2013

Functional overview 81
Note: Different recording and replay devices for individual tracks can be selected in
the track information dialog rather than the play parameter window. Track
information opens by clicking on the track number.
Record
Hard drive recording
The device used to digitize audio signals is already included on the sound card and is
called an analog/digital converter (A-to-D, ATD or A/D). In order to record, the A/D
Converter gathers samples of the signal to be digitized in determined time lapses and
measures its frequency. The rate is called ”sample rate” and normally lies in the kHz
ranges. KHz means a vibrating frequency of several thousand times per second. The
higher the rate, the more samples are taken by the A/D converter and the more
natural the digital transformation of the sound will be.
The precision with which the A/D converter measures the analog signal is
determined by the sample resolution. The finer the resolution, the better the digital
transformation.
CD-quality audio recordings are recorded with a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and 16-bit
resolution.
Recording source
First of all, the recording source must be connected to the sound card. There are
several ways to do this, depending on your equipment.
Microphone: Microphone signals must first be amplified before the sound card
modifier can record them. Most sound cards have separate microphone inputs that
pre-amplify signals, but the results are rarely professional.
Quality: Connection to an external mixer or external microphone amplifier produces
far better results.
Amplifier: If, for example, you possess a guitar amplifier that has a line-out output,
you can connect it with the line-in input on the sound card.
Stereo system: The stereo system’s amplifier usually has a separate line-out. If
instead, you see ”Aux. out sockets,” then you should use these. Connect them with
the input on the sound card (usually shown in red). Normally, a high-fidelity (hi-fi)
amplifier has cinch sockets and sound card mini-stereo catch sockets. You must have
the corresponding cable to connect these properly.
If the amplifier doesn’t have separate outputs (other than the loud speakers), then
you can use the headphones socket for recording. In this case, you need a cable with
two mini-stereo headphone connectors. This process has an advantage: you can
control the signal level through the phones input. The disadvantage is that phones
outputs are normally not very good. With cassette recordings, always use the