Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Will Computer-Based Recording Become a Blip?


Recommended Posts



  • Replies 34
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

With all the stuff Apple has led on with pushing new tech (floppy drives, USB, no floppy drives, etc.) I don't think we should be surprised they've missed sometimes. One might argue that happened with ADB and even more with SCSI. The Cube was an elegant flop. The biggest issue with the 2013 Mac Pro wasn't that they missed it (they thought external ports would be where expansion happened IIRC), but that it took them so many years to admit the mistake and replace it. (It was innovative, but wrong.)

 

Don't get me wrong, Craig. I agree with you, I don't want it to be a blip. I love having my studio in a box (or two counting the interface), and would hate it if that went away like you describe. I can do some cool recording stuff on my iPad and they've taken steps to make Garageband on iOS and Logic Pro work together, but I'd hate to see this tech crawl away from lower end computers.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the question amusing. What are you going to record on next, a bonsai tree? The definition of a computer will keep changing as quantum methods and the like come along, but its a fundamental tool. Sooner or later, everyone has to sit in front of a BOX, if not several and turn their music into a repeatable object. Even a Suzanne Ciani concert has to be preserved by video. You certainly can't buy MIDI files of that! :cool:

 

There's another point. Having gone from audio cassettes to 64 GB flash drives, conversion has been a slow constant for me. Dave Smith makes a smart point about a good hardware synth always being the same INSTRUMENT and not subject to the OS changes or problematic upgrades of general computers. I keep a little hardware for that reason. OTOH, I have become an Apple Logic adherent out of self-defense. My EXS sampler files have all made the easy leap across the generations of Macs. That mega-folder holds Autosamples of my old, deceased Korgs, Soundfont E-Mu libraries and numerous colorful finds like Puremagnetik's Toy Box. That's been my growing core library for years and upgrades are often easily managed with smart companies like G-Media. For me personally, its the safest way to preserve the largest amount of gear without having my old den full of Packrat-brand stands. ("Betcha can't buy just one!")

 

So no, computer-based recording will not become a blip. Its far too flexible and even the most dedicated computer still does 50 things on the side that are invaluable. However, if you don't make multiple backups, forget everything I said. You are a ninny and the EMF gremlins are going to eat you.

 

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the question amusing. What are you going to record on next, a bonsai tree?

 

Well, the title field wasn't long enough for "I think it's a possibility that the golden age of pro audio riding on the coattails of consumer-oriented computers may be in its twilight years," which was the point of the thread. :)

 

As mentioned, maybe it will be hacking computers not intended for recording, or Linux, or a company making a computer designed specifically for music. So yes, computers can still be involved. But will it be the $500 - $2,000 PC as we know it today? I doubt it. If there's no consumer market for the kind of more advanced computer that's suitable for music, there's not much we can do about it.

 

Remember, there was a time when we didn't have tablets and smart phones like they are now. If people wanted to surf the net or run a spreadsheet, they often had to buy a desktop computer with slots, expandable RAM, expandable drive bays, and lots of ports - whether they needed these capabilities or not. And apparently they didn't, because now they can do most of what they need to do with a smart phone...but we needed those kinds of capabilities to do recording.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking about it some more, it comes down to editing...

 

- Digitization is pretty much solved

- digital mixing is pretty much solved

- storing multitrack is trivial on modern SSD's

 

But editing workflow is not. It is true that for most uses, any DAW of the last 10 years or maybe 15 would be more than adequate. It is also true that the last 10 years have seen significant workflow improvements for professional uses like orchestral composing, spectral editing, dialog replacement, pitch correction, and so much more. Put editing into hardware and forward progress would slow considerably. Watching a professional ProTools editor at work is astonishing. Same with what happens in a film scoring Cubase template with several hundred or thousands of tracks. These would be hard to imagine in dedicated hardware.

 

But audio recording and editing? Something like the iz-Technologies Radar is probably close. I think you can still record and edit on that without running a DAW on it.

 

After 10 years of learning a complex piece of software like a DAW, would people switch to something fixed? Pro's confident in their workflow? I could see it. If there were zero crashes, zero latency, and rock solid repeatable reliability and a very human creative interface with good haptics? It sounds very desirable (and expensive).

 

But I have thought seriously about using my DAW as just a recorder and editing station and doing mix down through my SQ-5 digital mixer. But there are lots of genres that are dependent on automation... That still says DAW. But audio priority workflows with live musicians playing together could arguably be done better without a computer if the human factors worked. The proof is all the great albums made on tape with and without console automation. It is probably hard to put that genie back in the bottle...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...