Best way to route audio from laptop to sound system?

[rafren]

Hey guys, I'm sure a lot of you use Ableton to perform as well so what's the best way to route audio from your laptop to the sound system?

Is the 3.5mm headphone jack the only option or is there something better?

Thanks guys!

[yup yup]

soundcard...

[fishmonkey]

there are many advantages to using a decent external audio interface:

- better sound quality
- balanced outputs
- separate headphone output
- ability to isolate your computer system sounds from your main outputs, so the whole venue doesn't hear your error beeps and other daft system noises
- more routing options

[H20nly]

^ reduced CPU utilization

[fishmonkey]

^ reduced CPU utilization

only if your computer has a badly implemented internal audio interface (which is quite possible on some Windows machines).

[H20nly]

Aren't effects on the input offloaded to an audio interface?

[fishmonkey]

Aren't effects on the input offloaded to an audio interface?

which effects do you mean?

most interfaces do not have onboard DSP for effects. if your interface does have onboard DSP then you can lower CPU use by using those for some things.

[Teenage Engineering OP-2]

- ability to isolate your computer system sounds from your main outputs, so the whole venue doesn't hear your error beeps and other daft system noises

That brings up something I've been curious about for some time, but never asked: is that how all audio interfaces treat computer systems sounds by default?

[rafren]

Would you guys recommend something like this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005OZE9S ... THH5ZKMKV7

[Joel W-J]

Hey guys, I'm sure a lot of you use Ableton to perform as well so what's the best way to route audio from your laptop to the sound system?

Is the 3.5mm headphone jack the only option or is there something better?

Thanks guys!

Over the years I have been sold "snake oil" until I woke up. I have bought expensive interconnects and experimented, while listening to music, swapping between 5* products and, comes in the box with the device, cables and cold not hear any difference. It did feel nicer though, having the more expensive brightly coloured cable in situ.

The most noticeable difference, in my experience, was speaker cable. During my years as a sound buff I have bought many gadgets to improve my already ok systems.

From my laptop I run and more "expensive" USB cable (orange & black with a nice cable texture) into an ARCAM DAC which then connects into my AMP (an older YAMAHA receiver, but I works) via some nice green Chord Cobra RCA leads. From the AMP which has A + B speaker connections (umm lovely) I bi-wire using some QED silver anniversary speaker cable into some B&W 686 mark 1's across the A+B connections. These speakers then sit on some Atacama metre high speaker stands. Not forgetting the isolation silicon buffers under the speakers. All this kit I had lying around except the speakers which were my surround speakers until I realised that some small ariston (more unused kit) ones were plenty and that I should at least try to make use of the 686's and stop using headphones all the time.

Then I could just use the 3.5 and output using a 3.5 to RCA stereo lead and plug it straight into the amp input but that wouldn't feel as nice. That output jack can be put under too much stress in my opinion because those cable's (RCA ones) tend to be heavy duty (for good ones). Like with any flow (water/electricity) the less point of failures the better.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I do also have a creative labs sound blaster ! This list is endless.

So, get a good connection, that's my advice. If it feels loose or inadequate the it'll only bother you. LOL.

[joeyfivecents]

Hey guys, I'm sure a lot of you use Ableton to perform as well so what's the best way to route audio from your laptop to the sound system?

Is the 3.5mm headphone jack the only option or is there something better?

Thanks guys!

Over the years I have been sold "snake oil" until I woke up. I have bought expensive interconnects and experimented, while listening to music, swapping between 5* products and, comes in the box with the device, cables and cold not hear any difference. It did feel nicer though, having the more expensive brightly coloured cable in situ.

The most noticeable difference, in my experience, was speaker cable. During my years as a sound buff I have bought many gadgets to improve my already ok systems.

From my laptop I run and more "expensive" USB cable (orange & black with a nice cable texture) into an ARCAM DAC which then connects into my AMP (an older YAMAHA receiver, but I works) via some nice green Chord Cobra RCA leads. From the AMP which has A + B speaker connections (umm lovely) I bi-wire using some QED silver anniversary speaker cable into some B&W 686 mark 1's across the A+B connections. These speakers then sit on some Atacama metre high speaker stands. Not forgetting the isolation silicon buffers under the speakers. All this kit I had lying around except the speakers which were my surround speakers until I realised that some small ariston (more unused kit) ones were plenty and that I should at least try to make use of the 686's and stop using headphones all the time.

Then I could just use the 3.5 and output using a 3.5 to RCA stereo lead and plug it straight into the amp input but that wouldn't feel as nice. That output jack can be put under too much stress in my opinion because those cable's (RCA ones) tend to be heavy duty (for good ones). Like with any flow (water/electricity) the less point of failures the better.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I do also have a creative labs sound blaster ! This list is endless.

So, get a good connection, that's my advice. If it feels loose or inadequate the it'll only bother you. LOL.

Wow.

[oddstep]

get a soundcard with as many balanced outputs as you can afford. until you get to that point, every low frequency hum you hear will be a source of anxiety. "Do I need to run my laptop off its battery", "Do I need to plug my laptop into a different circuit to the PA, or the same one", "Will the soundman tell me his groundloop anecdote"
TRS and XLR all the way.
edit: i'm using the focusrite 2i4. its good. i wished i'd bought the 6i6 now, its got 4 balanced outs rather than 2 balanced and some rcas which need to be DIed in order to be useful.

[H20nly]

Would you guys recommend something like this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005OZE9S ... THH5ZKMKV7

from what i've heard and read here on the forum, those are pretty decent units for their price point... but like oddstep said above:

i wished i'd bought the 6i6 now

you're likely to want more inputs later.