The Recording Engineer's Handbook


Book Description

Working as a recording engineer presents challenges from every direction of your project. From using microphones to deciding on EQ settings, choosing outboard gear to understanding how, when and why to process your signal, the seemingly never-ending choices can be very confusing. Professional Audio's bestselling author Bobby Owsinski (The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, The Mastering Engineer's Handbook) takes you into the tracking process for all manner of instruments and vocals-- providing you with the knowledge and skill to make sense of the many choices you have in any given project. From acoustic to electronic instruments, mic placement to EQ settings, everything you need to know to capture professionally recorded audio tracks is in this guide.




Handbook for Sound Engineers


Book Description

Handbook for Sound Engineers is the most comprehensive reference available for audio engineers, and is a must read for all who work in audio. With contributions from many of the top professionals in the field, including Glen Ballou on interpretation systems, intercoms, assistive listening, and fundamentals and units of measurement, David Miles Huber on MIDI, Bill Whitlock on audio transformers and preamplifiers, Steve Dove on consoles, DAWs, and computers, Pat Brown on fundamentals, gain structures, and test and measurement, Ray Rayburn on virtual systems, digital interfacing, and preamplifiers, Ken Pohlmann on compact discs, and Dr. Wolfgang Ahnert on computer-aided sound system design and room-acoustical fundamentals for auditoriums and concert halls, the Handbook for Sound Engineers is a must for serious audio and acoustic engineers. The fifth edition has been updated to reflect changes in the industry, including added emphasis on increasingly prevalent technologies such as software-based recording systems, digital recording using MP3, WAV files, and mobile devices. New chapters, such as Ken Pohlmann’s Subjective Methods for Evaluating Sound Quality, S. Benjamin Kanters’s Hearing Physiology—Disorders—Conservation, Steve Barbar’s Surround Sound for Cinema, Doug Jones’s Worship Styles in the Christian Church, sit aside completely revamped staples like Ron Baker and Jack Wrightson’s Stadiums and Outdoor Venues, Pat Brown’s Sound System Design, Bob Cordell’s Amplifier Design, Hardy Martin’s Voice Evacuation/Mass Notification Systems, and Tom Danley and Doug Jones’s Loudspeakers. This edition has been honed to bring you the most up-to-date information in the many aspects of audio engineering.




Audio Engineering 101


Book Description

Audio Engineering 101 is a real world guide for starting out in the recording industry. If you have the dream, the ideas, the music and the creativity but don't know where to start, then this book is for you! Filled with practical advice on how to navigate the recording world, from an author with first-hand, real-life experience, Audio Engineering 101 will help you succeed in the exciting, but tough and confusing, music industry. Covering all you need to know about the recording process, from the characteristics of sound to a guide to microphones to analog versus digital recording. Dittmar covers all the basics- equipment, studio acoustics, the principals of EQ/ compression, music examples to work from and when and how to use compression. FAQ's from professionals give you real insight into the reality of life on the industry.




Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording


Book Description

(Technical Reference). More than simply the book of the award-winning DVD set, Art & Science of Sound Recording, the Book takes legendary engineer, producer, and artist Alan Parsons' approaches to sound recording to the next level. In book form, Parsons has the space to include more technical background information, more detailed diagrams, plus a complete set of course notes on each of the 24 topics, from "The Brief History of Recording" to the now-classic "Dealing with Disasters." Written with the DVD's coproducer, musician, and author Julian Colbeck, ASSR, the Book offers readers a classic "big picture" view of modern recording technology in conjunction with an almost encyclopedic list of specific techniques, processes, and equipment. For all its heft and authority authored by a man trained at London's famed Abbey Road studios in the 1970s ASSR, the Book is also written in plain English and is packed with priceless anecdotes from Alan Parsons' own career working with the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and countless others. Not just informative, but also highly entertaining and inspirational, ASSR, the Book is the perfect platform on which to build expertise in the art and science of sound recording.




Modern Recording Techniques


Book Description

As the most popular and authoritative guide to recording Modern Recording Techniques provides everything you need to master the tools and day to day practice of music recording and production. From room acoustics and running a session to mic placement and designing a studio Modern Recording Techniques will give you a really good grounding in the theory and industry practice. Expanded to include the latest digital audio technology the 7th edition now includes sections on podcasting, new surround sound formats and HD and audio. If you are just starting out or looking for a step up in industry, Modern Recording Techniques provides an in depth excellent read- the must have book




Roger Nichols Recording Method


Book Description

Learn the basics of digital recording, each step of the signal path, and everything from microphone placement to mixing strategy through the eyes and ears of "The Immortal" Roger Nichols, master engineer and eight-time Grammy-award winner. From scientifically analyzing the differences between condenser, ribbon, and dynamic microphones to sharing his secrets to an amazing mix, Nichols delivers something for everyone interested in the science and art of audio engineering---no matter what your experience level is. The Roger Nichols Recording Method offers you the unique opportunity to learn directly from Roger Nichols himself---exactly as he would have taught at one of his famous master classes. The book is excellent for beginners but is still full of information for seasoned pros who want to know how Roger always managed to get that sound. Included are links to Pro Tools session files, personally set up by Roger, to give you hands-on training. Covers: * How to plan your recording sessions like a professional engineer and producer * Choosing the right microphones and how Roger would place them for a session * Test microphone patterns; learning about critical distance placement and the 3 to 1 rule * Understanding digital audio and how it really works to choose the right format for your sessions * Learning about the signal path from microphone/instrument levels, channels strips, and plugins * Recording multiple takes, overdubs, punch-in techniques, and gaining insight on editing digital audio files * Roger's personal tips for mixing, using automation, creating your final mix, and more!




