Mastering™ Digital Audio Production the Professional Music Workﬂow with Mac OS® X

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Mastering™ Digital Audio Production The Professional Music Workﬂow with Mac OS® X

Cliff Truesdell

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Mastering Digital Audio Production

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02594ffirs.fm Page iii Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:34 AM

Mastering™ Digital Audio Production The Professional Music Workﬂow with Mac OS® X

Cliff Truesdell

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Acquisitions Editor: Pete Gaughan Media Development Quality Assurance: Kit Malone Development Editor: Stef Maruch Book Designers: Maureen Forys, Technical Editor: Scott Tusa Happenstance Type-O-Rama; Judy Fung Production Editor: Rachel Meyers Compositor: Craig Woods, Happenstance Type-O-Rama Copy Editor: Sally Engelfried Proofreader: Nancy Hanger Production Manager: Tim Tate Indexer: Jack Lewis Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Vice President and Executive Publisher: Joseph B. Wikert Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Cover Image: © Pete Gardner / Digital Vision / Media Project Supervisor: Laura Atkinson gettyimages Media Development Specialist: Angie Denny

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-0-470-10259-6 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, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per- copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianap- olis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Depart- ment within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Mac OS is a registered trade- mark of Apple Computer. Acoustic Dreadnought iStrum, Axe N Skin DoubleBass Drum Track Builder, BANGHIS KHAN MONSTER DRUM KIT, and other marks are trademarks of AudioWarrior, www.audiowarrior.com, Rex2, Percussionism, Session Drums, and other marks are trademarks of Loopmasters Studio HQ, www.loopmasters.com. Native Instruments, Absynth, Battery and Reaktor are registered trademarks of Native Instruments GmbH. Signature Refill, Trance Station, Bit Bumper, and Marcel's Flute Shop are trademarks of Sonic Flavours, www.sonicflavours.com. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Mastering Digital Audio Production. This book is part of a family of premium quality Sybex digital-arts books, all written by outstanding authors who combine practical experi- ence with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consis- tently exceptional books. With each of our titles on graphics and audio, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the writers and artists we work with to the paper we print on, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an e-mail at [email protected], or if you think you’ve found an error in this book, please visit http://wiley.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Neil Edde Vice President and Publisher Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost I want to thank Nate Perry, whose patience, guidance, and friendship have made this book and many other things possible. I would also like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this book a reality, Matt Wagner, Pete Gaughan, Stef Maruch, Scott Tusa, Rachel Meyers, and Sally Engelfried, for all of their excellent help and insight; the people who generously offered their time as interview subjects, Ralph Spight, Blake Robin, Matt Granz and Mark Pistel, Scott and Nate (again); and my great friends, Michael “Deal Machine” Dean, Lynne Hermann, Michael Scanland, Clint Blatchford, Robert Stratton, Ignacio Orellana-Garcia, Jen Satzger, and Michelle Honeck. And, of course, my always interesting and inspiring family, Mom, Dad, Rose, Charlie, and especially my brothers, Daniel and Sam.

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About the Author

Cliff Truesdell is a recording engineer, producer, and musician at Take Root Recording Studio in San Francisco. His credits on dozens of CDs include recording engineer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. Cliff began playing guitar at age 13 and studied high-speed finger tapping techniques with shred-guitar masters Joe Stump and Toshi Iseda and also took some very memorable lessons from Mission of Burma’s guitar player Roger Miller. After studying music education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Cliff moved to the Bay Area in 1998. Acquiring a used PC running Windows 95 from a friend, he began experiment- ing with Sonic Foundry’s Acid program, creating loop-based electronic music. A trip to Seattle to work in a Pro Tools–based recording studio led to a solid conversion to the Mac operating system. Returning to San Francisco, he began an internship at Found Sound recording studio, learn- ing advanced Pro Tools and recording techniques from studio owner Thom Canova. When Found Sound changed hands in 2002 and became Take Root Studio, the new owner, Nate Perry, eventually realized that Cliff hadn’t left and hired him as assistant studio manager. In 2003 Cliff co-founded the punk/rock & roll band Black Furies; signed to Gearhead Records in 2005, they have released three CDs to date and continue to record and tour extensively. Cliff’s original music has appeared in a variety of media, including video games and professional skate- board videos. Recent credits include contributions the soundtrack for the independent film DIY or Die!, MTV’s Real World and Road Rules, and Bravo’s hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Cliff resides in San Francisco’s lovely, scenic Mission district; his current projects include a series of loop libraries and Reason ReFill collections to be released in fall 2007.

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction ...... xxv

Chapter 1 • Optimizing Your System ...... 1

Chapter 2 • Reason ...... 21

Chapter 3 • Ableton Live ...... 69

Chapter 4 • Pro Tools ...... 107

Chapter 5 • Logic ...... 163

Chapter 6 • GarageBand ...... 211

Chapter 7 • More Useful Software ...... 245

Chapter 8 • Plug-in Effects ...... 297

Chapter 9 • Virtual instruments ...... 343

Chapter 10 • Apple Loops ...... 411

Chapter 11 • MIDI ...... 457

Chapter 12 • The Laptop Studio ...... 495

Chapter 13 • Post Production ...... 515

Appendix A • The Bottom Line...... 541

Index ...... 575

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Contents

Introduction ...... xxv

Chapter 1 • Optimizing Your System ...... 1 The Right Memory ...... 1 How Much RAM? ...... 1 Adding More RAM ...... 2 Setting System Preferences ...... 2 Dashboard & Exposé ...... 3 Desktop & Screen Saver ...... 4 The Dock ...... 5 Security ...... 5 Spotlight ...... 6 Energy Saver ...... 6 Keyboard & Mouse ...... 6 Sound ...... 8 Software Update ...... 8 Tips, Tricks, and Software ...... 9 Leave Room ...... 9 Disabling Dashboard ...... 10 Activity Monitor ...... 10 Universal Binary ...... 11 Your Hard Drives ...... 12 Researching the Best Hard Drive ...... 12 Formatting Hard Drives ...... 13 Partitioning ...... 13 Running OS X on an External Drive ...... 16 OS X Maintenance ...... 16 Maintenance Scripts ...... 17 Repairing Permissions ...... 18 Surf Smart ...... 19 Hardware Maintenance ...... 19 Smoke and Dust ...... 19 Updating Hardware Drivers ...... 20 The Bottom Line ...... 20

