Recording in the Digital Age

Recently, our band Snowdragon has been recording a ten-song LP to be used as a demo reel. We have a large show coming up this summer and the venue requested we send a small collection of the type of music we play. This would be nearly impossible on our collective schedules if it weren’t for the evolution of digital recording within the last couple of decades. Being able to record near-perfect audio signals into a desktop computer is a huge technological accomplishment, and something I love doing every day.

Personal computers have made a huge impact on the way we all live our lives. Whether it be for entertainment or starting your own career, they’ve changed the way many, if not most, things work in America. Ryan “Fluff” Bruce, a producer/audio engineer has founded his career and lifestyle with digital audio recording. His website (http://www.blackmetalbicycle.com/) highlights his roles in his field as well as his current projects.

Another producer from Oregon’s own Eugene, Billy Barnett of Gung-Ho Studio (http://www.gunghostudio.com/) has been in the business since tape and vinyl, but has comfortably made the transition to digital in recent years. When I asked how well he took the switch, he answered,

“In the beginning of the digital era, things were not very good. Most software was extremely expensive and didn’t record with very high fidelity to the source. In the last decade or so, it’s streamlined so many processes and has much higher quality sound.”

control_room

I’ve been working out of my own home studio for the last few years now. Be it recording my own projects or a local band, I’ve always had fun with it and have always been interested in challenging myself further.

Below: A short video of a simple little song recorded in my studio in two hours.