Best books about music recording & sound according to redditors

We found 949 Reddit comments discussing the best books about music recording & sound. We ranked the 162 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Music Recording & Sound:

u/triple110 · 160 pointsr/IAmA

As a pseudo-musician/sound engineer here's a couple of tips I learned over the years.

  • Avoid being a gear head. It's great to get all the latest and greatest equipment but it really isn't necessary to make great music. A simple pro-audio card for your computer, a small mixer (12-16channel), and a couple of SM57/SM58 mics will give the power to make great music.

  • Try and bring as much of your own gear to live shows with extra back up cables. Don't depend on the venue to have it. Nothing worse than showing at 5-7pm for a 9pm door open scrambling to find a music store that's still open over a bad cable.

  • Learn some audio engineering and sound reinforcement. It helps in creating a dialog between you and production studios and live gig engineers. If I ever had to recommend a book it would be Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement Handbook

  • Keep detailed notes about the songs you create including settings, equipment used, etc. It saves a lot of time trying to reverse engineer a song if you try and recreate in a studio or on different gear.

  • Utilize the internet for creating connections other musicians to create music and collaborate. You can even get feedback by doing live 'jam' sessions on sites like ustream.com or justin.tv

  • Learn the basics of copyright law and contract law if you plan to get signed and/or go public with your music.

  • Your live performances should focus on the performance. Don't worry about recreating you studio songs exactly. People come to your show to be entertained and less about hearing the music.

    Lastly, have fun. Learn to accept your mistakes. Even the best bands in the world don't replicate their album songs exactly for many reasons most of which is because you can't and it detracts from the energy of the performance.

    I hope that helps
u/Earhacker · 45 pointsr/edmproduction

First of all, you have to decide what you want the focus of the track to be on. You talk about bass a lot, so I guess that's your focus. So start by lowering all faders to the bottom (start with silence).

>When mixing, what are my goals to get my levels at?

Skip to the main part of your song, a part where everything is playing. Raise the fader on your bass channel so that it peaks at about -12dB on your Master channel meter. Now, without looking at any meters, raise the fader of your next most important channel (in EDM, usually the kick) until it sounds good alongside the bass. Then do the same with the next most important channel until all three sound good together and repeat until you've raised all faders by whatever amount.

By the time you're done, you will probably be peaking at -6dB. Don't worry if you aren't, so long as you're not clipping.

Not every part of your song will fit into this mix, but it's a pretty good place to start. Now you get busy with automation in parts like your intro/outro and breakdowns.

>To make my track professional sounding, I'm using a spectrum analyzer, so what do I want the shape of all the levels to be?

Forget about the spectrum analyser. They have their uses, but real men mix with their ears. Professionals mix with their ears. Stop worrying about the numbers (so long as you're not clipping!)

>Is bass supposed to be higher than the rest because it's perceived as lower?

Not necessarily. You might find that your bass fader is higher than the rest, but that's because you made it your focus. It would be different if you were making a rock track, where the guitar or vocals would be the focus of the mix.

>How do I get things like my lead to stand out without squashing hats and other sounds?

We call this "separation," and you do it with EQ. If your leads are interfering with your hats, chances are that they are sharing some of the same frequencies. What you have to do with EQ is separate the frequencies of each channel so that they don't clash. This is where you would use that spectrum analyser, at least until you develop a good sense of frequency with your ears alone. Solo the hats and look at where they peak on the spectrum. Now cut that frequency from your lead with EQ. Don't go nuts, a cut of 5-6dB is more than enough. Now do the same in reverse - look at where the lead peaks and cut that from the hats. The two tracks should now play nicely together without clashing.

By the way, I'm of the opinion that with EDM, where the producer is in full control of the sound design of all the elements of a track, if you need to drastically EQ any track, then it's better to just rethink the sound selection. Why bother trying to force a lead to fit a hi-hat when you have many GB of other hi-hats on your hard drive, or when you have a synth with total control of the frequencies in your lead? It's true, you can't polish a turd, and you can't make two polished turds look good together either.

>Often I test it in my car with a subwoofer and my levels for bass are low but I'm already almost clipping.

It's probably just that other channels have bass information that doesn't need to be there, leaving no room for your actual bass. Since you're now mixing to focus on your bass, this should be less of a problem. To go along with what I was saying about frequency separation it's common to just high-pass filter every channel to about 120Hz except the bass and kick, so that they are the only thing heard in that whole frequency band (which is what your subs are playing).

>I just need like an in depth text resource

My recommendations are The Art of Mixing and Mastering Audio.

u/maliciousorstupid · 37 pointsr/audioengineering

Lots to go on.. but start with the Rod Gervais book

Go by this and you'll be OK. Walls with double drywall + green glue will do you right... take care with ANYTHING ELSE that goes through a wall. Doors, HVAC, electrical... that's the tricky part.

u/duckyirl · 28 pointsr/electronicmusic

omg it's fate! hello fellow duck <33

  1. there are some awesome books if you want to start learning about mixing and mastering:

    Audio Engineering 101

    Mastering Audio, The Art and the Science

    Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

    ​

    those are a great place to start! the weird thing about mixing and mastering is that it's simultaneously complicated and very, very simple - in my experience the strongest engineers often use the most basic tools, they just have a very in-depth understanding of how they work and how to wield them effectively. don't get frustrated if it's not easy right away - i have been producing and engineering for a really really freaking long time and i am JUST starting to feel super confident with mixing and mastering. it takes dedication and patience but it is soooooo rewarding! you should totally do it!

  2. i got to go to australia on my first international headline tour last year and it was SO COOL

  3. well my favorite kind of dog is all dogs, but also my dogs because theyre my babies. i have a 100 lb staffy/great dane mix who lives with me in LA, and a 13 lb chihuahua/terrier/potato mix who lives with my dad in san francisco
u/b3nelson · 28 pointsr/audioengineering
u/crayonconfetti · 26 pointsr/Guitar

Since everyones just tossing accolades, I thought I'd toss out some constructive criticism.

From a pure mixing standpoint, I'd have to suggest going for more low pass/high pass filters before compression. Everything sounds a bit mushy to me as if it were tracked but not mixed properly.

[This book] (http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807) will really help you get the most out of your mixes in a small studio environment.

u/sibilith · 24 pointsr/audioengineering

The Master Handbook of Acoustics is a solid choice.

You can apparently get the Fifth Edition for $10 used.

u/RedRedRoad · 24 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers


Comprehensive List of Books Relating to Music Production and Creative Growth

<br />


***


On Composition:

<br />


Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies - Dennis DeSantis
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic book. Each page has a general idea on boosting creativity, workflow, and designing sounds and tracks.


Music Theory for Computer Musicians - Michael Hewitt
Amazon Link
Really easy to digest book on music theory, as it applies to your DAW. Each DAW is used in the examples, so it is not limited to a specific program. Highly recommend this for someone starting out with theory to improve their productions.


Secrets of Dance Music Production - David Felton
Amazon Link
This book I recently picked up and so far it's been quite good. It goes over all the different elements of what make's dance music, and get's quite detailed. More geared towards the beginner, but it was engaging nonetheless. It is the best 'EDM specific' production book I have read.


Ocean of Sound - David Troop
Amazon Link

Very well written and interesting book on ambient music. Not only does David go over the technical side and history of ambiance and musical atmospheres, he speaks very poetically about creating these soundscapes and how they relate to our interpersonal emotions.


***


On Audio Engineering:

<br />


Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio - Mike Senior
Amazon Link
In my opinion, this is the best mixing reference book for both beginners and intermediate producers. Very in-depth book that covers everything from how to set-up for accurate listening to the purpose of each mixing and mastering plug-in. Highly recommended.


Zen and the Art of Mixing - Mixerman
Amazon Link
Very interesting read in that it deals with the why's more than the how's. Mixerman, a professional audio engineer, goes in detail to talk about the mix engineer's mindset, how to approach projects, and how to make critical mixing decisions. Really fun read.


The Mixing Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owinski
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic companion book to keep around. Not only does Owinski go into great technical detail, he includes interviews from various audio engineers that I personally found very helpful and inspiring.


***


On the Industry:

<br />


All You Need to Know About the Music Business - Donald S. Passman
Amazon Link
This book is simply a must read for anyone hoping to make a professional career out of music, anyone wanting to start their own record label, or anyone interested in how the industry works. It's a very informative book for any level of producer, and is kept up-to-date with the frequent revisions. Buy it.


Rick Rubin: In the Studio - Jake Brown
Amazon Link
Very interesting read that is a semi-biographical book on Rick Rubin. It is not so personal as it is talking about his life, experiences, and processes. It does get quite technical when referring to the recording process, but there are better books for technical info. This is a fun read on one of the most successful producers in history.


Behind the Glass - Howard Massey
Amazon Link
A collection of interviews from a diverse range of musicians who speak about creativity, workflows, and experiences in the music industry. Really light, easy to digest book.


***


On Creativity:

<br />


The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
Amazon Link
This is a must-read, in my opinion, for any creative individual. It is a very philosophical book on dealing with our own mental battles as an artist, and how to overcome them. Definitely pick this one up, all of you.


This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel S. Levitin
Amazon Link
A book written by a neurologist on the psychology of music and what makes us attached to it. It's a fairly scientific book but it is a very rewarding read with some great ideas.


***


On Personal Growth and Development:

<br />


How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Amazon Link
Although this seems like an odd book for a music producer, personally I think this is one of the most influential books I've ever read. Knowing how to be personable, effectively network, and form relationships is extremely important in our industry. Whether it be meeting and talking to labels, meeting other artists, or getting through to A&amp;R, this book helps with all these areas and I suggest this book to all of you.


7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
Amazon Link
Similar to the recommendation above, although not directly linked to music, I assure you reading this book will change your views on life. It is a very engaging and practical book, and gets you in the right mindset to be successful in your life and music career. Trust me on this one and give it a read.


Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Amazon Link
You know the feeling when you're really in the groove of jamming out and all worries tend to slip away for those moments? That is the 'Optimal Experience' according to the author. This book will teach you about that experience, and how to encourage and find it in your work. This is a very challenging, immersive, and enlightening read, which deals with the bigger picture and finding happiness in your work and life. Very inspiring book that puts you in a good mindset when you're doing creative work.


The Art of Work - Jeff Goins
Amazon Link
A very fascinating book that looks at taking your passion (music in our case) and making the most of it. It guides you on how to be successful and turn your passion into your career. Some very interesting sections touching on dealing with failure, disappointment, and criticism, yet listening to your intuition and following your passion. Inspiring and uplifting book to say the least.


***


Happy reading!

<br />



u/manvmaschine · 24 pointsr/audioengineering
u/gride9000 · 24 pointsr/audioengineering

Sound reinforcement handbook

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0ry1DbHK6J2GB

u/obijohn · 22 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

There are lots of good articles and videos on the concepts involved in mixing and mastering (maybe too many, it can start to feel a little overwhelming lol). Here are a couple of links that are short intros into the topics... and yes, mixing and mastering are two completely different things.
Mixdowns
Mastering
More stuff here from the same writer: http://innerportalstudio.com/guides/

There's a fantastic book called Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science by Bob Katz. He's pretty much the High Anointed Guru on the topic. I think you could find it as PDF, most likely from shady sources, but this is something you will want by your side as a physical book. Probably WAY more detailed than you'll need right now, but what I found helpful was going through it, coming across a concept I wasn't familiar with, and doing some research on that topic. The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski is also very detailed, excellent, and highly rated. I think you can find it in PDF as well, but again this is something you'll probably want on your desk. And I really recommend buying any book to support the authors!

u/SuperDuckQ · 20 pointsr/audioengineering

The Master Handbook of Acoustics is a decent book that covers a wide array of topics at a decent level while still being accessible. There are several chapters that are good introductions to room treatments for studio spaces. It's not the be-all technical reference for acoustics, but it's a great place to get started.

u/thefryingpan · 20 pointsr/trance

DAW

So basically there's gonna be a few things you're gonna need. First and foremost is your DAW. I use and I highly recommend Ableton Live 8. It's powerful and versatile and works both in Mac and Windows. And once you learn the interface, it's pretty easy to get ideas down on the page. Plus it comes with a great set of built-in plugins.


SPEAKERS

The next thing you'll need is a good pair of studio monitor speakers. This is really important because you're gonna need to listen to the full audio frequency spectrum to get the mixdown of the parts of your track just right. You want studio speakers because they have a flat frequency response, unlike say most crappy desktop speakers. A good starting point is M-Audio. Check out their BX8a or BX5a Deluxe studio monitor lines.


SOUND CARD

To go along with that, you're probably gonna need a decent audio interface (sound card). I recommend getting a good external firewire or usb card. The company I like and card that I use is from FocusRite. Check out their Saffire 6 USB Audio Interface. You're gonna want a card that has outputs that will work with your studio monitor speakers. Most of them are balanced 1/4" or XLR connections. I recommend getting something with balanced outputs, as this will minimize any noise that might otherwise be created, and will assure you get the best sound out of your speakers.