Chapter 2 • Reason ...... 21 Overview of the Reason Program ...... 21 Introducing Reason’s Instruments ...... 21 Introducing Reason’s Effects ...... 22 What Reason Doesn’t Do ...... 22 Tech Support and Resources ...... 22 The Mastering Session Files ...... 23

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xiv CONTENTS

Installation and Audio Setup ...... 23 Basic MIDI Setup ...... 23 Audio Output ...... 26 A First Look at Reason ...... 26 Transport and Sequencer ...... 26 Instruments and Effects ...... 27 Reason Interface Basics ...... 28 The Reason Instruments ...... 30 Creating a New Session ...... 30 The Reason Mixer 14:2 ...... 30 Dr. Rex Loop Player ...... 31 NN-XT and NN19 Samplers ...... 34 The SubTractor Analog Synthesizer ...... 38 The Malström Graintable Synthesizer ...... 39 Redrum ...... 42 Effects ...... 44 Return to Sender ...... 45 RV7000 Advanced Reverb ...... 45 Scream 4 Distortion ...... 46 DDL-1 Digital Delay Line ...... 47 ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter ...... 47 PH-90 Phaser ...... 48 The Combinator ...... 49 Create Your Own Combinator Patches ...... 50 The Matrix Pattern Sequencer ...... 50 Basic Operation ...... 51 Multiple Patterns ...... 52 The Reason Sequencer ...... 52 Edit Mode ...... 52 The Transport Bar ...... 55 Arrange Mode ...... 55 Recording and Grouping a Performance ...... 56 Tutorials ...... 57 Automating the Matrix Pattern Sequencer ...... 57 Real-time Automation ...... 58 Creating a Template Session ...... 61 ReWire ...... 63 Reason and OS X ...... 64 More Power? ...... 64 Organizing ReFills ...... 64 Maximizing Processor Resources ...... 64 The Bottom Line ...... 68

Chapter 3 • Ableton Live ...... 69 Live Basics ...... 69 Live’s Major Features ...... 69 The Mastering Demo Files ...... 70 Setting up a Live Template ...... 70

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CONTENTS xv

Session and Arrange View ...... 70 The Live Interface ...... 72 Included Instruments ...... 79 Using Impulse ...... 80 Using Simpler ...... 83 Using Sampler ...... 84 Included Effects ...... 87 MIDI Effects ...... 87 Audio Effects ...... 88 Expanding Live ...... 88 Live Clips ...... 89 Audio Clips ...... 89 MIDI Clips ...... 90 Live Tutorials ...... 90 Working with Audio Loops ...... 90 Envelopes ...... 92 Audio Recording ...... 93 MIDI Recording ...... 96 Ableton Live with Reason and ReWire ...... 97 Stereo Routing ...... 98 Complex Routing ...... 99 Live and OS X ...... 102 Keep up to Date ...... 102 Freezing Tracks ...... 102 CPU Meter ...... 102 Locations ...... 103 The Bottom Line ...... 105

Chapter 4 • Pro Tools ...... 107 Pro Tools Basics ...... 107 Tech Support ...... 108 User Forum ...... 108 Setting Up Pro Tools ...... 109 Creating Your First Session ...... 109 The Pro Tools Edit Window ...... 110 Creating Tracks ...... 111 The Counter Window ...... 117 The Transport Bar ...... 117 Changing Edit Window Views ...... 118 Saving Sessions ...... 119 Creating an Audio Only Session ...... 119 Adding an Insert ...... 123 Plug-in Effects ...... 129 AudioSuite, Real Time AudioSuite, and TDM ...... 129 DigiRack Plug-ins ...... 130 Dynamics III ...... 132 Reverb Plug-ins ...... 134 EQ Plug-ins ...... 134 Bomb Factory Plug-ins ...... 135

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xvi CONTENTS

Plug-in Automation ...... 135 Sends and Busses ...... 137 Included Software ...... 139 Ableton Live Lite 5 Digidesign Edition ...... 140 Reason Adapted 3 ...... 141 IK Multimedia SampleTank 2 SE ...... 142 IK Multimedia AmpliTube LE ...... 144 Xpand! ...... 145 Creating Templates ...... 146 Pro Tools and Reason ...... 148 A Basic Session ...... 148 Controlling Multiple Instruments ...... 150 Routing Multiple Outputs ...... 150 Pro Tools and Ableton Live ...... 152 A Basic Session ...... 153 Multiple Output Session ...... 154 Live, Plug-ins, and ReWire ...... 155 Using the Workspace ...... 155 Pro Tools and OS X ...... 156 Buffer Settings ...... 156 Keeping an Eye on the Disk Usage ...... 157 Round Robin Allocation ...... 159 The Bottom Line ...... 160

Chapter 5 • Logic...... 163 Logic Basics: Logic Pro and Logic Express ...... 163 Setting Up Logic ...... 164 The Arrange Window ...... 165 Creating an Autoload Song ...... 167 Creating a New Session ...... 168 The Mixer Window ...... 169 The Transport Bar ...... 172 Key Commands ...... 172 Recording into Logic ...... 173 Creating a MIDI Performance ...... 174 The Loop Browser ...... 177 Cycle Regions ...... 178 Basic Editing ...... 179 Logic Instruments ...... 183 The Keyboards ...... 184 Logic’s Synths ...... 186 Included Effects ...... 194 Delays ...... 194 Distortion ...... 195 Dynamics ...... 196 EQ ...... 197 Modulation Effects ...... 198 Reverb ...... 199

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CONTENTS xvii

Special ...... 200 Automating Effects ...... 200 Adding Effects on Bus Tracks ...... 201 A ReWire Session with Logic and Reason ...... 202 Complex Routing ...... 203 Controlling Reason Instruments in Logic ...... 204 Adding More Reason Instruments to a Logic Session ...... 206 A ReWire Session with Logic and Live ...... 207 Basic Stereo Routing ...... 207 Complex Routing ...... 207 Logic and OS X ...... 208 Automatic Updating ...... 208 Freeze Tracks ...... 208 The Bottom Line ...... 209

