A CRASH COURSE TO MAKING YOUR MARK IN THE RECORDING INDUSTRY EDITED BY KYLE P. SNYDER TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION / HOW TO USE THIS BOOK : 04 2 UNDERSTANDING THE MUSIC BUSINESS : 10 2.1 MUSIC BUSINESS 101 : 11 2.2 UNDERSTANDING COPYRIGHT & LICENSING : 18 2.3 MAKING MONEY IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS : 31 3 AUDIO FUNDAMENTALS : 40 3.1 SOUND AND HEARING : 41 3.2 THE RECORDING SPACE : 72 3.3 SIGNAL FLOW: CABLES AND CONNECTIONS : 101 3.4 MICROPHONES : 114 3.5 EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 132 4 PRE-PRODUCTION : 153 4.1 PLANNING AS AN ARTIST : 154 4.2 PLANNING AS AN ENGINEER : 158 5 PRODUCTION : 169 5.1 MICROPHONE TECHNIQUES : 170 5.2 INSTRUMENT-SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES & ROOM SETUP : 184 5.3 STUDIO PROCEDURES : 218 6 POST PRODUCTION : 227 6.1 AUDIO EDITING 101 : 228 6.2 PRO TOOLS 101 : 280 6.3 WORKING WITH BEATS, LOOPS & MIDI : 312 6.4 MIXING : 347 6.5 MASTERING & DISTRIBUTION : 384 ABOUT THE editor KYLE P. SNYDER Kyle P. Snyder is an educator, engineer, and consultant dedicated to the advancement of audio education for engineers at every stage of development. He is a faculty member within the Ohio University School of Media Arts & Studies where he routinely teaches music production, recording, mixing and mastering, critical listening, sound design for film and video, and live event production. Snyder is also the Associate Director of Ohio University’s High School Media Workshop, a unique opportunity which affords budding media creators the chance to test the waters for a few days while learning the latest techniques in audio & music, video, animation, and social media. Professionally, Snyder is active in numerous organizations, including the Audio Engineering Society which he serves both internationally and locally. He is also proud to host and engineer the AES Journal Podcast, produced ten times each year in conjunction with the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. Additionally, Snyder is a member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services, The Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production, and the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association. Learn more about Kyle P. Snyder including recent writings and projects in traditional studio recording as well as classical recording, oral history, and acoustic ecology at www.kpsnyder.com. FOCAL PRESS 3 CREATIVE LIVE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 1 introduction HOW TO USE THIS BOOK We all have to start somewhere with audio but it’s often not where we wind up. Asked when I first began “studying” audio (i.e., plugging things into a 16-channel mixer and hoping it didn’t blow up), I’d have told you my big dream was to tour the world as a live engineer. Certainly I never would have predicted gravitating toward studio work let alone teaching! My own career path, which has been filled with varied twists and turns, has shown me the true difficulties of educating anyone about audio— no two people have quite the same collection of prior knowledge and life experiences; fewer still will require the exact same skills later in life. Thus, creating a book on audio and recording that’s perfect for any one person is nearly impossible. When we break into this field (and long after), we go about it in our own unique way; that is why I’m eager to share this book with you. The resources you’ll find in the following pages were designed to help you quickly understand a topic and best achieve success in our tumultuous, ever-changing world. With this innovative eBook companion to creativeLIVE’s unique online offerings, we’ve been able to offer you the best possible information across every topic imaginable in the recording industry in a format which finally makes sense. Think of this as a guidebook — an instruction manual, if you will. What does that mean? Fair question! The way this book has been designed, it divides essential tasks and topics within the industry into more manageable, distinct sections: 1. INTRODUCTION / HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 2. UNDERSTANDING THE MUSIC BUSINESS This section is a primer on the various roles found throughout the music business today and the role your project studio plays in its ever-changing success. It includes a high-level explanation of what beginners in the field need to know when it comes to licensing both their own and clients’ music in the world of DIY, especially issues like fair use and sampling. It concludes with a brief discussion of what each individual working in audio needs to understand to begin monetizing his or her work, whether he or she is a trained audio professional or a garage-band enthusiast. FOCAL PRESS 5 CREATIVE LIVE 1 introduction HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 3. AUDIO FUNDAMENTALS Engage here with a brief