Description:
Macmillan's Digital CD Recording Studio II attempts, in many ways, to be everything to everyone. Been meaning to put all of those LPs onto CD once and for all? How about converting those cassettes (or, gasp--eight tracks!) to the digital realm? Maybe you're not interested in buying an extra player for your thousands of megabytes of MP3 files. In any case, Digital CD Recording Studio II can manage your musical assets efficiently. You'll be working in a familiar three-pane environment: file structure at left, file contents in the center, and options and selections at right. The toolbar will give you direct access to everything from creating a new play list, to recording from an analog audio source, to converting MP3 data, to processing recordings. Begin with your average playlist. The summary box keeps you up to speed on total net playing time versus total playing time with silent, between-song gaps, plus available CD-R space and time. For those who are concerned with improving the quality of your recordings (and, who isn't, when we're talking about upgrading the analog to the digital?), you won't want to miss the PlayInfo panel, which measures instantaneous volume peaks in decibels. The Producer panel is another cool feature that sports a range of processing options. Other noteworthy features include: - Declicking and Dehissing functions, which let you clean up recordings. You can adjust easily the sensitivity to small noise pulses and the reduction rate for hissing that's caused by contact, such as the needle on the record.
- A full-service equalizer, which allows you to adjust the frequency of individual bands. You'll have also a number of equalizer presets at your fingertips, which offer standard equalization options, such as Flat, Bass Cut, and Treble Boost.
- Fade In/Fade Out options, which let you get an even intro or closing to your recording, adjusting from 20 milliseconds to 20 seconds.
- Also, you'll be able to preview your handiwork on the Preview panel. Even better, if your machine has a little power behind it, you can make adjustments while playing, which allows a truly on-the-fly adjustable environment.
In order to use other devices along with Digital CD Recording Studio II, you'll need to update the appropriate sound card settings and get the right hardware, which usually consists of a stereo patch cable, or "Y" cable. Once you're set up, you'll be able to record from this source through the software, unpack the large recording file into individual tracks, clean up your recording, and produce your CD--all with relative ease. Recording through this package allows you to record in stereo or mono, and you can choose a range of sampling (from 11.025 kHz to 44.1 kHz). You also can record radio programs at any time, whether you're present or not--the Timer Recording function does this with reliability. Digital CD Recording Studio II also handles the more contemporary formats of CD and MP3 with relative proficiency. After you wade through numerous warnings on copyright infringement, you'll find yourself able to select easily any of the WAV files on your average audio CD for recording. Likewise with MP3: you'll be able to convert the MP3 format into WAV files, thus making your music portable and readily accessible for your computer, stereo, Discman, or office boom box. --Emilie Dirks
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