TechTV's Secrets of the Digital Studio
Insider's Guide to Desktop Recording
Published on 17. April 2002
Book
Mixed media product
432 pages
978-0-7897-2686-5 (ISBN)
Description
Learn to turn your PC into a recording studio! TechTV's Secrets of the Digital Studio: Insider's Guide to Desktop Recording enables audio do-it-yourselfers to turn a home PC into a nearly professional recording studio and provides the guidance necessary to use this desktop studio to produce high quality sound. This book covers a wide array of basic (and not so basic) audio techniques, from recording and mixing to burning CDs to developing a home set-up.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkeley
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 187 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
771 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7897-2686-5 (9780789726865)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
James Maguire is a journalist, audio producer, and multimedia sound designer. He has worked extensively as a composer and MIDI programmer and has been very active in developing audio for Web applications. As an engineer/producer, he has been nominated twice for an Emmy award for Excellence in Audio Production. Maguire has an M.A. degree in interactive communications and writes extensively about pop culture and technology, including covering the John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project for Wired, and interviewing artists such as Philip Glass and Suzanne Vega. This is his second book about audio technology. He can be reached at jmaguire@omnibeam.com.
Content
Introduction.
I. AUDIO STUFF IT REALLY HELPS TO KNOW.
1. Our Analog Ancestors and the Basics of Sound.
Frequency, Amplitude, and Elvis. Just One More Glance Back Before Plunging Madly Ahead.
2. Fast Forward: Digital Audio and the Nonlinear Now.
So What Is Digital Audio? Sample Rate. Important Digital Audio Terms, or, How to Use Jargon to Impress Your Friends.
3. Digital Audio, Continued.
Quantization: One Step at a Time. The Ear Proves (Once Again) It Has a Lot to Offer. Dither: Compensating for a Digital Problem.
4. MIDI: The Virtual Orchestra.
Is It Live...Or Is It MIDI? A Bunch of Jargon. The Brains of a MIDI System: Software. Additional MIDI Links.
II. LET'S START BUILDING.
5. The Desktop Philosophy: Virtually Everything Should Be Virtual, or, How Can We Do This Cheaper and Better?
The Eternal Rules of Desktop Audio. Virtually Everything Should Be Virtual. Exceptions to All-in-the-Box.
6. Software: The Basics.
The Joy of Software. It's a Digi, Digi, Digi World.
7. Software: The Extras.
The Ever-Expanding Universe of Audio Plug-Ins. Software Synthesizers: Easy to Carry. Software Synthesizers. Conversion Software: Turn Lead Into Gold. Utilities You Need: The Backup Players.
8. Hardware: Have PC, Will Travel.
Enough Options To Make Your Head Spin. Audio Interfaces: Audio Cards, Sound Cards, A/D Converters.
9. Extra Gear.
Audio Gear: It's Beautiful, and It Wants You To Take It Home.
10. Hooking It All Up: Connections and Cabling.
Connecting Gear to Your Computer. Connections Beyond Your Computer.
11. Typical Studio Setups: A Solution for Every Budget.
Everyone's Invited. But Wait, There's One Thing You Need No Matter What. A Professional's Home Studio: Chris Vrenna.
III. THE JOY OF RECORDING: HOW TO RECORD AND EDIT WITH YOUR DESKTOP AUDIO STUDIO.
12. How to Record and Edit.
Take One: Rolling. Edit Until Your File Is Unrecognizable. Recording Good Sound: Using Microphones. Recording Direct. The Overdub: Let's Add Still Another Track! But I'm Not Getting Any Sound!
13. Sampling.
Sampling Is What's Happening Now. Sampling Tips and Techniques.
14. DJ Nation: Getting Started as a Turntablist.
Long Ago, in a Galaxy Far Away. The DJ and the Desktop.
15. Audio Synchronization.
Let's All Get Together. Today's Studio and the Great Sync Stew: Word clock, SMPTE, and MTC.
16. Archiving.
New Problems, New Solutions. Okay, So You've Chosen a Backup Option. What Else Should You Know? The Raw Excitement of Library Work.
IV. CREATING YOUR SOUND: HOW TO MIX USING YOUR DESKTOP STUDIO.
17. Mixing, Part.
Finally, It's Time to Mix. Tools First, Then Techniques. Practical Applications. Compression: My Track Is Louder Than Yours. The Effects: An Ever-Expanding Palette.
18. Mixing, Part.
Let's Sit In on a Mix. Interview with a Working Professional.
19. DVD Audio and Surround Sound Mixing.
Coming to a (Home) Theater Near You. DVD: Format Versus Media. Uses for Musicians: DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and SACD. The Magic of Surround Sound. Your Studio's Surround Setup. Surround Mixing: The Quantum Leap. And Don't Forget: Stereo Is Still the Default.
V. THOSE DISCS WERE MADE FOR BURNING: DESKTOP CD BURNING.
20. CD Burning, the Basics.
The Inner Workings of a Compact Disc. Let's Get Started: First, CD-R or CD-RW? Burning: It's Easy, Except When It's Not. Hardware: How Cheap Can It Get?
21. CD Creation, Part 2: Before and After the Burn.
The Leap From Analog to Digital. (Improving) The Sound of Music: Restoration and Mastering. Duplication: Do It Yourself-or Not.