Chapter 6 • GarageBand...... 211 GarageBand Basics ...... 211 Installing GarageBand ...... 212 Your First Session ...... 212 Setting Preferences ...... 212 The GarageBand Interface ...... 214 Working with Loops ...... 217 Customizing the Loop Browser ...... 217 Included Instruments ...... 219 Recording with Software Instruments ...... 219 Recording with Real Instruments ...... 225 Included Effects ...... 226 Adding Effects to a Track ...... 226 Using Effect Presets ...... 228 Creating Your Own Effect Presets ...... 228 GarageBand Tutorials ...... 229 Using the Track Editor ...... 229 Musical Typing ...... 231 Pitch Shifting ...... 233 Exporting to iTunes ...... 234 Podcasting with GarageBand ...... 234 GarageBand and ReWire ...... 238 A GarageBand/Reason Session ...... 238 Ableton Live and GarageBand ...... 239 GarageBand to Logic ...... 241 GarageBand and OS X ...... 241 Installing GarageBand on an External Hard Disk ...... 241 Maximizing Processor Power ...... 242 The Bottom Line ...... 243

Chapter 7 • More Useful Software...... 245 Get Ready ...... 245 Default Playback Devices ...... 245

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xviii CONTENTS

AudioFinder ...... 247 Setting up AudioFinder ...... 247 Scanning ...... 248 Browsing ...... 250 Bookmarks ...... 250 Playing Files ...... 251 Copying Files to a New Location ...... 251 Converting Files ...... 252 Adding Effects ...... 253 Editing Files ...... 253 Plug-in Manager ...... 255 And the Beat Goes On… ...... 255 Audio Hijack/Audio Hijack Pro ...... 256 Looping and Sampling with Audio Hijack ...... 256 Audio Hijack Pro ...... 257 Audacity ...... 260 Basic Multitrack Recording ...... 261 Mixing ...... 261 Editing ...... 262 Saving and Exporting ...... 262 Using Effects ...... 263 Resources ...... 264 Wave Editor ...... 264 Wave Editor Basics ...... 265 Editing a Sound File ...... 265 The Processor Window ...... 266 Recording ...... 268 Keyboard Shortcuts ...... 268 BIAS Peak ...... 269 BIAS Peak Basics ...... 270 Editing with Peak ...... 271 Recording into BIAS Peak ...... 272 Melodyne Cre8 ...... 273 Setting Up Melodyne ...... 273 Working with Audio Files ...... 274 The Melodyne Mixer ...... 276 Rax ...... 277 Setting Up Rax ...... 278 Playing Rax ...... 278 Adding Effects ...... 279 Recording Rax ...... 281 VSTi Host ...... 281 Setting Up ...... 281 Playing an Instrument in VSTi Host ...... 282 Adding Effects: SupaPhaser ...... 283 Recording ...... 284 VSTi Host and Pro Tools ...... 284

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CONTENTS xix

ReCycle ...... 285 Working with ReCycle ...... 285 Advanced Editing ...... 286 Exporting ...... 288 Sample Manager ...... 288 Normalizing ...... 289 Converting a File ...... 290 Adding Effects ...... 291 Batch Converting ...... 291 The Bottom Line ...... 296

Chapter 8 • Plug-in Effects...... 297 Plug-in Formats ...... 297 Audio Units (AU) ...... 297 VST ...... 298 RTAS (Real Time AudioSuite) ...... 298 Other Formats ...... 299 Dongles and Keys ...... 299 Using Plug-ins in Your DAW ...... 300 Finding Free Plug-ins ...... 305 Types of Effects ...... 306 Delays ...... 306 Compressors and Limiters ...... 310 Distortion/Gain ...... 315 Modulation Effects ...... 317 Reverbs ...... 320 EQs ...... 323 Filters ...... 326 Multi-effects Plug-ins ...... 331 Plug-in Bundles ...... 333 Nomad Factory ...... 333 Waves ...... 335 Cycling ‘74 ...... 337 MDA ...... 340 More Bundles ...... 341 The Bottom Line ...... 341

Chapter 9 • Virtual instruments ...... 343 Plug-in Formats ...... 343 Using Virtual Instruments ...... 344 In Live ...... 344 In Pro Tools ...... 345 In Logic ...... 347 In GarageBand ...... 347 Virtual Samplers ...... 348 Limitations ...... 348 Which Sampler Is the Best? ...... 349 Sampler Formats and File Formats ...... 349

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xx CONTENTS

Basic Sampler Parameters ...... 350 SampleTank 2 ...... 351 Kontakt ...... 354 Other Virtual Samplers ...... 360 Virtual Synthesizers ...... 360 Using Virtual Synths ...... 360 Digital Synthesizers ...... 364 “Vintage” Virtual Synths ...... 373 More Virtual Synthesizers for OS X ...... 378 Virtual Keyboards ...... 379 Virtual Pianos ...... 379 Virtual Organs ...... 381 Electric Pianos ...... 383 Virtual Drums ...... 384 Using a Virtual Drum Machine in Your DAW ...... 385 iDrum ...... 385 Battery ...... 389 Virtual Drummers ...... 393 Virtual Amplifiers ...... 397 How Virtual Amps Work ...... 397 Setting Up a Virtual Amplifier in Your DAW ...... 398 Virtual Amp Options ...... 400 Line 6 ...... 406 More Virtual Amps ...... 407 Virtual Instrument Bundles ...... 407 Reaktor ...... 407 Komplete ...... 407 Pluggo and Hipno ...... 408 Steinberg Studio Case II ...... 408 The Bottom Line ...... 408

Chapter 10 • Apple Loops...... 411 What Apple Loops Are ...... 411 Other Loop Formats ...... 412 REX Loops ...... 412 Acid Loops ...... 413 Buying Loops ...... 413 Read the License ...... 414 Free Loops ...... 414 Apple Loops Utility ...... 414 Inside View of an Apple Loop ...... 416 Converting an AIFF File to an Apple Loop ...... 417 Adjusting Transients ...... 417 Setting Preferences ...... 418 Converting WAV Files to Apple Loops ...... 419 Batch Conversion ...... 419 Changing Tempos ...... 420 Where to Go from Here ...... 421

