ABSTRACT
This chapter describes digital audio recording systems and the principles of digital audio editing and mastering.
Although it is still possible to fi nd examples of dedicated digital tape recording formats in use, they have largely been superseded by recording systems that use computer mass storage media. The economies of scale of the computer industry have made data storage relatively cheap and there is no longer a strong jusitifi cation for systems dedicated to audio purposes. Tape has a relatively slow access time, because it is a linear storage medium. However, a dedicated tape format can easily be interchanged between recorders, provided that another machine operating to the same standard can be found. Computer mass storage media, on the other hand, come in a very wide variety of sizes and formats, and there are numerous levels at which compatibility must exist between systems before interchange can take place. This matter is discussed in the next chapter.