Recording Orchestra and Other Classical Music Ensembles


Book Description

Recording Orchestra and Other Classical Music Ensembles explores techniques and methodologies specific to recording classical music. Whether a newcomer or a seasoned engineer looking to refine their skills, this book speaks to all levels of expertise and covers every aspect of recording symphonic and concerto repertoire, opera, chamber music, and solo piano. With a focus on the orchestra as an instrument and sound source, this book features sections on how to listen, understanding microphones, concert halls, orchestra seating arrangements, how to set up the monitoring environment, and how to approach recording each section of the orchestra. Recording Orchestra provides concise information on preparing for a recording session, the role of the producer, mixing techniques, and includes a "quick-start" reference guide with suggested setups aimed at helping introduce the reader to the recording process. A companion website, featuring audio examples of various techniques, reinforces concepts discussed throughout the book. The content of the book includes: Clear, practical advice in plain language from an expert in classical music recording, multiple Grammy award winning recording engineer, and university professor The "secret of recording": a collection of practical recording techniques that have been proven to be highly successful in the field, on many occasions Never before published information written by an industry veteran with over twenty five-years of experience in classical music recording Specific techniques and strategies for recording orchestra, opera, wind symphony, chorus, string quartet, and other common classical music ensembles.




Here, There and Everywhere


Book Description

An all-access, firsthand account of the life and music of one of history's most beloved bands--from an original mastering engineer at Abbey Road Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, and was present as a new band called the Beatles recorded their first songs. He later worked with the Beatles as they recorded their singles “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” the songs that would propel them to international superstardom. In 1964 he would witness the transformation of this young and playful group from Liverpool into professional, polished musicians as they put to tape classic songs such as “Eight Days A Week” and “I Feel Fine.” Then, in 1966, at age nineteen, Geoff Emerick became the Beatles’ chief engineer, the man responsible for their distinctive sound as they recorded the classic album Revolver, in which they pioneered innovative recording techniques that changed the course of rock history. Emerick would also engineer the monumental Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums, considered by many the greatest rock recordings of all time. In Here, There and Everywhere he reveals the creative process of the band in the studio, and describes how he achieved the sounds on their most famous songs. Emerick also brings to light the personal dynamics of the band, from the relentless (and increasingly mean-spirited) competition between Lennon and McCartney to the infighting and frustration that eventually brought a bitter end to the greatest rock band the world has ever known.




Classical Recording


Book Description

Classical Recording: A Practical Guide in the Decca Tradition is the authoritative guide to all aspects of recording acoustic classical music. Offering detailed descriptions, diagrams, and photographs of fundamental recording techniques such as the Decca tree, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the essential skills involved in successfully producing a classical recording. Written by engineers with years of experience working for Decca and Abbey Road Studios and as freelancers, Classical Recording equips the student, the interested amateur, and the practising professional with the required knowledge and confidence to tackle everything from solo piano to opera.




Sound FX


Book Description

FX introduces today's up and coming musician to the fantastic creative potential of the most popular instrument today- the home studio. Explaining the basic and advanced signal processing techniques used in professional music production (EQ, compression, delay, reverb etc), using real world popular music examples and an emphasis on the perceptual results and musical value of these effects, FX teaches the Recording Musician how to achieve professional production standards and maximise their creative potential. The accompanying website www.soundfx-companion.com includes audio exaples of FX featured in the book. Features: A chapter dedicated to each key effect: Distortion Equalization Compression and Limiting Delay Expansion and Gating Pitch Shift Reverb Volume More than 100 line drawings and illustrations. Accompanying website featuring examples of all FX covered in the book. Discography of FX at the end of each relevant chapter. From the Sound FX Intro: The most important music of our time is recorded music. The recording studio is its principle musical instrument. The recording engineers and music producers who create the music we love know how to use signal processing equipment to capture the work of artists, preserving realism or altering things wildly, as appropriate. While the talented, persistent, self-taught engineer can create sound recordings of artistic merit, more productive use of the studio is achieved through study, experience and collaboration. This book defines the technical basis of the most important signal processing effects used in the modern recording studio, highlights the key drivers of sound quality associated with each, shares common production techniques used by recording engineers with significant experience in the field, references many of the touchstone recordings of our time, and equips the reader with the knowledge needed to comfortably use effects devices correctly, and, more importantly, to apply these tools creatively.