SYNTHESIZERS

Next you're gonna want to invest in some decent synthesizers. As a starving college student, I don't have a lot of money to throw around myself, so I only have software synths, but there are some really excellent ones out there. These days, software synths are becoming more and more powerful and give hardware a real run for their money. Most of the soft synths made out there are in either the VST or AU format; these formats are pretty much the standard that basically all modern DAWs like Ableton will be fully compatible with. A couple of the ones I really like are:

Native Instruments Massive

Lennar Digital Sylenth1

U-He Zebra 2.5

U-He ACE

reFx Nexus

reFx Vanguard

FAW Circle

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Spectrasonics Trilian

Arturia Minimoog V

GForce Software Minimonsta

FXpansion - DCAM: Synth Squad

Rob Papen's Virtual Instruments

One thing to realize is that most of these plugins won't run by themselves. You must run them in a host application, like Ableton to work. I find that this confuses beginners sometimes. You just have to make sure you setup whatever DAW you decide to go with, to look at a specific plugin directory, and then make sure you install all your plugins to that folder so your DAW can see them and they can be ready for you to use (not just your soft synths but other plugin units like fx for example).

As you can see, there's a lot of great synths out there, based on different types of synthesis. And for me this is a really fun aspect of trying to make music. I am still learning myself, as there is so much to learn, but I suggest you try some of those synths out, get to know them, and learn synthesis.

Synthesis is a whole monster onto itself, so I also suggest going online and searching for tutorials on youtube to help with that endeavor.

OTHER PLUGINS

As I briefly mentioned above, synths aren't the only types of plugins you will need in music production. There's other plugins that you will need to use like compressors, filters, equalizers, vocoders, distortion unit, gaters, chorus, and delays and reverb to name a few crucial ones.

There's a whole world out there of these type of plugins, with many great people/companies making some AWESOME plugins. In fact, there are WAY-TOO-MANY to mention here. But alas, to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I will list a few, in no particular order, that you can check out:

Audio Damage

PSP Audioware

FabFilter

Togu Audio Line

u-he's Uhbik

2CAudio

Studio Devil

WAVES

Camel Audio

Sugar Bytes

SYNTHESIS

Most synths will come with presets. Again, the fun for me is trying to come up with my own patches and sounds, but at first, some of those synths will look like spaceship control consoles. But I promise, once you learn some of the basics of synthesis, most of those synths will have the same basic functions that you will immediately recognize. So when you first start out, go into those presets, and instead of just simply using them in the parts you write, go into the synth, pick some presets that you like, and try to figure out how those patches were made. Play around with the settings and knobs and see how the sound changes. This will help you translate sounds that you might come up in your head, and then translate them "to the page". I could go on forever about synthesis but I've just hit the tip of the iceberg.

MUSIC THEORY

So do you have to have a degree in music to make electronic music? While it certainly helps, you don't need to know music theory to start making electronic music. Honestly you just need to have a good ear. Also, you will need patience, and dedication, because it's not going to come overnight. There's a lot of established electronic music producers out there that started out with basically little background in music theory. You just have to stick to it, and learn on the way!

If indeed you know little music theory and you're just starting out, a great book that I suggest you pick up RIGHT NOW if you're at all serious about starting production is Music Theory for Computer Musicians. It's ~$20 on Amazon. FTW!

MIDI CONTROLLER

Now, the next thing that really helps to have around in your studio, is a good midi controller keyboard. Now with most DAW's you'll be able to write midi parts out just by the click of your mouse, but trust me, this isn't really fun. Having a midi keyboard makes your life, a whole lot easier, it's more fun, and you can get parts down faster onto your DAW. You won't need anything too fancy. I suggest looking at the M-Audio Axiom line of keyboard midi controllers. The 49 key ones are nice ;)

SAMPLES

Now, some people like to create their own percussion elements. Whether by recording their own sounds, or tweaking the shit out of existing samples they might already have. This can be time consuming, and when you're just starting out, you just want to get ideas down. Since you're starting out, and you said yourself you just wnat to start making the beats you hear in your head, I'd suggest looking into getting some solid percussion sample packs. You're not gonna be at the level of making your own, so you're gonna need a little help when you start out. And many established producers use percussion sample packs which will have many single shot drum samples of kicks, hats, snares, claps, fx. Some packs will have loops, but I generally stay away from them. I suggest using the single shot sounds, and try and create your own loops from scratch. The place I like to go to get some solid packs are

Loopmasters

Vengeance Sample Packs

OTHER RESOURCES

Another good resource is COMPUTER MUSIC Magazine. It comes out every month, from the UK, so go to your nearest chain bookstore, because they're bound to have it. CM has great articles and tips, and reviews on the latest software and hardware that's coming out. They also have great interviews, and it also comes with a CD that comes with a lot of good free and trial software that you'll find useful. There's also usually a video interview from a top DJ/Producer/Electronic Artist which are always really insightful and great resource as you can see the perspectives of music making straight from other artists themselves. For these interviews, they'll usually go explain and show you how they made one of their tracks; like I said, an awesome resource from which you'll get some great tips.


IN CONCLUSION

I hope that what I've written you will find useful, and will be a good starting point. If I think of something else, I might yet add it here. And of course like it's been said, you just gotta go in your DAW and FUCK AROUND; that's the only way to get better - through PRACTICE. And go to places like YouTube and search for production videos. You'll find some good tutorials from which you'll learn some good tips, synthesis, and production techniques.

If you stick to it, dedicate yourself, you'll get there in no time. You're gonna find yourself making those beats you hear at night in your head, and turning them into reality.

EDIT: Added Music Theory and Other Plugins section :)

u/carbonpath · 19 pointsr/audioengineering

The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

Must have for live techs, and chock full of electronics and sound basics.
The definitive soundman's bible.

u/amaraNT2oo2 · 19 pointsr/ableton

Just to act as devil's advocate here - I would recommend at least balancing this guy's work out with some of the more standard texts on mixing (listed below). I checked out this video a while back and was a little weirded out by his approach, which often steps into pseudoscientific territory. If you go to the author's company website, you'll see some dubious claims and suggestions about mixing techniques:

-"There are archetypal frequencies that have been used since the beginning of time to affect us."

-"As shown by the research of Alfred Tomatis, every frequency is a nutrient."

-"Tuning A to 432 hertz vs. 440 has been proven to resonate better with the resonant frequency of our cells - Tuning concert pitch to more auspicious frequencies makes the music go deeper."

-"High Frequencies activate the mind; Low Frequencies calm the body."

-"When you relate to frequencies based on ancient Chakra energies, the way you "feel" the balance of frequencies in a mix in a whole different way that goes through your whole body instead of just your mind. "

I'm sure the guy's mixes sound great - and he seems to have been a successful mixing engineer - but I personally wanted nothing to do with this guy. There are other "holistic" approaches to mixing (like Mike Stavrou's Mixing with your Mind) that work without having as much of a "snake oil" flavor to them. But as always, if this guy's approach works for you and you can look past his quirks, then I suppose it's a good resource.


Other resources: Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio, Roey Izhaki's Mixing Audio, Bobby Owsinski's The Mixing Engineer's Handbook

u/atopix · 18 pointsr/mixingmastering

Of course, THE book on mastering, the bible: Mastering Audio: The art and the science by mastering engineer Bob Katz.

u/jaynone · 16 pointsr/livesound

Yamaha live sound handbook!

Edit: Yamaha Sound reinforcement handbook. Link

u/hennoxlane · 14 pointsr/edmproduction

So... your only technique in mixing is moving your faders?

I don't want to sound rude, but that's not enough to get your mix to sound good. It's only going to get you a starting balance.

I'm not going to write a book here, but I'd like to give you a short overview of what concepts an average mixing process comprises of (in a nutshell and NOT comprehensive,... there's enough information out there to learn about each topic).

  • Editing: check phase if you're layering instruments/recording stuff with more than one mic, clean up your tracks,...
  • Gain staging (that's - more or less - what you're describing)
  • Equalizing tracks
  • Compressing tracks
  • Panning tracks
  • Transient shaping
  • Sweetening the mix (room tone reverb, delay, saturation, ...)

    Seriously, educate yourself on mixing and your sound will get an enormous boost. There's a ton of resources out there, including some of my favorites:

  • Mixing secrets for the small studio
  • Mixing audio - concepts practices &amp; tools
  • Zen &amp; the art of mixing
  • shameless plug, but I've started a video series on mixing as well, maybe you'll find it useful: Start To Mix

    With regards to mastering, I would really consider sending your mix to an external mastering engineer. You will get a much better result, not only because these people specialise in what they can do, but a second pair of ears is always a good idea.

    Hope you find this useful &amp; best of luck!
u/bassist · 14 pointsr/audioengineering

The first step in mixing any genre is getting a good static mix. Meaning, get your tracks to sound as good as possible using only volume and panning. No EQ, no compression, no bells and whistles. You take your lead vocal track, find a good place for the volume slider, and then leave it there for good.

The second step in mixing is compression, and you do that for when you can't really find a good place to leave the volume fader. For example - the vocalist was singing softly 1ft away from the mic during the verse, then screaming point blank at the mic during the chorus. Obviously, that's gonna leave you with a pretty sizeable volume difference - you can't decide if you should turn it up during the soft verse, or turn it down during the loud chorus. That's where compression comes in. Compression squashes some of the louder parts down to maintain a more even balance throughout the track.

As for how - youtube some tutorials and/or buy Mike Senior's book which has a whole chapter on it.

u/kelcema · 13 pointsr/livesound

Oh wowzers.

So starting with your gear:

  • I don't see any sort of system processor or even basic crossover. How are you getting the right frequencies to the tops versus the subs? That also leads to the fact that you've already blown one of the tops. That's part of Ye Olde School of Hard Knocks - "Back In The Day," like before the Internet, that's how people learned about their system- blow something up? Learn to re-cone, and then figure out why it happened to avoid it in the future.

  • As noted re the vintage of the mixer. An entry level digital board would have served you better.

  • Can't comment on the "various performing &amp; recording mics" without knowing just what you have. Did you get any DI boxes?

    &gt;All the speakers are beautiful wooden cabinets, handmade, w/ high quality neodymium tweeters, JBL parts, etc.

    "handmade" means proprietary- they won't meet riders (if you ever encounter one) for the most part. More importantly- they'll be frowned upon because there's no consistent specs that an engineer could look up. I'm not saying they won't work in the long run, but start setting aside money now for a replacement plan. On the same thread, you're going to need to learn about the specs of your PA to set appropriate limiters to protect your speakers going forward.

    &gt; Still working on monitors, looking at active EVs at the moment.

    Having monitors (if you're looking to provide for bands) is going to be vital. Ideally, they're all the same, but as you grow into this... you might start with two and then add two more once you have money coming in.

    &gt; Though part of me is worried about more equipment when I haven’t started recouping investment on what I have yet.

    At the same time, if you don't have a "full package," it's going to be harder to recoup ANY of your investment. I'm going to be blunt here: No wedges? Home made boxes? A bit outdated mixer? If there's another option for a provider in your area that does have these things under control, that's who is going to get the business. If you're not getting the business, there won't be a cash flow to allow you to get the things you need to complete your package.

    Story time! Couple friends of mine were big into the EDM scene in the area, back ca. 2000-2004 or so. Decent JBL SR-X rig. Now, they weren't getting it out enough to really be viable, but that's not really the point of my story. What happened to them is that one show, they blew out one of the 18" cones. Since they hadn't been charging enough to be setting aside cash for repairs, they didn't have the money to repair it. Because of this, two things happened: They had to charge a bit less going forward because they didn't have all of the capabilities that they previously had, and they had to run their remaining subs a bit harder to compensate. I think they eventually blew at least one more sub-- and the downward spiral continued.

    Education Opportunity: Start with the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It's dated in that it doesn't cover a lot of more recent developments with types of equipment, but the underlying theory and principles of live sound haven't changed. This will help you to learn gain staging, setting limiters, and really how your gear is doing what it's doing.

    Building a Business Plan

    So to be candid, this step should have been completed prior to buying ANYTHING. Without a solid plan of how to move forward, you find yourself wasting money on things that don't fit the plan. Believe me, I've been there. My shop has piles of stuff that were purchased in the "early years" that aren't in use now, and most likely won't be used ever again. I have a couple things that were purchased and have never been used on a show; I "thought" they were needed, but they weren't. [We also have a collection of randomly mis-matched cases. That makes a truck pack really challenging, but that's just something I never realised was a thing early on.]

    &gt; already been running into issues w/ lots of friends wanting free/discounted use. And my own confusion about whether to focus on renting or producing my own events

    Being "the person with speakers" is always attractive to people who want them for free. :-) As for the second part, I think you're a ways off from producing your own (people paying for tickets to attend) events. Being a "promoter" is really something that takes a lot of work to make profitable, and to be blunt, you don't want to also be worrying about the sound at the same time.

    &gt; (I think the answer short term is renting w/ a contracted sound guy).

    Hiring a sound tech is going to eat into your profits. At the moment, you need to be able to "bank" as much of your event income as possible. So, that's where it's going to be vital that you learn how to best deploy your limited resources. As you grow, and either the events are complicated enough that you need an assistant, or you have a second rig and you need them both deployed at the same time, that's when you'll bring in another person.

    This whole situation may seem daunting, but you can do this. Learn about the specs and capabilities of your rig. Figure out how you blew that top (did you kill the whole thing, or just the HF or LF of the top?), and implement protection into your system. And then learn how to repair the damage- those skills will help you in the future, if you can recone a speaker instead of needing to pay someone else to do that!

    Feel free to reach out with specific questions, or post "I'm confused!" threads here, and we'll help the best we can.

    -Ray
u/DaveTalks2Much · 13 pointsr/audioengineering
u/volatilebunny · 12 pointsr/edmproduction

I wish I had this book when I started. It's a great overview for a beginner!

