Category: Audio Hardware
Introduction
The first version of RCA's Lyra Personal Digital Player, as noted in our report elsewhere in this section on portable digital media players, was one of the most full-featured digital audio walkabouts. The US$299 Lyra2 adds to the utility of the original with features like a built-in FM radio tuner and a handy belt-clip control that...
Portable MP3/WMA/RA player, cigarette lighter power adapter, cassette adapter... sounds good. However, an MP3 audio encryption "feature" makes this player less convenient than it should be.
RCA's Lyra Personal Digital Player, as noted in our report elsewhere in this section on portable MP3 players, is one of the most full-featured...
Introduction
Engage the Neodymium Transducers! Apple's iPod is a portable MP3 player with a built-in hard drive (the original model started at 5GB, a second-generation model added 10 and 20GB options) and a speedy FireWire connection capable of transferring a whole CD's worth of songs to the device in seconds. Capable of storing 1,000 songs, 2,000...
Roland UA-30 USB Audio Canvas - USB Makes Audio I/O Easy
UA-30 Overview
The Roland UA-30 is a compact, external USB audio recording and playback interface for Windows or Macintosh. Under Windows 98 or Me, it requires a P166 or better, at least 100 MB of hard disk space, 800x600 video with thousands of colours and 64MB or more memory. When running...
The PC market's popular sound card comes to the Mac... and ends up a disappointment
Sound Blaster Live!
No (analog) audio input on new Macs - a step forward or back? As you may know, a number of MKaqcintosh models lack analog audio inputs. This list includes (but is not necessarily limited to) Apple's 533 MHz-and-faster "QuickSilver"...
Sound Solutions: MIDI Interfaces and Mac audio options
In part one of this article, we looked at some of the basic questions you might have when considering what hardware to get for audio and MIDI applications. In part two, we dug into some of the problems you might encounter. In this section, we'll look at some Mac sound options and MIDI...
Sound Solutions: A MIDI & Audio Hardware Primer
In part one of this article, we looked at some of the basic questions you might have when considering what hardware to get for audio and MIDI applications. In this section, we'll dig a little deeper into some of the issues related to PC and Mac sound cards and MIDI interfaces.
First, let's look...
Music & MIDI Hardware
Sound Solutions: A Computer Music & Audio Hardware Primer
Making the Right Hardware Choices
For a musician just getting into adding a computer to the studio or home recording setup, there are many questions: Mac or PC? Which sound card? In this article and through various links to other resources on this site,...
Roland UA-30 USB Audio Canvas - USB Makes Audio I/O Easy
UA-30 Overview
The Roland UA-30 is a compact, external USB audio recording and playback interface for Windows or Macintosh. Under Windows 98 or Me, it requires a P166 or better, at least 100 MB of hard disk space, 800x600 video with thousands of colours and 64MB or more memory. When running...
A closer look at the Roland UA-30 Audio Canvas
Introduction
The Roland UA-30, as noted in part one of this feature, is a compact, inexpensive (US$230) external USB audio recording and playback interface for Windows or Macintosh computers. The main benefits of the UA-30 are its very good DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and its digital I/O...
Introduction
Laptop users have some special challenges when trying to configure a system for audio and/or MIDI recording. Because most laptops have relatively poor internal audio capabilities, an external recorder is often desired. In this article, we'll look at some of the typical configuration issues musicians face with laptops.
USB or...?
If...
Overview
As detailed in our article "Sound Solutions: A Computer Music & Audio Hardware Primer," those looking to purchase a Mac or PC for a home studio, have many decisions to make. This article provides additional details on recommended hardware and software. Obviously, these general recommendations may not apply to everyone. The...
Play audio files or listen to Internet Radio without a computer
MP3 on the Go
The phenomenal success of the MPEG Layer-3 digital audio format has led to a wide array of MP3 players and related product announcements from companies keen to capitalize on MP3 mania. Consumer electronics stores are filled with DVD players, home stereos and car audio...
How to make your own audio discs, or convert music to or from MP3 files
Introduction
From a technical standpoint, the MPEG-Layer 3 audio format (known colloquially as "MP3") isn't the best format in which to save audio files if optimum sound quality is your goal; however, its sheer popularity on the Internet makes it a format worth...