Douglas, would you have any insight into Pro Tools vs hardware based recording systems? I like the idea of the flexibility of using the computer to record, but well over a decade ago, I kept hearing about all these issues with "latency"... seemed like guys were going through all this hassle and buying extra gear to get around the fact that there's a lag between the time you hear something and the time you record when using a computer soundcard. I hadn't looked at or considered computer based recording for more than 10 years. Looking into it again recently, I was surprised to see that guys are still talking about latency being an issue and something that needs to be addressed when multi-tracking with your computer. I priced out Pro Tools software with an interface at around $1000... yet stand-alone digital multi-trackers can be had for as little as $100, for a little four or six track, to $500 for something like the Zoom R24. In the reviews about Pro Tools, guys are still talking about dealing with latency problems, where as with any of the digital multi-trackers, its not an issue at all. I've heard people talk about the increased audio quality using software, but most of the hardware multi-trackers record at a quality level comparable to what most studio albums were being recorded at not very long ago.

I feel like I'm missing some part of the puzzle... is there a simple, easy way around latency? Or is it something that all computer based recording systems have to deal with. I still get lost when people start talking about DAW's vs computers... I realize "DAW" stands for "Digital Audio Workstation"... but I don't really get what guys mean when they say that. I have a Korg D3200 (unfortunately its in storage while my house is being renovated, but the recordings I made with it sounded great)... is that considered a "DAW"?

I think I would like being able to work, edit, and mix on my computer, but it seems like a road that ends up being plagued with "well, ya gotta buy this.." and "oh, well, ya, the software can't do that, unless you do this..." The little exposure I've had it always seemed like I was trying to trick the software into doing what I needed it to do... to get it to perform as advertised. With both the Korg D3200 and my Tascam DP-004, they just work. I spend my time recording and thinking about creative decisions instead of searching through help files, looking through menus for a command, or trying to magically push the right buttons on the computer to get something to work the way it was supposed to.

As you can tell, I'm kind of jaded on the whole computer recording thing, but I'd love some direction that could possibly steer me around the pitfalls I've already experienced.