The Secrets of Dance Music Production https://www.amazon.com/dp/0956446035/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_r0hmDbF5S638M

u/vandaalen · 12 pointsr/audioengineering

Mixing Secrety by Mike Senior did a great job for me. It covers neaery every topic, goes into depth without getting too technical and it's amusingly written.

I also like Bob Katz's book, but I was honestly only able to understand what he was talking about after I had some basics covered. If you've got no clue whatsoever I'd spare it for later.

Dave Pensado's Into the lair helped me to become more creative and act more freely.

I've also watched dozens of YouTube-videos on various topics, since there isn't that one way to do it right, but many roads lead to Rome.

Anyways there is no way around just getting started, after you understood what all the different processors can do for you.

Here is a big library of multitracks compiled by Mike Senior, which you can use to practice.

And never forget the most important component: fun. ;)

u/phcorrigan · 11 pointsr/audioengineering

Books. Start with your local library system and find every book they have on the subject. Scan them all, and read those that seem to speak to you. Ask for book recommendations here. The one that comes up most often for live sound is "Sound Reinforcement Handbook" ( https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32D1J9UME9UQA&amp;keywords=sound+reinforcement+handbook+2nd+edition&amp;qid=1564110323&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=sound+reinfo%2Caps%2C194&amp;sr=8-1 )

There are used copies available on Amazon for less. Even though it's from 1989 most of the information is still applicable.

u/wormee · 11 pointsr/audioengineering

I'm reading this right now: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski

He has one on recording and mastering as well

u/tallpapab · 11 pointsr/audioengineering

Do you have a link? Or do you mean Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio?

u/bobovski · 10 pointsr/Guitar

Lurk around on craigslist and try to score a good deal on an EHX Big Muff or a BOSS DS-1. There are lots of different mods one can do on these pedals of varying difficulty. I suggest as a first project modding the Big Muff with a tone stack bypass switch. Once you have a couple mods of these pedals under your belt, it's time to start building your own. I think Build Your Own Clone is a good place to start, but peoples' opinions on that vary. If you really want to learn a lot, pick up a copy of Electronic Projects for Musicians. More important than anything else is to have fun! You will fuck up and you will get frustrated. It's like brewing beer, you just have to relax and take it as it comes.

u/damjamkato · 10 pointsr/audioengineering

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook: It's a classic.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008.

u/edgar-is-my-real-dad · 10 pointsr/Music

Mastering

Mixing

hope these help!

u/ggPeStiLenCe · 10 pointsr/edmproduction

Whenever it seems that all my time I invested in making a track is on a verge of being thrown down the drain, I just stop and do one of the following:

  • Educate myself further music theory
  • Reread a book on mixing like this one.
  • Reread a book on mastering like this one.
  • Watch or read some sound design videos / articles
  • Watch a movie
  • Listen to other's music


    After that I come back and usually things go really well.
u/Do_not_dare_give_up · 10 pointsr/IWantToLearn

Hi there!

I've been producing Electronic Music as a hobby for almost 10 years.

Here's a quick guide to help you get started:

1.
you will need a DAW (Digita Audio Workstation), this is your tool and work environment in which you will create and mix your beats.

Depending on if you are on Windows or Mac you have a few different options.

FL Studio - This is the DAW I started producing in, back in version 8.something. It is widely considered one of the best starter DAW's because of the very intuitive user interface and HUGE library of native samples and plugins. FL Studio is sometimes looked down upon by some producers, who don't seem to take it seriously as a professional DAW. In my experience these producers often lack experience themselves, FL is a great DAW and in the end it is what you do with the tool that matters ;).

  • some famous producers that use FL: Avicii (rip), Martin Garrix, Camo and Krooked, Benga, Spor/Feed Me, ...

    Ableton Live - This is the DAW I currently use, I switched from FL to Ableton for the simple reason that it was easier to collaborate with a friend of mine who also used Ableton at the time. I feel that FL Studio's native plugins and instruments are a bit better than Ableton's, but I personally like Ableton's interface and workflow better than FL's.

    What is very specific about Ableton is the "Live Session mode", where you can arrange your sounds and loops in groups that you can trigger live with a midi controller, which is very handy for live performances (obviously) but also often used as a song writing tool, especially in hip-hop and futurebeat genres. - famous artists that use Ableton: Skrillex, Flume, Netsky, Dada Life, ...

    These are the two DAW's I have personal experience with, but there are other options as well: Steinberg Cubase, PreSonus Studio One, Apple Logic Pro, and many more. Best to do your own research and download a few trial versions to see which one you like best.

    2. After you decided on a DAW and "legally" obtained one, it's time to start making music. By that I mean "time to start making very shit music that you will look back on with huge cringe a few years from now" because that's exactly what it is like.

    I don't mean this in a discouraging way, on the contrary! It takes loads of time and effort before you'll start noticing you're improving. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to be self-critical and open to criticism. Don't assume you know better when you're just starting out, be an empty cup because it's impossible to fill one that's already full.

    Here's a very inspiring monologue on the subject by Ira Glass

    3. Tutorials and books. Here are some books and tutorials that helped me out a lot, and hopefully will help you too!

    books:
    Mastering Audio: The Art and Science - Bob Katz widely considered to be the producer's bible.

    The Mixing Engineers Handbook - Bobby Owsinski

    tutorials:

    Sadowick's ultimate Ableton Guide a full beginner to intermediate guide of Ableton Live, purely for this tutorial series alone I'd reccommend using Ableton. It's very comprehensive. Sadowick also has lots of other very useful tutorials on his channel, but is currently on hiatus because of his battle with cancer :(

    SeamlessR this entire channel is gold. Seamless uses FL Studio but what he teaches is applicable to most DAW's. Lots of great tutorials on synthesis, mostly Drum and Bass focused but very interesting.

    ADSR Tutorials very informative tutorials ranging from mixing to synthesis. Often about House and Techno, but most techniques are really applicable to every genre.

    ____

    -
    if you start with these you'll come a long way, if you have any questions; pm me.
    -

    EDIT here are some subreddits you might be interested in as well:

    /r/makinghiphop

    /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers

    /r/edmproduction



u/i_make_song · 10 pointsr/audioengineering

I'd also like to mention it's probably helpful to Mike Senior of you purchase his book, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.

He's the one that maintains that resource, also the artists who contribute.

u/B_Provisional · 10 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

While there are some excellent books on the subject and plenty of online media, I would say the best place to start is wikipedia just to familiarize yourself with the field, the basic process, and some of the lingo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_engineering

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiomixing%28recorded_music%29

From there you can move on to more comprehensive materials, such as this online multimedia audio course, or hard copy educational materials such as The Recording Engineer's Handbook or The Mixing Engineer's Handbook

Getting some mixing software would also be helpful. If you have a Mac, garageband is actual not a bad place to start for getting the basics of multitrack recording and mixing down. Otherwise, Reaper is basically the lowest cost fully featured Digital Audio Workstation on the market.

If you don't have the gear to start doing recordings yourself, you can always seek out recording stems to practice mixing with. If you don't mind industrial music, Nine Inch Nails provides their fans with multitrack versions of many of their songs for remixing purposes. See the remix section of nin.com. You'll need to register, but its free. Once you have the multitrack recordings, you can import them into your DAW and use them to practice balancing the mix, experiment with EQ, compression, panning, and what not.

u/thesoftdistortion · 9 pointsr/edmproduction

Do both at the same time. Even basic keyboard skills speed up your workflow and put a lot if it into context. If you need a book for your Christmas list try this

u/SuperRusso · 9 pointsr/audioengineering

I'm going to disagree with a few people here. Getting an education to get a job in audio engineering is most definitely a bad idea in my opinion. Is this education worthless? No...but it's usually not worth what they're asking.

Audio engineering is a hard career to be successful in. I should know, as I've been doing it for quite some time. I've finally gotten to the point where as a free-lancer I can afford a car and house note, which is good. But there were plenty of sacrifices along the way. None of which I regret, of course. But I wouldn't have wanted to tack on extra debt going to school to get a job in a field that does not require a degree.

In all my time doing this, probably around 15 years professionally, nobody has ever asked me how to prove I know how to do this stuff. My resume speaks for itself. I've worked in studios in LA, Hawaii, Az, and now I'm a production sound mixer in Louisiana. I run sound for bands in venues around my city when I'm not on a movie. I own a recording studio for music and for foley and ADR for films. Currently, I'm on a shoot in Florida where I've been for 3 weeks. I got to shoot foley with one of the worlds greatest foley artists (Ellen Heuer). it's a great life!

My advise is do what most of my peers did. Get an internship at a studio. Or if your interested in movie work, assist a sound editor or a production sound mixer. Offer to be a sound utility for free. Or approach a local sound venue and offer to assist the live sound guy, wrapping cables and plugging in mics. Or call a local sound company that does festivals and other events, and offer to clean the snake at the end of the night.

Even if you do decide to get an education, the school will always be there, waiting for you if that's the route you decide to go. But a healthy amount of time in this field not paying for that education will both help you do better in school if you decide to go, and help guide you into a program that's right for both you and the specific set of skills you want to garnish. Or, you might find you don't need it.

The point is that yeah, just "looking things up on the internet" is not a good way to educate yourself. It's a good supplemental thing to do, to be curious and read. But hands on experience is much more valuable than any education I've ever come across in this field, and worlds ahead of just reading a book.

Now, not going to school isn't an excuse to not work. You simply have to take responsibility for your own education. Read books, talk to people who are doing the things you want to do. Learn from them. Help them, and make yourself invaluable to them. Make them wonder how they every got along without you there.

There are far too many opportunities to learn from within the industry than on the outside of it in a classroom or technical college. My career has been quite all over the map, ranging from music production to movie work. Here is a list of books that are about those various fields that I recommend.

The Daily Adventures of Mixerman - A great look at a recording session, and honestly one of the funniest books I've ever read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Daily-Adventures-Mixerman/dp/0879309458

Zen and the Art of Mixing - mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Mixing-Mixerman-ebook/dp/B004CYE7OU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1397229955&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+mixing

Zen and the art of Producing - Mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Producing-Mixerman/dp/1458402886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1397229992&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+producing

Behind the Glass vol 1 and 2 - Howard Massey - Great interviews with producers and engineers. DEF check this one out. one of the best books i've ever read about recording.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;amp;field-keywords=Behind%20the%20glass

The Recording Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owniski - General information about gear, mic placement techniques, fundmentals of sound, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/1285442016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1397230109&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=recording+engineering+handbook

The Sound Reinforcment Handbook - Live sound techniques

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1397230178&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=Yamaha+Live+sound+manual

The Location Sound Bible - Ric Viers - Great entry into sound for TV, Film, ENG, and EPP. Pretty much covers the bases of recording on location

http://www.amazon.com/Location-Sound-Bible-Record-Professional/dp/1615931201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1397230229&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=Location+Sound+bible

That should get you started. Whatever route you choose, good luck!

u/faderjockey · 9 pointsr/techtheatre

For engineering concepts, and a great general reference on sound systems and how they work, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

For sound system design, the best reference is Bob McCarthy's Sound Systems: Design and Optimization

For another great book that discusses both system design as well as artistic sound design, John Leondard's Theatre Sound is top notch.

Shannon Slaton's Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques is a great picture of how the "big shows" are run.

For a beginner's guide to sound, the [http://www.soundcraft.com/support/gtm_booklet.aspx](Soundcraft Guide to Mixing) is a good primer: not as technically dense as the Yamaha book.

There are others out there, these are my favorite.

u/stillnotahipster · 9 pointsr/futurefunk

I am hereby developing three steps to get started in future funk that I will gladly post on any thread where somebody is looking to begin. Here they are, in their first ever iteration. Comments welcome.


&amp;nbsp;


Step 0. Take your time. Be mentally prepared to throw out dozens of sketches of potential tracks representing hours of work for no other reason than that "they don't click" or you don't know where to take them next. Understand that future funk isn't a formula (and anybody who treats it as one is just asking to be ignored and forgotten). Just like ANY other form of music making, the good and the best take their time to really develop a craft. Be as holistic in your approach as your interest/life/ability allows (learn an instrument if you don't know one already, download ear training courses, basically be as adventurous as you can muster and look to, over time, learn things outside of just "future funk" skills).


&amp;nbsp;




&amp;nbsp;


Step 1. Learn to use some key tools. Pick and learn a DAW, anything will do as long as you learn it well (Ableton is popular for its flexibility and horsepower, but is more complicated than FL Studio which is an easy beginner's choice and is plenty legitimate as well). This will be your primary instrument, and over time using it will become second nature.

&amp;nbsp;

Step 1a. Learn about the tools for mixing- both generally, and the specific versions included in your DAW- this means basic knowledge of compressors, limiters, EQ, and reverbs at the very least to start with. Any audio mixing training will do, no need for it to be genre-specific. Eventually, start looking at mixing tools besides the built-in ones (browsing the Waves Plugin website will be equally exciting and overwhelming). Experiment over time and you'll gradually learn why certain tools/plugins are more powerful/preferred than others, and you'll develop your own preferences for what to use and how things should sound. Pay attention to the most subtle details. There's no shortage of great online tutorials on how to work with and listen to the tools of the trade in audio engineering.

&gt;Recommended Resources: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook

&gt;The Art of Mixing- old 80s tutorial video, very trippy, very educational


&amp;nbsp;

Step 1b. You'll also want to explore what instruments are built into your DAW, and what instrument plugins you may want to "acquire". Some good starting points for exploring instruments may be plugins that emulate classic synthesizers (CS-80, ARP1200, Korg legacy plugins, etc)- this kind of plays into point #2 as well, so I'll leave this point at that for now.


