latency refers to a short period of delay (usually measured in milliseconds) between when an audio signal enters a system and when it emerges. Potential contributors to latency in an audio system include analog-to-digital conversion, buffering, digital signal processing, transmission time, digital-to-analog conversion, and the speed of sound in the transmission medium.
SteinbergSteinberg Media Technologies GmbH (trading as Steinberg; pronounced) is a German musical software and hardware company based in Hamburg. It develops software for writing, recording, arranging and editing music, most notably Cubase, Nuendo, and Dorico. It also designs audio and MIDI hardware interfaces, controllers, and iOS/Android music apps including Cubasis.
Audio interfaceAn audio interface is a piece of computer hardware that allows the input and output of audio signals to and from a host computer or recording device. Audio interfaces are closely related to computer sound cards, but whereas sound cards are optimized for audio playback an audio interface is primarily intended to provide low-latency analog-to-digital and digital format conversion for professional audio applications.
Sound cardA sound card (also known as an audio card) is an internal expansion card that provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under the control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces used for professional audio applications. Sound functionality can also be integrated into the motherboard, using components similar to those found on plug-in cards.
Device driverA device driver is software that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer. A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, enabling other software to access hardware functions without needing to know precise details about the hardware. A driver communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects.
Digital audioDigital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samples are taken 44,100 times per second, each with 16-bit resolution. Digital audio is also the name for the entire technology of sound recording and reproduction using audio signals that have been encoded in digital form.
Technical features new to Windows VistaWindows Vista (formerly codenamed Windows "Longhorn") has many significant new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.
High-resolution audioHigh-resolution audio is a term for music files with bit depth greater than 16-bit and sampling frequency higher than 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz used in CD and DVD formats. The Audio Engineering Society (AES), Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and Japan Audio Society (JAS) set 24-bit/96 kHz as the minimum requirement to fulfill the standard.
Sampling (signal processing)In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples". A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or space; this definition differs from the term's usage in statistics, which refers to a set of such values. A sampler is a subsystem or operation that extracts samples from a continuous signal.
Digital audio workstationA digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations, from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrated stand-alone unit, all the way to a highly complex configuration of numerous components controlled by a central computer.Latency (audio)Latency refers to a short period of delay (usually measured in milliseconds) between when an audio signal enters a system and when it emerges. Potential contributors to latency in an audio system include analog-to-digital conversion, buffering, digital signal processing, transmission time, digital-to-analog conversion, and the speed of sound in the transmission medium.SteinbergSteinberg Media Technologies GmbH (trading as Steinberg; pronounced) is a German musical software and hardware company based in Hamburg. It develops software for writing, recording, arranging and editing music, most notably Cubase, Nuendo, and Dorico. It also designs audio and MIDI hardware interfaces, controllers, and iOS/Android music apps including Cubasis.Audio interfaceAn audio interface is a piece of computer hardware that allows the input and output of audio signals to and from a host computer or recording device. Audio interfaces are closely related to computer sound cards, but whereas sound cards are optimized for audio playback an audio interface is primarily intended to provide low-latency analog-to-digital and digital format conversion for professional audio applications.Sound cardA sound card (also known as an audio card) is an internal expansion card that provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under the control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces used for professional audio applications. Sound functionality can also be integrated into the motherboard, using components similar to those found on plug-in cards.Device driverA device driver is software that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer. A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, enabling other software to access hardware functions without needing to know precise details about the hardware. A driver communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects.Digital audioDigital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samples are taken 44,100 times per second, each with 16-bit resolution. Digital audio is also the name for the entire technology of sound recording and reproduction using audio signals that have been encoded in digital form.Technical features new to Windows VistaWindows Vista (formerly codenamed Windows "Longhorn") has many significant new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.High-resolution audioHigh-resolution audio is a term for music files with bit depth greater than 16-bit and sampling frequency higher than 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz used in CD and DVD formats. The Audio Engineering Society (AES), Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and Japan Audio Society (JAS) set 24-bit/96 kHz as the minimum requirement to fulfill the standard.Sampling (signal processing)In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples". A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or space; this definition differs from the term's usage in statistics, which refers to a set of such values. A sampler is a subsystem or operation that extracts samples from a continuous signal.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.