Digital Audio Recording

Raphael Dabbs

Digital Audio

Digital audio is an audio signal encoded

in a digital form.

It is more reliable than analogue audio, which is susceptible to noise and distortion.

Pulse-Code ModulationThis is a method used to digitally represent sampledanalogue signals. It is the standard form of digitalaudio in computers, CDs, digital telephony (such asVoIP programs, e.g. Skype) and many other digitalaudio applications.

British scientist Alec Reeves, whofirst discovered the potential ofpulse-code modulation, filed for apatent in 1937; his US patent wasgranted in 1943.

Full Digital Recording

Released in 1985, the Dire Straits album Brothers in Armswas one of the first mainstream albums to be a full digitalrecording (DDD), when most music was recorded onanalogue equipment.

Peter Gabriel’s eponymousfourth album (which alsoknown as “Security” and“Peter Gabriel 4”) wasanother early full digitalrecording.

Until the 80’s, music was recorded mainly using analogueequipment. In 1984, the Society of Professional Audio RecordingServices invented a code for albums indicating whether it wasrecorded, mixed and mastered digitally or analogously. Each stagewas indicated with three letters – either D or A. This became knownas the SPARS code.

Ry Cooder’s ninth album Bop Till You Drop (1979) was thefirst pop album to be recorded digitally. The 1984 albumZoolook by Jean-Michel Jarre was the first album to begiven a DDD label.

Multitracking

Multitrack recording, otherwise known as multitracking (orsimply tracking) is recording sounds (e.g. vocals) in separaterecording sessions and playing them all together to createone whole sound.

While it was possible to multitrack on analogue recorders,digital sound recording and production technology (such asthe music software Logic Pro) made multitrack recordingmuch easier and more flexible.

The TEAC 2340, a popular analogue homemultitrack recorder created in 1973. It hasfour tracks on quarter-inch tape.

The Korg D888, an eight-track digitalrecorder.

Compact discs

The way Compact discs store audio (throughthe use of binary data, or bits) means thatthey can only play digital sound.

CD sales have dropped as of late due to otherforms of music reproduction, such as onlinedigital distribution (such as iTunes) and theuse of flash drives. This has also led to whatsome consider to be the return of the vinylrecord.

In 1996, optical discs began selling in Japan, along with DVD players. One form of opticaldisc is the Compact Disc (CD), which, by the late 1980’s, had replaced the vinyl record asthe mainstream medium for music reproduction.