&amp;nbsp;




&amp;nbsp;


Step 2. LISTEN to other music. Your goal is to have a unique and varied and personal set of influences- see a great comment from Amherst here on why this is important.


Dig into your own iTunes library- what unique bits of your past may make interesting influences for your future funk music? My dad loved Dire Straits and Barry White and dad rock, my mom loved Deee-Lite and 80s hip hop. I've played on all of those elements before, plus the stuff I listened to at any point in my life (a lot of jazz in my teen years lol). Dig into the roots of future funk- disco, funk, boogie, smooth jazz, house, french house, 80s pop (feel free to ask for recommendations!). Go on your own digging adventures to find stuff that none of us have before. YouTube is your friend, Discogs is your friend (you can use other people's samples as starting points, but aim to get far away- both Amherst and I have playlists of samples we've used on different projects , just as examples of cool places to start).


You don't have to be looking for samples per say- you might just find some really cool sonic influences or ideas on song arrangement/elements (what synths are they using on that record you really dig? Try to find out!). But you need to spend a LOT of time listening to things that AREN'T future funk in order to make good FF. This is massively important, and one of the reasons future funk can often be seen as a stale genre is that many newcomers list their main influences as other, older FF producers and end up emulating the same old sounds instead of bringing something new to the table.


&amp;nbsp;



&amp;nbsp;


Step 3. At the end of the day, when you're looking at your project file and you think you have a groovin future funk tune ready to release, do a quick check that, if everyone did it, would solve 90% of complaints about this genre. "What is my unique contribution to this track?" Did you just take a j-funk song (because that's the type of music that so and so sampled!) and put drums over it at a certain tempo (because that's the tempo future funk is at!)? That fails the test. Did you chop up and rearrange a sample in a really unique way, did you combine 5 different songs to make something new and cool, did you add original instrumentation or harmony to old music? That passes the test.

&gt; Side note: If something isn't very "original" and is just an edit of an existing track, or doesn't use much original material and should be considered a "remix"- be honest and label it as such. There's been a couple controversial FF "tracks" released lately where the artist in question became kinda shunned because they were attempting to pass off slight changes to an existing song as an "original track".

&amp;nbsp;

Try doing the same sort of self-check when thinking about how you represent yourself as an artist- your style and branding and vibe. Does the whole anime/kanji thing really represent you as an artist and your unique influences accurately? Or did you just default to that after seeing what other people are doing? Figure out something that's true to yourself. (For me, Camino is kinda a representation of me as a social being- upbeat, humorous, outgoing and partygoing- and that's why my music is meant for dancing and appreciating pop culture, and I often use recognizable music.)


&amp;nbsp;



&amp;nbsp;



Alright, hope that helps. Anybody starting out can always feel free to PM me, and I think I'll continually work on and update these guidelines/pieces of advice with the help of all mah good friends. There you have it- V1 of Camino's Guide to Starting in Future Funk

u/Umlautica · 8 pointsr/audiophile

He's often mentioned here so some might be interested in his personal system.

Source: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/710918-revel-owners-thread-321.html#post52485977 and the linked comment is worth a read.

Toole was the VP of engineering for Harman (the parent company of JBL and a few other big names in audio), author of Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, and has published quite a few significant AES studies on listener preference studies w.r.t. room interactions. So when he says "it is as good as any sound I have ever experienced", it carries some weight.

u/flanger001 · 8 pointsr/AskReddit

I can sum it up in a joke my friend told me once:

"How do you make a small fortune with a recording studio? Start with a large one."

But seriously. Do not go to college to become an audio engineer. If it is something you like to do, buy yourself some recording gear and start recording yourself and bands. Do some for free, once you get good at it, start charging for it.

Make these three books your education:
Mixing Audio by Roey Izhaki -http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688

Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski - http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Second/dp/1598632515/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1346257656&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=mixing+engineers+handbook

Mastering Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski - http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Engineers-Handbook-Audio/dp/1598634496/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1346258717&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=mastering+engineers+handbook

Read every last word of these books until they are burned into your brain. Then send me some of your money for giving you such great advice and saving you the ridiculous expense of audio engineer school. A theoretical and technical fundamental knowledge is important, which you will get from these books, but it won't mean shit unless you actually put it to use and get experience recording and mixing people! Good luck!

u/soph0nax · 8 pointsr/livesound

Pretty basic book, if that's confusing then you'll really be stumped by this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Systems-Optimization-Techniques-Alignment/dp/0240521560

u/red_and_blue_jeans · 8 pointsr/audioengineering

Sorry to be that guy, but you should be relying on your ears, not your eyes, to judge the loudness of a track.

If you need visual aids, you should get a loudness level meter, such as iZotope Insight, Waves Level Meter, or the free MLoudnessAnalyzer. For most music, a target of -16LUFS is standard, however, many pop albums hit -9LUFS.

If you want to read up more on it, the best book, IMO, is Bob Katz's "Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science".
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371

u/goetz_von_cyborg · 8 pointsr/audioengineering

Mixing Secrets for the Home Studio is a pretty great primer aimed at the home user.

u/Fuegopants · 8 pointsr/edmproduction

I'm not sure I'd agree. In my case for instance, I didn't have any prior music experience when starting, and learning the way my to emulate the music I loved was not only rewarding, but also educational... where as "use your ears and play around with it" is a much steeper climb with absolutely zero prior experience. 99% of the time I had no idea where to go or what to do.

When you're still at the bottom end of the learning curve, doing practically anything to familiarize yourself with your DAW and music theory is going to be a good step.

Although I will agree that shitty tutorials are indeed frustrating, there's quite a few content producers out there who release quality tutorials. KillParis for instance used to do some awesome tutorials, PeepNTom also do some cool ones.

Really though the turning point for me was this book.

u/brabdnon · 8 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Well, first off let me say, fuck that bitch. Second off let me say that as long as you enjoy what you're doing, enjoy doing it. Don't let anyone steal your joy. But it depends on who you're doing it for: for you or for the fans? I started making music myself about 10 months ago to cope with a recent tragedy. I know only really how to sing. I don't know piano at all. But I bought a DAW and MIDI keyboard and noodled around until I found something that sounded cohesive. I didn't know my scales or what key the song was even in. I just did what felt right. I think they turned out okay despite my lack of knowledge.

I tell you what helped me immensely was this book:
Music Theory for Computer Musicians

I found it to be fairly comprehensive and fairly well written. The chapters are relatively short and build on each other nicely. You can easily get a good grasp on the basics with this book. Now, it's a theory book so it's light on piano technique. But it will help you learn the scales and understand the rules of the harmonics of sound.

Anyway, chin up. Get back at that piano and get some knowledge.

If you're curious about what my early stuff sounded like, feel free to peruse my soundcloud: brabdnon. Starting at the bottom of my playlist is me just fumbling. But I wanted to make something dramatic and sad. And if nothing else, it's not a technical marvel, but I think I hit my feels mark. If you make music striving for that feeling first, you can't go wrong.

Best of Luck.

u/AesonClark · 8 pointsr/audioengineering

I don't have much experience with Garage Band, but also do not frequently hear much about its use amongst solid engineers. My first suggestion is to download another DAW before you put too much time into learning ones ins and outs, keyboard shortcuts, etc.

A solid option if you are of humble beginnings is to go with Reaper. They give you an unrestricted demo version on their website. When you inevitably love it and get the hang of it and get your paycheck do go back and pay them for their hard work making it.

Next I'd say learn to download plug-ins. There are many free options online that sound fantastic compared to even paid ones just a few years back. Browse this sub and others, and by all means I always advocate Sound on Sound because man have they got the slew of articles.

Just use the googs. Find some sites you like and learn, learn, learn. Finally when you're speaking of "prepping for release" I would say don't try to learn mixing purely on your own.

Go find someone who is willing to talk about their mixing theory and talk to them about how they go about it. Even if it's just someone from Reddit in a Skype session there are people who have done it and who do it and they're usually willing to talk. That way your questions can get some answers and you get better faster. However, if you're taking their advice make sure you hear their stuff and know you like how it sounds.

Finally, if you're pretty sure you've got the mix and want to release a few songs in an EP or good gracious even a CD (ahh!) then have a mastering engineer get their hands on it. That's how it goes. They don't have to be the $2000 a day kind of guy but someone who identifies as a mastering engineer who you research and read good things about will be helpful. Always always always listen to someone's work before having them do a service you're signed up to pay for. If they do it and you don't like it you still owe them money.

In the way of direct answers:
Q: What is the common practice to EQ'ing everything?
A: Start with subtractive EQ (cuts instead of boosts) and cut out spots that overlap on two instruments so that one shines bright and the other shimmers in the background. You want to cut out all of the sounds with EQ so they fit together like a nice little puzzle. When two instruments are competing too closely maybe shift the octave on one. (Yes, when you're the artist it pays to be thinking of EQ blends as early as the songwriting and even brainstorming process.)

Q: What sort of compression should be looked at for all the instruments?
A: It shouldn't. If you don't understand compression you will not make it sound good by flipping on compressors on everything. Tweak tweak and tweak anything and everything and go online once again and learn the compression. In the meantime put your vocals in a 2.5:1 ratio with a fast attack and medium release and barely use the compression as need and leave the rest alone. Let that mixing engineer we talked about do the compression, and ask again what their theory or ideas when setting compression are.

Q: other general 'effects' and alterations that should be made
A: Use those plug-ins we talked about. Also in the way of phasing it sounds like you don't understand phasing. I'll let you dig up the articles this time. You should have some sites you like now. Phasing is about how time and space affects the way sound waves line up with one another and also flipping the phase can do things. You'll figure that out. But in the mean time you can also play with plugins that do interesting stereo effects.

I don't really know why I chose this to respond to, but if you do these things you'll be off to a good start. If you have Half Price Books (or the Internet and a finger that can click these links) go find yourself a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and become a master. Or Modern Recording Techniques. Or even a Dummies book. as there are good ideas everywhere. You find them by hearing things and deciding what you like and what you don't. Information is a buffet! Take what you need and leave the rest.

u/2AMMetro · 8 pointsr/edmproduction

C++ for the core code, Objective-C/Swift for the UI if you need to make an audio unit or C++ for a VST.

I found these two books to be great, but they would likely be very overwhelming for somebody who doesn't have much programming experience.

https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Audio-Effect-Plug-Ins-Processing/dp/0240825152

https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Software-Synthesizer-Plug-Ins-RackAFX/dp/1138787078/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;psc=1&amp;amp;refRID=D56EXGZ6Y9A7ENTTBEGC

u/audiotecnicality · 7 pointsr/audiophile

It's hard to recommend an actual paperback, but the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook is a must-have. If you're into Kindle it's available that way too. I think you'll find answers to all your questions and more.

u/audioapetersen · 7 pointsr/livesound

My suggestion would be to figure out which console is going to be at your church and search google for a .PDF manual. Those are always super helpful. Also, I'm sure this book has been referenced a lot, but the Sound Reinforcement Handbook should do wonders as well.

u/Wabaareo · 7 pointsr/trapproduction

From the Mixing Engineer's Handbook (third edition)

The Frequency Element: Using the Equalizer


Even though an engineer has every intention of making his recording sound as big and as clear as possible during tracking and overdubs, it often happens that the frequency range of some (or even all) of the tracks are somewhat limited when it comes time to mix. This can be due to the tracks being recorded in a different studio where different monitors or signal path was used, the sound of the instruments themselves, or the taste of the artist or producer. When it comes to the mix, it's up to the mixing engineer to extend the frequency range of those tracks if it's appropriate.

In the quest to make things sound bigger, fatter, brighter, and clearer, the equalizer is the chief tool used by most mixer, but perhaps more than any other audio tool, it's how it's used that separates the average engineer from the master.

&gt; "I tend to like things to sound sort of natural, but I don't care what it takes to make it sound like that. Some people get a very preconceived notions that you can't do this or you can't do that, but as Bruce Swedien said to me, he doesn't care if you have to turn the knob around backwards; if it sounds good, it is good. Assuming that you have a reference point that you can trust, of course." - Allen Sides

&amp;nbsp;

&gt; "I find that the more that I mix, the less I actually EQ, but I'm not afraid to brung up a Pultec and whack it up to +10 if something needs it. - Joe Chiccarelli

&amp;nbsp;

The Goals of Equalization

While we may not think about it when we're doing it, there are three primary goals when equalizing:

  • To make an instrument sound clearer and more defined.
  • To make the instrument or mix bigger and larger than life.
  • To make all the elements of a mix fit together better by putting each instrument in its own predominate frequency range.

    Sometimes just being aware of which of these you're trying to accomplish at the moment can help you get the sound you're looking for quickly and easily, rather than just randomly twisting some knobs until you think it might sound right.

    &amp;nbsp;

    The Frequency Bands and What They Do

    Before we examine the various methods of equalization, it's important to note specific areas of the audio frequency bandwidth and how they affect what we hear. The audio band can effectively be broken down into six distinct ranges, each one having an enormous impact on the total sound (see Table 7.1).

