Info Tech Associates

In today’s world of ever-expanding innovations, one of the paramount advancements of the past few decades was the creation and implementation of digital technology. Its invention has changed equipment so much so that nowadays, recording that isn’t being done digitally just isn’t being done well enough.

Audio recording devices have been around for decades, most often used by reporters, note-taking students or anyone else who needed to record audible notes for one reason or another. However what worked to fill these needs some 30 years ago can be considered obsolete for the same uses nowadays.

For many years, media was recorded using the analog process. With this method, signals were stored as a continuous wave of sound either on a physical source of media or within it. This could include being an actual series of textures on a phonograph record or a pattern of fluctuations corresponding to the changes in noise on a magnetic device such as a cassette tape.

The analog process dates all the way back to the works of famed inventor Thomas Edison, who is credited with creating and demonstrating the use of analog audio recording devices. In today’s world analog technology still exists and remains in use, but the advent of digital technology has made it obsolete or, at the very least, second rate in many cases.

For the past few decades and into the future, this type of technology has established itself as the gold standard of all forms of media, which most definitely includes those used to record sound.

To record something digitally, the analog signal is transferred into a sequence of binary numbers that indicates the changes in air pressure over the time of the process. The numbers produced per second is known as the sample rate – the higher the sample rate, the better the quality of the product. This information then creates a framework for the sound that was just processed, which is then stored as a file that is able to be processed and played back.

In searching for the right audio recording devices, it is quite easy to locate effective, state-of-the-art digital units for purchase. Standard recorders that utilize cassette tapes or minidiscs are still around and are often the most affordable option while still maintaining an effective level of quality. DAT recorders, which utilize small tape cartridges, are harder to find but produce similar results.

Solid-state recorders, which can include PDAs and other computer-like units, record sound onto a storage unit that is inserted prior to use. Often a flash card or a memory card, the unit can be removed so that the media can be transferred.

Hard-disk recorders, which are often the most popular, can store their own media inside the unit permanently without the need for a removable device.

Whatever your needs are for audio recording devices, there are options available that suit all types and budgets. The key when searching for the right model for yourself is to make sure it utilizes digital technology to guarantee you receive the results you need.