San Francisco Public Library

Home recording for musicians for dummies, by Jeff Strong

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Home recording for musicians for dummies

890161348

by Jeff Strong

---For dummies

Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies offers simple explanations on how to record music in a home studio, no matter your style, method, or sound. With expert guidance every step of the way, you'll find the answers to your questions about choosing equipment, recording tracks, editing, mixing, mastering, and more. Updated to reflect the latest home recording technology, this new edition addresses styles from live bands to electronica with easy navigation to the information you need most. Beginners will find straightforward instruction on the fundamentals, while more experienced home recording engineers will appreciate insight to the tricks the pros use

Introduction: -- About This Book -- Foolish assumptions -- Icons used in this book -- Beyond the book -- Where to -- Part 1: Getting Started With Home Recording: -- Understanding Home Recording: -- Examining the anatomy of a home studio: -- Exploring the recording essentials -- Checking out recording system types -- Getting a glimpse into the recording process: -- Setting up a song -- Getting a great sound -- Recording -- Overdubbing -- Making sense of mixing: -- Cleaning up tracks using editing -- Equalizing your tracks -- Processing your signal -- Blending your tracks -- Adding the final touches: -- Mastering your mixes -- Putting your music out into the world -- Promoting your music -- Getting the Right Gear: -- Determining your home studio needs -- Detailing your digital options -- Computer-based digital recording systems: -- Finding the right computer setup -- Getting the sound in and out -- Choosing the right software -- Studio-in-a-box systems: -- Taking a look at the benefits -- Examining some popular SIAB systems -- Mobile-device recording: -- Android -- Apple iOS -- Windows -- Stand-alone Recorders -- Examining analog goodies: -- Tube stuff -- Tape saturation emulators -- Reality check -- Exploring sample setups: -- Live and MIDI studio -- MIDI-intensive studio -- Live studio -- Getting Connected: Setting Up Your Studio: -- Understanding analog connections: -- 1/4-inch analog plug -- XLR -- RCA -- Delving into digital connections: -- MIDI -- AES/EBU -- S/PDIF -- ADAT lightpipe -- TDIF -- USB -- FireWire -- Thunderbolt -- Sampling some studio setups: -- Audio with some MIDI -- MIDI-intensive setup -- Live audio -- Working efficiently: -- Taming heat and dust -- Monitoring your monitors -- Optimizing your room: -- Isolating sound -- Controlling sound -- Part 2: Recording 101: -- Meet The Mixer: -- Meeting the many mixers: -- Analog mixer -- Digital mixer -- Software mixer -- Computer control surface -- Understanding mixer basics: -- Examining inputs -- Checking out the channel strip -- Recognizing mixer routing -- Opting for outputs -- MIDI And Electronic Instruments: -- Meeting MIDI: -- Perusing MIDI ports -- Understanding MIDI channels -- Appreciating MIDI messages -- Managing modes -- Taking orders from general MIDI -- Gearing up for MIDI: -- Sound generators -- Sound card -- MIDI controller -- Sequencer -- MIDI interface -- Understanding Microphones: -- Meeting the many microphone types: -- Construction types -- Polarity patterns -- Assessing your microphone needs -- Deciding how many microphones and what kind: -- Getting started -- Movin' on -- Going all out -- Finding the right mic for the situation -- Partnering mics with preamps: -- Solid-state -- Vacuum tube -- Hybrid -- Considering compressors -- Analyzing some microphone accessories: -- Microphone cords -- Microphone stands -- Pop filters -- Caring for your microphones: -- Daily care -- Storage -- Part 3: Getting Ready to Record: -- Getting A Great Source Sound: -- Making sense of the signal chain -- Setting optimal signal levels -- Understanding pre and post levels: -- Interpreting the various levels -- Looking at examples -- Getting a great guitar sound -- Creating a killer keyboard sound -- Making the most of microphones: -- Placing mics properly -- Compressing carefully -- Taking A Look At Microphone Techniques: -- Singling out spot miking -- Detailing distant miking -- Assessing ambient miking -- Selecting stereo miking: -- X-Y pairs -- Blumlein technique -- Spaced pairs -- Stereo microphones -- Overcoming problems with stereo miking -- Creating miking combinations -- Miking Your Instruments: -- Getting a great lead vocal sound: -- Making the most of the room -- Choosing the best mic -- Getting good backup vocals -- Examining electric guitar miking: -- Using the room -- Getting the most out of the mics -- Exploring electric bass miking: -- Managing the room -- Getting the most from the mic -- Miking acoustic guitars and similar instruments: -- Making the most of the room -- Using your mics --Maneuvering horns mics: -- Understanding the role of the room -- Making the most of the mics -- Placing mics for a piano: -- Harnessing the sound of the room -- Managing the mics -- Setting up mics for