The Elements of Sound and Audio Recording

Audio recording is the recording of sound. It is the act of capturing the
physical dimensions of sound and then reproducing those dimensions
either immediately or from a storage medium (magnetic, vinyl, electronic,
digital), and thereby returning those dimensions to their physical, acoustic
state. The process moves from physical sound, through the recording/
reproduction chain, and back to physical sound.
The “art” in recording centers on the artistically sensitive application of the
recording process. The recording process is being used to shape or create
sound as an artistic statement (piece of music), or supporting artistic material.
To be in control of crafting the artistic product, one must be in control
of the recording process, be in control of the ways in which the recording
process modifi es sound, and be in control of communicating well-defi ned
creative ideas.
These areas of control of the artistic process all closely involve a human
interaction with sound. Inconsistencies between the various states of sound
are present throughout the audio-recording process. Many of these inconsistencies
are the result of the human factor: the ways in which humans
perceive sound and interpret or formulate its meanings. In order for material
to be under their control, the artist (audio professional) must understand
the substance of their material: sound, in all its inconsistencies.


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