Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): Foundation for a Home Recording Studio - Page 7
Next: the audio interface...and the choices are many. For instance Pro Tools uses proprietary interfaces such as the M Box for Pro Tools Lite and the Pre orHD I/O for the HD version of Pro Tools (top of the line). Sonar (Cakewalk) answers Pro Tools with its V-Studio series and a selection of interfaces such as the UA-101 USB interface and the FA-66 Firewire interface. Cubase, in turn, offers the UR USB series and the MR Firewire series. Digital Performer's parent MOTU is well known for its host of high end interfaces. All the parent companies of these major DAW's provide a plethora of other hardware/software products for audio production. What remains important is compatibility in using products from one supplier with another.
Many websites compare features, but the following are highly authoritative sites:
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CNET
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TopTenReviews
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PC Magazine
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SoundonSound
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MusicRadar
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Recording Magazine
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Mix Magazine
Pro Tools may be considered the most complex of the programs and in fact certification is required in many professional situations. The availability of 3rd party software programs (plug-ins) is an important criteria in which program to choose. Recording, editing, mixing and mastering music is all an art and science and frequently the mastering of the various skill sets is a collaborative process. Mixing and mastering engineers are specialists who bring considerable skills to the recording palette allowing musicians to focus on what they do best: create and perform.
Another major consideration lies in the recording and manipulation of analog vs. digital audio. How well a program records guitar, vocal and other analog instruments is an entirely different process than using sampling technology or loop-based recording. Samples (sounds), regardless of how well they sound, require considerable performing and arranging skills on the part of the composer, whether using keyboards or virtual instruments (digital versions of analog keyboards). Digital sounds are recorded virtually noise-free, whereas vocals, guitars and other instruments come with a host of variables that may or may not want to be captured during the recording process. For instance, singers come in a variety of shades ranging from soft to loud to those who pop their "P's" to others who may not necessarily sing on key. In such cases, this is where other supplemental recording software comes into play (in the form of plug-ins).
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