07-23-2025, 09:07 AM
Overview:
Experiment Builder supports both audio playback and audio recording. Whether you need an ASIO sound card depends on the platform you're using (Windows or macOS) and the timing precision your experiment requires.
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Running Experiment Builder on Windows (Windows 10 or 11)
If you're using Experiment Builder on a Windows machine, you have two audio driver options: the default DirectX drivers or a separate ASIO-compatible sound card.
1) DirectX
DirectX uses your computer’s built-in audio system. No additional hardware is required—you can plug your speakers or headphones directly into your PC.
To select DirectX in Experiment Builder go to Edit > Preferences > AUDIO and set Audio Driver to DirectX.
Limitations of DirectX:
• Poor audio timing precision, which may be inadequate for time-critical tasks (e.g., Visual World Paradigms).
• No precise synchronization between audio playback and visual stimuli.
• Audio recording is not supported.
2) ASIO
ASIO requires a supported ASIO-compatible sound card. A list of supported devices and installation instructions and a can be found in the User Manual:
Open Experiment Builder and go to Help > Contents > Installation > Windows PC System Requirements > ASIO Card Installation.
Once properly installed, you can enable ASIO in Experiment Builder by going to Edit > Preferences > AUDIO and selecting ASIO as the Audio Driver.
Benefits of ASIO:
• High-precision audio playback and event marking.
• Precise synchronization of audio with visual stimuli using the “Synchronise Audio” property in a DISPLAY_SCREEN node.
• Supports audio recording via the RECORD_SOUND node.
Note: Recording audio also requires a microphone, and in some cases a preamplifier.
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Running Experiment Builder on macOS
On macOS, Experiment Builder uses the default macOS audio drivers—no ASIO hardware is needed.
This setup supports:
• Audio playback using the PLAY_SOUND node.
• Synchronizing audio with visual stimuli via the “Synchronise Audio” property of a DISPLAY_SCREEN node.
• Audio recording via the RECORD_SOUND node.
Caution:
Recent versions of macOS may show variability in audio (both playback and recording) and visual stimulus timing. While macOS is suitable for development and debugging, for data collection where audio and/or visual timing accuracy might be critical, we recommend using a Windows PC with an ASIO sound card.
Experiment Builder supports both audio playback and audio recording. Whether you need an ASIO sound card depends on the platform you're using (Windows or macOS) and the timing precision your experiment requires.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Running Experiment Builder on Windows (Windows 10 or 11)
If you're using Experiment Builder on a Windows machine, you have two audio driver options: the default DirectX drivers or a separate ASIO-compatible sound card.
1) DirectX
DirectX uses your computer’s built-in audio system. No additional hardware is required—you can plug your speakers or headphones directly into your PC.
To select DirectX in Experiment Builder go to Edit > Preferences > AUDIO and set Audio Driver to DirectX.
Limitations of DirectX:
• Poor audio timing precision, which may be inadequate for time-critical tasks (e.g., Visual World Paradigms).
• No precise synchronization between audio playback and visual stimuli.
• Audio recording is not supported.
2) ASIO
ASIO requires a supported ASIO-compatible sound card. A list of supported devices and installation instructions and a can be found in the User Manual:
Open Experiment Builder and go to Help > Contents > Installation > Windows PC System Requirements > ASIO Card Installation.
Once properly installed, you can enable ASIO in Experiment Builder by going to Edit > Preferences > AUDIO and selecting ASIO as the Audio Driver.
Benefits of ASIO:
• High-precision audio playback and event marking.
• Precise synchronization of audio with visual stimuli using the “Synchronise Audio” property in a DISPLAY_SCREEN node.
• Supports audio recording via the RECORD_SOUND node.
Note: Recording audio also requires a microphone, and in some cases a preamplifier.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Running Experiment Builder on macOS
On macOS, Experiment Builder uses the default macOS audio drivers—no ASIO hardware is needed.
This setup supports:
• Audio playback using the PLAY_SOUND node.
• Synchronizing audio with visual stimuli via the “Synchronise Audio” property of a DISPLAY_SCREEN node.
• Audio recording via the RECORD_SOUND node.
Caution:
Recent versions of macOS may show variability in audio (both playback and recording) and visual stimulus timing. While macOS is suitable for development and debugging, for data collection where audio and/or visual timing accuracy might be critical, we recommend using a Windows PC with an ASIO sound card.