Apple Soundtrack Pro 2 - Manual (Page 486)

486 Appendix C Working with Professional Video and Audio Equipment
Built-in S/PDIF Digital Audio
Some computers have built-in S/PDIF optical digital ports (sometimes called TOSLINK)
that you can connect to some CD players, DAT recorders, and other digital audio devices.
DV FireWire
If your post-production project uses a DV codec, you can output audio via the FireWire
port on your computer. This allows you to use a DV deck, DV camcorder, or
DV-to-analog converter as an audio interface. In this case, you connect your FireWire
cable to your DV device and then connect the audio outputs of the DV device to
external speakers or a television monitor.
Choosing a Third-Party Audio Interface
Before you purchase a separate audio interface, consider that most third-party video
interfaces may have enough audio connectors to meet your requirements. You should
consider a separate audio interface when:
 You are trying to capture or output more audio channels than your built-in audio
interface or third-party video interface supports.
 You need to capture or output in a format not supported by your existing interfaces
(for example, if you need to capture audio at a sample rate of 96 kHz but your video
interface only supports a sample rate of 48 kHz).
Benefits of a Third-Party Audio Interface
Third-party audio interfaces can provide many more features than your computer’s
built-in interfaces, such as:
 More than two audio channels—eight channels is common, but some interfaces
have 24 or more input and output channels
 Professional connectors such as XLR or 1/4" TRS
 High-quality analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters supporting sample
rates as high as 192 kHz and 24 bits per sample
 Support for analog and digital audio formats
 Stable, “jitter-free” digital audio clocks
TOSLINK optical
digital connector
Audio or video device Computer