Theory / Technical

Hugh Robjohns continues his look at the techniques and technology of digital audio. This month — quantising and oversampling.

Digital recording systems have been in everyday use now for nearly 20 years, and such systems have become affordable to the project studio owner within the last decade. But what actually is digital recording, how does it work, and are the claims made about its sonic perfection justified? In the first of this new 6-part series, Hugh Robjohns revisits the technology and techniques involved.

Paul White explores the role of both passive and active DI boxes in recording applications.

Setting up your gear for low noise and minimum distortion needn't be a nightmare. Martin Walker gudes you through the process, and shows you how to stand tall, even without headroom.

Hugh Robjohns shrinks to microscopic size in order to show you around the conglomeration of knobs, wires and circuits that make up a mixer.

Paul White looks at the benefits of using a multi-port MIDI interface.

Most contemporary sequencers include facilities that make it possible to automate all the key aspects of a MIDI mix, but all too often they remain unused. Paul White explains how to dip your toe in the water without falling in...

What are MIDI messages and what do they do?

Paul White's absolute beginners' guide to MIDI continues with a look at MIDI's role in sequencing.

Paul White kicks off a new series for newcomers to MIDI.

Open just about any equipment manual and you'll come across terms like input impedance, output impedance, impedance matching and so on — but what do they all mean, and does it matter anyway?

What are decibels and where did they come from? Paul White explains why equipment specs quote them, meters read them and operating levels conform to them.

Accepted as the synchronisation standard in the television and broadcast industry, this digital timecode is fast making inroads into the recording studio at all levels. Kendall Wrightson puts it all in perspective with the start of this series.

Ian Gilby asks the question.