I'm trying to develop a better understanding of soundcards. I am currently using just a simple dell computer and havn't upgraded the soundcard. If i do chose to I have some questions:
1) Will this enhance my recordings?
It can, but there are many more variables involved. That don't make this a good "short answer" question.
The biggest difference it can make is if you're currently recording via microphone through the mic preamp in your soundcard. Computer mic preamps are crap (no mincing words there, eh?
); they are designed for use with web cam mics and $20 headset mics, not for quality music recording mics. Upgrade to an interface with a somewhat halfway decent mic preamp in it - and an at least basic pro quality microphone - and you'll hear a difference almost for sure.
But "pro quality" or "CD quality" recording depend on a lot more than just that; don't expect to upgrade your interface and suddenly get pro quality sound. It takes some study and practice and building of technique *on your part* just as much as it does on the gear. You can do it, but don't necessarily expect it overnight just by upgrading your sound card.
2) How much would this cost?(the computer is 05-06' w/ windows xp)
How much you got?
Seriously, it can go anywhere from $99 on the low end to a couple of thousand dollars on the high end, depending on just how far you want to take it. The $99 option (something like
an EMU 404, for example) can give you a noticeable increase in sound quality of the card and the line input itself, but will still be somewhat limiting in what it can handle well microphone-wise. From there you can jump up to the $150-$399 level and get something truly workable - and portable (see below). And it keeps going up from there.
3)Is it difficult to install?
Usually not that bad. The hardest part sometimes can be making sure you have the latest and greatest device driver for it (just like with any other Windows hardware
). Get one of the external portable boxes in the $150 and up range, and they'll connect right through your USB or Firewire port with (usually) fairly plug-and-play ease.
I've always noticed that my recording are BELOW the normal volume level I here on CDs and other recordings. My dad said that this was because of my soundcard...is this true. I record as hot as possible without clipping, the volume level SAYS that I usually track around 0db before clipping.
Now that is an entirely different can of worms altogether. With all due respect to dear ol' dad, this has almost nothing to do with the sound card quality. Most modern-day (since ~1990 or later) big-budget commercial recordings have succumbed to an awful fad which has infected the industry's artists and producers like a virus; this fad is to throw a bucket-load of extra processing at the recording in the pre-mastering stage (the part of post-production after the stereo mixdown has been made, but before the final master copy is printed). This extra processing in the form of converter clipping, compression or hard-limiting (or all three) is designed to make the recording sound as loud as possible, with very little concern for actual fidelity or sound quality.
I don't mean to sound condescending here, but you have a lot more immediate things to worry about and to learn before you should even begin to worry about that. If you're serious about this, get your recording chops down first, along with the upgrades of your recording gear. Then work on your mixing technique after that. Only after you get fairly OK at both of those should you even start to worry about pre-mastering techniques. And, if we're all lucky, the "loudness wars" (as they're called) will be a dying-to-dead fad by the time you're ready to tackle the pre-mastering.
I guess what Im getting at is...if I upgrade my soundcard will this basically boost what my computer can handle before it clipps?
Sorry, but...nope, it's not that easy. Not in the way you're thinking, anyway. It won't in and of itself be able to give you the volumes you're looking for. In fact, running as loud as possible before clipping can in fact be a detriment to your eventually reaching that goal. But that's a whole 'nother topic that needs learning first. Do some research on "gain staging" or "gain structure" to learn a bit more about optimum recording levels.
G.
...I'll be doin some research now