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Audio, explained in plain English
Short, honest guides to how PC audio actually works: mixers, routing, virtual cables, and voice changers, without the jargon.
What is a virtual audio mixer?
Every sound on its own channel, with levels, effects, and routing. Here is how a software mixer works.
ReadWhat is audio routing?
Sending a source to one or more destinations, and deciding what each destination hears.
ReadWhat is a virtual audio cable?
A software wire that moves audio between apps, and why a mixer is the easier way to use one.
ReadWhat is an audio bus?
A virtual output you route a mix to, which another app picks up as a microphone.
ReadWhat is DSP?
Digital signal processing: the small building blocks that clean and shape live audio, in the order you set.
ReadWhat is an EQ?
Turning chosen frequencies up or down to shape a voice: bands, gain, and Q, in plain terms.
ReadWhat is a compressor?
How compression evens out your loud and quiet moments so your voice sits steady in the mix.
ReadWhat is noise suppression?
Removing steady background noise from under your voice, even while you keep talking.
ReadWhat is a noise gate?
A switch that mutes your channel in the gaps between words, then opens when you speak.
ReadWhat is ASIO?
The low-latency audio driver standard that lets software talk to your hardware directly.
ReadWASAPI vs ASIO
The two low-latency Windows audio paths compared: latency, exclusivity, and compatibility.
ReadWhat is audio buffer size?
How many samples the system processes at once, and the tradeoff between latency and dropouts.
ReadWhat is monitoring latency?
The delay between speaking and hearing yourself back, and how to get it low enough to ignore.
ReadWhat is a voice changer?
Real-time DSP effects versus AI voice conversion, the latency tradeoffs, and how Persona does it.
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