by Jason Johnston We will depart from our studio building theme for this month and talk about the most important aspect of getting a professional sound out of your home studio. Well, yes, you should be able to sing or play or whatever it is that you are trying to do. No plug-in can make up for lack of effort. But on the studio side, there is one fundamental equalizer for all studios in the world: The Signal Chain. The signal chain is the path which connects the audio signal being recorded to the final media that the signal is being recorded onto. A couple of common examples: Mic -- XLR Cable --- Mixer --- Output cable (RCA) --- Tape Recorder or in the modern home studio: Mic -- XLR Cable --- Audio Interface (eg. Presonus Firebox, Edirol UA-25, or M-Audio Fast track pro - three of our favourites) -- USB or Firewire Cable --- Computer Software --- Hard drive You have heard it said - a Chain is only as strong as its weakest link, this is not only a truism...it is a true truism. This is our approach to quality sound the studio. There is no point in buying a $1000 interface and then hooking them up with the cables the cat has been chewing for the last 10 years. Every link is important. When you are having trouble with your quality, think about your chain - Then ask where is the weakest link? How can I improve it?