With Wavelab, I’ve done many 24-bit recordings that sound great, using all sorts of input devices, including the Sound Devices USBPre and the Sonic Sense A/D. Based on my experiences and after some lengthy conversations with some "tapers" and Marc Nutter of Sonic Sense, I would like to offer some observations:

a) There is no question that high-quality hard disk recording is viable in terms of cost and performance.

b) I have done hundreds of hours of recording directly to hard disk, using a 600 Mhz Hewlett-Packard Omnibook 6000, running Windows 98se, without any modifications to the OS. I find most of the discussions about the need to modify the OS a bit strange if not outright attempts to sell people snake-oil.

I do tell everyone that no PC (Windows or Mac) should be run without BOATLOADS of memory. I like 192Megabytes as a MINIMUM for Windows machines. I feel that one speed slower, with more memory, is always the better purchase option for a given amount to spend. Also, I like having a separate drive partition for audio, and hard drives used for audio recording must be defragmented regularly.

c) There are cost effective backup hard drives that use Firewire as a buss that can be added to standard Windows notebooks via PCM/CIA. This makes storage of multiple projects a practical option.

d) I record all live projects at 48 kHz, 24 bit. I can then bit reduce and sample rate convert on my drive. To my ear, this yields MUCH better results. Why? With 24-bit 48kHZ recording the samples are more accurate, and the bit reduction and sample rate conversion can be done in a manner that allows the techniques used see the data stream and selecting optimum mathematics.

I would also like to offer one final thought. There seems to be a tendency to forget to use a bit of judgment regarding the ORDER OF MAGNITUDE of the issues. Some issues are more important to be concerned with than others. Often equipment is selected for cost, reliability or portability rather than sonic performance. System setup, input gain levels, mic position, can all be critical, independent of the differences between various converters that are of similar performance but of slightly different sonic characteristics.

Anyway, we are all lucky to be part of the transition to high quality, reasonably affordable fully digital hard disk recording systems… Now if we can only get a better CD standard!!

(Sam Berkow is the founder of SIA Software Company and now works with Walters-Storyk Design Group in New York. Visit him at Sam’s World on PSW.)