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CONTENTS xxi

Using and Creating Loops with Reason ...... 421 Converting Loops in the Redrum ...... 421 Playing Loops in the NN-XT ...... 422 Creating Loops in Reason ...... 425 Using and Creating Loops in Live ...... 430 Warp Modes ...... 431 Loop Editing ...... 431 Exporting as AIFF or WAV ...... 432 Creating Loops with Live’s MIDI Instruments ...... 433 Using and Creating Loops with Pro Tools ...... 435 Setting Up ...... 435 The Time Compression/Expansion Tool ...... 436 Drag and Drop Rex Loops ...... 437 Acid Loops in Pro Tools ...... 438 Apple Loops and Pro Tools ...... 438 Using Import Audio to Add Loops to a Session ...... 439 Using the Workspace ...... 440 Creating Loops in Pro Tools ...... 440 Take It Further ...... 444 Using and Creating Loops with Logic ...... 444 Using Loops in Logic ...... 444 Creating Apple Loops in Logic ...... 445 Creating Real Instrument Loops ...... 446 Click and Export ...... 447 Importing WAV and AIFF Files ...... 448 Normalizing a Loop in the Sample Editor ...... 448 Cross-fading in the Sample Editor ...... 448 Take It Further ...... 449 Using and Creating Loops with GarageBand ...... 449 Editing Software Loops ...... 449 Pitch Shifting ...... 450 Adding Individual Loops to the Loop Browser ...... 450 Adding Loop Libraries to the Loop Browser ...... 450 Editing Real Instrument Loops ...... 451 Creating Loops in GarageBand ...... 452 Creating a Real Instrument Apple Loop ...... 453 Exporting Loops to iTunes ...... 453 The Bottom Line ...... 455

Chapter 11 • MIDI ...... 457 Getting Started ...... 457 MIDI Basics ...... 458 Using MIDI ...... 461 MIDI Keyboards and Interfaces ...... 461 Choosing a MIDI Keyboard ...... 461 Other Types of Controllers ...... 462 Playing and Creating MIDI Files ...... 465

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xxii CONTENTS

MIDI and Reason ...... 469 Setting Up a Control Surface or Keyboard ...... 469 Automatic MIDI Mapping ...... 470 Manually Working with MIDI ...... 472 Quantizing in Reason ...... 474 MIDI and Ableton Live ...... 474 MIDI Mapping in Live ...... 474 MIDI Velocity and Clips ...... 478 Quantizing in Live ...... 479 MIDI and Pro Tools ...... 479 Creating a MIDI Performance ...... 479 Humanizing Your Performance ...... 481 MIDI Editing in Pro Tools ...... 483 MIDI and Logic ...... 484 The Matrix Edit Window ...... 484 The Event List ...... 485 The Hyper Edit Window ...... 485 MIDI and GarageBand ...... 488 Velocity ...... 489 Quantizing in GarageBand ...... 489 The Bottom Line ...... 492

Chapter 12 • The Laptop Studio...... 495 Getting Started ...... 495 Portable or Stationary? ...... 496 The Right Laptop ...... 496 The Right Software for Your Laptop Studio ...... 497 Audio and MIDI Interfaces ...... 498 Tips for Buying the Best Interface ...... 499 To MIDI or Not to MIDI ...... 499 Other Peripherals ...... 500 Headphones ...... 500 Headphone Splitters ...... 501 Cables ...... 501 Speakers ...... 502 Storage and Backup ...... 502 Power Adapters ...... 502 Microphones ...... 503 Mixers ...... 504 Laptop Recording ...... 504 Creating Isolation ...... 504 Using the Bleed ...... 504 Recording Drums ...... 505 Recording Vocals ...... 505 Recording Electric Guitars ...... 506 Recording Acoustic Guitars ...... 506 Recording Bass ...... 507 Using Overdubs ...... 507

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CONTENTS xxiii

Headphone Mixes ...... 508 Creative Editing ...... 508 In-the-Box Composition ...... 510 MIDI Programming ...... 510 Work with Loops ...... 510 Lack of “Real” Instruments ...... 510 The Bottom Line ...... 513

Chapter 13 • Post Production...... 515 File Formats ...... 515 Mastering ...... 516 Mastering Yourself ...... 517 Using T-RackS ...... 518 Mastering Plug-ins ...... 522 Dithering ...... 522 Exporting Sessions from Your DAW ...... 523 No Peaking ...... 524 Exporting in Reason ...... 524 Exporting in Live ...... 525 Exporting in Pro Tools ...... 526 Exporting in Logic ...... 526 Exporting in GarageBand ...... 528 CD Authoring ...... 528 Red Book Standard ...... 528 Creating a Red Book–Compliant CD with XO Wave ...... 529 Toast with Jam ...... 532 Other Red Book–Compliant CD Authoring Software for OS X ...... 533 Using iTunes to Create MP3 and AAC Files ...... 533 Converting Files in iTunes ...... 534 Adding Metadata ...... 535 Gracenote ...... 535 Digital Distribution ...... 537 Mostly Free, Do-It-Yourself Services ...... 537 iTunes ...... 537 CD Baby ...... 538 IODA ...... 538 Other Sites ...... 538 The Bottom Line ...... 540

Appendix A • The Bottom Line ...... 541 Chapter 1: Optimizing Your System ...... 541 Chapter 2: Reason ...... 543 Chapter 3: Ableton Live ...... 545 Chapter 4: Pro Tools ...... 548 Chapter 5: Logic ...... 550 Chapter 6: GarageBand ...... 552 Chapter 7: More Useful Software ...... 555 Chapter 8: Plug-in Effects ...... 558

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xxiv CONTENTS

Chapter 9: Virtual instruments ...... 560 Chapter 10: Apple Loops ...... 562 Chapter 11: MIDI ...... 566 Chapter 12: The Laptop Studio ...... 569 Chapter 13: Post Production ...... 570

