ABSTRACT
Front end is a term that has grown to a level of great importance in the project and professional studio recently. The term is based on the idea that once a source (instrument, voice, or synthesizer) is recorded, it will stay in the digital realm for the rest of its existence. Therefore it is important to get the best sound quality possible and benefit from any desired analog processing on the front side of the recording process. There are multiple items that can be part of the front end. The first element is the microphone, followed by a microphone preamplifier, optional extra analog processing such as equalization and compression, and analog-to-digital conversion; finally everything is connected together by cables.
