Modern recording techniques

Description

Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Introduction The Professional Studio Environment The Professional Recording Studio The Control Room The Retro Revolution The Changing Faces of the Music Studio Business The Project Studio Making the Project Studio Pay for Itself The Portable Studio The iRevolution Live/On-location Recording: A Different Animal Audio for Video and Film Audio for Games The DJ The Times, They’ve Already Changed: Multimedia and the Web Power to the People! Whatever Works for You The People Who Make It All Happen The Artist Studio Musicians and Arrangers The Producer The Engineer Assistant Engineer Maintenance Engineer Mastering Engineer Studio Management Music Law Women and Minorities in the Industry Behind the Scenes Career Development Self-Motivation Networking: “Showing Up Is Huge” The Recording Process 1. Preparation The Power of Preparation 2. Recording 3. Overdubbing Options in Overdubbing 4. Mixdown 5. Mastering 6. Product Manufacturing and/or Downloadable Distribution 7. Marketing and Sales Chapter 2 Sound and Hearing The Transducer The Basics of Sound Waveform Characteristics Amplitude Frequency Frequency Response Velocity Wavelength Reflection of Sound Diffraction of Sound Phase Phase Shift Harmonic Content Envelope Loudness Levels: The Decibel Logarithmic Basics The Decibel Sound-Pressure Level Voltage Power The “Simple” Heart of the Matter The Ear Threshold of Hearing Threshold of Feeling Threshold of Pain Taking Care of Your Hearing Psychoacoustics Auditory Perception Beats Combination Tones Masking Perception of Direction Perception of Space Direct Sound Early Reflections Reverberation Chapter 3 Studio Acoustics and Design Studio Types The Professional Recording Studio The Audio-for-Visual Production Environment The Audio-for-Gaming Production Environment The Project Studio Primary Factors Governing Studio and Control Room Acoustics Acoustic Isolation Walls Floors Risers Ceilings Windows and Doors Iso-Rooms and Iso-Booths Acoustic Partitions Noise Isolation Within the Control Room Symmetry in Control Room Design Frequency Balance Reflections Absorption High-Frequency Absorption Low-Frequency Absorption Room Reflections and Acoustic Reverberation Acoustic Echo Chambers Chapter 4 Microphones: Design and Application Microphone Design The Dynamic Microphone The Ribbon Microphone Further Developments in Ribbon Technology The Condenser Microphone Powering a Condenser Mic External Power Supply Phantom Power The Electret-Condenser Microphone Microphone Characteristics Directional Response Frequency Response Transient Response Output Characteristics Sensitivity Rating Equivalent Noise Rating Overload Characteristics Microphone Impedance Balanced/Unbalanced Lines Microphone Preamps Microphone Techniques Other Microphone Pickup Issues Low-Frequency Rumble Proximity Effect Popping Off-Axis Pickup Pickup Characteristics as a Function of Working Distance Close Microphone Placement Leakage Recording Direct Distant Microphone Placement Room Microphone Placement Room Pickup in the Studio The Boundary Effect “Reamping it” in the Mix Accent Microphone Placement Stereo and Immersive Mic Techniques Spaced Pair X/Y M/S Decca Tree Surround Miking Techniques Ambient/Room Surround Mics Surround Decca Tree Microphone Placement Techniques Brass Instruments Trumpet Trombone Tuba French Horn Guitar Acoustic Guitar Miking Near the Sound Hole Room and Surround Guitar Miking The Electric Guitar Miking the Guitar Amp Recording Direct The Electric Bass Guitar Keyboard Instruments Grand Piano Separation Upright Piano Electronic Keyboard Instruments Percussion Drum Set Miking The Drum Set Kick Drum Snare Drum Overheads Rack-Toms Floor-Tom Hi-Hat Tuned Percussion Instruments Congas and Hand Drums Xylophone, Vibraphone and Marimba Stringed Instruments Violin and Viola Cello Double Bass Voice Mic Tools for The Voice Woodwind Instruments Clarinet