The Complete Home Music Recording Starter Kit: Create Quality Home Recordings on a Budget!

Table of Contents......Page 5
Introduction......Page 16
The Accessibility of Modern Recording Methods......Page 17
Ten Assumptions......Page 18
What We’ll Discuss......Page 19
Studio Log......Page 20
Get a Grip on Your Budget......Page 22
Analog’s Smooth Warmth or Digital’s Crystal Clarity......Page 23
Analog Options......Page 24
Digital Options......Page 26
Analog Versus Digital: The Great Debate......Page 28
PDS Versus DAW......Page 29
Mac Versus PC......Page 31
Studio Log......Page 33
Carve Out a Space of Your Own......Page 36
Finding Your Space......Page 37
Get Comfortable......Page 38
The Special Considerations of Live Mic Recording......Page 39
Audio Reflections......Page 41
Familiarize Yourself with the Sound of Your Room......Page 43
Attack Any Problems You Hear......Page 44
A Practical Approach......Page 46
Studio Log......Page 47
Your Computer: Command Central......Page 48
Minimum System Requirements......Page 49
RAM, Processors, and Storage......Page 51
Built-In Audio Interfaces......Page 53
High-Quality Audio Interfaces......Page 55
Setting Up an Audio Monitoring System......Page 59
Doing Without the Mixer......Page 60
Monitoring Through Speakers......Page 61
Get Familiar with Your Gear......Page 63
Studio Log......Page 64
4 An Introduction to ACID Pro Fundamentals......Page 66
Loop-Based Music Production......Page 67
Routing Your Windows System Sounds......Page 68
Establishing Your DAW’s Audio Routing......Page 69
Assembling a Loop-Based ACID Pro Project......Page 71
Previewing Audio Files......Page 72
Adding a File to Your Project......Page 73
Interacting with the Time Displays......Page 75
Adding More Tracks......Page 76
Adjusting Tempo and Key......Page 77
Setting Up Your Desired Folder Structure......Page 78
MIDI Sequencing......Page 80
What Is MIDI?......Page 81
How Your DAW Uses MIDI......Page 82
Studio Log......Page 83
5 Creating Your Guide Tracks......Page 84
Using the ACID Pro Metronome......Page 85
Establishing a Beat with ACID Pro Drum Loops......Page 87
Laying Down Scratch Rhythm and Vocal Tracks......Page 89
Setting Up to Record Your Scratch Tracks......Page 90
Ready, Set, Record!......Page 95
Rearranging Your Project......Page 97
Editing Your Scratch Tracks......Page 98
Studio Log......Page 99
Recording Live Acoustic Drums......Page 100
How Many Microphones Will You Use?......Page 101
The Realities of Recording an Acoustic Kit......Page 102
Recording with a Drum Machine......Page 103
Limitations......Page 104
Building Drum Tracks with Drum Loops......Page 105
Deciding Where To Place Your Fills......Page 106
Creating Fills with Different Loop Files......Page 107
Trimming a Loop to Just the Portion You Need......Page 109
Introducing Oneshot Files......Page 110
Arranging Your Oneshot Files on the Timeline......Page 111
Adjusting the Volumes of Individual Oneshot Events......Page 112
Copying and Pasting Events......Page 113
Working with Multiple Files on a Track......Page 115
Duplicating a Track and Swapping Files......Page 116
Trimming Your Oneshot Events to Ensure Natural Decay......Page 117
Building Drum Fills with Oneshots......Page 118
Studio Log......Page 120
7 Utilizing MIDI in Your Projects......Page 122
Setting Up a MIDI Track......Page 123
Adding MIDI Notes......Page 125
Choosing Your Synth Sound......Page 127
Arranging the MIDI Notes......Page 129
Creating Drum Fills......Page 131
Downloadable Sound Soft Synths......Page 133
Choosing a Different DLS Soft Synth......Page 134
Routing Your MIDI Through a VSTi......Page 138
Using a MIDI Controller and a Live Drummer to Record MIDI......Page 141
Working with Soft Synths for Keyboard Sounds......Page 144
Long-Distance Collaboration......Page 146
Studio Log......Page 149
8 Recording Electric Keyboards,Guitars, and Basses......Page 150
Microphone Selection......Page 151
Recording Without a Microphone......Page 152
Hardware Amp Emulators......Page 154
Setting Up the PODxt to Record a Track......Page 155
Recording Your Track......Page 157
Setting Up Your Software Amp Emulation......Page 161
Setting Up ACID Pro to Use Your Software Amp Emulator......Page 162
Results of Recording with a Software Amp Emulator......Page 165
Recording Keyboard Audio......Page 167
Studio Log......Page 168
Getting Ready to Record Vocals......Page 170
Blocking Out Audio Reflections......Page 171
Taming the Plosives......Page 173
Choosing the Microphone......Page 175
Ready, Set, Record!......Page 176
Setting Up a Track for Recording in ACID Pro......Page 177
Recording......Page 178
Punch-In Recording......Page 180
Multiple Take Punch-In Recording......Page 183
Studio Log......Page 185
10 Mixing Your Song......Page 188
To Mix or Not to Mix......Page 189
The Mixing Process......Page 190
The ACID Pro Mixing Console......Page 192
Setting Up the MIDI Drum Track for Mixing......Page 194
Adjusting MIDI Note Velocities......Page 195
Creating Audio Tracks from the MIDI Drum Sounds......Page 198
Breaking the MIDI Drums into Multiple MIDI Outputs......Page 202
Creating Submixes......Page 205
Creating Your Mix......Page 208
Creative Editing......Page 210
Adding DSP at the Recording Stage......Page 215
Studio Log......Page 216
11 Mastering Your Song......Page 218
To Master or Not to Master......Page 219
Your Mastering Studio......Page 220
Your Mastering Tools......Page 222
Equalization......Page 223
Reverb......Page 227
Multiband Compression......Page 229
Audio Limiting and Loudness Maximizing......Page 233
Setting Up a Mastering Session......Page 235
Studio Log......Page 238
Creating a Mixed File......Page 240
Rendering Your Project......Page 241
Batch Rendering......Page 244
Sequencing Your CD......Page 247
Burning Your CD......Page 251
Registering Your Copyrights......Page 252
Registering with a Performing Rights Organization......Page 253
Working with CD Baby......Page 254
Working a MySpace Music Account......Page 255
Making Connections at Broadjam......Page 256
Your Personal Website......Page 258
Studio Log......Page 259
How Much Can You Spend?......Page 262
What Connectivity Do You Want?......Page 263
What Input Connectivity Do You Need?......Page 264
Bit Depth and Sampling Rate......Page 265
Conclusion......Page 266
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I......Page 289
L......Page 290
M......Page 291
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P......Page 295
Q - R......Page 296
S......Page 298
T......Page 301
U - V......Page 302
X - Y - Z......Page 303