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Setting up an audio interface can be a bit daunting at first. Hopefully this page provides generic information that may clear up confusion common to most interfaces.
== Installation ==
All interfaces are a bit different, and you should refer to the manufacturer's documentation for installation; however, there are a couple of quirky things I would like to emphasize.
* Some interfaces may be powered via a Firewire or USB cable as well as its own power adapter. Be careful - some are not meant to be powered by both simultaneously and can will be damaged if set up that way. When in doubt, try using the interface ''without'' its supplied power adapter first. On the other hand, some USB connections might not provide enough power, even if they should, such as if you connect to an unpowered USB hub that has numerous devices that use USB power. If things aren't working as they should, it's best to try to do some research or contact the manufacturer before experimenting and frying the interface.
* If your interface connects via a PCI or PCI-e card, the location of the slot on the motherboard may affect its performance. Generally, the slots furthest from the bottom have higher IRQ's than those towards the bottom. That means interrupts from the interface card can trump interrupts from cards below it and achieve better performance. Sometimes, there are motherboard BIOS options to adjust the priority the card can have.
* Not all manufacturers implement protocols the same way. My firewire interface recommended using a firewire controller that uses Texas Instruments{{trademark}} chips. So I bought a PCI card with TI chips to provide the firewire ports to connect to the interface, rather than use the motherboard's firewire port.
* If installing a card into the motherboard and things don't work correctly at first, try powering down and reseating the card, or try using a different slot.
== Hardware/Physical Connections ==