From: jondr@sco.COM (Desi The Three-Armed Wonder Comic)
Subject: Re: Survey on digital recording
Reply-To: jondr@sco.com
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 18:29:09 GMT


I am not sihd_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Dan Shimmyo).  I didn't say:
>I'm considering going digital.  I plan on getting a Macc IIci and eventually
>getting the software and hardware needed to do some serious digital recording.
>I haven't looked into the software yet but I'm pretty sure I'll find what I 
>want. I'm planning on spending around $5000 for the computer and I'm not sure
>how much software is but I'll shop around for it later.  
>  Maybe someone that has experience with this sort of equipment could fill me
>in on a few details (what software to get, etc...).

in the following explanation, AM = AudioMedia, AM2 = AudioMedia II and ST =
SoundTools.

Our studio has a IIci with digidesign's AM card and buttloads of hard disk
space.  (we used to have 600 meg, but now we're up to 1600 meg, with 600
more to come...)  AM can be found for $500 - $700.  however, digidesign has
announced AM2 which features digital ins and outs and new software.  note
that AM is really the baby brother of ST, which is their flagship editing
setup.  ST costs a lot more and when AM2 becomes available, there won't be
much reason to get ST unless you need all the esoteric things it does (i
don't even know what those features are - the main difference used to be the
digital i/o connectors, but now AM2 has them, so...)

i think AM2 will list for $1300 when it comes out (any day now, they
promise).

anyway, the bigger expense will probably be the hard drive.  you NEED a very
large and very fast disk.  CD quality digital audio uses up space at a rate
of 10 megabytes per minute.  Our old 600 meg disk held one hour of storage,
which isn't enough if you're trying to put together a jam-packed compact
disc!  These drives are not cheap.  We just got a 1.2 gigabyte drive for
close to $2000.

one thing i haven't mentioned yet is that all of these systems only do
two-track recording.  it's like having a big tape deck that you can
digitally edit on.  if you want to do multitrack recording, you're looking
at MUCH more expense.  digidesign sells a product called ProTools, and i
have never priced it because i know it's way beyond my means.  i think you
can have four tracks of digital audio per hard disk, so if you want to have
an eight track digital studio, you need to buy TWO of those big hard disks
that i mentioned above...

>  Anyway, the main reason I want to go digital is that I don't like having to 
>deal with tape recorders that record on different speeds and I like the idea
>of copies sounding just like the originals (assuming this is true).

yup.  but if you don't plan on doing any editing, you might as well just buy
a DAT machine.  DAT is a mirror - you get out the exact same data you put
in.  and it's getting cheaper all the time.  not to mention the fact that
new blank DATs cost considerably less than new blank hard disks...

any more questions, feel free.

-- 
Jon Drukman (God's personal DJ)                 uunet!sco!jondr   jondr@sco.com
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I'd give my right arm to be in Def Leppard!                      - A.Partridge