Analogue Audio Recording Using Remote Servers

Abstract

This work proposes a system for remote recording using real analogue instruments and equipment over the Internet and analyses several possibilities for its implementation and usage. In the first example, which has a running prototype, a file with a MIDI performance is submitted to the service’s site, being played with an actual analogue synthesiser, and a high-quality recording is made available back to the user. The proposed service model is characterised by batched access, processing automatically a queue of submitted jobs in such a way as to maximise the hardware utilisation and therefore allowing very low accessing costs for the end users. A significant contribution of this work is to show that a much higher efficiency is attainable with the proposed service model, what is not possible with both local or remote real-time systems. We proceed to analyse the possibility of implementing a variety of other analogue and acoustical processes for music production as remote audio servers, providing quality and cost-effective remote access from anywhere to anyone. The chapter discusses motivations and context in further detail, addresses major compromises, the required technology, and describes the implemented prototype. The ultimate goal is to allow musicians to compose, record and mix their music from simple tools in their computers but having the opportunity to access also very high-quality analogue and real instruments for final sound rendering. In this text, both digitally controlled and old analogue synthesisers are considered, as well as adapted and custom instruments, acoustical musical instruments of many sorts, effect processing units, analogue mixing consoles and a few others. A service like this can also make expensive or rare machines available to a wide range of users. Each different class of tools has its own context, requirements and challenges, for which possible solutions are discussed in this text, that also highlights the many commercial and creative possibilities of such an ubiquitous approach to analogue audio.