    &amp;nbsp;

    Table 7.1 The Audible Frequency Ranges

    Range | Description | Effect
    ----------|-----------|-----------
    16 Hz to 60 Hz Sub-Bass | Encompasses sounds that are often felt more than heard and gives the music a sense of power. | Too much emphasis in this range makes the music sound muddy. Attenuating this range (especially below 40 Hz) can clean up a mix considerably.
    60 Hz to 250 Hz Bass | Contains fundamental notes of the rhythm section. | EQing this range can change the musical balance, making it fat or thin. Too much boost in this range can make the music sound boomy.
    250 Hz to 2 kHz Low Mids | Contains the low-order harmonics of most musical instruments. | Can introduce a telephone-like quality to the music if boosted too much. Boosting the 500 Hz to 1000 Hz octaves makes the instruments sound horn-like. Boosting the 1 kHz to 2 kHz octave makes them sound tinny. Excess output in this range can cause listening fatigue.
    2 kHz to 4 kHz High Mids | Contains speech recognition sounds such as "m," "b," and "v." | Too much boost in this range, especially at 3 kHz, can introduce a lisping quality to a voice. Too much boost in this range can cause listening fatigue. Dipping the 3-kHz range on instrument backgrounds and slightly peaking 3 kHz on vocals can make the vocals audible without having to decrease the instrumental level in mixes where the voice would otherwise seem buried.
    4 kHz to 6 kHz Presence | Responsible for clarity and definition of voices and instruments. | Boosting this range can make the music seem closer to the listener. Reducing the 5-kHz content of a mix makes the sound more distant and transparent.
    6 kHz to 16 kHz Brilliance | Controls brilliance and clarity. | Too much emphasis in this range can produce sibilance on the vocals.

    &amp;nbsp;

    For those of you who have an easier time visualizing the audio spectrum in one-octave increments (like those found on a graphic equalizer), here's an octave look at the same chart (see Table 7.2).

    &amp;nbsp;

    Table 7.2 Graphic Equalizer Chart

    Octave Band | Effect
    ---------|----------
    31 Hz | Rumble, "chest"
    63 Hz | Bottom
    125 Hz | Boom, thump, warmth
    250 Hz | Fullness or mud
    500 Hz | Honk
    1 kHz | Whack
    2 kHz | Crunch
    4 kHz | Edge
    8 kHz | Sibilance, definition, "ouch!"
    16 kHz | Air

    &amp;nbsp;

    EQ Methods

    Since each specific song, arrangement, instrument, and player is unique, it's impossible to give anything other than some general guidelines when it comes to equalization methods. That said, there are a number of methods that can quickly and easily get you in the ballpark, as long as you know what you're going for. Remember that different engineers have different ways of arriving at the same end, so if the following doesn't work for you, keep trying. The method doesn't matter, only the end result.

    Before these methods are outlined, it's really important that you observe the following:

  • Listen! Open up your ears and listen carefully to all the nuances of the sound. Everything you hear is important.
  • Make sure you're monitoring at a comfortable level--not too loud and not too soft. If it's too soft, you may be fooled by the non-linearity of the speakers and overcompensate. If it's too loud, certain frequencies may be masked or overemphasized by the non-linearities of the ear itself, and again you will overcompensate.

    &amp;nbsp;

    Method 1: Equalize for Definition

    Even source material that's been recorded well can sound lifeless, thanks to certain frequencies being overemphasized or others being severely attenuated. More often than not, the lack of definition of an instrument is because of too much lower midrange in approximately the 400- to 800-Hz area. This area adds a "boxy" quality to the sound. Sometimes it's because the sound is lacking in the 3-kHz to 6-kHz area that makes it undefined. Subtractive equalization is a method that allows you to zero in on the frequencies that are masking the definition in a sound.

  1. Set the Boost/Cut control to a moderate level of cut (8 or 10 dB should work).
  2. Sweep through the frequencies until you find the frequency where the sound has the least amount of boxiness and the most definition (see Figure 7.1).
  3. Adjust the amount of cut to taste. Be aware that too much cut makes the sound thinner.

    There are two spots in the frequency spectrum where the subtractive equalization is particularly effective: between 200 Hz and 600 Hz and between 2 kHz and 4 kHz. This is because most directional microphones provide a natural boost at 200 to 600 Hz because of the proximity effect brought about by close-miking, and many mics (especially those known for being good vocal mics) have a presence boost between 2 kHz and 4 kHz. Dipping those frequencies a few dB (more or less as needed) can make the track sound much more natural than if you were to try to add frequencies instead.

    If there was a limited number of microphones (or even just one) used to record all the instruments in a home studio, these two frequency bands (or any other where there's a peak in the response) will build up as more and more instruments were added. By dipping those frequency bands a bit, you'll find that many of the instruments can sit better in the mix without having to add much EQ at all.

    &gt; What I hate to see is an engineer or producer start EQing before they've heard the sound source. To me, it's kinda like salting and peppering your food before you've tasted it. I always like to listen to the sound source first, whether it's recorded or live, and see how well it holds up without any EQ or whatever." -Bruce Swedien

    Tip: Always try attenuating (cutting) the frequency first. This is preferable because all equalizers add phase shift as you boost, which results in an undesirable coloring of sound. Usually, the more EQ you add, the more phase shift is also added and the harder it may be to fit the instrument into the mix as a result. Many engineers are judicious in their use of EQ, but that being said, anything goes! if it sounds good, it is good.

    &amp;nbsp;

    Alternate method

  4. Starting with your EQ flat, remove all the bottom end below 100 Hz by turning the low-frequency control to full cut.
  5. Using the rest of your EQ, tune the mid-upper midrange until the sound is thick yet distinct.
  6. Round it out with a supporting lower-mid tone to give it some body.
  7. Slowly bring up the mud-inducing bottom end enough to move air, but not so much as to make the sound muddy.
  8. Add some high-frequency EQ for definition (see Figure 7.2).

    &gt; "I just try to get stuff to sound natural, but at the same time be very vivid. I break it down into roughly three areas: mids, the top and the bottoms; then there's low mids and high mids. Generally, except for a very few instruments or a few microphones, cutting flat doesn't sound good to most people's ears, so I'll say, 'Well, if this is a state-of-the-art preamp and a great mic and it doesn't sound that great to me, why?' Well, the midrange is not quite vivid enough. Okay, we'll look at the 3k, 4k range, maybe 2500. Why don't we make it kind of come to life like a shot of cappuccino and open it up a little bit? The....

    &amp;nbsp;

    &amp;nbsp;

    Then it goes on more with another table later on but I ran out of text. You can get the newer 4th edition here:

    You can't Have an EQ chart for synths tho because synths make tons of different sounds in different octaves and frequencies.
u/cstucks · 7 pointsr/livesound

Bob McCarthy's Design book. It's given out at every class he teachers from Meyer but you can get it online too.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Systems-Optimization-Techniques-Alignment/dp/0240521560

u/okwolf · 7 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Without a doubt I'd recommend Mastering Audio if you want to learn the very basics, although be aware it's not easy and will take lots of practice. PM me if you have any questions.

u/mladjiraf · 7 pointsr/edmproduction

Music theory:

Start from the basic videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUtqcDkzw7bisadh6AOx5w

Rick Beato's channel is also decent.



Cheap and everything explained clearly.

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-3E-Idiots-Guides/dp/1465451676/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;pd_rd_i=1465451676&amp;amp;pd_rd_r=GF5SHDNNXVSHYD85SBMA&amp;amp;pd_rd_w=N6uHQ&amp;amp;pd_rd_wg=baHRW&amp;amp;psc=1&amp;amp;refRID=GF5SHDNNXVSHYD85SBMA

Or print the lessons of this site:

http://openmusictheory.com/contents.html



Mixing: MixbusTV ; recordingrevolution

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;pd_rd_i=0240815807&amp;amp;pd_rd_r=71AA09DB5BSM6697CVWQ&amp;amp;pd_rd_w=fruKp&amp;amp;pd_rd_wg=JTmnE&amp;amp;psc=1&amp;amp;refRID=71AA09DB5BSM6697CVWQ&amp;amp;dpID=51eoJadnMbL&amp;amp;preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&amp;amp;dpSrc=detail


Edm production tips: type "Lessons of KSHMR" - it's uploaded by a used named Splice (which is an audio samples related site)

Future music magazine: in the studio / Steinberg sessions


Tons of free vsts: https://bedroomproducersblog.com/free-vst-plugins/

http://vst4free.com/

Recommended DAW is Reaper (60 USD), because it's the most stable, the cheapest and has the most options and custom skins, so you can replicate any other DAW's key commands/mouse modifiers and skins, while having cheaper and more stable DAW - the only negative is that it doesn't include synths and samples, only fx plugins.

Reaper tutorials (around 340 videos )
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq297H7Ca98HlB5mVFHGSsQ

Free samples:

http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/free-music-samples-download-loops-hits-and-multis-627820

Paid samples:

https://www.loopmasters.com/

https://splice.com/

Recommended payed synths:

Serum (CPU killer, so don't buy it, if you don't have a good computer) or Massive for dubstep. These 2 are easy to learn and there are tons of presets for them - free and paid.

For non-dubstep anything goes as long you know what you do. You may like Syntmaster - tons of presets, cheap (100 usd) and many synthesis modes (but is very ugly and cluttered GUI). But whatever, the sounds are great (there are also cutdown versions of it, so care). The synths with that many different synthesis modes are usually way more expensive (200-500 or more USD)- but like I said, Synthmaster has pretty bad UI; still, it's a steal for that price.

At some point you will probably want NI Kontakt, because of 3rd party soundbanks, but better buy it in a Komplete bundle - it's cheaper.

Nexus is OK, if you are after some of the latest soundbanks (and they are super expensive). Factory sounds are overused and somewhat dated, so it's not worth it, if you don't get any of the latest expansions.

u/sza_rak · 7 pointsr/audioengineering

Tips are nice when you know the basics. I found this book very comprehensive and easy enough for a beginner.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807
http://www.cambridge-mt.com/MixingSecrets.htm

u/shocknob · 7 pointsr/edmproduction

Music theory is kind of interactive since you should play the notes and listen while learning scales and chords. So you can use a book but you can also learn most of the stuff online.

This site is great for learning music theory from the ground of. Those a step-by-step tutorials and are just nice to start with:

https://www.musictheory.net/lessons

If you're looking for tips to actually write and compose melodies, this is a more abstract but still nice guide:

http://www.haydockmusic.com/composing_tips/writing_melodies.html

Experimentation is always the key. You need some theory yes, but more importantly you should play your keyboard and listen to the notes/chords and find out what sounds nice.

If I would have to recommend a book, this is piece here is old but still gold:

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034/

u/MAG7C · 6 pointsr/audioengineering

A couple other suggestions. Don't buy any soundproofing product unless the company selling it publishes reliable test data on transmission loss. Lots of sketchy marketing out there -- or things that seem intuitively helpful, but really aren't (like glass block - the regular kind at least).

Get this. I wouldn't expect to start designing studios once you read it. But it will at least give you a sense of the concepts &amp; help cut through the bs that is out there.

u/BlackFox97 · 6 pointsr/hiphopheads

Learn music theory. I've started going through this book recently and it's helping me get the basics down and a lot of stuff is starting to make sense.

Other than that learning the ins and outs of your DAW and the workflow makes everything easier, even if it takes some time and effort.

u/shadfresh · 6 pointsr/electronicmusic

I have a few recommendations for you to get you started:

  1. This book: Music Theory for The Computer Musician , it's a great way to start off if you're unfamiliar with music theory. It gives you the basics and foundation of theory and while showing you how to apply it to various DAWs. It's a fairly easy read and there are quizzes and a CD with examples from the lessons. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

  2. Here are some good subreddits:
    /r/edmproduction/
    /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/
    /r/abletonlive/

  3. As others have mentioned, there are no shortage of resources online. There's tons of Youtube videos and forums where you can find tutorials.

  4. I also recommend listening/reading up on different types of EDM to give yourself a better understanding of what differentiates each genre. For example, check out the "House Music" wiki. Look at the description and try to understand what the "elements" of House music are: Rhythm structure, characteristic sounds, etc.. Do that for the genres you like first, and then venture to others you may not be familiar with.

  5. Lastly, if you're serious about it, stick with it. Just like anything, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Also, keep in mind it's not a cheap hobby or easy (time wise). You can do a lot of basic stuff with you Macbook and Logic (or whatever DAW you prefer) to get yourself started. I would hold off buying much hardware until you are comfortable with basics. If anything I would start off with some headphone and speaker monitors. (the links are to what I'm using and recommend to get started).


    I hope at least some of that is helpful...Good luck with everything!
u/Wunjumski · 6 pointsr/edmproduction

This is the best one I have found. Everything is very, very well explained.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

u/fast_luck · 6 pointsr/diypedals

That looks like it's from the Anderton book Electronics Projects for Musicians

The 4739 opamp and CLM6000 optocouplers are unobtainium nowadays, but geofex has some tips for replacing them.

u/xandercage22 · 6 pointsr/livesound

I’d start with this: Sound Reinforcement Handbook

u/AshamedGorilla · 6 pointsr/livesound

Anytime you ask about a book, someone is bound to mention the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. This is essentially the bible of sound reinforcement. It has all the things you need to know about a sound system. It is a bit dated with the lack of topics on digital systems, but physics hasn't changed so all that is still good.

I firmly believe that an understanding it the basics of how sound works is essential to being a good sound person. I run a University tech crew (full time supervisor) and I don't let any of my students use the digital boards or larger systems until they've proven themselves on smaller rigs.

