In my view, a Sound Blaster external sound card meets your needs. They are
inexpensive, connect through a USB port, do not require any software, and
once plugged in, you system will see it. Gold Wave and/or JAWS can easily be
pointed at the external card in their configuration menus. Last one I bought
cost about $40. Don't know the current price, but it should be reasonable.
They have a number of ports to accept external inputs, including optical,
stereo mini, and RCA connectors. If you need XLR connections, you'll need to
spend more money, but for your purposes, I don't think you need balanced XLR
jacks. You can send the monitor output of the external card to an outboard
speaker, or use headphones.
HTH
Bill
-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ana G
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2015 2:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] External Sound Card for Window 8.1
Hi All,
I occasionally need to make audio voice recordings for work. The ones I make
are generally fine, but there's a little background hiss. Using Goldwave to
remove mild hum helps, but doing anything else with Goldwave just adds a
robotic layer. someone suggested I get an external sound card to produce
cleaner recordings. I don't know much about external sound cards. The little
I've read is overwhelming and confusing, so what I'm asking for is basic
information to help me make sense of what I'm
reading:
* Are there accessibility concerns with external sound cards. I'm imagining
a box with ports. Is this correct, or are there also buttons that may or may
not be tactile? Is there software I need to deal with, or would I work with
the external sound card via Windows and Goldwave, which means the sound
card's software doesn't really need to be accessible?
* What are good starter brands/price ranges? The range I find is way too
broad. some models sell for a few dollars, but when reading the customer
reviews on Amazon, I discover I need satellite radio. Others cost hundreds
of dollars, but turn out to include video. The frustrating thing is that
these differences aren't often easy to identify in the specs list, so I feel
I don't know what I need to find. What I'd like is something basic for voice
that's easy to use and costs under $50.
* What else do I need to buy? When I buy the card, is it likely to include
the right cables? If not, what kind of cable am I likely to need? I'm
assuming I need an external microphone? Is the one on my headset likely to
work, or are there certain specs I need to pay attention to?
I have a Windows 8.1 all-in-one (i.e., it's like a monitor with ports and a
CD tray). It's got sound-in and -out and USB ports, so I probably want a USB
sound card.
Any wisdom would be much appreciated.
Ciao
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