“make it” in the music business (or even that you want to treat it as a business at all). If course, if you aspire to make music your career, you’ll find the information in this book invaluable in helping you make the best sounding music possible.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, I use a few icons to help you along your way. These icons are as follows:
Beyond the Book
In addition to what you’re reading now, this book also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that gives you even more pointers on how to successfully record music in your home. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Home Recording For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
This book is set up so that you can read it from cover to cover and progressively build on your knowledge, or you can jump around and read only those parts that interest you at the time. For instance, if you’re getting ready to record your band and you need some ideas on how to get the best sound out of your microphones, go straight to Part 2. If you’re new to this whole home recording thing and want to know what kind of gear to buy, check out Chapters 1 and 2.
For the most part, starting at Chapter 1 gets you up to speed on my way of thinking and can help you understand some of what I discuss in later chapters.
Part 1
Getting Started with Home Recording
IN THIS PART …
Discover the gear you need to build your studio.
Understand how the home recording process works.
Choose the best recording system for your needs and goals.
Set up your studio so that it both sounds good and is easy to work in.
Get to know the way the signal flows through different systems.
Understand the purpose of all the knobs, buttons, and connectors in recording systems.
Chapter 1
Understanding Home Recording
IN THIS CHAPTER
Audio recording is a fun and exciting activity. Being able to put down your musical ideas and craft them into an album is nearly every musician’s dream. The only problem is the learning curve that comes with being able to record your music at home; most musicians would rather spend their time and energy making music.
In this chapter, I help you get a handle on the basics of home recording and show you what’s involved in the process. You discover the basic components of a recording studio and find out what gear you need to buy first. In addition, you explore the multitracking process and find out what’s involved in mixing your tracks. You move on to exploring mastering and finding ways to share your music with your listeners.
Examining the Anatomy of a Home Studio
Whether it’s a free phone app or a million-dollar commercial facility, all audio recording studios contain the same basic components. Understanding these basic components is an area where many people get lost and one about which I receive the most email. As you glimpse the recording world, you’ll inevitably think that recording your own music will cost way too much and be way too complicated. Well, it can be. But it can also be pretty simple and cost-efficient. In the following sections, I present a list of audio-recording essentials and offer insight into cost-saving and efficient systems that you can find on the market.
Exploring the recording essentials
To take the mystery out of recording gear, here are the essentials that you need to know:
Sound source: The sound source is your voice, your guitar, your ukulele, or any other of the many sound makers in existence. As a musician, you probably have at least one of these at your disposal right now.
Input device: Input devices are what you use to convert your sound into an electrical impulse that can then be recorded. Here are the four basic types of input devices:Instruments: Your electric guitar, bass, synthesizer, and drum machines are typical instruments you plug into the mixer. These instruments constitute most of the input devices that you use in your studio. The synthesizer and drum machine can plug directly into your mixer or recorder, whereas your electric guitar and bass need a direct box (or its equivalent, such as an instrument or Hi-Z input in your audio interface) to plug into first. A direct box is an intermediary device that allows you to plug your guitar directly into the mixer. Chapter 9 explores instruments and their connections to your system.Microphones: A microphone (or mic) enables you to record the sound of a voice or an acoustic instrument that you can’t plug directly into the recorder. A microphone converts sound waves into electrical energy that can be understood by the recorder. I detail several types of microphones in Chapter 6.Sound modules: Sound modules are special kinds of synthesizers and/or drum machines. What makes a sound module different from a regular synthesizer or drum machine is that a sound module contains no triggers or keys that you can play. Instead, sound modules are controlled externally by another synthesizer’s keyboard or by a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) controller (a specialized box designed to control MIDI instruments). Sound modules have MIDI ports (MIDI jacks) that enable you to connect them to other equipment. Chapter 11