Microphones are covered extensively in Chapter 9, but for now let's take a look at some of the basics. When looking for a recording device, especially a studio-in-a-box solution, you need to figure out how many simultaneous microphones you want to use. Microphones don't put out enough energy to be adequately heard by themselves; they require microphone preamps to boost the signal. Recorders tend to skimp on the number of supplied microphone preamps, so check the specifications carefully to make sure that you have what you need.

If you find a great recorder at a great price with only two inputs for microphones and you would like to record four microphones at once, you're not stuck. You have the option to buy external microphone preamps that can plug directly into the line inputs; most recording devices provide plenty of line inputs. Buying more microphone preamps means spending more money, so do your homework when choosing a recorder. The microphones themselves have a wide range of prices, from $50 to as high as several thousand dollars.