Native Instruments B4 II - Manual (Page 18)

18 – B4 II B4 II
Audio Interfaces
Audio interfaces, which include software routines called drivers, allow B4 II
(and other programs you have installed, if present) to communicate with your
computer’s audio hardware. This section describes how to use various audio
interfaces with B4 II.
There are two main ways to implement B4 II:
As a “standalone” device that requires no host software. The application’s
audio and MIDI connections interact directly with your computer’s audio/MIDI
hardware interface.
As a plug-in that works in conjunction with a “host” program, such as
sequencing or hard disk recording software. In this case, the host program
interacts directly with the computer’s hardware interface. B4 II connects to the
host program via “virtual patch cords.” The audio outputs appear as signals
in the host’s mixer, and the host passes MIDI data to the software.
We’ll describe each mode in detail, but first let’s look at the various
interface drivers and plug-in formats used by different operating systems
and programs.
Standalone Application
B4 II works in standalone mode with ASIO, MME, DirectSound, and Core
Audio. The software/computer combination acts as an instrument, similar to
a hardware digital synthesizer. The table shows you which drivers are available
under which Operating System:
Driver Windows MacOS X
ASIO 2.0 • •
DirectSound •
MME •
Core Audio •
Plug-In
Used as a plug-in, B4 II is not a standalone program but rather a program
“module” that can be integrated into a “host” program such as a sequencer.
plug-in mode allows you to integrate it seamlessly with the sequencer.
Furthermore, it has many other uses as a plug-in: