Rekorder

Recording - Your Home Studio

Harddisk Recorders

The most harddisk recorders unite all neccessary music production features in one. Starting with the microphone preamp, over the mixer and digital effects right up to the CD-burner - your "studio" is completely equipped. Most apparatus record digitally on an inbuilt harddisk. Smaller mobile units record onto removable medium, for example Compact Flash Cards. The most important differences are in the number of audio-inputs, record- or playback-tracks and recording media. If, for example, you just want to record songideas with you guitar, then you´ll only need an apparatus with two inputs. The tracks can be recorded one after each other and with the help of a drum computer you can record a professional demo in no time. Equipment with removable media offer enough storage space for quite a few songs.

The situation with band- and drum recordings is a lot different. Here you´ll need at least 8 audio-inputs in order to, for example, record the bass and the drum at the same time. According to the increased data volume, the recording will be on harddisk.


Mobile-digital Recorders

The advantage of a digital recorder lies - in the truest sense of the word - at hand: None bigger than a box of cigarettes, these "midgets" can be used as musical note-books when you´re on the road, as a training-recorder or for short concert recordings. They consist of inserted stereo-microphones and have links for professional condence microphones. Everything is digital - without hissing and in unbelieveable high-quality! In seconds you recordings are sent per USB to your computer where they can be dealt with.


DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) Hard-/Software

The combination of digital and audio workstation hard- and software has gained a high position on the market in the past few years due to its scalable system components and increased usability.


DAW-Hardware

The best software is only as good as it´s hardware. Signals are digitalised and sent to the computer in real time. Additionally the monitoring is taken over by more and more interfaces when recording. This way you can do without a mixer. The differnce lies in the construction, the audio access and PC/MAC connection. For simple tasks a two-channel PCI card which is installed into your computer is uasually enough. If you want to work mobile or with a notebook, you´ll need external audio hardware. Depending on your model this is usually connected to your computer by USB or firwire.


Software

A few years ago high-quality recordings as they are possible with modern software today would have been very expensive. This is, of course, because of the circulation of computers that can be found in nearly every household today. You don´t really need much to cut a good recording. To begin with a computer would be good - provided that it has the right features. You´ll need enough storage space, a large harddisk capacity and a modern operating system. In order to connect external equipment, MIDI or audio, you´ll need a MIDI/audio interface (DAW-hardware). But what´s more important: all your data will be stored and organised therefore you should be aware of certain criteria.

If you want to mainly work with MIDI-files and you also need external equipment like a keyboard for example, then small and inexpensive programmes will do. But if you want to record multi-tracks with several microphones and instruments and would like to work on them later, then you´ll need professional software like Logic Audio. Every manufacturer offers inexpensive beginner software to test and trial the functions you´ll need. This way you can upgrade the next higher version any time you need it. Talk to one of our specialists before hand. They´ll help you find the right software.

In addition to that you can get software to refine tracks, so called "effect plug-ins". These are installed into the existing recording software and are available for each single track. No matter if you need a compressor, a reverb, chorus tremolo or equalizer plug-in, you can get all sorts of hardware for your computer.