You've recorded your rhythm guitar and bass tracks. You want to add a steel drum track but discover that the steel drum is grossly out of tune (as they often are). With most digital recorders, this is no problem. The recorder's speed can be changed to match the steel drum or keyboard or whatever. After the instrument is recorded, the machine can be returned to its original track speed with everything in tune.

One of the things you learn to love about a digital recorder is not having to wait while tapes rewind or fast forward, watching the counter so you don't run past the point you want to stop at. Digital machines relocate automatically, instantly. The machine just draws its information from a different place, rather than physically having to go there.

Since most machines allow for different sample rates, they can be adapted for optimum sound quality but less recording time, or lower resolution but extended recording time. This makes a digital recorder flexible, great for recording single songs at max quality, and also capable of recording long concerts without interruption. Lower the sample rate and record on two tracks continuously for hours.

On lower-end tape machines, punching in can be a problem in that it can be heard on the tape. Low end digital machines perform punch ins in a millisecond so every punch stays silent on the recording.

Tabletop digital studios may seem to have only simple controls compared to analog mixing boards. Each button, however, can call up several menus that give you control choices that can equate to those provided by a sophisticated mixing board with jillions of knobs.

Most digital recorders can be used to step time for sequencing and be made to run the scenes in light shows, or switch the effects on most digital mixers.

Many digital recorders use zip disks or some similar removable media rather than internal hard disks. This makes them especially easy for collaborating. If you and your buddy in Wisconsin have the same machine, you can mail zip disks back and forth. You don't have be around each other at all to make records together.

Storing your digital recordings is tidier than storing tape. Tapes don't like temperature extremes, or high humidity, and they get brittle after a few years. Digital recordings can be put stored on Zip Disks, Jaz disks, or CD ROMs that store better longer.