That said, another thing you could do is download the offline editor for the Profile. get used to Menus, routing, effects, etc. And if you're allowed and there are no events happening, get your hands on the desk and just play.

u/mifuyne · 6 pointsr/edmproduction
u/Shike · 6 pointsr/audiophile

One thing I'd advise is that while Benchmark is honest, they sometimes straddle and exaggerate a bit at times. Some papers/resources I suggest:

  • GedLee has a lot of whitepapers that are worth reading.

  • Floyd Toole's Book is a great resource for engineering and acoustics - but does cost money.

  • Princeton 3D3A has some really cool projects and measurements that might be useful.

  • Soundstage provides pretty solid measurements

  • Zaphaudio provides some insight into DIY design.

  • Sean Olive's Blog has information on tons of topics relating to the improvement and reproduction of audio based on engineering and testing.

    I'm sure I will think of more as time goes on. I also tend to reference white papers from trusted authors and organizations known for being experts in their fields when doing research on specific subjects.
u/PaulMorel · 6 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

You should do some reading before buying anything. To be frank, most of the people on this subreddit know very little about microphones. Here's a book I've learned from, and a book I suggest to some of my students.

You will get lots of recommendations for SM57s here. SM57s are versatile and useful microphones. However, if you only own a small number of microphones, then they aren't the right choice for you.

SM57s are what are called dynamic microphones. These microphones are not very sensitive, and they change the recorded sound significantly. They also suffer from what is called the proximity effect. The advantage of dynamic mikes like SM57s is that they are indestructible, and they don't require phantom power. For these reasons, they are often used in live situations (because they can take a lot of dbs without distorting), and they are often used as snare mikes. They are terrific for those purposes.

As studio mikes, they should be one of your last options (in most cases). If they're all you have, then you can make them work ...

But in my opinion, if you only have two mikes, then you should have a pair of large diaphragm condenser mikes. The most popular, affordable, and common large diaphragm condenser is the AT2020, although if you have more money, my favorite versatile large diaphragm condenser is the KSM32.

Now, why a large diaphragm condenser rather than a dynamic mike like the SM57/58?

The main reason is frequency response. Condenser mikes exhibit much closer to a flat (natural) frequency response. This means that they capture sounds more accurately. Dynamic mikes, on the other hand, color the sound significantly, rolling off both high frequencies and low frequencies.

This means that condenser microphones are more versatile. They can be used in more situations, and in more pickup patterns. Ultimately, this is why, if you only have two microphones, they should be two of the same large diaphragm condensers (preferably a matched pair).

For example, say you are recording an album for a band. They want to mix live tracks and studio tracks. With only two microphones, how can you record a live show for any type of band?

The answer is, you use a coincident pair placed in the audience at the show. This technique will work great with two condensers, but won't work at all with two dynamic mikes.

Next, say you want to record vocals. To do this with an SM57/58, the vocalist has to be aware of the proximity effect (the sound gets too bassy when the singer gets close), and you will have to use EQ to fix the strange frequency response of those mikes (which is good enough in a live situation). This task is much simpler with a large diaphragm condenser.

I could go on, but I am getting tired of typing. You will get a lot of uninformed responses to this question. I urge you to consider what I have said, and buy two large diaphragm condensers like AT2020s.

tldr: Two AT2020s and an Onyx Blackjack would be my suggestion. Total = $200 for mikes + $150 for interface = $350

(I think one AT2020 and the interface might be good enough for you to start with)

u/mikeypipes · 6 pointsr/edmproduction
u/AnhedonicShellac · 6 pointsr/audioengineering

This book is an awesome resource when starting out. I've read through probably 6 times and I still pick up something new every read through. Also, take everything you read on forums like gearslutz with a huge grain of salt. There are many audiophiles out there that don't know any hard sciences, and for some reason try their damnedest to convince people to believe in their myths. Also also, audio is subjective, do what sounds good.

u/KravMagaCapybara · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

I'm not referencing any specific material, I'm talking in general terms regarding absorption through the use of porous materials.

When using a porous absorber (of which a textile carpet, textile drapes, and slabs of mineral wool are examples of), the bandwidth of its absorption is dictated by the thickness of the material. A sound wave is at peak pressure at one quarter the wavelength, so this will define the low threshold of where the absorbing material will be effective with regards to its thickness.

If we take the 250 Hz frequency example again:

The wavelength of a 250 Hz sine is:

λ = c / f = 344 m/s / 250 Hz = 1.376 m

...and a quarter of that wavelength (to find the wave's pressure peak) is:

1.376 m / 4 = 0.34 m

So a 34 cm thick carpet will absorb from 250 Hz and up. The exact degree of absorption and the Q-factor depends on the material itself, but the roll-off frequency is determined by the thickness.

All this stuff is detailed in Everest &amp; Pohlmann's Master Handbook of Acoustics, which I heartily recommend for anyone who's interested in the science of acoustics.

u/sleeper141 · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

Mics- 414s are fantastic mics no doubt. But there are many,many other more affordable options out there that are competitive in quality. I'd suggest checking out some higher end MXLs, they are super versatile and pretty too.

don't worry about thunderbolt. people were recording low latency drums and etc....long before thunderbolt came out.

monitors...well, the NS10s are pretty standard. if you can make a mix sound good on those it will sound good on anything.every major studio but one (studio a in dearborn) I've been in has them. If you are really burning for something new I'd suggest some genelic 1030a there the older model but they were used on pretty much every hit song in the early 2000s. Everybodys got them. I know the speakers and trust thier response. and they're affordable.

preamp- This is where I personally invest the most money... there are as many preamps as snowflakes. I like the Focusrites ISAs, Rupert Neve designs, go high end... but honestly I have been fooled by the stock original MBOX pres. You're not a true engineer till you have fiddled with a non functioning micpre and thought "that sounds better" lol.

compressers- plug in compressors are great. which is why i suggest spending the money on the preamp. however it never hurts to have a hardware tube compressor/limiter handy. I recommend the ART VLA II.

plugins- trident EQ, fairchild 660, old timer, PSP vintage warmer, 1176, LA2A, smack!, MC77, there are a TON of good plug ins to choose from.

headphone monitoring? Not to sure about that one, Headphones are for performing only. I have the 80 dollar sonys for clients. ,they come with a nice bag to store them in. I don't mix with headphones( thats a whole can of worms dealing with psychoacoustics)

drum mics- shure makes good durable kits, I see them in use all over the place. CAD aren't to bad either. don't go cheap..but don't go overboard either. Approach it like preamps, go with a trusted brand name, they're selling a set of mics specifically for drums, kinda hard to fuck that up right? (IMO its more important to have a good room.)
this kind of reminds me of a joke.

how many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb?
none. they have machines for that now. just throwing it out there.

computer and software- I say go protools. but thats all i know, i was certified in 2002 and havent had a need for anything else. I have never been in a studio that wasnt using it, there are a couple in nashvile that use sonar...well, that was a few years ago.

I am not here to shit on mac. but i have used both in the industry throuought the years and they both perform fine. The last studio I was at used a quadcore w 4 gigs on XP with PT8 and never had so much as a hiccup, recording 24 tracks at once @ 24/96. I take the policy of if it isnt broken, don't fix it. I also have a person issue with avid, I refuse to upgrade to 9 or 10 because they allow any interface to be used...except there older ones. bullshit.

Trust me on this one...the client isnt going to give a shit what OS you are using until it your computer crashes. if you load up your computer with tons of cracked plugins and have poor organization and maintenance, its gonna take a shit on you.

further reading- this is probably the most important advice i can give you. read a little bit and get a total understanding on what everything does, because there is a lot of bullshit in this field.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Audio-Series/dp/0872887235

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=pd_sim_b_10

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1348852030&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=room+acoustic+music

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=pd_sim_b_24

good luck




u/Drutski · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

I bought it after it was recommended by his friend when I went to buy a Yamaha synth off him. It's fairly comprehensive, especially for the time it was written, but you'll find everything and more on Youtube now.

You're better off with this:

And especially this.

u/natufian · 5 pointsr/edmproduction

Some advanced and very in-depth mixing resources:


  • Mike Senior's book- Mixing Secrets

  • Dave Pensado's Youtube channel- Pensado's Place.


    Mike Senior was Editor for Sound On Sound magazine's "Mix Rescue" column, where you could listen to mixes submitted by readers. Mike fixes the mix, and give his reasoning to why he makes each change that he does. Great concept, great articles.

    Dave Pensado is just a class act. You have to love the guy. Grammy awarded, and a great teacher. His interviews with other professionals are always a blast, but for very in-depth technical discussions, go watch his "Into the Lair" segments. You won't be disappointed.


    I realize that these two resources are not EDM centric, but the fundamentals are rock solid and you'll be able to use them wherever you go.
u/UprightJoe · 5 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I highly recommend this book for mixing: https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-small-studio-Presents/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1539751292&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=mixing+secrets+for+the+small+studio

&amp;#x200B;

The author has also compiled 345 multi-track recordings that you can use for mixing practice: http://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-mtk.htm

&amp;#x200B;

Practice is important!

u/OrendaBass · 5 pointsr/edmproduction

Def want acoustic Treatments for sure. I've stumbled across some pretty crazy deals on Ebay from time to time. Upgrade your monitoring next and get a small sub. Try to get monitors and subs that are the same series, as they are often built to work together and have easy cutoff switches that end/start at the others frequencies. Something like this is ideal for a great price: https://www.ebay.com/i/182475564279?chn=ps&amp;amp;dispItem=1

Avoid monitors that are ported in the front (i.e. rokit krk's). If you want bass traps, make your own. Just goolge the process. Keep in mind a bed is already and excellent bass trap, if there is one in your room. Generally want monitors at ear level. This book is a wealth of information on this topic and many others. Maybe check it out as well: https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1501967590&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=mixing+secrets+for+the+small+studio

Good luck with everything! Enjoy yourself!

u/S1GNL · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

Get an audio interface and a DAW.

Choose the most inexpensive or used audio interface and a free DAW to start with.

Youtube will provide you more than enough tutorials to learn from scratch.

Ask and discuss stuff on reddit and gearslutz :D

Read this! There is also a "Recording Secrets" book from the same guy, but I didn't read it as I'm not recording stuff.

u/hcghftfjbjkhlugyfjvg · 5 pointsr/edmproduction

Music Theory for Computer Musicians &amp; Dance Music Manual in books. You could use Musictheory.net to learn the basics.

u/peewinkle · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

May as well get a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. I've been tinkering/fixing/modding stuff for years and every time I pick it up I am reminded of something I had forgot or learn something new.

Learn how to solder like a boss.

I used to buy cheap stereos/stereo components at the thrift store just to tear apart and dick around with; I learned a lot by destroying stuff (accidentally).

Also, building guitar effects pedals are a good way to jump in and obtain a grasp of the basics. Plenty of free schematics on Google. As well as how to mod cheap gear. (For instance- an ART Tube MP pre-amp are going for $25 on Amazon, you can find instructions on how to mod it for $20 worth of parts and end up with a decent sounding pre-amp) (Well, 'decent' is subjective, but you get the idea).

u/djscsi · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

You might start with this book

/r/livesound is the subreddit that covers this, mostly professional types. /r/soundsystem caters more to the DIY/hobby side of big sound.

Yes that gear is available to consumers, it's very expensive and there is a lot of knowledge and experience that goes into designing/deploying/tuning that type of rig. It's really quite a lot of material to cover - if you're interested in doing your own events then you can find local companies to hire for sound/lighting. If you're looking to build your own rig then start small or preferably hook up with some local crews who are already doing this sort of thing. Not sure if this helps, might be able to help if you have any more specific questions.

u/HalecOberman · 5 pointsr/askscience

It's not just experience, it's training and an in depth knowledge of acoustics and audio engineering. There is a huge amount of information about this on the internet, so I might guess that you just haven't found the right search terms. One oft-mentioned resource is the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, which is about as comprehensive as you can get, if very technical.

You may also be interested in /r/livesound ...

u/davethefish · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

As always, grab yourself a copy of what many professionals and amateurs alike call The Bible.

It's a very indepth overview of the world of sound. Unfortunately it doesn't go up to the digital age but the basics and physics don't change much! If someone could write a version 2 that covers digital desks, line array systems, and sections on bit rate and sample rate, I know many many people who will buy the book again without hesitation!

u/the_sameness · 5 pointsr/livesound

Buy yourself the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement book.

Sound Reinforcement Handbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_B.XCzbBZSTH6Z

It will give you so much more information and is a useful reference book.

IMHO everyone interested or doing sound should own a copy.

u/nom-de-reddit · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

A couple of good books for you to check out are the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. Together they'll cost you about $50 at Amazon.

There's also this book, linked from /r/audioengineering.

u/igorbubba · 5 pointsr/AudioProductionDeals

Please tell more about your current situation (budget, experience with music, the digital audio workstation that you use, do you compose music or just mix music etc.) so that anyone can help you better.

Most important advice is don't buy anything yet, because spending any amounts of money on something you know nothing about is a really bad choice in the audio realm.

The reason I say this is because you can get away with a lot for free if this is just a small hobby to you and you have a small budget. There's three things you need to have in order, before you even consider buying third party audio plugins:

  1. Do you have a decent computer to produce music with?
  2. Do you have a decent pair of headphones / studio monitors to mix with?
  3. Which DAW (FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Logic etc.) do you plan to use?

    I ask these because I don't want to recommend anything before I'm sure how new to this you really are. There are a lot of free software around (especially plugins) that some argue are even better than most paid ones -- plugins that'll get you 80-90% of the quality of paid ones -- but buying plugins is mostly done in consideration of the preference of workflow, genre and "that extra something" that free plugins don't have.