discussion of audio in various forms. It is exceedingly important that we understand the core tenants of audio, without which understanding why a microphone works becomes difficult. We’ll also discuss the recording space in its various forms along with important considerations in play when creating an appropriate monitoring environment. Many individuals have made truly phenomenal recordings in nothing but a garage with sparse soundproofing while others have recorded in the most isolated rooms imaginable that they built themselves. No matter what your interest, commitment, or level of expertise is, we’ll discuss the various options available for soundproofing; different ways in which to make a recording space and control room possible at different budgetary levels; and the interplay of other factors upon decision making such as the musical genre being recorded. The latter half of this section focuses on audio equipment in one way or another. How does audio flow from device A to device B? Is it really that simple? What principles are in play, and what should the end-user be aware of? This section covers the myriad of audio connection standards that are bound to be encountered and more. Similarly, are all microphones created equal? Do you use certain microphones for specific tasks? An understandable yet comprehensive microphone selection guide will be provided. Finally, while the tools of the trade change at a drastic pace, we run through several different recommendations for studios operating in-the-box to on-location and everything in between. 4. PRE-PRODUCTION In “Understanding The Music Business” we discuss the various roles that exist throughout the music business; which one of these hats will you be wearing? Will you be engineering as well as producing (or even playing)? We’ll talk about how these seemingly disparate roles interconnect once everyone (or just one person) enters the studio and how to make it all work. Speaking of entering the studio, prior to hitting record, there’s actually a great deal of work that can and should be done. In fact, the more effort that’s put into pre-production the more successful your session is likely to be. So, let’s evaluate what needs to be recorded. We must be familiar with the music itself, the instruments (a new one will occasionally surprise me still to this day) and certainly the recording space, if this is a remote job. Once we’re familiar with the session’s needs, we can make a plan: from an input list to a basic session diagram, these can make setup a breeze. FOCAL PRESS 6 CREATIVE LIVE 1 introduction HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 5. PRODUCTION At long last, we’re finally going to record! So, how do we actually accomplish this? A basic understanding of the various microphone techniques used for vocals, guitar, drums, and other common instruments are an excellent starting place. Along with proper microphone techniques, what is the best way to set up your room? Given that most entry-level studios have only one live room (and it’s not uncommon to track in the control room), how can we control the bleed between instruments while maintaining a great vibe throughout the session, etc.? We’ll discuss this along with important procedures worth following which make a session run smoothly before, during, and after the last note has been played. While every session is different from the last, these basic principles will serve you well. 6. POST PRODUCTION With the recording session now over, it’s time to explore one last substantial hurdle— editing numerous takes into one final, cohesive product. Many editing techniques are applicable across all workstations which we discuss first; however, given the ubiquity of Pro Tools as a mixing and editing environment, it seems particularly prudent to include a dedicated introduction to this digital audio workstation, an industry standard which everyone should make themselves familiar with. Other tools and electronic instruments which can especially benefit project studios warrant a more in-depth examination within this section. We also discuss the appropriate mixing techniques for your project once the edits have been completed to ensure that everything sits correctly in the final mix before it’s sent out into the world. Finally, given ideal circumstances, a mix would be sent out for mastering and then be sent on to distribution through any number of channels. However, today’s project studio engineer is often saddled with this additional responsibility. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each path as well as how to prepare for and handle these and other challenges. FOCAL PRESS 7 CREATIVE LIVE 1 introduction HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book is divided, not necessarily by types of knowledge (analog, digital, and so on) but, by the types of tasks you’re likely to face in the order you’re likely to face them.