Analog Vs Digital Recording

Sonar Home Studio 7 XL

Both analog and digital recording system have their strengths and weaknesses
which makes a comparison like comparing apples and oranges. So if you can’t decide which is for you then look at what you are trying to produce and this will help you make the correct decision.
Sometimes professional recordings do not do justice to the format that was used, this sometimes is down to time or money, the result is a poor recording that is launched to the public which could have been better.
When using analogue tape equipment I have heard instances on professional recording where hiss is evident. On professional level analogue tapes this should not be a problem but due to the cost of tape some studios run the tapes at a lower speed which will allow the hiss to be heard. Just one instance where cost is a factor. To eliminate this problem always run your tape at its highest speed for the final recording, you will hear the difference.
If tapes are reused to often then either by reusing for a new session of excessive overdubbing then tape hiss will be the result. Keep you old tapes for practise sessions and ensure that you use new tapes for any mastering. Once tape hiss is evident then you cannot remove it without removing some of your required sounds.
Signal noise is analog's biggest weakness. Its other great weakness is that when you make a copy, the copy degrades. With a digital recording, all you are copying is an incredibly large number from one computer to another. Each copy is identical to the copy it was copied from.  
If you ask most people about analogue recordings today they will most probably look at you blankly, they are now so accustomed to CD’s that most do not remember that vinyl LP’s were actually analogue. Many you people today will never have heard a vinyl record and will therefore not be able to understand the
In general analogue equipment cost more if you want “quality”. If you play a CD on a cheap player with good amplifiers and good speaker the sound will always outshine a cheap analogue system, but if you can afford the cost of high quality playing equipment then it my opinion it will always outshine digital.
As I said at the start of this article both technologies have their strengths and weaknesses but the real strength is in the application of the technology not only the technology itself.
So far I have only spoken about the weaknesses of the analogue domain but don’t be misled CD’s also have weaknesses
A CD has a sample rate of 44K so the highest frequency that it can produce if 22Khz. Although this is well above human hearing it is not possible to produce a 22 KHz tone from a CD without distortion.
Cassette players were able to resolve 18 KHz signals without distortion and even cheap player could resolve 16 KHz signals but by contrast, a CD doesn't even hit 15 kHz without horrible distortion. A little third grade math using graph paper explains why. A 15 kHz tone recorded on a CD has only three samples per cycle!
A sine wave curves up, then descends past the zero point, and then curves back up to the zero point where it starts a new wave. A square wave goes straight up vertically, shoots horizontally, and then straight down to its negative, where it repeats in reverse. A sawtooth wave goes up at a 45 degree angle, then back down at a 45 degree angle to the negative crest, then back up to the zero point.
A guitar player's "fuzz box" converts the complex sine waves coming out of his instrument into a sawtooth wave, or a square wave. Most fuzz boxes have a switch to select sawtooth or square.
At only three samples per crest, there is no difference whatever between a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, or a square wave. And a sine wave that sounds identical to a sawtooth wave is horribly distorted.
I hope this assessment help you in your quest for better analogue or digital recordings.
Always remember it is the application of the technology that produces a great sound not the technology alone.
I always remember a friend who was a professional photographer saying
“Give the most expensive camera to a person who does not know how to take or frame a shot properly and the result will be a bad photograph but give a professional photographer a box brownie and the result will be good if not terrific”
The technology is only a tool you are what makes the difference.

I have used cakewalk products since they were first introduced to the PC and have most probably used every recording package there is available for the PC over the years but I have always returned to Cakewalk, Why, well the sonic quality of the finished product is in my opinion superior to all the other DAW's out there.

If you record and playback everything at unity gain then all DAW's are equal but the second that you change a setting, volume of a track ,change anything and you are at the mercy of the programmers algorithm and I feel that the programmers at Calkwalk are on the button when it comes to their sonic reproduction.

Manufacturer's Description

SONAR Home Studio 7 Overview

SONAR Home Studio Tutorial 1

Singorama

Singing lessons with the Sing Smart, Not Hard™ vocal training method and available singing tools IS EASY. You can be a better singer... AND FAST!

This singing lessons method will teach you how to use your voice as an instrument, how to increase your singing range, how to breathe for singing, how to keep from getting hoarse after singing, how to determine what you do and don't like about your voice AND specific details on how to change it for the better. And while it is important to exercise your voice with vocal exercises, these singing lessons teach you to REALLY APPLY what you learn to the SONG MATERIAL & SINGING STYLE of YOUR CHOICE!

Using this easy to understand, systematic organized approach some people notice a difference in their voice RIGHT AWAY!

Start your personal singing lessons at home or in person today!