Index ...... 575

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Introduction

It’s a little embarrassing to think about it now, but when I first bought a computer with the inten- tion of using it to create music I was shocked to find out I’d need external devices such as an audio interface and a MIDI keyboard and interface, as well as a DAT machine or other tape device to record the computer’s audio output. I just assumed that everything I wanted to do would take place in the computer, including the mixing and storing of my final songs and works-in-progress. I assumed that my computer would be the digital equivalent of my Tascam four-track recording unit. It was a big letdown to realize that I couldn’t just plug my guitar and microphone directly in to the computer and start writing songs. After the initial disappointment passed, I bit the bullet and began to work hard with what was available to me. At that point in time you really had to want things to work, and you really had to love the combination of technology and music, because if you didn’t the frustrations involved in making music on computer would make any sane person quit altogether. As time went by I began to upgrade my computer recording equipment. On my second computer, using the new and exciting looping technology that was becoming available, I was able to get considerably closer to creating and recording completely “in-the-box.” Though there were still many limitations and frustrations, it was obvious that the technology was improving. I was able to see pretty clearly that even if what I had hoped for and expected from that first computer didn’t exist yet, it was not too far in the future. Today, not so many years later, digital recording (like digital everything else) has come a very long way in a relatively short time. What I had incorrectly assumed was possible less than a decade ago is standard procedure today for many recording engineers, musicians, and pro- ducers. Today you can see these advances put to good use by laptop performers and by other musicians using computers in just about every genre, as well as the sound designers and soundtrack composers who often work entirely in desktop and laptop environments. While many studios and artists today incorporate a combination of analog, live, and digital instrumen- tation, it’s not uncommon for entire CDs, movies, recording projects, and even careers in music to take place “in-the-box.” While MP3 and AAC technology, along with digital stores such as iTunes and digital music players such as the iPod, have revolutionized how music is bought and sold, simultaneously the powerful combination of audio recording and digital music creation has led to a full-scale revolution in how music is created. And that’s what much of the focus of this book is—to introduce the reader to some of the incredible possibilities available today for creating music on your OS X Apple computer. Another important concept covered in detail in this book relates to one of the most exciting devel- opments in digital music production that has taken place over the last few years: the ability to work with multiple applications at once as plug-in virtual instruments and through ReWire technology.

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xxvi INTRODUCTION

Using ReWire (a protocol developed by the Propellerhead software company), a Mac or Win- dows user can connect programs like Reason, Live, and Logic together in a single session, all of the programs perfectly synced together, all of the audio output routed to a single host program. This allows the user to take advantage of the strengths of one program that may be deficient in another and vice versa—for example, having Reason’s synths and samplers available in Ableton Live or Live’s looping abilities available in a Pro Tools session. Another result of the many advances in digital music technology is a leveling of the music software, and by extension the music creation, playing field. Today’s home studio owners and amateur musicians have access to much of the same technology that used to be the sole territory of the professional recording engineer. Of the five main programs I’ll cover in this book, one (GarageBand) is free and probably already installed on your Mac. Two others, Ableton Live and Propellerhead’s Reason, are used by music professionals all over the world, yet their full versions remain affordable to the average consumer. The other two, Digidesign’s Pro Tools and Apple’s Logic, are considered industry-standard DAW (digital audio workstation) software, yet both are available in “light” versions (Pro Tools LE and Logic Express). These light versions are considerably less expensive than their full version counterparts, yet still contain many of the features needed to create incredibly high quality, professional sounding recordings.

Who Should Read This Book This book is for anyone who wants to make music on an Apple computer in any capacity. Whether you are a high school student looking to make beats on an iMac, a soundtrack composer, a professional engineer recording rock and roll bands on a Pro Tools HD system in a high-powered studio, a guitar player with a home studio built around your MacBook, or someone who just started fool- ing around with GarageBand because it came installed on your new Mac, I’m sure there’s something in these pages that will enhance the way you create music. My hope is that anyone who reads this book will be able to incorporate some of these programs, plug-ins, instruments, and concepts into their music and workflow.

What You Will Learn Some of the things you will learn in this book include: ◆ How to get the best performance out of your OS X Mac ◆ How to use your primary recording and music creation software ◆ How to expand your primary recording software and use it conjunction with other programs ◆ How to locate, install, and use plug-in effects ◆ How to locate, install, and use plug-in virtual instruments ◆ How to work with and create Apple Loop files ◆ How to work with MIDI, simply and seamlessly ◆ How to set up a laptop studio ◆ How to create a master CD for duplication ◆ How to export your songs and create and share high-quality MP3 and AAC files

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INTRODUCTION xxvii

What You Need In order to get the most out of this book I recommend that you use the following: An Apple computer with Mac OS X 10.3 or higher You may be able to get by with an earlier version of OS X, but most of the programs and plug-ins I’ll be covering are frequently updated. The more up-to-date your version of OS X is, the less likely it is that you’ll run into any compat- ibility issues with the software I’ll be discussing. A MIDI keyboard Even if you already own a different type of MIDI controller or mixer, having a standard MIDI keyboard will be your best bet for working with many of the programs, demos, and tutorials covered in this book. If you need help deciding which MIDI keyboard is right for you, skip ahead to the section “MIDI Keyboards and Interfaces” in Chapter 11. I also highly recommend that you acquire one or more of the host programs covered in Chapters 3 through 6. Each program has its advantages, depending on what kind of music you are creating and what your focus is. Ableton Live Live is very loop oriented but also capable of recording and working with complete audio tracks. Ableton’s support of both the Audio Unit and VST plug-in format and its ability to act as both a ReWire Master and Slave make it one of the most expandable program’s available. Pro Tools This has a number of advantages over other many digital audio programs. Pro Tools comes with its own hardware interface, plug-ins, and included third-party software, much of it ReWire-compatible. Pro Tools is available in multiple versions depending on your budget and studio size, from the inexpensive M-Powered and LE versions to the professional- level HD systems. Logic Apple’s program is available in two versions: Logic Pro and the considerably less expensive Logic Express. Logic’s included virtual instruments, deep MIDI functionality, and support for ReWire and Audio Units make for a very impressive music-making package. GarageBand This is the least expensive of these and may already be installed on your Mac. GarageBand’s simple implementation of MIDI functionality, included loops and loop support, and included instruments make it one of the best deals going for entry level music creation software. GarageBand also supports ReWire and the Audio Units plug-in format, which means you can use it with many of the programs and plug-ins covered in this book. No single program will work with all of the software, plug-ins, and virtual instruments that are covered in this book, but most of the software, plug-ins, and virtual instruments that are covered will work with multiple programs. No matter which host program you choose, you’ll find a lot to work with in the following chapters.

