[GRC]

Originally Posted by Audioarchivist

OK, after a Google search that I didn't do earlier, the Alesis Masterlink is a standalone hard disk recorder that spits out CD-r's as the finished product....

Yup.

That looks acceptable!

I still wouldn't call it the "best" way to get audio shared (no hi-res files this way!) but it works.

Disagree. Look at the spec for the Alesis, it goes to 24/96 if I want it to.

A standalone transfer to an outboard CD burner means a CD-r / EAC extraction is totally necessary!

Yes.

Technically with this unit, though, the files DO exist as .wav files before the CD-r is burned, as it records to an internal hard drive so you can edit and master the recording inside the unit (much like you can do with a computer) and then burn your edited and finalized CD. Since the unit can record at 24/96, I wonder if you can export the files directly from the hard drive in the unit and bypass the CD-r step? Perhaps it might be unnecessary after all?

There's no means to access the files on the HDD other than by spitting out a CDR, either as a redbook CD, or as a set of .AIFF files, at whatever resolution has been committed to the HDD. Audio recorded at 24/96 outputs a 24/96 AIFF to the CDR.

I'm not convinced it stores them on the HDD as .WAV files anyway. It uses its own proprietary operating system, and even taking the HDD out of the machine, and connecting to a PC, it's unreadable by a windows machine.

I fully anticipate that some reader's response, possibly yours, will be - why not feed the audio direct to a computer and bypass the Masterlink?

My response would be - why should I? Is there anything inherently wrong with doing it this way? The Alesis was designed as a pro-grade piece of studio kit, it's widely quoted that the DA and AD converters are amongst the best in the biz, so I'd have to hunt around for a soundcard that matched them ....

And then there's the practical consideration of - all computer upstairs, hifi (with all sources & media) downstairs.