By Hans Dekker

A few years ago there was a revolution in recording technology. As computers became more powerful, they started to replace traditional tape recorders that were the heart of most recording studios. Today, computers designed for home use are powerful enough to emulate an entire recording studio, and can be used for everything from multitrack recording to audio editing and scoring music for videos.

This “democratizing” of recording techniques has opened up the entire recording industry to anyone with the proper software and hardware. With software packages costing a few hundred dollars and professional-quality audio interfaces costing less than $100, anybody can have a virtual recording studio in their home.

Some of the big names in the audio recording field are Cubase, ProTools, Sonar and Sound Forge. Each of these Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) can be used for multi-track recording and editing and have the ability to combine recordings with “virtual instruments”.

Virtual instruments are computer-generated sounds that can be played via MIDI. Traditionally, MIDI was used to send music data to hardware devices like keyboards and sound modules, but computers are now powerful enough to emulate sound modules. Instead of hooking up cables to an external device to play MIDI tracks, virtual instruments can be loaded into the computer’s memory to play any type of sound.

MIDI tracks can be combined with audio tracks and all of it played back in perfect synchronization. All tracks can be processed with effects like reverb and chorus, and the entire mix can be compressed for a professional sounding result.

Although professional sound recording packages can be fairly expensive, you can get your feet wet by trying out one of the shareware programs that are available. They will allow you to see the capabilities of digital recording, and if you want to develop your interests further you can later buy one of the professional programs.

Hans is editor of the Audio Howto Section of the http://www.selected-audio-reviews.com/

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By John Deprice

Streaming media is taking the Internet over – online radio, news, digital videos, podcasts, webcasts are just going to grow. Find out what tools you need to capture streaming audio and video so you can replay it later.

CoCSoft Stream Down (CoCSoft)

Like the proverbial hedgehog, CoCSoft Stream Down knows one thing well: in this case, how to capture streaming-media files and save them to disk. Just enter the URL of a streaming-media file and the program stores the content in the directory of your choice. In addition to FTP and HTTP, CoCSoft Stream Down can handle several streaming protocols: RTSP, MMS, MMSU, and MMST. It comes in handy during peak Internet usage times, when streaming files don’t play well. You can download them, and play them later. If you don’t know the file name, you can easily copy and paste it into Streamdown using the Windows “File Properties” command.

WM Recorder (Applain)

WM Recorder is a fairly straightforward way to capture streaming Windows Media Video or Audio content to a file on your PC. It’s just what the doctor ordered for music videos, news feeds, streaming music, radio broadcasts, adult and subscription content, corporate webcasts, and anything else that streams down onto your PC. WM Recorder is also brainlessly simple. Simply open WM Recorder, click Record, and play the video or audio you want to capture. Files are saved on your PC automatically, so you can watch or listen anytime, even without an internet connection.

AudioStreamer (R.M. de Boer Software)

AudioStreamer is the Internet radio receiver and recorder that lets you enjoy the thousands of radio stations available on the Internet. While listening to your favorite radio station, you can record any radio station you want, anytime. The recording library shows you all your recordings, sorted by Genre or Radio station. If there’s any artist name available while recording, it will be saved into the MP3 Tag automatically. You can also rename file(s), change or view MP3 Tag info for every file, or play the files you recorded earlier as well as add your favorite station to the Favorites list, or add a new station you found on the Internet. If necessary, the program will burn mp3 files onto a CD.

Cybercorder 2000 (SkyHawk Technologies)

Cybercorder provides VCR-like recording for radio shows or any audio input. Recordings are stored on disk as WAV or MP3 files with optional audio compression to save disk space. Recordings can easily be played back by selecting the recording from the list of completed recordings. The customizable playback window allows users to easily advance the recording forward and reverse various step sizes. The thing that makes this software very different is the fact that you can schedule as many recordings as you like or instantly start a recording for the specified amount of time. The scheduled recordings can be scheduled for a single time or for selected days of the week such as Mon-Fri 9AM. Program descriptions can be given to the scheduled recordings to later identify the recordings.

Download Links:

CoCSoft Stream Down http://www.deprice.com/cocsoftstreamdown.htm
WM Recorder http://www.deprice.com/wmrecorder.htm
AudioStreamer http://www.deprice.com/audiostreamer.htm
Cybercorder 2000 http://www.deprice.com/cybercorder.htm

John Deprice is a big fan of streaming tools. To find out what software he uses, visit http://www.deprice.com/audio.htmArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Deprice

By Marshal Sandler

With radio stations and record companies downsizing over the past few years, professional audio producers faced job cuts and challenges finding freelance projects. However, the surge of businesses and creative professionals requiring full service audio post production has created a new niche for audio professionals. When your podcast audience demands a high quality project, or you simply want your podcast to sound as good as it possibly can, you can easily find the support you need.

When looking for a full service audio post production company to help you with your podcast, consider the following features that various companies might offer:

Price. Regardless of your budget, you can find a full service audio post production company to meet your needs. Taking advantage of the internet, you can often find skilled audio producers that can provide affordable rates because their studios are located outside of major urban centers. For example, full service audio production companies in music-oriented towns like Austin and Chapel Hill will usually cost much less than their competitors in New York or Los Angeles.

Location. Whether you need to work with a local full service audio post production company depends on how much of the raw podcast recording you can do on your own. If you want the very best sounding recording, you will either have to invest in a professional quality microphone or travel to a recording studio. Many online audio producers can walk you through the process of recording your own voice without spending much money. However, if you want the benefit of an experienced recording engineer, you should find a full service audio post production facility close to your home or office.

Production Elements. To make your podcast sound like a professional radio broadcast, request some professional production elements from your full service post production facility. A slick opening sequence, featuring a voice-over from a professional radio air talent, can cost you as little as fifty dollars. Polished promotional messages can help you grow an audience for your podcast, especially if you swap promo segments with other podcast producers. Because these elements do not require your voice, you can shop online to find the best quality at the most competitive price.

Distribution. Depending on your level of technical expertise, you may need a full service audio post production company to post your completed podcasts to a web server. Most companies can provide this service for you at no additional charge, since many audio producers prefer to distribute finished products using file servers anyway.

Marshal Sandler 2006 for all podcast secrets by eContnentCafe

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