    There's a book that I recommend for you and anyone new to mixing and it's called "Mixing Screts for the Small Studio (2nd ed.) by Mike Senior. The long awaited 2nd edition just came out a few months ago and it's probably the best book about mixing right now. It will go more in depth about mixing at home than any reddit comment, so consider buying it before any plugins. His website also has a ton of free multitrack files for mixing practice that even I do weekly just for fun and to learn new plugins. I've studied music technology and film audio for a combined 8 years and it's still a very helpful resource.

    TL;DR Don't buy plugins yet, tell what you use to make music with and buy the book linked above to get started on learning how to mix.
u/Dizmn · 4 pointsr/makinghiphop

If you wanna get good at mastering, you're starting down a rabbit hole. I'm not an expert. I can't answer your questions. But the best place to start would be Bob Katz's Mastering Audio. That'll give you the groundwork of mastering.

u/fuzeebear · 4 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

In the book Mastering Audio by Bob Katz, or separately from Bob Katz's website.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818962/

https://www.digido.com/product/carnegie-hall-chart/

u/Digipete · 4 pointsr/audio

An oldie but a god-damned goodie, The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. Very well written and packed with the basics of analog technology.

When I was doing audio at a church as an absolute amateur I found it to be indispensable. I keep it nearby and still refer to it from time to time.

u/Shelf_Life · 4 pointsr/livesound

As most will say, get the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and maybe this one as well for some updates and information regarding installed systems.


These two might be a bit heavy if you are just getting started but I would consider them must haves for your library.



-If you want to get started in Live Sound, better start at the basics.



-Bob's book has tons of information on interaction between multiple loudspeakers and the surrounding environment as well as electro-acoustics.

Hope these help, and have fun!

u/CuriousEar · 4 pointsr/audiophile

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms is a superb book (the author is well known in the industry). Very detailed, very factual and all about how you'll hear the music in a room. Tons of data and graphs from studies and measurements. Deliciously, also has details on how the specs of a product can be manipulated. You can see a shorter paper by the same author at Loudspeakers and Rooms for Sound
Reproduction—A Scientific Review
.


Master Handbook of Acoustics is also good.

u/MrEdTheHorse · 4 pointsr/reasoners

Truthfully, there's much better value in investing in a few books and watching free tutorials, especially the propellerhead generated ones.

Mixing Audio should be your bible and studied like you're taking the bar exam. It'll give you an incredible foundation to grow from. It covers everything from compressors and other devices, setting up a mix, and professionally executing a mix. I'm serious, read it with a highlighter and take notes. Plus with Reasons analog mix board like setup, it's easy to translate to Reason.

Even if you decide to take some courses, I would read that before hand anyway to get alot more out of the classes.

Propellerhead's Own Videos are extremely insightful as well.

All in all Good Luck!

u/nate6259 · 4 pointsr/explainlikeimfive

I have spent some time in mastering studios, and I can try to shed some light on this to the best of my knowledge. As a precursor, master recordings usually exist on stereo analog tape whose mix has been bounced from the multitrack mix. That is, until you get somewhere into the 90's when elements started to be recorded either partially or fully in digital. That's why on eariler era CD's, you'll sometimes see "A/A/D" or "D/D/D" etc. on the back of CDs to signify whether it was recorded, mixed, or mastered via digital or analog means.


  • Mastering for the listening format: If an album was originally mastered for vinyl and/or cassette tape, then it would benefit from a remaster for digital formats, since the digital mastering process is very different from analog formats. Digital audio always has a very specific top threshold or "clipping" point (sometimes measured as 0dB full scale) and so it can give a mastering engineer the ability to push the compression and limiting (which can be a good or bad thing depending on the techniques used and your opinion on the digital "loudness wars"). I was fascinated to learn that an improper vinyl master can create a physical groove too big and cause the needle to skip.

  • A/D (Analog to Digital) conversion: The quality of conversion has come a long way over the past 20-30 years, and so it's not uncommon that an album may have been digitally transferred for CD replication back in the 90's, but could sound much better through more modern converters. The A/D conversion process has a huge effect on sound quality.

  • Overall sonic "enhancement": This usually comes down to EQ and compression techniques. Mastering engineers may utilize both analog equalizers (for broader tone shaping purposes), or more "surgical" digital equalizers to both enhance and/or clean up the sound more than earlier masters. This may also involve some form of noise reduction. More mix-specific qualities like reverb and other effects are usually not touched.

    Generally speaking, I have found that a remaster sounds cleaner and brighter, which I think is a combination of both the improved conversion, and processing to fit our modern sensibilities, since today's listeners are more used to a slightly "louder" (more compressed/ peak limited) sound, as well as added openness to the high end of mixes.

    Edit: For further reading, this book by Bob Katz is a bible on the process of mastering.
u/aderra · 4 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Bob Katz's mastering book is pretty much the Bible of mastering techniques.

u/ReverendEntity · 4 pointsr/edmproduction
  1. It's already been said. I will say it again. Syntorial.
  2. I'm sure that once this post circulates a little more, there will be more people making recommendations, but in the meantime, here's an article on 10 headphones that are good for music production. The keys are flat frequency response and comfort.
  3. Also already been said, but Rick Snoman's Dance Music Manual is a good place to start regarding comprehensive coverage of the concepts you need to know. Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is also good, as are Bobby Owsinski's books and Mixerman's books.
u/magicmaestro · 4 pointsr/audioengineering

The first couple of chapters of Mike Senior's mixing book is on room design http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

All around a good reference book to have regardless

u/laughlines · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

So this is what you learn:
-How to create an 808 Kick
-How to arrange a track
-How to create a "lush sparkling mix"
-How to use reverb
-How to create a build up
-Basic sound design
-How to use distortion and compression

NOPE. Not for $40.
For mixing: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1427666706&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=small+studio+mixing

Sound design, arranging, etc.: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manual-Tools-Techniques/dp/0415825644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1427666724&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=dance+music+manual

The first book I linked to is literally the bible of mixing. It's a truly great resource. The second is a great cursory overview of music theory, sound design, and several aspects of the big electronic genres: arrangements, keys, percussion. It even tells you settings for synthesizing kicks in each genre it covers.

u/zedsinn · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

If you want more in detailed information, buy this book and read chapter 1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807#reader_0240815807

u/Hutchinson76 · 4 pointsr/audioengineering

Yes definitely follow this advice.

Mastering is the process that makes all the songs in your album sound like they belong together. You use EQ, compression, limiting (and possibly other effects a la reverb and delay) to make them sound part of a cohesive whole.

Be wary of advice that says you've got to hard limit stuff too, especially if your music is going to a lossy bitrate compression destination like YouTube or iTunes. Lossy file formats like .mp3, .aac, and .wma do not take well at all to slammed tracks.

I recommend reading 'The Mastering Engineer's Handbook' by Bobby Owsinski. Its an interesting read about the history of mastering and examines the processes of mastering for vinyl, CD, digital delivery, television, movies, etc... There's loads of interviews with world-renowned mastering engineers too that will be sure to set you on the right path. Owsinski's other two books, 'The Recording Engineer's Handbook' and 'The Mixing Engineer's Handbook' are also great tools for the independent musician and/or novice audio engineer.

Like all things audio, you have to listen. If your ears are telling you something is wrong, then something is wrong. Also, listen on many different sources. Put your work on a CD and listen in your car or at work or in shitty mp3 on crappy earbuds! The people buying your record will be listening in all of those situations so you might as well know what they are going to hear!

I guess my last piece of advice would be that if you're not mastering on an expensive stereo system—and I do mean very expensive, like $20,000 per channel kinds of expensive—you should probably be filtering high and low frequencies. If your system can't reproduce low end (less than 50-80 Hz) or high end (greater than 16-18 kHz) accurately, then you must include a high-pass filter and a low pass filter before you start doing anything else in the mastering process. The reason mastering engineers and facilities are so expensive is because they can hear things that you can't; both because of their experience and ear training as well as their equipment and signal path.

u/asses_to_ashes · 4 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

This and this are the best books I've found. Lots of info on eq, compression, effects, mic placement, etc.

u/dr_error · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

Here you go, these are arranged according to their importance:

  1. Basic music-theory knowledge: http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034
  2. A workstation that you feel comfortable with. Most of them has a demo, so grab one and stick with it (you'll find tons of tutorials on each one on Youtube, just learn the basics like writing/exporting midi, assigning effects on audio/midi tracks, rendering).
  3. Grab a free synthesizer and learn basics of using a synth (attack, sustain, waves, oscillators): http://reverb.com/news/synth-basics-101
  4. Compressors: http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-beginners-guide-to-compression--audio-953
  5. Equalization: http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-basics-of-equalization--audio-16587

    These will get you on track, then you can dive more into complex synthesizers, start buying some loops and manipulate them to be unique, read more about compression (because it's an endless topic), start making collaborations, mixing, mastering (limiters, multi-band compressors and stereo-imaging).
u/boesedicht · 4 pointsr/TechnoProduction

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

This book teaches you everything you have to know about the fundamentals of music theory and even how to play the different scales on the piano. The chapters are in a logical order, so you don‘t get overwhelmed. After each chapters you can test your knew knowledge with some excercises.

I‘ve read it twice and i think it is an easy way to learn the basics without spending much money.

u/trelll_music · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

I took advanced music theory all through High School and other than reading the odd bit of notation when I am trying to remix a song, my ears and basic understanding of chords is what I mostly use. I hardly ever use the skills taught to me in that class. I refreshed myself a few years ago with this book, very good:

http://www.amazon.ca/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

u/Leitmotivdj · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

I am surprised this one hasn't been mentioned yet: Music Theory for Computer Musicians.
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

This book is amazing. It takes you step by step to understanding music theory, in a simple way. No complicated sheet music, everything is explained in a simple way for someone like me who never learned music before. It helped me a lot to understand what I was doing on the keyboard and further diversify my use of different scales.

u/jbrid · 4 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Have you watched this yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEjOdqZFvhY

And read this:
https://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/159863867X

And the Youtube Channel "Recording Revolution" has some good beginner stuff.

u/tycoonking1 · 4 pointsr/audioengineering

The Recording Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski is a great guide for this, with loads of other useful info in it as well. I know it isn't an app but I feel everyone who records anything should own this.

u/granworks · 3 pointsr/DIY

To start, it's good that you're not expecting 100% soundproof or even close because that's just not possible in residential settings on reasonable budgets. In fact, I suggest you do this test:

  1. Stand outside of your room on the neighbor's side with a decibel meter. Have somebody play music in your future band room at a relatively high level. Then have them lower the volume until you are at a point that you consider "quiet enough". Measure that level with your meter because that's your target
  2. Now go inside of your band room and stand just opposite of where you were outside. Play music at the level that you'll be performing when its done. Measure that level. That's your starting point.
  3. Subtract the target from the starting point. That'll give you a very rough idea of how much attenuation you're going to need.

    If the difference is 30dB or up to maybe 50dB, then that's doable. If you require 60dB or 70dB... well, you will likely need to hire a professional in that case. Flanking will kill your performance at that level and getting generic advice online won't cut it.

    So if you're still in reasonable territory, then here's the 80/20:

  4. Completely new inner wall and ceiling with floating walls and joists (assuming you have the height and space between the existing joists)
  5. Insulation in the cavities
  6. Two layers of 5/8" drywall
  7. Seal all holes and gaps with 50 year caulk

    That doesn't have the (very expensive) MLV or the moderately expensive Green Glue or clips/channels. Studs and drywall are both cheap as is insulation.

    That does assume you have the space for the floating ceiling, though. If you don't, then you might get away with just doubling or tripling the drywall on the ceiling since that'd just be a flanking path and not a primary soundproofing path.

    Ductwork is out of the scope of any ad-hoc online advice. Far far too many variables.

    If you're serious about this then I strongly recommend buying this book: Home Recording Studio : Build it Like the Pros by Rod Gervais. It's fantastic.
u/Manny_Bothans · 3 pointsr/drums

search google for mass loaded vinyl.

Also read a lot before wasting money on sound treatment. This book will save you a lot of $.

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X

You might not be building a home studio but the concepts are all the same.

u/the__itis · 3 pointsr/edmproduction

The mastering engineers handbook
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1598634496
The mixing engineers handbook
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1598632515

Highly approve. Read them about 10 years ago and they are amazing. They also have been updated since I believe.

u/GreiBeats · 3 pointsr/makinghiphop

Specific to this, you can study tonal harmony, what constitutes a major and minor scale, including natural, harmonic and melodic minor, and studying the circle of fifths and it's reasoning, including understanding what relative minors are, and how keys relate due to their construction.

https://www.musictheory.net/
google-fu
search related forums

If you'd like to get a foundational understanding of music theory that's friendly to people who aren't classically trained, this is the book I'd recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1467063989&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=music+theory+for+computer+musicians

Alternatively, just watch this video a bunch. He gives you some nice bare bones practical use of the circle of 5ths, that you can apply right now.

u/JamesTheHaxor · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

&gt; BTW, that wiki song structure article is a mess

Agreed. I linked to that wiki article without even really looking. Personally, I like the following books that go into a lot more detail in regards to production and EDM:

u/tmdfarmer · 3 pointsr/musictheory

Thanks. Would an online course suffice?How about something like this: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-music-theory-berkleex-oharm100x

Regards to books , I'll definitely give that one a check . Not sure if you've come across : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

Or Hook-theory(http://www.hooktheory.com/)

Would you recommend giving these a shot aswell?

u/Thronewolf · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

If you're looking into studio recording (home or otherwise) The Recording Engineer's Handbook is incredibly practical, to-the-point, and a reference I still look to.

