Real World Digital Audio

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HOPPING

Now that you understand the mind-boggling quantity of products available

for digital audio, it’s time to shop for them. Here are some tips to make

your shopping trip successful.

• Plan your budget in advance: Plenty of inexpensive options are

available to you, so don’t be afraid to budget before you shop.

• Try before you buy: Download software demos, get hands-on experi-

ence at your local music store, and check out training sessions and get

practical experience with hardware and software at music technology

conferences and music store events.

• Demand personal attention: Many retail (or even online) stores

have knowledgeable, working musicians on staff. They should also

know which products to avoid because they’ll see returns from unsatis-

fied customers. Make sure you can ask questions and get intelligent

answers. If you can’t, go elsewhere.

• Check return policies on hardware: It’s happened to the best of us:

a product we thought was going to sound fabulous turned out to be

extremely poor quality. Unfortunately, software usually can’t be

returned because of piracy concerns.

• Check maintenance policies: Before you agree to a retailer’s

“extended service plan,” find out what the manufacturer’s warranty is.

Retailers are required by U.S. law to tell you. Then, make sure you

read the fine print of any extended options.

• Save the receipts, and add insurance: You’ll need receipts for

rebates and returns, tax purposes, and insurance. Audio equipment can

be a significant tax deduction if it’s related to your profession. Even if

it’s a hobby, you can record hobby expenses on your income tax in the

United States. Additionally, since warranties and extended service plans

don’t cover theft or damage, you can often cover your gear under your

existing home insurance (if the gear is at home) and/or personal property

insurance (when you’re on the road). Bring receipts to your insurance

company and find out what it will cover.

• Get ready to download: Aside from online shareware and freeware,

commercial software is sometimes cheaper without the box. And even

if you buy boxed software or hardware, check online for updates—the

CD is rarely the latest release.

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Resources:

Where to Buy

Retail sales outlets

include:

Guitar Center

(www.guitarcenter.com)

Sam Ash

(www.samashmusic.com

for retail store,

www.samash.com

for online sales)

Fully-staffed online

resellers who provide

sales advice include:

Sweetwater

(www.sweetwater.com)

Full Compass

(www.fullcompass.com)

Kelly Music &

Computers

(http://kellysmusicand-

computers.com)