Flute Saxophone Harmonica Microphone Selection Shure SM57 Telefunken M81 AKG D112 Royer Labs R-121 Beyerdynamic M-160 AEA A440 Shure PGA181 AKG C214 Neumann TLM102 ADK Z-251 Townsend Labs Sphere L22™ Telefunken U47, C12 and ELA M251E Chapter 5 The Analog Tape Recorder To Commit or Not to Commit it to Tape? Magnetic Recording and its Media The Professional Analog ATR The Tape Transport The Magnetic Tape Head Equalization Bias Current Monitoring Modes To Punch or Not to Punch Tape, Tape Speed and Head Configurations Print-Through Analog Tape Noise Cleanliness Degaussing Editing Magnetic Tape Backup and Archive Strategies Backing Up Your Analog Project Archive Strategies C.L.A.S.P Tape Emulation Plug-Ins Chapter 6 Digital Audio Technology The Language of Digital Digital Basics Sampling Quantization The Devil’s in the Details The Nyquist Theorem Oversampling Signal-to-Error Ratio Dither Fixed-vs. Floating-Point Processing The Digital Recording/Reproduction Process The Recording Process The Playback Process Sound File Basics Sound File Sample Rates Sound File Bit Depths Professional Sound File Formats Regarding Digital Audio Levels Digital Audio Transmission AES/EBU S/PDIF SCMS MADI ADAT Lightpipe TDIF Signal Distribution What Is Jitter? Wordclock Chapter 7 The Digital Audio Workstation Integration Now—Integration Forever! DAW Hardware The Desktop Computer The Laptop Computer System Interconnectivity USB FireWire Thunderbolt Audio Over Ethernet The Audio Interface Audio Driver Protocols Latency Need Additional I/O? DAW Controllers Hardware Controllers Instrument Controllers Touch Controllers Large-Scale Controllers Sound File Formats Sound File Sample and Bit Rates Sound File Interchange and Compatibility Between DAWs DAW Software Sound Recording and Editing Fixing Sound with a Sonic Scalpel Comping MIDI Sequencing and Scoring Support for Video and Picture Sync Real-Time, On-Screen Mixing DSP Effects DSP Plug-Ins Accelerator Processing Systems Fun with Effects Equalization Dynamics Delay Pitch and Time Change ReWire Mixdown and Effects Automation Exporting a Final Mixdown to File Power to the Processor . . . Uhhh, People! 1. Get a Computer That’s Powerful Enough 2. Make Sure You Have Enough Fast Memory 3. Keep Your Production Media Separate 4. Update Your Drivers—With Caution! 5. Going (At Least) Dual Monitor 6. Keeping Your Computer Quiet 7. Backup, Archive and Networking Strategies Computer Networking 8. Session Documentation Documenting Within the DAW Make Documentation Directories 9. Accessories and Accessorize In Closing Chapter 8 Groove Tools and Techniques The Basics Pitch Shift Algorithms Warping Beat Slicing Audio to MIDI Groove Hardware Groove Software Looping Your DAW Loop-based Audio Software ReWire Groove and Loop-based Plug-Ins Drum and Drum Loop Plug-Ins Pulling Loops into a DAW Session Groove Controllers DJ Software Obtaining Loop Files from the Great Digital Wellspring Chapter 9 MIDI and Electronic Music Technology The Power Of MIDI MIDI Production Environments What Is MIDI? What MIDI Isn’t System Interconnections The MIDI Cable MIDI Phantom Power Wireless MIDI MIDI Jacks MIDI Echo Typical Configurations The Daisy Chain The Multiport Network Exploring the Spec The MIDI Message MIDI Channels MIDI Modes Channel Voice Messages Explanation of Controller ID Parameters System Messages MIDI and the Computer Connecting to the Peripheral World The MIDI Interface Electronic Instruments Inside the Toys Instrument and Systems Plug-Ins Keyboards The Synth Samplers Sample Libraries and DIY Sampling The MIDI Keyboard Controller Percussion Instruments and Controllers The Drum Machine MIDI Drum Controllers Drum Replacement Other MIDI Instrument and Controller Types Sequencing Integrated Hardware Sequencers Software Sequencers Basic Introduction to Sequencing Recording Setting a Session Tempo Changing Tempo Click Track Multitrack MIDI Recording Punching In and Out Step Time Entry Drum Pattern Entry