Designing Web Audio & CD-ROM

Appendix A. Creating the Ultimate Web Sound Studio: Buyers Guide and Web Resources

This buyers guide was developed as a result of the many interviews we conducted with web audio experts. The feedback was unanimous: with high-fidelity audio frequently compressed and degraded during conversion to web audio formats, the need to capture high-quality source material is essential.

Using the proper equipment and tools is one sure way to increase the quality of your source material. If you are a web professional with little audio engineering experience, the information in this appendix will help you purchase and configure the best possible audio production equipment and software suited to your needs.

Not all audio equipment is created equal. There is a big difference in quality between the inexpensive audio equipment found at your neighborhood electronics shop versus the high-end professional audio gear found at retailers catering exclusively to audio professionals. It is no coincidence that audio professionals highly value their tools. It takes good equipment in the right studio environment to consistently capture a great musical performance or a voice-over take. It is nearly impossible to take a bad recording with noise and distortion and turn it into a pristine, professional-sounding masterpiece, especially when faced with the compression formats used for web delivery. The proper web sound studio will help you achieve more professional results. For more tips on creating a suitable studio, ...