The Mastering Series The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills, in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field and clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book features: ◆ The Sybex “by professionals for professionals” commitment. Mastering authors are them- selves practitioners, with plenty of credentials in their areas of specialty. ◆ A practical perspective for a reader who already knows the basics—someone who needs solutions, not a primer.

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◆ Real-World Scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews, that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practice. ◆ Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjects. ◆ Self-review test “Master It” problems and questions, so you can be certain you’re equipped to do the job right.

What Is Covered in This Book Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X is organized to reflect the creative and recording process, covering the tools you’ll use to create and record music projects from beginning to end. Chapter 1 contains the basic information you’ll need to set up and optimize your OS X Mac for music production. Chapters 2 through 6 each cover, in detail, a specific DAW (digital audio workstation) program. Chapters 7 through 9 introduce you to many of the different programs, plug-in effects, and virtual instruments that can be used in conjunction with your primary recording software. Chapters 10 through 12 give you specific information about Apple Loops, using MIDI and building a laptop-based studio. Finally, Chapter 13 is about what steps to take when your recording sessions are over and it’s time to create CDs and share your finished music projects with the world. Chapter 1: Optimizing Your System Introduces you to the Mac OS X options and settings that are most relevant to audio production work. It also lays out the possibilities and require- ments for an efficient, high-quality digital studio hardware setup. Chapter 2: Reason Familiarizes you with Propellerhead’s sequencing program, including Reason’s interface and instruments, and as well as the program’s looping, sampling, sequencing, and sound manipulation functionality. Chapter 3: Ableton Live Shows you the components that make up Live’s interface and introduces you to the program’s in-depth but easy to use looping, audio recording, and MIDI sequencing tools. It also shows you how to use Live in conjunction with Reason through Pro- pellerhead’s ReWire protocol. Chapter 4: Pro Tools Covers the basic functionality that is found in all versions of Pro Tools 7, as well as the included plug-ins and virtual instruments that are included with every copy of the program. You’ll also learn how to integrate both Live and Reason into a Pro Tools session using ReWire. Chapter 5: Logic Demystifies one of the most complex DAW programs by showing you simple, clearly outlined ways to access the best of Logic’s many features, including the program’s included virtual instruments and plug-in effects. You’ll also learn how to combine Live and Reason with Logic using ReWire. Chapter 6: GarageBand Covers everything you need to know about Apple’s GarageBand program, from creating music with the included Apple Loops to using virtual instruments and plug-in effects to recording and editing your own audio tracks. Combining GarageBand with Live and Reason through ReWire is covered as well. Chapter 7: More Really Useful Software Introduces you to a range of excellent software, including audio editors, plug-in hosts, file converters, and organizational tools, many of them free or inexpensive. You’ll learn ways to use these programs to enhance your music creation and recording abilities.

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Chapter 8: Plug-ins Covers the incredible world of plug-in effects available for OS X, including the free Audio Units already installed on your computer, the differences in plug-in file types, and the commercial and free plug-ins available for every DAW program. Chapter 9: Virtual Instruments Explores the many virtual samplers, synthesizers, drum machines, keyboards, and amplifiers currently available for OS X, giving you hands-on experi- ence with free and demonstration versions of instruments in every category. Chapter 10: Apple Loops Covers the use of loop files in digital music making; the difference and different uses for ACID loops, REX loops, and Apple Loops; and creating and exporting loops from any program and using Apple’s free Apple Loops Utility to turn any WAV or AIFF sound file into an Apple Loop. Chapter 11: MIDI Gives you the lowdown on what MIDI is and how easy OS X makes it to use MIDI with your DAW. Each program’s MIDI functionality is covered as well as information on different kinds of MIDI interfaces and choosing the right MIDI interface for your needs. Chapter 12: The Laptop Studio Gives you all the information you need to create a laptop- based studio for portable recording and in-the-box composition. Including tips on selecting the right program, interface, and external gear as well as instructions and techniques for mobile recording. Chapter 13: Post Production Details everything you need to know once your songs are recorded and ready for the next stage. This chapter covers CD authoring, the mastering process, converting your files to MP3 and AAC, and how to get your music on iTunes and on the Internet. The Appendix Gathers together all the Master It problems from the chapters and provides a solution for each.

What’s on the DVD The companion DVD is home to all the demo files, samples, and bonus resources mentioned in the book. But on top of this, we’ve assembled a huge, top-notch collection of third-party software to help you with your audio work and education. Many of the major applications featured in this book are included, as well as tons of smaller programs, plug-ins, demo and sample files, virtual instruments, and training tools: Ableton Live 6 Is a complete digital audio solution, providing functionality from creation to production to performance. Sibelius 4 Complete software for writing, playing, printing, and publishing music notation. Finale Notepad Compose, edit, arrange, listen to, and print your music with stunning, professional-quality results. Battery 2 Is a drum sampler from Native Instruments with extensive sample editing and sound shaping functionality. Reaktor 5 Is a set of music and sound creation tools from Native Instruments that includes synthesizers, effects, and drum modules. Audacity 1.2.4 Is a free, open-source audio recording and editing program. Peak Pro 5 and Peak LE Is the sample editing and CD mastering solution that audio professionals depend on.

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WireTap Pro 1.2 Can be used to record the audio output from any OS X application. AudioFinder 3.9.8 Can be used to organize, edit, and convert any audio files on your OS X Mac. iDrum Is a straightforward yet powerful virtual drum machine that can be used as a plug-in or standalone unit. Buzzer2 1.0.1 Is a fun and excellent sounding Audio Unit virtual synthesizer. Zoyd Is a freely available synthesizer study (not a finished product) capable of creating excellent industrial sounds. Absynth 3 Is a virtual synthesizer from Native Instruments, well-suited for creating ambient sounds. The following sections list many of the plug-ins, programs, and usable files that are included on the companion DVD, but even this is not an exhaustive list! Explore the disc to find all the fantastic stuff we’ve crammed in here.