MIDI to Audio Audio to MIDI Saving Your MIDI Files Documentation Editing Practical Editing Techniques Transposition Quantization Humanizing Slipping in Time Editing Controller Values Playback Mixing a Sequence Music Printing Programs Chapter 10 The iOS in Music Production Audio Inside the iOS Core Audio on the iOS AudioBus Audio Units for the iOS Connecting the iOS to the Outside World Audio Connectivity MIDI Connectivity Recording Using iOS Handheld Recording Using iOS Mixing With iOS iDAWs Taking Control of Your DAW Using the iOS The iOS on Stage iOS and the DJ iOS as a Musical Instrument The Ability to Accessorize Chapter 11 Multimedia and the Web The Multimedia Environment The Computer Television and the Home Theater Delivery Media Networking The Web The Cloud Physical Media The CD The DVD Blu-ray The Flash Card and Memory USB Stick Media Delivery Formats Uncompressed Sound File Formats PCM Audio File Formats DSD Audio Compressed Codec Sound File Formats Perceptual Coding MP3 MP4 WMA AAC FLAC Tagged Metadata MIDI Standard MIDI Files General MIDI Graphics Video Multimedia in the “Need for Speed” Era On a Final Note Chapter 12 Synchronization Timecode Timecode Word Sync Information Data Timecode Frame Standards Timecode Within Digital Media Production Broadcast Wave File Format MIDI Timecode MIDI Timecode Messages SMPTE/MTC Conversion Timecode Production in the Analog Audio and Video Worlds Timecode Refresh and Jam Sync Synchronization Using SMPTE Timecode SMPTE Offset Times Distribution of SMPTE Signals Timecode Levels Real-World Applications Using Timecode and MIDI Timecode Master/Slave Relationship Video’s Need for a Stable Timing Reference Digital Audio’s Need for a Stable Timing Reference Video Workstation or Recorder Digital Audio Workstations Routing Timecode to and from Your Computer Analog Audio Recorders A Simple Caveat Keeping Out of Trouble Chapter 13 Amplifiers Amplification The Operational Amplifier Preamplifiers Equalizers Summing Amplifiers Distribution Amplifiers Power Amplifiers Voltage and Digitally Controlled Amplifiers Chapter 14 Power- and Ground-Related Issues Grounding Considerations Power Conditioning Multiple-Phase Power Balanced Power Hum, Radio Frequency (RF) and Electro-Magnetic Induction (EMI) Chapter 15 Signal Processing The Wonderful World of Analog, Digital or Whatever The Whatever Analog Analog Recall Digital Plug-Ins Plug-In Control and Automation Signal Paths in Effects Processing Insert Routing External Control Over an Insert Effect’s Signal Path Send Routing Viva La Difference Side Chain Processing Effects Processing Hardware and Plug-In Effects in Action Equalization Peaking Filters Shelving Filters High-Pass and Low-Pass Filters Equalizer Types Applying Equalization EQ in Action! Sound-Shaping Effects Devices and Plug-Ins Dynamic Range Dynamic Range Processors Compression Multiband Compression Limiting Expansion The Noise Gate Time-Based Effects Delay Delay in Action: Less than 15 ms Delay in Action: 15 to 35 ms Delay in Action: More than 35 ms Reverb Reverb Types Psychoacoustic Enhancement Pitch Shifting Time and Pitch Changes Automatic Pitch Correction Multiple-Effects Devices Dynamic Effects Automation and Editing Chapter 16 Noise Reduction Digital Noise Reduction Fast Fourier Transform Restoration Single-Ended Noise-Reduction Process The Noise Gate Chapter 17 The Art and Technology of Mixing The Art of Mixing Listening Ear Training Preparation Fixing It in the Mix Preparing for the Mix Providing a Reference Track Gain Structure Human Factors A Review of the Recording Process Recording Monitoring Overdubbing The Technology of Mixing Understanding the Underlying Concept of “The Mixing Surface” The Mixer/Console Input Strip Gain Level Optimization 1. Channel Input (Preamp) Hardware Console/Mixer Insert Point Virtual DAW Insert Point 2. Auxiliary Send Section 3. Equalization 4. Dynamics Section 5. Monitor Section In-Line Monitoring Direct Insert Monitoring