reCORDing

Recording is the process of capturing information for later playback, analysis, or archival. It encompasses audio, video, image, and data recording, as well as environmental and scientific measurements. Recordings can be analog or digital, and may be stored on physical media or in digital storage.

Historically, recording began with devices such as the phonautograph in the 19th century and the phonograph in 1877, enabling the capture of sound. Moving pictures emerged with film cameras; magnetic tape became a dominant medium in the mid-20th century. The digital era, beginning in the late 20th century, introduced computer-based recording, nonlinear editing, and compact storage.

In practice, recording requires sensors or transducers (microphones for audio, image sensors for video) to convert physical signals into electrical signals, which are then stored as sampled digital data or analog traces. Digital audio uses sampling rate and bit depth to determine fidelity (for example, 44.1 or 48 kHz, and 16 or 24 bits). Digital video uses resolution and frame rate, with formats and codecs that compress data for storage and transmission.

Common file formats include WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, and FLAC for audio; MP4, AVI, and MOV for video; and TIFF or RAW for images. Timecode, metadata, and archival standards help organize and preserve recordings over time.

Applications range from music production and broadcasting to filmmaking, journalism, scientific measurement, and historical archiving. Ethical and legal considerations include consent for subjects, copyright, data privacy, and long-term preservation practices to prevent data loss.