Recording at home: hardware or software?

Introduction

In the last 20 years audio recording software has been replacing hardware in the studios. It has advanced so much that even in our home is possible to make good recordings with a small laptop and a good sound card. It has been also implemented a digital substitute to the classic four-track cassette recorder with previously unthinkable abilities.

This article is intended to help clarify which option best fit for our espectatives at the time of recording at home. First let make a classification of the possibilities offered by the market and its main features.

Types of multitrack
Large studio multitrack system: platforms wich typically include both the software and the hardware. These devices are very large and expensive, difficult to integrate into a home studio.

Studio multitrack tape recorders: these were used by all the studios before the advent of digital audio, and even today can be found operating in many of them.

Multitrack software: these are programs that allow multitrack recording and can be run on almost any operating system, perfectly usable in desktop and laptop computers along with some hardware audio interface. Many professional studios are using this combination for their productions.

Portable digital multitrack recorder: portable devices that record in digital format and allow all functions, from recording, mixing, editing, even mastering, without leaving the machine.

Portable tape multitrack recorder: until the advent of digital audio, these were the only device allowed to perform economically demo recordings.

Pocket digital multitrack recorder: these are emerging devices or mobile phones software that allow to carry a small digital studio on your pocket to record demos anytime and anywhere.

How to record at home: comparison of software to hardwareGiven the economic and space we can afford at home, we should decide on a multitrack software, a portable digital multitrack or a pocket multitrack recorder. To help us make a decision we will make a comparison of their different qualities:

  • Ease of use: it is easier and intuitive to use a hardware recorder than a software one, for which we need to know how to use a computer and an operating system.
  • Editing: Software recorders allows to move, copy and cut tracks much more quickly and easily.
  • Application of virtual instruments and effects: despite that hardware recorders has many incorporated effects, can never match the amount and variety of effects and plugins that are available for software recorders.
  • Portability: the size of the hardware recorders allows you to move to any corner of the house, rehearsal room, to the street… somewhat more difficult to do with a computer with audio interface.
  • Basic Infrastructure: the hardware recorder is completely independent, to even energy level (there are going to batteries), while for software recorders you need at least one computer, and audio interface and the software.
  • Exporting Audio: it is much easier to do with a computer that with a hardware recorder.

In short, we can say that as a hardware recorder allows us to work anywhere more easily, quickly and intuitively, a combination of computer+interface+program provides many more possibilities and power.

After selecting the option, either hardware or software, we must look at some technical features if we want the highest audio quality possible: audio input and mic preamps must be transparent, sampling and bit rates must be at least 48 kHz and 24 bits, and finally, when the audio information is saved to a file there must be not lose of information in an compressed file format.

Is it possible to record an album with few resources?

There are lots of little or no known artists who have used multitrack software, portable digital multitrack tape orportable multitrack recording their work. We are talking about bands and solo artists from the world of “Demo” or “Model”. However, there are cases in history of great artists who have recorded a disc without the need to use the services of a large study, which have recorded at home achieving a professional quality job. Here are some examples:

Sting – Desert Rose: recorded on a Roland VS1680
Bruce Springsteen  – Nebraska:  recorded on a Tascam Portastudio
The 88 – Love is the thing:  recordedon an iPhone with the 4-Tracks software
Bon Iver – For Emma Forever Ago : recorded on a laptop through a Digi 001 with Protools
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid: recorded with an audio interface Focusrite OCTOPRE
Sufjans Steven – Michigan: recorded on a Roland VS-880