Software products, theories, and preferences within the recording industry have taken over the best to the worst options in what to use to get the perfect mix. Recording engineers and specialists always spend their time thinking about the best way to mix and master a wave file and the way to really get the job done. However, the need to have specific measurements for different software and hardware is not necessarily important.
No matter what you record with, the brand you use, or the software that is a part of your studio, you need to remember only one general rule. That is that a wave file is just a wave file. The sound that goes into the computer from your instrument will always be that same wave file, no matter what you try to use, change, or create to make it the perfect wave file.
This means that the software you use, how you plug in your musical instruments for recording, and the type of instruments you use will lead to the same thing—the sound wave. No matter how many theories or ideas cross over into what the ‘best’ is, it always comes back to this one general term. This is important to become overwhelmed by the amount of information available and to recognize that the entire recording process is based around this one concept and how you can use it the best.
What one should be looking at in terms of the wave files can be done to create the best sound. You want your mixing and mastering to lead you to the sound that fits you as a unique and creative sound. You also want it to keep a certain level of control with volume as well as clarity. With every step in the mixing and mastering process, this should be in mind first, not necessarily what you go through to get it there.
Beyond this, your rule of thumb should be how to make the wave files to perform at their best. This relates to taking care of the peaks and the low points so that it sounds in a way that is best suited to whatever format you are putting it in and the ability to create a complete sound to the ear.
These should have priority because it is the demonstration of the wave file to the ear that becomes the most important thing in the end. If you can remember this as your end goal with the recording, you can go through whatever is needed to make the correct associations with the songs you are playing.
The importance of the wave file is that it is your communication of music. Because of this, you want to make sure that you use the correct tools and the ones that are best suited to what you need. This isn’t something that needs to be associated with the instrumentation, software, or amount of things you have in your studio. If you know how to use a wave file and create the best sound you are on your way to making a professional song.