Refills, Loops, and Samples Reason Refills Such as Reason Refills from Audio Warrior, Flatpack 2 from LapJockey, Sonic Flavours, and PowerFX Systems Apple Loops Sample tracks and loops of M Audio Pro Sessions Gdrive Sample Collection An intricately created synthesizer ReFill for Reason BFD 1.5 and Guru 1.0 Drum modules from FXpansion. (Demo versions may not contain all the functionality that the book highlights.) DOD Vol. 7 Previews The latest high-quality realistic sounding drum loops from Drums on Demand Rex2 Samples Excerpts from Percussionism and Session Drums collections by Loopmasters

Plug-Ins DigitalFishPhones A set of three nice-sounding, easy to use VST plug-ins Destroy FX Interesting and unusual Audio Unit and VST sound-altering tools Waves Some of the most popular and well-crafted plug-ins for digital audio recording Cycling ’74 (Pluggo Junior) Plug-in suites with interesting and unique effects and instruments AVOX Antares Vocal Toolkit (THROAT, DUO, and CHOIR) Vocal plug-ins that you can use to change, fix, or duplicate vocal tracks (10-day demo version) SonicBirth 1.1.4 An application for designing and building your own original Audio Unit plug-ins CamelSPACE, CamelPhat, Cameleon 5000, and CamelCrusher Sound design and audio processing tools from Camel Audio Sound Toys’ TDM Effects Expansion packs of presets for SoundToys’ TDM plug-ins PlugAdmin OS X 1.4 A program for organizing, backing up, activating, and deactivating your OS X plug-ins

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Virtual Instruments and Tracks and Even More Software Analog Factory Combines the best of Arturia virtual synthesizers in one unit. Guitar Pro 5 Tablature editing and creation software for guitar players Universal UVI Player Multiformat player from UltimateSoundBank.

NOTE The DVD also includes a Links page that will take you to the web pages of just about every tool, sample, application, and plug-in maker mentioned in this book!

How to Contact the Author I welcome feedback from you about this book or about books you’d like to see from me in the future. You can reach me by writing to [email protected]. For more information about my work, please visit my website at www.clifftruesdell.com. Sybex strives to keep you supplied with the latest tools and information you need for your work. Please check their website at www.sybex.com, where we’ll post additional content and updates that supplement this book if the need arises. Enter digital audio in the Search box (or type the book’s ISBN—9780470102596), and click Go to get to the book’s update page.

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Chapter 1 Optimizing Your System

Apple computers have been at the forefront of music creation technology since Digidesign introduced Sound Tools for Macintosh (later known as “Pro Tools”) in 1987. As computers have become more powerful, with increased processor speed and storage capacity, the software has in turn become much more complicated. The good news is that the process of setting up, installing, running, and maintaining recording hardware and software has become easier with each generation of the Mac operating system. OS X is a quantum leap forward on this path. Along with its other ever-expanding list of features like Dashboard and Spotlight, OS X now makes the setting up and running of your music studio easier than ever. The topics covered in this chapter are designed to help you get the most out of OS X and your music software, maximizing functionality and stability to ensure a powerful and consistent workflow in your studio environment. In this chapter, you’ll learn to ◆ Set your computer’s preferences for optimal performance ◆ Disable the Dashboard utility ◆ Format and partition a hard drive ◆ Run OS X maintenance scripts

The Right Memory Setting up your Mac for audio production is crucial if you want to get the most out of your software. While having a dedicated computer for your audio applications is suggested, it may not always be feasible. Even if you are doing most of your recording and music creation on a computer that is also being used for other tasks, the suggestions in the following sections will help you get the most out of your Mac. One distinct advantage that Apple computers have over the average consumer PC is that they are essentially ready to go out of the box, without much setup needed (aside from installing and configuring your audio software and hardware, of course). However, whether you are buying a new Mac specifically for music production or adding on to your current system, it will be well worth your while to take these simple steps.

How Much RAM? One of the first questions you should address is also one of the most commonly asked: “How much RAM do I need to run my audio production software?” The answer is simple: as much as your Mac can hold and as much as you can afford to buy. You really cannot have too much RAM installed in

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your system. Audio production and music software are big RAM hogs. Some music software will say that its minimum system requirement is 256MB of RAM, but any system with less than 512MB of RAM will reach its limit pretty quickly. This means that your computer will start freezing up, generating various error messages, and possibly crashing. Having more RAM will mean a faster response time, faster mix-downs and file conversions, more recording and MIDI tracks, more plug- ins, and more stability. Although you can add more RAM later, you’ll save time, money, and stress by getting your Mac outfitted with a lot of memory up front. If you’re planning on doing any inten- sive music production, especially using virtual synthesizers, samplers, and plug-ins, you should start out with a minimum of 1GB of installed RAM.

Adding More RAM Adding RAM to a desktop G4 or G5 is a pretty simple matter, especially with the newer G5 models. Apple has made it easy to open the CPU to locate the available slots and install more memory. See the documentation that came with your Mac for the details specific to your Apple computer. You can buy more RAM from your local Apple store or a third-party retailer, but make sure you are clear about what model and processor type your computer is. You should be aware that Apple doesn’t support third-party RAM and installing it yourself will void your AppleCare warranty.

Troubleshooting RAM

If your computer is crashing frequently and/or if you’re having frequent kernel panics (the screen fades and a big gray box appears in the middle) you may have installed a bad RAM chip. This problem can often be diagnosed using the Hardware Test CD that came with your computer or by removing individual RAM chips and seeing if the computer still crashes and freezes.

Adding RAM to an iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac laptop is a somewhat more difficult proposition. Unless you really know your way around the inside of a computer, don’t try to do this yourself. If you decide to add more RAM to one of these models, you should bring it to your local Apple Store or another professional to get the job done correctly. It’s also much more expensive to add RAM to a laptop after purchase than it is to add it to a desktop computer. When it comes to already installed RAM, most current Macs’ standard configurations are not put together with professional music software in mind. Luckily, Apple allows you to customize any Mac you purchase from them, and adding RAM is always an available option. If you intend to run multiple programs, plug-ins, and virtual instruments in a single session, or if you expect to expand your recording system, you should consider buying your laptop, iMac, or Mac Mini with the maximum amount of RAM already installed.

