Musician's Guide to Home Recording – serie

Vocals tell the story that make the all-important connection between singer and listener, but recording a vocal isn''t as simple as just putting a mic in front of someone and hoping for the best. This book – written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style – covers all aspects of creating great vocals including:• How to choose the right mic• Mic placement• Microphone accessories like cables and pop filters• Mic preamps• How to take maximum advantage of composite recording• Editing vocals digitally to prepare them for the best possible mix• Using processors (such as equalization, dynamics, and time-based effects) during mixdown to enhance vocal quality• Automation• Techniques for layered vocals, and moreHowever, what makes this book truly special is that it goes beyond technology to include valuable tips and techniques on how to obtain the best vocal performances. Topics include how to connect with listeners, ways to convey a singer''s personality, "emotional" dynamic range, and how to know when a take is the right take.Loaded with illustrations and featuring the judicious use of sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know "why" as well as "how," How to Record Great Vocals is the key to transforming raw vocals into satisfying, emotional experiences.

Vocals tell the story that make the all-important connection between singer and listener, but recording a vocal isn't as simple as just putting a mic in front of someone and hoping for the best. This book – written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style – covers all aspects of creating great vocals including:• How to choose the right mic• Mic placement• Microphone accessories like cables and pop filters• Mic preamps• How to take maximum advantage of composite recording• Editing vocals digitally to prepare them for the best possible mix• Using processors (such as equalization, dynamics, and time-based effects) during mixdown to enhance vocal quality• Automation• Techniques for layered vocals, and moreHowever, what makes this book truly special is that it goes beyond technology to include valuable tips and techniques on how to obtain the best vocal performances. Topics include how to connect with listeners, ways to convey a singer's personality, "emotional" dynamic range, and how to know when a take is the right take.Loaded with illustrations and featuring the judicious use of sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know "why" as well as "how," How to Record Great Vocals is the key to transforming raw vocals into satisfying, emotional experiences.

The best recordings are for nothing if the mix doesn't present those tracks in the best possible way – and this book is all about how to make mixes that pull the listener in. It's not just about the technology, but the art of mixing as well. Written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style, topics include:• Feel vs. perfection• The importance of the arrangement for mixing• Tailoring material for your audience• Monitoring and acoustics• Software mixer architecture• Unique aspects of mixing with digital audio• How to use plug-ins• Integrating external hardware with computers, the "12-step program" to create great mixes• Panning techniques• Equalization• Dynamics processing• Time-based effects• Placing effects in the right order• How to use automation• Hardware control surfaces• Mixing with virtual instruments• Adding expressiveness in the mix• Using ReWire, beyond conventional mixing techniques• Mixing and MIDI, and much moreFar from being a laundry list of mixing techniques, How to Create Compelling Mixes places equal emphasis on the art of mixing. With copious illustrations and featuring the judicious use of sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know "why" as well as "how," How to Create Compelling Mixes is essential reading about how to get the most out of this crucial processor for mixing and mastering.

Equalization is one of the most important signal processors – perhaps the most important signal processor – for mixing and mastering. This book goes beyond explaining equalization to giving essential tips on how to use equalization to make better music. Written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style, topics include:• Equalizer parameters• When to use different equalizer responses• Linear vs. non-linear phase EQ• Plug-in formats, mid/side equalization• Typical equalizer controls• Real-world examples of EQ in products from Ableton, Apple, Avid, iZotope, Steinberg, Propellerheads, Cakewalk, Softube, Studio One, Waves, Universal Audio, and moreThe book then covers general tips (solving problems with EQ, emphasizing instruments, when to apply EQ, applying mid/side EQ, understanding EQ curves, and more), then segues into EQ curves associated with musical styles, and presents a variety of EQ presets for drums, guitar, piano, voice, and bass. The book closes out with typical equalizer mastering presets, a special section on equalization tips for guitar, and includes an appendix on understanding frequency response.Chock full of illustrations and featuring the judicious use of sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know “why” as well as “how,” How to Apply Equalization is essential reading about how to get the most out of this crucial processor for mixing and mastering.

