Practical Recording Techniques, 7th Edition

Chapter 13 Digital Audio

DOI: 10.4324/9781315696331-13

Before 1976, most music was recorded on analog tape recorders. They record the audio signal as magnetic patterns that rise and fall in strength as the signal waves do. Digital recorders, on the other hand, store the audio signal as a numerical code of ones and zeros.

Let’s venture into the world of digital audio. We’ll overview how digital recording works, explore 2-track digital recorders, and explain multitrack digital recorders. Chapter 14 covers computer recording in detail.

Differences between Analog and Digital

Both analog and digital recorders can sound accurate—the playback signal sounds like the input signal. But there are subtle differences. A digital recording usually is called ...