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<h5 class="h5ResourceCategoryLinks"><a href="#reading">FURTHER READING</a> -- <a href="#glossaries">JARGON-BUSTING GLOSSARIES</a> -- <a href="#systems">SUGGESTED ENTRY-LEVEL RECORDING SYSTEMS</a></h5>

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<h3 class="h3ResourceCategory"><a name="systems">SUGGESTED ENTRY-LEVEL RECORDING SYSTEMS</a></h3>

<p>You'll only get the best out of <i>Recording Secrets For The Small Studio</i> if you can experiment with its techniques for yourself &mdash; which means you'll need a recording system you can practice with. If you don't have any studio equipment already, then here are some suggestions about finding an affordable setup that will allow you to follow the Chapter Assignments effectively:</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>A Basic Computer Recording System:</strong> The most common entry-level recording system comprises a computer, an audio interface, and some DAW software. Here are my answers to the most common equipment-choice questions:
<ul>
<li><strong>Mac Or PC?:</strong> Whichever you feel more comfortable with. There are pros and cons to each, but both are capable of commercial-level results.</li>
<li><strong>Laptop Or Desktop?:</strong> Again, both are perfectly capable of pro-grade results. You'll get more power and expandability from a desktop for a given outlay, but a laptop will make it easier to record on location, especially where mains power is unreliable.</li>
<li><strong>Which Audio Interface?:</strong> The equipment market is saturated with affordable audio interfaces, and the quality of even entry-level devices is now so high that it's difficult to go wrong on quality grounds these days &mdash; in other words, such equipment should be more than a match for your skills until you've worked your way through the book's assignments! Just try to buy from a well-established manufacturerer, and also check for on-line bug reports from users before purchasing. Beyond that, the main consideration is I/O. Although you could work your way through Parts 1 &amp; 2 with just a couple of inputs, you'll need at least eight inputs with mic preamplification to properly explore the multimiking and ensemble-recording techniques of Parts 3 &amp; 4. An ADAT digital input can provide useful future-proofing by allowing you to expand your I/O count (or increase your capture quality) with external preamps/converters at a later date. Don't forget to consider how many independent headphone outputs are available, and to specify MIDI connections if you need them.</li>
<li><strong>Which DAW Software?:</strong> Dedicated studio DAW packages from companies such as Apple, Avid, Cakewalk, Cockos, Magix, MOTU, Presonus, and Steinberg now have ample facilities for recording purposes, and quality shouldn't really be an issue. If you already have a DAW package from one of those manufacturers, then feel free to use that. If not, I'd recommend the cross-platform DAW <a href="http://www.reaper.fm/">Cockos <i>Reaper</i></a>[[$softwareLogoMac]][[$softwareLogoWin]], which I've used myself for years and which is extremely cost-effective.</li>
</ul>
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<li><strong>A Digital Multitracker:</strong> Although standalone hardware <a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar01/articles/16track.asp">digital multitrackers</a> are typically less fully featured than a computer recording system, they can be more convenient for location recording and their 'studio in a box' design may also be very cost-effective -- not least if you take advantage of the well-populated second-hand equipment market. However, such systems are typically cumbersome and underpowered when it comes to editing and mixing, so make sure you have the option to export their audio files in some widely recognised format such as WAV or AIF. Some multitrackers restrict the number of inputs/tracks you can record simultaneously, so check for this before buying. Although I know of at least one big hit of the digital age which was recorded on an analogue multitracker (White Town's 1997 single '<a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/apr97/whitetown.html">Your Woman</a>'), on the whole such devices are too noisy and lo-fi to achieve commercially viable sonics these days.<br><br></li>

<li><strong>Some Perspective...</strong> I'd also like to add that, in my experience, beginners generally worry far too much about the recording gear they use. With sensible recording technique and an active pair of ears you can make excellent recordings with ridiculously modest gear. Or, to put it another way, 99% of the dodgiest small-studio recordings I've heard resulted from poor engineering, not poor equipment. If you keep your recording system fairly basic in the first instance, you can invest more cash in things that make a bigger difference &mdash; things like acoustic treatment, high-quality instruments, and decent mics.<br><br></li>
</ul>