What Is an Audio Interface?
The term “audio interface” may sound technical and intimidating, but it’s essentially an extra powerful version of a computer sound card. It has two main functions: record audio signals into your computer and play audio from your computer. Okay, it gets slightly more complicated, but this is effectively all an audio interface is.
The vast majority of audio interfaces are external these days, connecting to your computer the same way you’d connect any other peripherals. Many audio interfaces connect via USB (most often USB-C), but you’ll also find interfaces that connect via Thunderbolt or Firewire.
While an audio interface is a single box, it contains multiple sections. Plug an XLR microphone into one of the XLR inputs and the signal heads to a built-in preamp. This is necessary because the level from a microphone is very quiet.