The personal computer is an amazingly powerful tool when it comes to audio. In addition to tools that are present on machines right out of the box, software can be added that spans the gamut from personal to professional quality. Advanced editing, processing, and display of audio waveforms from stereo to 5.1 channels and beyond is possible for a fraction of what a dedicated audio workstation would have cost only a few years ago. As storage prices are at an all time low and continue to drop, massive amounts of audio data can be captured and manipulated with ease.
Getting signals in and out of these machines is an ever-changing experience. Expensive external devices tied to specific software packages through proprietary interfaces have given way to products that rely upon USB and FireWire for connectivity to machines that are general-purpose computers or those that are tuned to be multimedia powerhouses. Even internal cards are abundant, although they must be carefully evaluated as quality varies a great deal from one to the next, and very few meet their claimed specifications.
A growing trend is the use of Ethernet as a method for connecting external equipment to computers, as well as connecting groups of computers together specifically for the purpose of transferring digital audio in real time. An increasing number of professional products are beginning to appear with an Ethernet connector present not only for control, but more importantly for real-time input and output of audio signals--growing beyond the initial use of Ethernet for computer-specific applications. The incredible bandwidth offered by Ethernet combined with routing and distribution equipment (also known as the routers, hubs, and/or switches) that can be purchased at an office supply store makes for attractive system building.
The modern plant continues to head towards a computer-centric facility. Happily, products that bridge the gap between IP-based systems and traditional audio systems are becoming more common, allowing the power of inexpensive processing to be leveraged for advanced audio uses.
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