semi-pro PCI snd crd for linux

[Chris Aitken]

Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 04, 2007 at 12:52:47PM -0400, Chris Aitken wrote:
>   
>> Creative.com echoes this contradiction by describing "Two 1/4" balanced 
>> inputs [and outputs]". I thought the "balanced" part of the equation is 
>> that there are /two/ of them, not that /each/ one is "balanced". Isn't 
>> there a left and a right, together making "stereo" or "balanced"? Sorry 
>> to be so thick.
>>     
>
> No balanced means it uses a balanced signal.  Not sure if they consider
> each mono channel an input or if they think you need stereo (two of
> them together) for an input.
>
> Reading the manual makes it appear that to them, a pair of mono inputs
> which can be used as a stereo input, qualifies as 2 inputs.  Similarly
> for the outputs.  Of course a lot of music people have mono connections
> to things like guitars and such, so for them they are proper inputs and
> they do get two of them.  Instruments rarely have any reason to be
> stereo by themselves, that is more of a mixing and output issue,
> keyboards probably being the main exception.
>
> So yes the 1212m has two balanced inputs and two balanced outputs all of
> which are mono, which means you can do one stereo input and one stereo
> output.
>
> If you read the manual, on page 23 it clearly shows that for the
> microdock they say "4 balanced line level inputs (configured as 2 stereo
> pairs)".  Page 96 has info on balanced versus unbalanced connectors.
>   

Okay, I downloaded the manual and looked up your two references. I 
finally get it. TRS is always the same as balanced. These terms, 
however, are not synonymous with stereo. You can tell just by looking at 
a cable if it is balanced/TRS but you can't tell by looking (externally) 
at a port if it balanced or unbalanced - you need to read the specs. So, 
the "speaker" output of a consumer card is "stereo" (1/8" TRS takes left 
and right signals down one cable to be separated by the PC speaker 
system to left and right speakers). But the INs and OUTs on my EMU 1212M 
are balanced, meaning each TRS carries a (relatively) noise-free left or 
right signal on it's way to or from the card.

Just thinking in ink to see if I have this right. Do I? And, thanks, 
Lennart for you effort and patience teaching Physical Connectivity 101.

Chris
> --
> Len Sorensen


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