VI. THE INTERNET: THE DESKTOP RECORDIST'S BEST FRIEND.
22. Preparing Your Sounds for Uploading.
Global Self Promotion. Prep Work. Copyrighting Your Music.
23. File Swapping: Inside the Revolution.
Here to Stay. Where Did P2P Come From? How File Swapping Affects the Desktop Musician.
24. Collaborating Across Town-Or the Globe.
The Biggest Studio in the World. The Technophobe and the Madman. ISDN: The Speed of Real Time. The Future....
Appendix A. TechTV Quick Facts.
Audience. Web Site. International. Tech Live Quick Facts. Network Program Guide.
Index.
I. AUDIO STUFF IT REALLY HELPS TO KNOW.
1. Our Analog Ancestors and the Basics of Sound.
Frequency, Amplitude, and Elvis. Just One More Glance Back Before Plunging Madly Ahead.
2. Fast Forward: Digital Audio and the Nonlinear Now.
So What Is Digital Audio? Sample Rate. Important Digital Audio Terms, or, How to Use Jargon to Impress Your Friends.
3. Digital Audio, Continued.
Quantization: One Step at a Time. The Ear Proves (Once Again) It Has a Lot to Offer. Dither: Compensating for a Digital Problem.
4. MIDI: The Virtual Orchestra.
Is It Live...Or Is It MIDI? A Bunch of Jargon. The Brains of a MIDI System: Software. Additional MIDI Links.
II. LET'S START BUILDING.
5. The Desktop Philosophy: Virtually Everything Should Be Virtual, or, How Can We Do This Cheaper and Better?
The Eternal Rules of Desktop Audio. Virtually Everything Should Be Virtual. Exceptions to All-in-the-Box.
6. Software: The Basics.
The Joy of Software. It's a Digi, Digi, Digi World.
7. Software: The Extras.
The Ever-Expanding Universe of Audio Plug-Ins. Software Synthesizers: Easy to Carry. Software Synthesizers. Conversion Software: Turn Lead Into Gold. Utilities You Need: The Backup Players.
8. Hardware: Have PC, Will Travel.
Enough Options To Make Your Head Spin. Audio Interfaces: Audio Cards, Sound Cards, A/D Converters.
9. Extra Gear.
Audio Gear: It's Beautiful, and It Wants You To Take It Home.
10. Hooking It All Up: Connections and Cabling.
Connecting Gear to Your Computer. Connections Beyond Your Computer.
11. Typical Studio Setups: A Solution for Every Budget.
Everyone's Invited. But Wait, There's One Thing You Need No Matter What. A Professional's Home Studio: Chris Vrenna.
III. THE JOY OF RECORDING: HOW TO RECORD AND EDIT WITH YOUR DESKTOP AUDIO STUDIO.
12. How to Record and Edit.
Take One: Rolling. Edit Until Your File Is Unrecognizable. Recording Good Sound: Using Microphones. Recording Direct. The Overdub: Let's Add Still Another Track! But I'm Not Getting Any Sound!
13. Sampling.
Sampling Is What's Happening Now. Sampling Tips and Techniques.
14. DJ Nation: Getting Started as a Turntablist.
Long Ago, in a Galaxy Far Away. The DJ and the Desktop.
15. Audio Synchronization.
Let's All Get Together. Today's Studio and the Great Sync Stew: Word clock, SMPTE, and MTC.
16. Archiving.
New Problems, New Solutions. Okay, So You've Chosen a Backup Option. What Else Should You Know? The Raw Excitement of Library Work.
IV. CREATING YOUR SOUND: HOW TO MIX USING YOUR DESKTOP STUDIO.
17. Mixing, Part.
Finally, It's Time to Mix. Tools First, Then Techniques. Practical Applications. Compression: My Track Is Louder Than Yours. The Effects: An Ever-Expanding Palette.
18. Mixing, Part.
Let's Sit In on a Mix. Interview with a Working Professional.
19. DVD Audio and Surround Sound Mixing.
Coming to a (Home) Theater Near You. DVD: Format Versus Media. Uses for Musicians: DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and SACD. The Magic of Surround Sound. Your Studio's Surround Setup. Surround Mixing: The Quantum Leap. And Don't Forget: Stereo Is Still the Default.
V. THOSE DISCS WERE MADE FOR BURNING: DESKTOP CD BURNING.
20. CD Burning, the Basics.
The Inner Workings of a Compact Disc. Let's Get Started: First, CD-R or CD-RW? Burning: It's Easy, Except When It's Not. Hardware: How Cheap Can It Get?
21. CD Creation, Part 2: Before and After the Burn.
The Leap From Analog to Digital. (Improving) The Sound of Music: Restoration and Mastering. Duplication: Do It Yourself-or Not.
VI. THE INTERNET: THE DESKTOP RECORDIST'S BEST FRIEND.
22. Preparing Your Sounds for Uploading.
Global Self Promotion. Prep Work. Copyrighting Your Music.
23. File Swapping: Inside the Revolution.
Here to Stay. Where Did P2P Come From? How File Swapping Affects the Desktop Musician.
24. Collaborating Across Town-Or the Globe.
The Biggest Studio in the World. The Technophobe and the Madman. ISDN: The Speed of Real Time. The Future....
Appendix A. TechTV Quick Facts.
Audience. Web Site. International. Tech Live Quick Facts. Network Program Guide.
Index.