Home Studio Setup: Everything You Need to Know from Equipment to Acoustics

194 Pages·2009·5.58 MB·English

by  Ben Harris

Home Studio Setup
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Home Studio Setup
Everything You Need to Know from
Equipment to Acoustics
Ben Harris
AmsterdAm • Boston • HeidelBerg • london • new York
oxford • PAris • sAn diego • sAn frAncisco
sing APore • sYdneY • tokYo
focal Press is an imprint of elsevier
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
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Copyright © 2009 Ben Harris. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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This book is dedicated to my wife and children for their patience
and support; and to all of the passionate home recordists desiring
clear, accurate, and pertinent information about home recording.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................xiii
SECTION 1 ACOUSTICS
l
ChApTEr 1. Introduction.to.Acoustics.............................................................................3
Fundamentals.of.Acoustics.......................................................................................................4
How.Sound.Travels.Through.Air.........................................................................................4
Frequency.and.Amplitude.....................................................................................................5
Delay.and.Reverberation......................................................................................................6
Common.Acoustic.Problems.....................................................................................................7
Flutter.and.Comb.Filtering...................................................................................................7
Room.Modes............................................................................................................................8
The.Two.Types.of.Acoustic.Treatment..................................................................................9
vii
Control......................................................................................................................................10
Isolation...................................................................................................................................12
Control.vs..Isolation...................................................................................................................13
ChApTEr 2. Planning..........................................................................................................15
Programming...............................................................................................................................15
Programming.Questions.....................................................................................................15
Function........................................................................................................................................16
Goals..............................................................................................................................................21
Time.and.Money.........................................................................................................................21
Making.the.Most.of.Your.Room.............................................................................................22
One.Room.or.Two?...............................................................................................................23
One.Large.Room...................................................................................................................23
Desk.and.Speaker.Orientation..........................................................................................23
Making.Your.Room.Work....................................................................................................25
ChApTEr 3. Construction...................................................................................................27
Basic.Construction.Tips.and.Tricks.......................................................................................27
Bass.Traps..............................................................................................................................27
Building.a.Bass.Trap...........................................................................................................28
Diffusion.................................................................................................................................29
viii Contents
Buying.or.Building.Diffusers..............................................................................................31
The.Problem.with.Foam......................................................................................................32
Alternatives.to.Foam...........................................................................................................32
Building.Additional.Permeable.Walls...............................................................................33
Wall.and.Floor.Construction..............................................................................................34
Panel.or.Membrane.Absorber............................................................................................35
Common.Problems.and.Solutions.........................................................................................37
Room.Modes..........................................................................................................................37
Equalization...........................................................................................................................38
Absorption...............................................................................................................................39
SECTION 2 EQUIpMENT
l
ChApTEr 4. Computers.and.Recording.........................................................................43
Digital.Audio.Workstation.(DAW)........................................................................................43
Software-Based.DAW........................................................................................................44
Pro.Tools.vs..Everything.Else...........................................................................................46
Mac.vs..PC..................................................................................................................................47
The.Legitimate.Reasons.to.Choose................................................................................47
Computer.Hardware.................................................................................................................49
The.Processor.......................................................................................................................49
The.Motherboard.................................................................................................................49
RAM.........................................................................................................................................50
USB.and.Firewire.................................................................................................................50
Hard.Drives.............................................................................................................................51
Video.Cards.............................................................................................................................53
Optical.Drives........................................................................................................................54
Sound.Cards.and.Audio.Interfaces..................................................................................54
PCI.Slots..................................................................................................................................55
Plug-Ins........................................................................................................................................56
Stock.vs..Third-Party.Plug-Ins.........................................................................................56
Modeled.vs..Digital..............................................................................................................58
Native.vs..DSP......................................................................................................................59
MIDI.Keyboards,.Synthesizers,.and.Samplers..................................................................59
MIDI.Controllers...................................................................................................................60
Samplers..................................................................................................................................61
Synthesizers..........................................................................................................................62
Loop.Players..........................................................................................................................63
 Contents ix
ChApTEr 5. The.Front.End..............................................................................................65
Tradition......................................................................................................................................65
Microphones...............................................................................................................................66
Dynamic.Mics........................................................................................................................66
Ribbon.Mics............................................................................................................................67
Condenser.Mics.....................................................................................................................68
Microphone.Polar.Patterns...............................................................................................69
Microphone.Preamplifiers........................................................................................................71
Tubes.vs..Transformers.(Solid.State).............................................................................73
Outboard.Equalizers.and.Compressors..............................................................................74
Analog-to-Digital.Conversion.................................................................................................76
Cables............................................................................................................................................78
Cable.Materials......................................................................................................................78
Cable.Types............................................................................................................................79
ChApTEr 6. Control.and.Monitoring..............................................................................85
Mixing.Consoles.........................................................................................................................85
Mixing.Consoles.vs..Audio.Interfaces.............................................................................85
Analog.vs..Digital.Mixing.Consoles.................................................................................86
Mixing.in.the.Box.or.in.the.Console.................................................................................88
Audio.Interface.Mixer.Functions.....................................................................................88
Control.Surfaces.........................................................................................................................91
Studio.Monitors..........................................................................................................................93
Accuracy,.Power,.and.Fatigue...........................................................................................93
Active.vs..Passive................................................................................................................94
Near,.Mid-,.and.Far.Field...................................................................................................94
Headphones................................................................................................................................95
Open.vs..Closed....................................................................................................................96
ChApTEr 7. Putting.It.All.Together................................................................................97
Connection.Scenarios...............................................................................................................97
Connection.Scenario.1.........................................................................................................97
Connection.Scenario.2........................................................................................................99
Connection.Scenario.3......................................................................................................100
Furniture,.Décor,.and.Ergonomics......................................................................................102
Setting.a.Vibe......................................................................................................................102
Lava.Lamps.and.Lighting.................................................................................................103
Displaying.Art.and.Instruments......................................................................................104