A reader, Michelle, remembers a past Digital Savant column and asks about audio recording: “You were reviewing a recorder that could be used to record someone playing music. I want to record my brother’s piano playing and make a CD for our parents. Would you be so kind as to tell me what the device was?”
I don’t remember for sure, but it was likely one of the consumer-friendly audio devices from Blue Microphones, a company that makes some nice-looking gear ranging from about $50 to $200 and up. The $50 Snowball microphone is perfectly fine for light amateur recording and the desktop Yeti mic is pretty robust and works with Macs and PCs. You can find it for about $120 or less online and in stores.
Other options include recording with the built-in mic of a smart phone or computer, or buying a handheld digital recorder, but those devices tend to be less geared for music than or recording vocals. It really depends on how professional you wand the recording to sound and how much you can spend. For audio editing, I recommend Apple’s “GarageBand” software for Mac or the free download “Audacity” for Mac, PC or Linux.
About the Author
