Alright, you are ready to start doing recordings at home. You are highly tempted to pick up the cute little box with all the buttons on it from whatever music gear catalog you have laying around. You can't decide whether you should buy one of these standalone boxes or if you should go with a recording computer. Let me answer that question for you: THE RECORDING COMPUTER!!!! THE RECORDING COMPUTER!! THE RECORDING COMPUTER!!

It's Easier To Make Better Sounding Recordings On A Computer

It's easier to make better sounding recordings with a computer. It's easier to make real recordings that express real emotion in a computer. When it comes down to it, buying new recording guy is supposed to do nothing but make your recorded music more effective. If it doesn't do that, there is no point in buying it. I've never seen a standalone recording ever turn out to be more than a terrible sounding demo.

You CAN Learn Audio On A Computer

The second biggest problem with standalone recorders is that you don't learn anything. Sure, you have have to read their bible of a manual to figure out how to set an eq, but after months of using the thing everyday, I'm guessing you'll learn jack crap about audio. You spend all your time learning their proprietary interphase that you never actually learn how to record music. The cool thing about computers is that you probably already know how to work the proprietary interphase on a computer. We call it Windows. Sure, you have to learn the recording program you want to use and it is a bitch. However, most of them all work in the same way... like a real mixer more or less. Software engineers have went well out of their way to make sure your experience with the software is as close to the real thing as possible. There is no comparing the graphical user interphase on a computer with using one of those stupid standalone recorders.

You CAN Actually Mix On A Computer

I'm not sure what sort of intense experience you would have to go through to add a delay on just one line of the lead vocal, but I couldn't imagine the complexity. All I have to do is setup a delay bus and draw a line. It's that simple. Now getting it to sound good is the real work. I get made because the lines controlling the delay don't move with my mind's instructions. Instead, I have to use that silly mouse. When I look at my computer screen after a tough mix, it's be ravaged to death. I have edits and volume automation and effects automation all over the place. It looks like death 2000. I'm not suggesting that I'm anything special with this whole recording thing, but there is no way I could do the job that people pay me to do with a little toy recording box.

You CAN Actually Afford A Computer Recording Setup

Well, hopefully you can. The beauty of this setup is you can buy a computer that is 3 years old and it will do EVERYTHING you need to do (unless you use VST instruments or something similar). If you are mixing audio that you've recorded with microphones or direct inputs (don't do this unless you are recording a keyboard or bass) then a computer from 3 years ago will work fine. The cool thing about the computer rig is everything is modular. You can sell your computer and keep your soundcard You can keep your preamps but sell your soundcard. You get the idea. In the end, it's much cheaper.

In closing, I had a buddy who was very much into audio recording just as I was. He bought some Roland piece of junk a few months before I bought my recording computer. Soon, he gave up and just started recording with me. It was too easy to work and too easy to get good sounds with a recording computer (when compared to some Roland box). You get the point.