Editing Sound card (section)

===Professional sound cards===
{{main|Audio interface}}
[[File:MOTU Audio Interfaces 7849.jpg|right|thumb|A pair of professional [[19-inch rack|rackmount]] audio interfaces]]
Professional sound cards are sound cards optimized for high-fidelity, low-latency multichannel sound recording and playback. Their drivers usually follow the [[Audio Stream Input/Output]] protocol for use with professional sound engineering and music software.{{efn|[[Audio Stream Input/Output|ASIO]] drivers are also available for a range of consumer-grade sound cards.}}
[[File:MOTU Audio Interfaces 7851.jpg|thumb|right|Professional audio interfaces often have industry-standard inputs in addition to analogue audio, in this case [[ADAT Lightpipe|ADAT]], [[TDIF]], and [[S/PDIF]].]]
Professional sound cards are usually described as ''audio interfaces'', and sometimes have the form of external rack-mountable units using [[USB]], [[FireWire]], or an optical interface, to offer sufficient data rates. The emphasis in these products is, in general, on multiple input and output connectors, direct hardware support for multiple input and output sound channels, as well as higher sampling rates and fidelity as compared to the usual consumer sound card.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ausha.co/blog/best-audio-interface-for-podcast-recording/ |title=Elevate Your Sound: The Best Audio Interface for Podcast and Recording |access-date=2024-04-12}}</ref>

On the other hand, certain features of consumer sound cards such as support for [[3D audio]], hardware acceleration in [[video game]]s, or real-time ambiance effects are secondary, nonexistent or even undesirable in professional audio interfaces.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The typical consumer-grade sound card is intended for generic home, office, and entertainment purposes with an emphasis on playback and casual use, rather than catering to the needs of audio professionals. In general, consumer-grade sound cards impose several restrictions and inconveniences that would be unacceptable to an audio professional. Consumer sound cards are also limited in the ''effective'' sampling rates and bit depths they can actually manage and have lower numbers of less flexible input channels.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-05 |title=What is an Audio Interface? |url=https://productionden.com/what-is-an-audio-interface/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=Production Den |language=en-US}}</ref> Professional studio recording use typically requires more than the two channels that consumer sound cards provide, and more accessible connectors, unlike the variable mixture of internal—and sometimes virtual—and external connectors found in consumer-grade sound cards{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}.