You'll find that Singorama is the easiest-to-follow system for learning to sing to a professional standard. It is jam-packed with quality information, including a core set of 28 interactive audio lessons, plus 2 books (full-color illustrated step-by-step lessons, fully supported by audio files) AND our famous fun learning software, which includes Perfect Your Pitch Pro and Singorama's Mini Recording Studio."

"Hello. I am just calling from Ireland. I bought the singorama package to help me sing, about a year ago now and I have to say it is the most comprehensive and fun course that I have ever experienced. I was so surprised that I could do this in my own time in the evenings after I do my day job and that is what inspired me to then purchase a studio. A mini studio with a mac and software and I have actually written two songs which are very soon to be published. So I am very, very happy with the strength of vocals and the range of harmonies that I can actually do. So again, I can't reiterate how happy I am to recieve the products and I wish singorama all the best for the future."

-- Roland Smithers (Ireland)

More information on Singorama

SawStudio Produced by RML Labs

SAW is the acronym for Software Audio Workshop.

SAWStudio offers incredible versatility, amazing speed, and best of all, an environment which inspires your freedom of creative expression. Audio professionals in every niche of the audio industry, including full-length motion picture sound design, music production, theater automation, high-end radio & TV broadcast production, and audio production for video and arcade game development presently use SAWStudio technology.

SAWStudioLite and SAWStudioBasic are based on the SAWStudio design, but each with a trimmed-down interface requiring less CPU power and less memory - for those who don't need all of the functionality of SAWStudio but want to take advantage of SAWStudio's blazing fast editing interface! Now you can decide what you need, and choose between the full SAWStudio program, the Lite version, or the Basic version!

Features:

• 72 mono/stereo playback tracks (Full), 36 (Lite) 24 (Basic)
• 24 stereo output tracks (Full), 12 (Lite), 8 (Basic)
• 48 Simultaneous Mono Record Tracks (Full), 24 (Lite), 16 (Basic)
• 8 layers on each track (Full), 4 (Lite)
• 6 Library View windows (Full), 2 (Lite), 1 (Basic)
• The elegant console interface provides serious mixing and editing capabilities, and amazingly efficient navigational ability.
• Programmable Function Key Views - See how easy it is to access multiple workspace arrangements.
• The smart look and feel of the MultiTrack will give audio professionals more power and flexibility than ever imagined.
• Discover the intelligence behind some of the most powerful automation capabilities ever offered!
• The focus of the SAWStudio engine design is centered around the live, low latency feel of a real playback and mixing environment!
• High-resolution SampleRate Conversion is built in at the engine core.
• The streamlined design of the SAWStudio API incorporates the use of built-in FX, DirectX, and VST plug-ins!
• The SoundFile View - Record, audition and create regions for the MultiTrack.
• The Video Track - Sync, edit, and capture video directly in the MultiTrack!
• The Control Track - Control external lighting, projection, and other theater automation devices direct from the MultiTrack!
• Other Powerful Views! - SAWStudio offers tremendous functionality with special view windows such as the Automation Gallery and Library Views!
• TCPIP Host/Slave/Remote Capabilities - Use standard Ethernet network connections to control multiple machines in perfect sync.
• Live Input Sound Reinforcement Capabilities - Use the SAW virtual console in real-time latency mode to emulate and operate as a high-powered live sound reinforcement console.
• Physical MIDI Control Surface Compatibility - Use some of the most popular physical control surfaces to get hands-on control of many of SAWStudio's console and editing functions.

If you are currently using analog recording equiptment and are thinking about moving to digital then download a demo of the RML products, you will find that they could make the transition easier as they are more like working with an analog desk that some other digital recording systems.

Intrduction video to SAWStudio Basic

Demo downloads

About the reviews on the site

The reviews that have been placed on the site are of the equiptment that I currently use or have used in the past. If the review is regarding equipment that I have not owned then I will indicate how I evaluated the equipment. currently the following has been added to the site :-

Kawai K1 Vintage Synth, Roland MKS7 Vintage Synth, Behringer Multicom Pro MDX 4400, Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC 100, Behringer ULTRA-DYNE PRO DSP9024, Lexicon MPX100 effects Unit, Behringer Ultrapatch, Rhodes NT2-a Condenser Microphone, Se Mc1 Microphone, Soundcraft Spirit Folio SX Mixing Desk, Soundcraft Folio Notepad Mixing Desk, Yamaha RM 800 16 Recording Desk, Behringer Eurorack UB1832FX Mixing Desk, HBB CDR 800, M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 PC Audio Card, Marian Marc A Pc Adat Card, Marian Marc Midi 8 Pc Audio Card, Behringer FCA-202 Firewire Interface, Fostex R8 Multitrack Tape, Tascam 38 Analogue Multitrack Tape, Tascam TSR 8 Multitrack Tape, Alesis Silver ADAT