Practical Recording Techniques

Practical Recording Techniques covers all aspects of recording, perfect for beginning and intermediate recording engineers, producers, musicians, and audio enthusiasts. Filled with tips and shortcuts, this hands-on, practical guide gives advice on equipping a home studio (whether low-budget or advanced) and suggestions for set-up, acoustics, effects, choosing mics and monitor speakers, and preventing hum. This best-selling guide also instructs how to mike instruments and vocals, judge recordings and improve them, work with MIDI and loops, do mastering, and put your music on the web. Two chapters cover live recording of classical and popular music.

New in the seventh edition:

Complete update of all types of recording equipment, plug-ins, and recording software

Increased focus on current industry and classroom trends like DAW signal flow and operation (during recording and mixdown), while still covering analog fundamentals

Updated organization to focus and break up topics

Updated tips on optimizing your computer for multitrack recording – for both Windows and Mac

New sections on streaming audio, mobile-device recording, live recording with digital consoles, and psychoacoustics

Listen Online boxes highlight where audio samples on the website relate to chapter discussions

Updated companion website with audio examples, articles, and suggested activities, plus expanded and more user-friendly links to the best sites for videos and articles, recording techniques, equipment, and other learning resources. Instructors can download figures from the book, the audio files, and a test bank

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: A Basic Overview of the Recording Process

CHAPTER 2: Sound and Psychoacoustics

CHAPTER 3: Studio Acoustics

CHAPTER 4: Signal Characteristics of Audio Devices

CHAPTER 5: Equipping Your Studio

CHAPTER 6: Monitoring

CHAPTER 7: Microphones

CHAPTER 8: Microphone Technique Basics

CHAPTER 9: Microphone Techniques for Instruments and Vocals

CHAPTER 10: Equalization (EQ)

CHAPTER 11: Effects and Signal Processors

CHAPTER 12: Mixers and Mixing Consoles

CHAPTER 13: Digital Audio

CHAPTER 14: Computer Recording

CHAPTER 15: DAW Signal Flow

CHAPTER 16: DAW Operation

CHAPTER 17: Judging Sound Quality with Critical Listening

CHAPTER 18: MIDI and Loops

CHAPTER 19: Session Procedures

CHAPTER 20: Mastering and CD Burning

CHAPTER 21: On-Location Recording of Popular Music

CHAPTER 22: On-Location Recording of Classical Music

CHAPTER 23: Web Audio, Streaming, and Online Collaboration

APPENDIX A: dB or Not dB

APPENDIX B: Optimizing Your Computer for Multitrack Recording

APPENDIX C: Impedance

APPENDIX D: Phantom Power Explained

APPENDIX E: Legacy Recording Devices

AUDIO GLOSSARY

INDEX