Recording Handbook - Hol.gr

d. Computers
Computers have become essentiel in modern music making. They are found in synthesizers, recording
devices, effects, automation and synchronization systems. They made the MIDI revolution possible.
The most popular music software in the 1980's was written for the Apple MacIntosh and Atari 1040-ST
computers. In Europe, the Atari was the dominant machine and C-Lab "Notator" and Steinberg "Cubase"
were two popular programs. In the US the Atari computers were much less expensive than the Macs but in
the early 90's, having business dificulties, they eventually disappeared from the market here. Atari still
enjoys a large presence in Europe and introduced the Falcon series there which includes 8-track digital
recording capabilities straight out of the box!
The Mac has always had a rabid following despite it's more expensive hardware cost. "Performer",
"Vision" and "MasterTracks Pro" were all strong sequencer packages written for it's unique operating
system. The hardware prices have moderated somewhat and it still enjoys a loyal user base and large share
of the music market.
The IBM was not that popular for music at first. Voyetra Systems had an early sequencing package for it
but it wasn't until "Windows" came along in the late 1980's that more software was written for it.
"Cakewalk" became a popular program for this platform in the early 1990's and soon others followed. E-
Magic's Logic Audio is a powerful digital recording and sequencing package that was originally written
for the Mac, but actually performs better on the Windows platform.
The real breakthrough for IBM has been it's rapidly expanding market share due to the popularity of
"Windows", the ever increasing power of the chips that drive the PC and the price differential between
PC's and Macs. The 386 gave way to the 486 which gave way to the Pentiums and their speed and
efficiency keeps growing. Apple had the edge on digital recording systems at one time but the
"Windows/IBM" platform has now become the dominant platform.
Hard disc recording systems are rapidly evolving and computers are either doing the recording and acting
as the "front-end" interface between the operator and recorder. The "SoundScape" hard disc recording
system from the UK uses a dedicated hardware recorder and a windows front-end. ProTools, which
previously only developed software for Macs, released the "Session 8", an 8-track hard disc recorder, for
the windows platform in 1993 and now ProTools is fully supported on the PC platform as well.
The computers have gotten powerful enough to handle it; so now you can sequence your synthesizers and
program your drums, then record your guitar amp and vocals into the computer and arrange the digitally
recorded tracks against the sequenced tracks all from within the same program. "Vision" for the Mac,
"Cakewalk Pro" and C-Lab "Logic" for the PC and "Cubase" for the Atari Falcon all have this capability.
Digital recording and editing are logical jobs for the computer and there are many systems taking
advantage of this power. Basically, the computer acts like a word processor for music. The material is
recorded into the computer and then you cut it up and rearrange it, EQ it, adjust it and put it back together
however you like. There are the usual complement of now standard AES/EBU digital ins and outs. Newer
designs are incorporating digital interfaces for the popular Alesis ADAT and Tascam DA-88 digital
recorders.
Another great use for a digital editing system is recording your mixes in pieces. If you don't have console
automation and the mix is too complicated, simply record your song in segments and edit it together.
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