strings: -- Making the most of the room -- Making sense of the mics -- Digging into drum set miking: -- First things first: tuning your drums -- Using the room to your benefit -- Picking up the kick (bass) drum -- Setting up the snare drum -- Tacking the tom-toms -- Handling the hi-hats -- Creating the best cymbal sound -- Miking the whole kit -- Getting your hands on hand drums -- Perfecting percussion miking: -- Exploring the impact of the room -- Choosing and using the mics --Part 4: Laying Track: Starting To Record: -- Multitrack Recording: -- Understanding multitracking -- Getting ready to record: -- Setting up a song -- Selecting a sound source -- Setting levels -- Getting the sound you want -- Choosing a monitoring sources -- Saving your work -- Sharing files with others -- Recording Audio: -- Performing your first take -- Punching in and out: -- Manual punching -- Punching with a foot switch -- Automatic punching -- Repeated punching (looping) -- Exploring overdubbing -- Submixing -- Bouncing -- Keeping track of your tracks -- Recording And Editing MIDI Data: -- Synchronizing your devices: -- Synchronizing two (or more) synthesizers -- Synchronizing a computer sequencer and a synthesizer -- Synchronizing a sequencer and an audio recorder -- Using the transport function from one device to control another -- Sequencing: -- Recording MIDI data -- Overdubbing -- Editing your data -- Quantization -- Transposing -- Saving your data -- Transferring data using MIDI -- Part 5: Turning Your Tracks Into A Finished Song: -- Editing Your Performance: -- Understanding digital editing: -- Copy -- Cut/delete/erase -- Insert -- Paste -- Move -- Export/import -- Undo -- Finding the section you want to edit: -- Editing aurally -- Editing visually -- Editing to improve the sound of a performance: -- Replacing a bad note -- Evening out a performance -- Getting rid of distortion -- Getting rid of noise -- Correcting pitch problems -- Creating a performance that never happened: -- Creating loops -- Assembling a song -- Making composites of your tracks -- Discovering other ways to use editing: -- Adjusting the length of a performance -- Reversing a phrase -- Mixing Your Music: -- Understanding mixing -- Getting started mixing your song -- Exploring equalization: -- Graphic -- High- and low-shelf -- High- and low-pass filters -- Parametric -- Equalizing your tracks: -- Dialing in EQ -- Starting with general guidelines -- Vocals -- Guitar -- Bass -- Drums -- Percussion -- Piano -- Horns -- Using the stereo field: -- Panning left or right -- Placing sound in front or back -- Adjusting levels: enhancing the emotion of the song: -- Dynamics -- Arrangement -- Automation: riding the faders: -- Real-time automation -- Snapshot automation -- Tuning your ears: -- Listening critically -- Choosing reference recordings -- Dealing with ear fatigue -- Making several versions -- Dialing In Signal Processors: -- Connecting effects: -- Insert -- Send/return -- Controlling loudness and softness with dynamics processors: -- Introducing compressors/limiters --Targeting frequency ranges with multiband compression -- Getting started using compression -- Sampling some compression settings -- Introducing gates -- Getting started using gates -- Introducing expanders -- Getting started using and expanders -- Adding ambiance with effects processors: -- Introducing reverb -- Getting started using reverb -- Introducing delay -- Getting started using delay -- Introducing pitch shifting -- Chorus -- Getting started chorusing -- Simulating effects: -- Microphone simulator -- Amp simulator -- Mastering Your Music: -- Demystifying mastering: -- Processing -- Sequencing -- Leveling -- Getting ready to master -- Paying a pro or doing it yourself -- Hiring a professional mastering engineer -- Mastering your music yourself: -- Optimizing dynamics -- Perfecting tonal balance -- Sequencing your songs -- Balancing levels -- Preparing for distribution -- Creating Your Finished Product: -- Getting into CD recording -- Purchasing CD-Rs -- Recording your music to CD-R: -- Using different CD recorders -- Recording for mass production -- Protecting your rights -- Making multiple copies: -- Doing it yourself -- Having someone else do it -- Understanding downloadable music files: -- Bit rate -- Mode -- Creating MP3 files: -- Choosing encoding software -- Encoding your music -- Pressing vinyl -- Part 6: Part Of Tens: -- Ten (Or So) Ways To Distribute And Promote Your Music: -- Marketing yourself -- Setting up your music website -- Putting your music on a music host site -- Engaging in social media networking -- Offering free downloads -- Selling downloads -- Licensing your music -- Streaming audio -- Podcasting -- Selling your CDs -- Connecting with an Email newsletter -- Ten Invaluable Recording Tips: -- Using an analog tape deck -- Layering our drum beats -- Decorating your room -- Setting a tempo map -- Listening to your mix in mono -- Doubling and tripling your tracks -- Tapping the input of your mixer -- Overdubbing live drums -- Pressing record, even during a rehearsal -- Leaving the humanity in your tracks -- Index