Along with a computer, an audio interface provides the all-important hardware foundation for computer-based recording. This book helps musicians choose, apply, and get the maximum performance from all types of audio interfaces. Written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style, topics include:• The significance of different types of analog and digital connections and how you would use them• Interconnection protocols (USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, PCIe) for Windows and Mac computers• Product options from portable, mobile units up to sophisticated mixers that can also serve as audio interfaces• The special requirements involved in recording guitar• The function of drivers and accessory programs (like software mixers for signal routing)• Ways to minimize delays that occur when using audio interfaces with computers• How and why to choose particular sample rates and resolutions• The "high-resolution audio" controversy• Microphone preamps• Using multiple interfaces• Expanding existing interfaces for more inputs• Understanding specifications• Various special features unique to particular interfaces, and moreLoaded with illustrations and featuring the judicious use of sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know "why" as well as "how," How to Choose and Use Audio Interfaces is essential reading about one of the most important elements needed for a high-quality, computer-based home or project studio.

Dynamics processors – often overused and sometimes misunderstood – can make or break mixing and mastering projects. This book goes beyond explaining how dynamics processors work by giving essential tips on how their proper application can help make better music. Written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style, topics include how to apply limiters, compressors, noise gates, expanders, maximizers, saturation, and multiband dynamics, whether in hardware or software form.Loaded with examples of real-world dynamics processors to explain their similarities and differences, How to Apply Dynamics Processing ventures further than similar books by covering dynamics processing with MIDI data, as well as “manual” dynamics processing done with recording software (phrase-by-phrase normalization for narration, “micro-mastering” to allow greater apparent volume when mastering, parallel dynamics, and more). There's also valuable information on how to achieve the most transparent effects possible, creative uses of sidechaining, and how to use creative “squashing” as an effect to obtain “vintage” compression sounds.Chock full of illustrations and featuring selected “tech talk” sidebars to give details on specific topics for those who want to know “why” as well as “how ” How to Apply Dynamics Processing tells everything today's musicians need to get the most out of these versatile processors.

Everything in the studio starts and ends with audio – both analog and digital – yet many musicians know a lot more about the principles of music than the principles behind audio. The Musician's Guide to Audio will include:• Audio theory – sound waves in the real world• Bit resolution• Sample rates• Distortion• The different types of decibels• The meaning of audio specifications• Frequency response• The different types of distortion• Signal-to-noise ratio• Dynamic range• How the human ear hears sound, and moreThe book then segues into specifications regarding levels, connection standards (both analog and digital), and resolving potential incompatibilities among different pieces of gear. Additional topics include information on the practical ramifications of audio, such as the basics of room acoustics, why speaker placement matters, audio distribution methods including data-compressed formats like MP3, the unique constraints of vinyl, and more.Filled with illustrations and featuring selected “tech talk” sidebars to give details on specific topics for those who want to know “why” as well as “how ” The Musician's Guide to Audio fills a unique need by avoiding overly-technical details, and instead emphasizing the practical implications involved in working with audio in the studio.

This book focuses on microphones as the essential link between the recording process and vocals, guitars, pianos, drums, and other acoustic sounds. Choosing the right mic can make or break a song. Authors Phil O'Keefe and Craig Anderton cover how to choose and apply mics with real-world examples and explanations. Topics include the following:• Understanding different microphone types• Essential miking accessories• Mic preamps and connections• Stereo miking techniques• How to mic specific instrumentsLoaded with illustrations and featuring sidebars with details on selected topics for those who want to know “why” as well as “how ” Microphones for the Recording Musician gives the practical knowledge needed to make the best possible home studio recordings.About the Musician's Guide to Home Recording SeriesThe book series Musician's Guide to Home Recording takes a clear, practical approach to today's world of computer-based recording. Each book in the series focuses with laser-like precision on a particular topic. Titles include How to Choose and Use Audio Interfaces, How to Create Superior Mixes, How to Record and Mix Great Vocals, and more. Readers can choose individual books to increase their knowledge in specific areas, or treat the series as a complete course and cover selected topics at their own pace.Musician's Guide to Home Recording is the definitive series to help musicians everywhere use digital recording, mixing, and editing to their fullest potential.