Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! SB0490

The Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! SB0490 is an external sound card and audio interface. It's a simple little device that essentially upgrades your computer's sound card into something a bit more in depth and that naturally, sounds better. I don't own this, but my roommate has it and when we work together we use it to have both of our systems going at once. The SB0490 has 1/8" jacks for a microphone input, headphone output, a line input, and extra output options for front and rear speakers as well as a sub woofer. It also has a SPDIF output and an optical output, and lastly a USB port for connecting it to your computer.

UTILIZATION

Once you've made your connections and are set up with the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! SB0490, there's no much that you will need to do. The process of setting it up should be very easy as this really only has the basics. It does give you sliders on top of controlling the microphone level coming in as well as your master volume level. Beyond that and it's connections, there's not much to know. If you're a beginner maybe you want to have the manual around to help map out what all of the connections will do for you, but otherwise it's not going to be necessary.

GETTING STARTED

The Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! SB0490 provides a bare bones way to upgrade your computer's audio. It's best suited for use with PC computers as a quick and external way to upgrade your computer's sound. It's definitely good to have this or something like it if you're doing musical work inside the box on your computer, although I'd encourage you to get something a bit more in depth and better suited for musical purposes if that's going to be your main objective. This will do the job but in the end leaves you with limited options when compared to a true audio interface.

OVERALL OPINION

The Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! SB0490 is a nice and cheap little external sound card definitely worth checking out for those looking for a sound quality upgrade with more control and options for listening to music on your PC. However, if you're after an audio interface for making music with your computer, I'd recommend looking at something a bit more in depth and more well designed for musical purposes. Having said that, this will do a a fine job for any application involving audio and your PC.