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ASIO Drivers, What are they?
ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) drivers are direct protocols that connect directly to a soundcard’s hardware.
Where other drivers are usually used to drive system devices, this one is designed for musicians and sound engineers to process audio directly through Windows without having to buy external peripherals and devices.
ASIO drivers simplify the process of multiple audio streams, bypassing latency issues in Windows, to deliver a low-latency, high-fidelity sound file that is identical to the original audio file.
Read More: How to Update Your Device Drivers in Windows
Asio Sound Drivers
Basically, ASIO drivers go around all the issues in Windows, which will degrade and slow down the input/output of sound files, and runs directly through the sound card’s hardware.
Most computer sound cards conform to the Microsoft DirectSound3d protocols in Windows or the modern DirectX Audio. This means that the API (Application Programming Interface) in any software (with audio files) run in Windows products must communicate with the sound card through the Windows Environment. This is not so for ASIO drivers.
ASIO Drivers for Windows
Several companies have developed ASIO drivers and players for the Windows operating system. While many of them are free, musicians and engineers are still using other platforms to process their audio and music. A change is coming in the industry as more and more people switch to the Windows operating system at home and work.
ASIO drivers are specific to Windows
ASIO Drivers Not for Mac or Linux
The Mac OS X and Linux do not have any latency issues. Windows Vista for example cannot provide synchronized audio to multiple devices. With the ASIO drivers in place, the user can handle synchronizing using external clocks.
ASIO drivers are recommended for anyone who handles multi-channel audio streams if they’re using a Windows operating system.
Production of sound and music files is hard enough without the computer making it next to impossible.
