Practical Recording Techniques, Fourth Edition: The step-by-step approach to professional audio recording PDF
Preview Practical Recording Techniques, Fourth Edition: The step-by-step approach to professional audio recording
Practical Recording Techniques, Fourth Edition This Page Intentionally Left Blank Practical Recording Techniques Fourth Edition Bruce Bartlett Jenny Bartlett Amsterdam • Boston • Heidelberg • London New York • Oxford • Paris • San Diego San Francisco • Singapore • Sydney • Tokyo Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Acquisitions Editor: Emma Baxter and Catharine Steers Project Manager: Paul Gottehrer Assistant Editor: Becky Golden-Harrell Marketing Manager: Lucy Lomas-Walker Cover Design: Eric DeCicco Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Customer Support” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, Elsevier prints its books on acid-free paper whenever possible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Application submitted British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80685-3 ISBN 10: 0-240-80685-9 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com 05 06 07 08 09 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America Working together to grow libraries in developing countries www.elsevier.com | www.bookaid.org | www.sabre.org To family, friends, and music. This Page Intentionally Left Blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface xxv Acknowledgments xxvii 1 Music: Why You Record 1 Increasing Your Involvement in Music 2 Different Ways of Listening 2 Why Record? 3 2 The Recording Chain 5 Types of Recording 6 Live Stereo Recording 7 Live-Mix Recording 8 Separate Multitrack Recorder and Mixer 9 Stand-Alone DAW (Recorder-Mixer) 11 Computer DAW 11 MIDI Sequencing 13 Pros and Cons of Each Method 14 Editing/Mastering 16 Quality Levels of Recording Formats 16 3 Sound, Signals, and Studio Acoustics 19 Sound Wave Creation 19 Characteristics of Sound Waves 21 Amplitude 21 Frequency 21 Wavelength 22 Phase and Phase Shift 22 Phase Interference 23 vii Practical Recording Techniques Harmonics 24 Envelope 25 Behavior of Sound in Rooms 26 Echoes 26 Reverberation 27 Diffusion 29 Leakage 29 How to Tame Echoes, Reverb, and Leakage 30 Controlling Room Problems with Recording Techniques 30 Controlling Room Problems with Acoustic Treatments 30 Controlling Standing Waves 33 Making a Quieter Studio 33 Signal Characteristics of Audio Devices 35 Frequency Response 36 Noise 38 Distortion 38 Optimum Signal Level 38 Signal-to-Noise Ratio 38 Headroom 39 4 Equipping Your Studio 41 Low-Cost Recording Equipment 42 Microphone 42 Monitor System 43 Recording Device 43 Higher-Cost Recording Equipment 48 Mixer 49 Hard-Disk Recorder (HD Recorder) 49 Processors 50 HD Recorder-Mixer with 16 to 32 Tracks 50 High-End Recording Software and Hardware 50 Equipment Details 51 Recorder 51 Mixer 52 Effects 53 Microphones 54 Phantom-Power Supply 54 Mic Preamp 54 viii Table of Contents Direct Box 55 Monitor System 55 Rack and Patch Bay 56 Miscellaneous Equipment 56 Blank Recording Media 56 MIDI Studio Equipment 57 Setting Up Your Studio 59 Cables 59 Equipment Connectors 60 Cable Connectors 61 Cable Types 63 Rack/Patch Bay 65 Equipment Connections 66 Acoustic Treatment 69 Hum Prevention 70 Reducing Radio Frequency Interference 72 5 Monitoring 73 Speaker Requirements 74 NearfieldTM Monitors 75 Powered (Active) Monitors 77 The Power Amplifier 77 Speaker Cables and Polarity 78 Control-Room Acoustics 78 Speaker Placement 80 Using the Monitors 81 Headphones 82 The Cue System 83 Conclusion 85 6 Microphones 87 Transducer Types 87 General Traits of Each Transducer Type 90 Polar Pattern 91 Traits of Various Polar Patterns 93 Frequency Response 94 Impedance (Z) 97 ix
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