Audio recorders have gone through a number of technological generations, from the acoustic etchings of the late 1800s, the electrical encoding leading up to the Second World War and the magnetic tape recording that followed it. It was the rise of digital in the mid-70s, however, which saw the democratisation of professional-grade technology.
Modern audio recorders include solutions for studio-quality capture of voice, field recordings, or dozens of simultaneous instruments. In-built hard-drives and removable storage cards often provide hundreds of hours of uninterrupted recording, while USB, wireless, and bluetooth connectivity can allow for seamless integration with the digital environment of your choice.