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A Wave File Is A Wave File
Filed Under (Home Recording, Music General, Musical Performance, Recording Studio) by Kevin on 19-08-2008
People in the recording industry spend a lot of time thinking about the best way to produce recordings in order to get the best possible sound onto CD. Engineers and other professionals work on mixing wave files using various techniques in the attempt to create a great finished product. There are a lot of different pieces of hardware and software out there – but the tools you use may not matter as much as you think.
Whatever equipment or software you use to get your recordings or what the setup of your studio is like, there is one thing to keep in mind. This is that a wave file is nothing more or less than a wave file. This sound which goes from instrument to computer is the same file, no matter what sort of processing you perform on it along the way.
Your setup, no matter what its particular configuration, will always end up giving you the same thing – a sound wave, or wave file. This is the lingua franca of digital recording and it is what your recording will be, regardless of how you capture it.
What you should be concerned with when recording is getting the best possible sound. Your mixing and mastering process are all aimed towards this goal; the sound you envisioned for your recording project. You want your finished recording to be clear and at the proper volume level. When working on a recording, this is what should be your concern rather than the particulars of the file format you are working with.
Mixing is the key here – you want to do what is necessary to make your wave file sound its very nest. This entails keeping an eye on the dynamic range of the recording in order to make it sound best for the format you choose for its release.
Sound is the most important thing because it is this and only this which your listener will care about. Keeping this goal in mind will help you stay focused throughout the recording process and get the best possible recording.
So why is a wave file important? Because it is the medium you will be working with to create your recording. You will want to use the techniques and tools necessary to create the sound you want for your finished recording – working with your wave files is the first step to getting your CD mixed and mastered for a great end product.
Tags: Home Recording, Music General, Musical Performance, Recording Studio
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“This is that a wave file is nothing more or less than a wave file. This sound which goes from instrument to computer is the same file, no matter what sort of processing you perform on it along the way. Your setup, no matter what its particular configuration, will always end up giving you the same thing – a sound wave, or wave file.”
Firstly a sound wave and a wave (.wav) file are not the same thing. Being that a sound wave is an analogue and a .wav is digital. At some point there must have been an analogue to digital conversion. There are AD -> DA converters that are better than others, therefore your setup and particular configs will give you the same thing - a .wav file….but if you change your configs or your AD-DA converter, you may well end up with a far better sounding .wav file at the end of it!
Secondly, all .wav files are not the same thing. Whilst it is common for .wav files to display raw or uncompressed data, there are various different settings that apply to a particular .wav file. A basic understanding what settings to use is surely an important basic when beginning digital recording. Once it’s set, then its set, and you can forget about it, then you can focus on recording a great sound.
‘What you should be concerned with when recording is getting the best possible sound.’ - Agreed
‘Your mixing and mastering process are all aimed towards this goal’
- Mixing and mastering should really be happening AFTER your recording and have nothing to do with actually getting a great recording the sound. You seem to be confusing some important production concepts here!
‘You want your finished recording to be clear and at the proper volume level. When working on a recording, this is what should be your concern rather than the particulars of the file format you are working with.’
Having an understanding of the particulars of the file format can HELP you get a clear sound. This principle is just as fundamental as how to set your levels properly so that you get a recording at the right level.
People in the recording industry spend a lot of time thinking about the best way to produce recordings in order to get the best possible sound onto CD. There is a reason why they do this, because quality is everything in modern day recording. With recent advances in home computing technology, high quality digital recording is within the reaches of many, and I feel that these concepts that you have shunned in your article are just as important as creating a clear recording in the modern music enviroment.
Regards