Separate Monitor Section 6. Channel Fader 7. Output Section 8. Channel Assignment 9. Grouping 10. Main Output Mix Bus 11. Monitor Level Section 12. Patch Bay 13. Metering The Finer Points of Metering The VU Meter The Average/Peak Meter Digital Console and DAW Mixer/Controller Technology The Virtual Input Strip The DAW Software Mixer Surface Mix-Down Level and Effects Automation Write Mode Read Mode Drawn (Rubber Band) Automation The Finer Points of Mixing Mixing and Balancing Basics A Final Footnote on the Art of Mixing Chapter 18 Monitoring Speaker and Room Considerations Monitor Speaker Types Far-Field Monitoring Near-Field Monitoring Small Speakers Headphones Earbuds In-Ear Monitoring Your Car Speaker Design Active Powered vs. Passive Speaker Design Speaker Polarity Balancing Speaker Levels Monitoring Monitor Level Control Monitor Volume Spectral Reference Monitoring Configurations in the Studio 1.0 Mono 2.0 Stereo 2+1 Stereo + Sub Monitoring in the Recording Space Headphones in the Studio Playback Speakers in the Studio Chapter 19 Immersive Audio (5.1 and Beyond) Immersive Audio: Past to the Present Stereo Comes to Television Theaters Hit Home Today’s Immersive Audio Experience Mixing in Surround Surround Hardware/Software Surround Interfacing Surround Channel Assignments Monitoring in 5.1 and Beyond 5.1 Speaker Placement and Setup The LFE Bass Management in a Surround System Practical 5.1 Placement 5.0 Surround Minus an LFE 7.1 Speaker Placement 9.1 and 11.1 Height Channels—Adding to the Experience Dolby Atmos Auro Technologies Auro3D Active/Passive Monitors in Surround Noise Calibration Desert Island Reference Files/Discs Surround Final Mastering and Delivery Formats Uncompressed PCM Audio Dolby Digital (AC3) DTS MP4 FLAC Down-Mix/Up-Mix Down-Mix from 5.1 Up-Mix to 5.1 Authoring for Immersive Reissuing Back Catalog Material Chapter 20 Mastering The Final Mix Getting Too Close to the Mix Hiring a Professional Mastering Engineer To Master or Not to Master—Was That the Question? “Pre”-paration Providing Stems Providing a Reference Track To Be There, Or Not to Be There Sequencing: The Natural Order of Things To Master or Not to Master the Project Yourself—That’s the Next Question! The Zen of Self Self-Mastering? Desert Island Mixes Two-Step or One-Step (Integrated) Mastering Option Understanding the Signal Chain Mastering the Details of a Project Sound File Volume Sound File Resolution Dither Relative Volumes EQ Dynamics Compression in Mastering Limiting in Mastering Multiband Dynamic Processing in Mastering Mid/Side Processing Mastering Plug-Ins On a Final Note Chapter 21 Product Manufacture and Distribution Product Manufacture The CD The CD Manufacture Process CD Burning DVD and Blu-ray Burning Optical Disc Handling and Care Vinyl Disc Cutting Disc-Cutting Lathe Cutting Head Pitch Control The LP Mastering Process Vinyl Disc Plating and Pressing Product Distribution Online Distribution Uploading to Stardom Build Your Own Website Thoughts on Being (and Getting Heard) in Cyberspace Streaming Free Streaming Services Internet Radio Money for Nothin’ and the Chicks Legal Issues Royalties and Other Business Issues Ownership of the Masters Registering Your Work Form SR Form PA Collecting the $$$ Further Reading Chapter 22 Studio Tips and Tricks Preparation and the Details What’s a Producer and Do You Really Need One? Do You Need a Music Lawyer? A Short, Step-by-Step Overview of the Production Process 1. Long Before Going into the Studio 2. Before Going into the Studio 3. Going into the Studio 4. Setting Up 5. Session Documentation 6. Recording 7. Mix-Down 8. Mastering 9. Backup and Archive Strategies 10. Household Tips 11. Personal Skills and Tools 12. Protect Your Investment 13. Protect Your Hardware 14. Update Your Software 15. Read Your Manuals 16. A Word on Professionalism In Conclusion Chapter 23 Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Yesterday Today Tomorrow Happy Trails Index