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GarageBand very much fits the mould of a very simplified and intuitive approach to something that is traditionally quite complex - it's to music editing what iMovie is to video editing. The interface for GarageBand is very straight forward, and most functions are ready to hand. Setup is also very simple, with little need to worry about things like MIDI in/out/through or ASIO drivers and such.

The original Audigy brought ASIO drivers, SB1394 (IEEE 1394) and EAX Advanced HD to the masses, but it was criticised because some people felt betrayed by the 24-bit 96kHz specification, which referred to the DACs rather than the sampling rate.

A welcome update to the Sound Blaster that can deliver perceptibly better audio than onboard chips, but it goes beyond most people’s needs for PC audio.

Great audio, but gaming ability hinges on the success of Dolby and DTS

Creative has enjoyed a long reign as the driving force in consumer-grade PC audio for the better part of a decade.