Setting System Preferences Under System Preferences you can access and change some basic settings that will greatly improve your Mac’s overall performance (thereby improving the performance of your music software). Access these settings by selecting System Preferences from the Apple drop-down menu at the top left of your screen. This will open the System Preferences window, which features several icons that you can click to set your preferences for each category. Once you make a change, click the Show All button at the top of the window to return to the main System Preferences window shown in Figure 1.1.

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SETTING SYSTEM PREFERENCES 3

Nickels and Dimes: Saving CPU Cycles

Like many of the suggestions made in this chapter, disabling the Animate Opening Applications function of the Dock frees up a small amount of processor resources. So why bother? Well, by itself it’s not that big a deal, but combine this with the elimination of three or four other “small” resource hogs and pretty soon you’ll find that you are saving a good chunk of power. That’s power that can be used to run that really important extra plug-in or to give you the push you need to mix down the 36-track song you just wrote without crashing!

Figure 1.1 OS X System Preferences

Dashboard & Exposé Exposé allows you to set up Active Screen Corners, which cause a specific action to take place as you move your mouse to one corner of your screen, such as activating your screensaver or viewing the desktop. There are two good reasons to leave the Active Screen Corners turned off. The first is that having this setting activated will use up some of your processor’s resources. The other is that most recording software is quite complicated, requiring you to make adjustments all over the screen and window. It can be annoying to be in the middle of a project and accidentally cause Dash- board to open or to have all your open windows disappear suddenly. Leave these four blank, or if one or more has already been assigned a function, reset it by selecting the dash (–) from its drop- down menu. At the bottom half of the window you’ll see the Keyboard Shortcuts section. Here you can assign keyboard shortcuts to the Exposé functions. By default, OS X assigns Dashboard and OS X keyboard shortcuts to keys F9 through F12. Many recording and audio production programs also assign sometimes important keyboard shortcuts to these keys, so you should change these settings. At the same time, being able to execute a simple keyboard shortcut to view the desktop or all open application windows is very useful. One solution is assigning a more complex keyboard shortcut to these functions that won’t interfere with your recording software. To do this hold down the Shift, Option, Control, or Command keys, or any combination of keys while selecting the Keyboard Shortcuts drop-down menu. Figure 1.2 shows each function assigned a Control+Shift+F# keyboard shortcut.

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4 CHAPTER 1 OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM

Reassigning this keyboard shortcut is especially important if you are using any version of Pro Tools. The F12 command that Pro Tools uses to start recording will not work if you leave the Dash- board defaults on; it will open Dashboard instead. In general, however, your music software’s keyboard shortcuts will be compatible with or will override the OS X keyboard shortcuts.

Desktop & Screen Saver To set up your Desktop & Screen Saver preferences so that they use minimal processor resources, follow these steps: 1. Open the Desktop & Screensaver Preferences. 2. Under the Desktop tab make sure that the Change Picture check box at the bottom of the window is not selected. 3. Under the Screen Saver tab move the Start Screen Saver slider all the way to the right so that the setting is Never, as shown in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.2 Dashboard & Exposé preferences

Figure 1.3 Desktop & Screen Saver settings

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SETTING SYSTEM PREFERENCES 5

The Dock The Dock acts as OS X’s program shortcut menu, giving you quick access to your most frequently used programs, files, and folders, such as your favorite loop, sample collections, or session template files. The Dock is an essential tool in OS X, but it has a downside: it can take up valuable real estate on your monitor window. And, depending on where you choose to place it, the Dock can pop up when you’re in the middle of working on a session or editing a file (note to Apple: a keyboard shortcut that keeps the dock hidden would be helpful). Finally, some of the Dock’s cooler visual functions can take up valuable processor power. To set the Dock preferences to work best for your system and software: 1. Open the Dock preferences and use the Dock Size slider to minimize the Dock to the smallest size that you can comfortably work with. At its absolute minimum you may not be able to make out which programs are which, so use your own judgment. 2. Turn the Magnification effect off by deselecting the box next to the Magnification slider. 3. Disable Animate Opening Applications and enable Automatically Hide and Show the Dock. Figure 1.4 shows your new settings in the Dock preferences window.

Figure 1.4 The Dock preferences

Positioning the Dock for Audio Applications

Where you choose to place the Dock may depend on which program or programs you use most often. Since many music production programs place the transport controls (the Stop, Play, Record, Fast For- ward and Rewind buttons at the bottom of the interface, for minimum intrusion you should position the Dock vertically on the left or right side of the screen. There are exceptions, however. For example, Pro Tools users may not want to place the Dock on the left side of the screen where many of the functions of the Pro Tools edit window reside.

Security Unless you feel strongly that you have files you need to protect, it’s a good idea to leave FileVault turned off under the Security preferences. FileVault’s encryption process takes up a lot of extra space and resources. FileVault will be turned off by default. If you’ve previously activated FileVault you may want to consider deactivating it to free up the system resources it uses.

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6 CHAPTER 1 OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM

Spotlight OS X’s Spotlight automatically assigns keyboard shortcuts to some Spotlight functions. In particular, the Command+spacebar shortcut used to record tracks in Pro Tools will automatically open Spotlight instead of tracking your session. You can disable this keyboard shortcut by deselecting the Spotlight Menu Keyboard Shortcut check box, as shown in Figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5 Spotlight preferences

Disabling this shortcut does not mean you’ve disabled Spotlight. In fact, you can assign a different shortcut to Spotlight, either here or in the Keyboard & Mouse preferences window. How- ever, I find that when I need to find something with Spotlight, it’s just as easy to click the Spotlight icon on the top right of the screen.

Energy Saver As the setup information for many recording programs will tell you, when you are using your computer for music-related applications, the Energy Saver settings should always be turned off. Under the Sleep tab, move the two sleep option sliders all the way to the right so their settings are Never, as shown in Figure 1.6. Next, choose the Options tab and select Highest from the Processor Performance drop-down menu at the bottom of the window. Since your computer will not be going to sleep you don’t have to worry about whether the Wake Options are selected or not.

Keyboard & Mouse Generally you will want to leave the Keyboard & Mouse settings alone. However, if your mouse seems sluggish or if you are experiencing the “jumping mouse” syndrome (where your mouse seems