This card has been the industry standard for desktop audio for a while, and although there are lots of newer cards with more features, The Card D+ is still a good buy, and a tried-and-true performer. The Card D+ from Digital Audio Labs is a full-duplex dedicated sound record/playback card. It lets you record and play back two channels of audio at a time and can be configured for analog or digital input/output (or both). It supports 22, 32, 44 and 48k sampling rates, and both +4dB and -10dB levels, allowing it to interface with both professional and consumer audio gear. Best of all, it has 1/8" RCA jacks, like most other audio gear in the world, so you don't need a wimpy little adapter cord.
February 25, 1999
This card is strictly for audio recording and playback. Unlike general-purpose soundcards, it does not include a MIDI converter or synthesizer. It is not Sound Blaster- or MPU-401 compatible. It will of course play .wav files, so it works with many games and other general-purpose audio.
The line consists of three cards: the CardDplus, the I/OCardD, and the Digital Only CardD. The CardDplus proper provides 2 analog ins and 2 outs. The I/OCardD is a daughterboard which adds S/PDIF (digital) ins and outs. It requires a second slot, and connects to the CardDplus with an internal cable. If you do not need any analog I/O, you can get the stand-alone Digital Only CardD. Understand now?
The CardDplus is recommended by all the most popular recording and editing software companies, including the makers of SAWPro, Cakewalk, Cubase, Samplitude Studio, and Sound Forge. Depending on your software, it is possible to use two CardDs on the same machine, for 4-channel input/output capability. DAL has a new 8-channel card called the V-8, so it looks as if the days of multiple soundcards may be numbered (unless of course, you fancy having 16 or 24 tracks...), and we PC audio folks will catch up to the Mac-using Joneses at last.
As the heart of a tapeless PC studio, the Card D+ really shines. The specs are hot, and the sound is clean. I tested the CardDplus with Cakewalk Pro Audio, and let me tell you, I put it through its paces. So far, I have produced five jingles and a 10-song acoustic demo. I had no problem playing 7 or 8 audio tracks at a time (although of course they have to be mixed on the computer to fit into the 2 output channels). I was even able to use the card as tracking and mixdown deck simultaneously, sending tracks through my mixer and back into the computer to produce a stereo mix. Mind you, to do tricks like this you need some horsepower. I use a 166 with 64 megs and a Seagate drive. DAL lists the minimum requirements as a 486 with Windows 3.1 or later. As always with digital audio, plenty of RAM and a new, fast hard drive are the key.
This card sounds great. It's an excellent bargain for studio owners, musicians, radio stations and multimedia producers. If you wish to combine MIDI tracks with digital audio, you'll need a dedicated MIDI card, like the Mark of the Unicorn MIDIexpress PC.
Gamesters and the Dinosaur-sound set do not need an audio card this powerful. They would be better off with a cheaper (but still decent) general-purpose card such as a Sound Blaster or one of Turtle Beach's offerings.
