For most of the history of the recording industry, we were constrained by the limitations of tape-based audio recorders, expensive analog devices for signal processing, and the need for large, dedicated recording spaces. That changed with the coming of the digital revolution and the availability of affordable personal computers. It is now possible to produce music entirely in the digital domain with your personal computer at the heart of the process. As a producer of the twenty-first century, you stand at the intersection of art and technology, that human-computer symbiosis where you are a creative partner with your computer. Furthermore, you will be able to take advantage of the next phase in the audio recording revolution, which will bring even newer and better methods of marrying art with technology.