Chapter 1

As I went through the first chapter of the course materials, I found certain sections to be extremely helpful, and others to be somewhat intimidating for someone new to the world of digital music.
First, there is a list of terms that I did not find clearly defined, and they were not necessarily terms in bold. While I will look them up on my own, and a few are fairly well-understood, they were not clearly outlined in the text:
-base 2 number system
-level of abstraction
-phantom power
-interface

In this sense, being able to understand the underlying science and terminology will help me to better understand instructions on how to use my digital audio tools, and will allow me to ask better-worded questions.

There are also a few sections that haven't been completed, so I can't comment on the entire chapter.

I thought many of the "basics" sections were very well-written. The explanation of RAM and hard drives was effective (and I will use the information to shop for a new laptop). I also appreciated the clear explanation of what a firewire is, and when and where to use it. This sort of "product placement" was REALLY helpful- I think for anyone who is considering creating their own DAW, such product recommendations are great resources to ensure reliable hardware and compatible software.

The consistent bridge between MAC systems and Windows systems is useful too, especially as MAC becomes such a widely used system in creative fields. As someone who has worked with both (an is agonizing over choosing), having the information available for both systems will be useful.

As a musician specifically, I found the section on speakers to be interesting. The explanation of WHY getting higher quality speakers is important is great, and answers the "why-aren't-my-ThinkPad-speakers-good-enough?" question clearly and effectively. Since musicians are sticklers for sound, we can't get enough information on how to get better quality sounds, and how to ensure that what we are hearing is, in fact, what we are creating. Similarly, the microphone section was interesting to anyone who has EVER performed, whether it be in a middle-school chorus or a college-level chamber ensemble. Distinguishing the two types of mics as well as describing the pros and cons of each is helpful to anyone considering being a performer or working with them.

Supplement- Setting up your DAW
As for the supplemental section- the group had already gone through the process prior to my reading the text. Since I had already done a good deal of it, and worked out a number of bugs, I had a decent idea of what was being explained. I am not sure, however, that, without the guidance of a professor, I would be able to go through the process on my own. Perhaps if they were somewhat more list-oriented... I thought the paragraph construction of instructions made it hard to follow step-by-step.