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davidpaj1978
Participant
March 16, 2017
Question

6 Channel Sound Card

  • March 16, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 1029 views

I am a beginner in audition but would love to start mixing and playing with some 5.1 sounds.  Could anyone give me some advise on a 6 channel hardware setup I could use to get started.  I am using an ASUS G752 laptop that has a thunderbolt port and a usb-c along with many other USB hookups.  I see plenty of usb soundcards that have: rear, front, and Center/LFE channels mixed.  Will one of those soundcards work or do I need 6 full independent channels?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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    1 reply

    Bob Howes
    Bob Howes
    Inspiring
    March 16, 2017

    I'm afraid the answer is "it depends on the sound card". 

    If they're actually labelled as you say, there's a pretty good chance that they wouldn't work--usually interfaces that give six independent outputs number then 1-6 or whatever.  If it actually mentions those 5.1 labels, there's a good chance it wants the standard multiplexed input and you need to keep them discrete.  The other clue is that, most commonly, interfaces jump from 4 to 8 inputs/outputs.  Six is fairly rare.

    However, don't take this as gospel--it's worth digging into the spec of whatever product you're considering.

    D
    davidpaj1978Author
    Participant
    March 16, 2017

    Thanks for the reply Bob, I guess I'd rather just have an 8 channel USB soundcard if possible.

    ryclark
    ryclark
    Participating Frequently
    March 16, 2017

    We tend to call them audio interfaces rather than soundcards. Soundcards are usually either the devices built into the computer's motherboard or a card which plugs into an internal slot in the PC. Most of those, if not all, won't have six discrete audio outputs, even if they are advertised as 5.1 channels. So, depending on your budget, go for a USB interface at the lower price range or, as you have a Thunderbolt connection available, there are some very good, but quite pricey, Thunderbolt interfaces available now.

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