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/159863867X

As for the actual mixing and recording, save up for a decent DAW and teach yourself online (or if you can save the money, try and find somewhere nearby that gives certification courses/bootcamps). For most types of music, Pro Tools and Logic are the "go-to" standards. Ableton is great for EDM and live performances. I don't have experience with Cubase or other alternatives, but I'm sure most others are fine for the job. It's all about workflow.

The Recording Revolution is a great place to learn mixing/recording tips in a noob-friendly way. Excellent YouTube channel as well, so long as you can stomach gospel music samples.

http://therecordingrevolution.com/

My biggest piece of advice to you: do NOT got to a "college" offering audio recording degrees and the like. Huge waste of time and money most of the time unless you're already incredibly talented/gifted. Better to get out there and actually DO something, learn from mistakes, and improve yourself.

u/Wilde_Cat · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

Some of these might be ok. But this book was personally recommended to me by Chris Lord-Alge when I was a novice engineer. I highly recommend.

Mastering Audio - Bob Katz

u/chewingofthecud · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

For mixing: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is my favourite resource for learning the mix engineer's craft. Also many people recommend Mixing With Your Mind, but I can't claim to have read it.

For tracking: The same author of the Mixing Engineer's Handbook has one on tracking which is also quite good. I learned tracking as an apprentice, so I have read very little in the way of published books on this topic, but for guitars specifically some person archived the posts of a person named Slipperman here which I've found to be a valuable resource for information and entertainment(!).

In general: Get yourself a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, and read it cover to cover, twice. It is an absolute building block of audio engineering and probably the best single resource I can suggest for the theory and practice of audio engineering and sound reinforcement.

u/Space_Bat · 3 pointsr/livesound

Live sound is such a hands on industry, I imagine it would be near impossible to base an entire degree around it. SAE Sydney do an intensive 7 week course based almost entirely around live sound. This is as good as you're going to get in actual live sound.


In my opinion the only real way to gain knowledge in this field is to get out there and do it. If after 15 years you still don't have the knowledge you need to teach, perhaps you need to figure out what you're lacking and seek it out yourself.... If it's the actual physics part, you can study acoustics at Sydney or NSW uni's . If it's the electrical side of things you can do an electrical engineering at any branch of NSW Tafe.

Otherwise just fill in the gaps yourself by reading books such as the Yamaha Live Sound Reinforcement Handbook.

As I've already stated though, it's not really a skill that can be taught in a classroom... You have to get out there and train your ears as to what sounds good in a particular environment, how to problem solve fast and efficiently under pressure, how to pick a particular frequency if it is feeding back, how all varieties of mixing console work, what the difference between a group and a VCA is, proper gain structure, how to set compression and gates effectively, how to deal with band and management politics, how to keep your cables from getting wrecked, how to repair things on the job, how to tune a PA... The list goes on and on, and honestly these are things that you can be shown, but can only truly start to master by getting out there and figuring it out for yourself.


Good luck.

u/yaghn · 3 pointsr/livesound

The +15 to -15 how much the EQ is boosting or cutting. The RTA overlay is in dBFS or dB Full Scale.
This book has a lot of information on live soubd systems https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

u/MondoHawkins · 3 pointsr/Learnmusic

Grab a copy of The Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It explains how to run live sound in great detail. It was the textbook from my Sound Reinforcement class in university 18 years ago and still sits on my bookshelf today.

u/BubblesOfSteel · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

Read the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NBtDDbV6TBG8X

It has all the fundamentals you need to work with live sound.

You’ll do well to find someone who already knows how things work and shadow them on some gigs, preferably in different venues, indoor and out. Church sound can be a good place to start, but remember that any installed system has already been set up and configured so things go pretty easy.

If you play an instrument, get out there and play as much as you can, so you understand how it feels on stage and can relate to the musicians you’re running sound for.

Good luck!

u/DanielleMuscato · 3 pointsr/Guitar

If you are interested in more depth on this topic I highly recommend this book, widely considered to be "the bible" of running sound:

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook (2nd edition)

u/Outofyurworld · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook would be pretty nice. It lays out a lot of information and you can learn all kinds of stuff.

u/AnInnO · 3 pointsr/hometheater

It also provides a lot of diffusion in the high and mid ranges, which arguably is better than thick full-spectrum absorption panels. In other words, it doesn't sonically "shrink" the room. It just makes it sound "nicer".

For anyone curious about DIY treating their room, this was my Bible back when I was mixing and mastering for a living: The Sound Reinforcement Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_21GODb6B4EGSV

u/Fatjedi007 · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

Ok. That is much more manageable!

As far as dry, academic sources go, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook covers a ton. It covers the physical aspects of making and treating a studio, along with a million other things.

For software, your best bet is just to cover the big ones (protools, logic, cubase, studio one, reaper etc.). Honestly, I wouldn't really spend much time on this besides saying that they can all pretty much do anything you need them to, and it is mainly an issue of user preference.

Pensando's Place and The Recording Revolution have been great sources for me as far as actual production techniques. There are some lectures on youtube by Steve Albini that are pretty awesome, too. Really- recording and producing goes from a science to an art at a certain point, so your paper will likely have two sides to it: the stuff everyone 'agrees' on, and the stuff where an engineer breaks with the conventional wisdom to do something their own way.

Not to belabor the point, but sound engineering is about as broad a term as 'painting' is, and you will find people who do it have as much or as little in common with each other as painters do.

As long as you approach it as a combination of art and science, you should be able to do a decent job. Just look up some lectures by reputable engineers, compare &amp; contrast.

u/gnarfel · 3 pointsr/livesound

Per rule 1, please do not post links to pirated content.

You may link to an Amazon page where a user can buy that book like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

u/gizm770o · 3 pointsr/techtheatre

If you are looking to do sound I would definitely pick up a copy of Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It is a super helpful book for giving you a basic knowledge of systems, how they work and how to make them work for you. It is somewhat out of date but is still super useful. The Audio Dictionary is also a very helpful resource.

Also make sure to get a very good knowledge of power and electrical theory. I'm always amazed at how lost a lot of audio engineers/sound designers seem to be when it comes to power. It is an extremely important part of what we have to do.

u/werewolf_blitzer · 3 pointsr/livesound

Get yourself one of these and read it like it's the ten commandments. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0881889008?pc_redir=1397818753&amp;amp;robot_redir=1

u/m1stertim · 3 pointsr/SoundSystem

Oldie but goodie, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

Basic repairs would be covered more by learning how to read circuit diagrams, and/or a basic electronics course.

u/SuperXpression · 3 pointsr/edmproduction

gotchu fam. I'm just guessing, as I don't own this book, but the title of this post is "the secrets of dance music production" so I googled that and found this on amazon.

u/prestonwillzy · 3 pointsr/edmproduction

that’s actually pretty realistic advice....just keep trying. keep throwing darts at it and you’ll hit the bullseye eventually. keep watching videos, messing around, and putting time in

you’ll want to give up a lot - but every time you overcome that feeling you’ll come back more inspired.

also, check our Syntorial

and this book:
The Secrets of Dance Music Production https://www.amazon.com/dp/0956446035/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ncp2DbCN85VDK

u/SvedishBotski · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

The Recording Engineers Handbook is like the industry standard as far as books on the subject go. Every engineer should have a copy. It’s packed with super useful info.

u/Nazoropaz · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

Audio is an expensive hobby. You'll have to make sacrifices. I suggest get a part-time job and use the money to buy equipment in this order:

•Mac (because music)

•DAW

•Decent monitors

•Microphone + interface

•A plugin suite

If you learn everything there is to know about each piece you obtain as you obtain it, you'll learn the entire flow of work in audio and you'll know where you'll want to specialize.

There's plenty of books you can read to get you started, I suggest Recording Tips for Engineers, The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, Assistant Engineer's Handbook, and The Music Producer's Handbook. The manual to your DAW is essential.

When I was your age, I worked at Five Guys a couple shifts a week in order to buy a Macbook. 5 years later, I work in a fine dining kitchen to pay off the student loans I took to attend a private recording arts school. So while you're in highschool, learn as much as you can and decide if you really want this. It's not an easy or simple path. It's almost entirely up to you how far you go.

u/thatwasawkward · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I second johninbigd's recommendation of "Live Sound Reinforcement".

I also suggest you get the Master Handbook of Acoustics and Modern Recording Techniques. Very helpful stuff.

u/IronRedSix · 3 pointsr/audiophile

May I also recommend this book: Master Handbook of Acoustics

It has been my bible for acoustic treatment in my previous room, and will be a great resource for anyone wanting to learn both the theory and practical applications of acoustical treatment. As you asked, the authors also include designs and possible materials for each treatment type.

u/oratory1990 · 3 pointsr/headphones

&gt; I am curious to know why you think headphones are immune to smear of the "imaging of the signal" as you put it.

Headphones largely work in the pressure-chamber effect - the front volume (volume of air between diaphragm and eardrum) is larger than the wavelengths of sound we're dealing with. In these conditions pressure does not "travel" as a wave, but instead rises and falls uniformly across the whole volume. It also does not depend on the acceleration of the diaphragm (as it does with loudspeakers), but on the excursion of the diaphragm.

&gt; Generally speaking as long as you get the speaker to sound flat, you're good

It's a little more complicated than that. Floyd Toole explains this perfectly in this "paper" (more of a book really).

The TL;DR of this paper is:
Ideal loudspeaker is:

  • linear and flat on-axis in anechoic room
  • peak/dip-free but slanted sound power output
  • ~-1 dB/8ve slanted linear frequency response when measured in the listening room (which is not anechoic). So there's a 10 dB linear drop-off from 20 Hz to 20 kHz when measured in the room.

    Even shorter TL;DR:
    on-axis is important, but off-axis is just as important.

    &gt; But try putting a flat sounding speaker close to your ear and tell me what you hear?
    The acoustic axis of a loudspeaker doesn't start right at the diaphragm - you need to be a certain distance away from woofer/tweeter (assuming a loudspeaker with more than 1 driver if we're talking about serious loudspeakers) in order for them to properly couple to each other.

    &gt; Not to mention all the phase error issues due to the close proximity.

    Please do mention the phase errors.
u/OJNeg · 3 pointsr/audiophile

Winer's book is not that great. I'd recommend Floyd Toole's Sound Reproduction although it's admitted more technical minded.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Acoustics-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers/dp/0240520092

u/boioing · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

Mixing Audio - Roey Izhaki
Really breaks everything down. Also has a DVD full of audio examples.

u/astrosoldiers · 3 pointsr/ableton

Awesome article. Thanks, very clearly written.

If anyone needs more info on gain staging, read the SOS article link he provided.

Below is link if you missed it. I recommend reading the article above first, as it does a good job summarizing the topic.

http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/gain-staging-your-daw-software

Also see - Bob Katz

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371



u/hightrancesea · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

&gt; You are wildly incorrect. Never before has a compression plugin been too fast for the sampling rate. A compressor would have to have an attack time of 0.00002267573 seconds for this to even make sense.

Compressors multiply the incoming signal by a time-varying gain signal; the total bandwidth of the ideal output signal is approximately the sum of the two. So if you have an input signal at 10kHz, any compression gain signal with a bandwidth over 12.05kHz will alias without additional oversampling in the compressor plugin, which not all plugin manufacturers implement. For any attack time below 1 millisecond, a 12.05kHz-bandlimited approximation of the compressor gain signal will look pretty terrible, but without bandlimiting of the gain signal, you'll get aliasing. Hence, the need for oversampling.

&gt; Furthermore, there is plenty anti-aliasing filters built into DAWs and converters to prevent just the type of distortion you describe.

Anti-aliasing filters are used to prevent aliasing when you start from a higher sampling rate, whether that's infinity (analog) or for an oversampled signal. I don't see how building them into the DAW or an ADC/DAC do anything for the aliasing that occurs inside a plugin.

&gt; You get no advantage bouncing at a higher sampling rate if your plugins over-sample.

And I heartily agree with you on this as can be seen in my original reply. Unfortunately, not all plugins over-sample.

&gt; You have a very incorrect view of how digital audio functions. I highly recommend this book:
&gt; https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371
&gt; It goes into great detail about just how this sort of things work.

Thanks for the recommendation, but for the basics of digital audio, I instead recommend Oppenheim and Schafer's Discrete-Time Signal Processing for the mathematical theory as well as JOS's series of digital audio processing online books for more application-oriented concepts.

u/Gwohl · 3 pointsr/realdubstep

If you haven't made much music in the past, I would recommend learning how to DJ while also studying the principles of audio synthesis and music theory.

DJing is a really good way of understanding what elements of a tune make it danceable and exciting - particularly as far as rhythm and harmony are concerned. Digital music production requires a pretty solid understanding of not just computer software but also a few fundamentals, including the physics of sound, the science behind audio synthesis, and then technique things such as editing, signal flow, etc.

A few books I would recommend for getting started are The Computer Music Tutorial and Musicmathics. As far as mixing and mastering is concerned, which are other essential aspects of the production process, I would recommend checking out Robert Katz's Mastering Audio.

Psychoacoustical considerations are probably what most blatantly separate the men from the boys. My recommended starter for this is Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound by Perry Cook, who is a professor of Computer Music at Princeton.

EDIT: Also, if you don't already, start listening to and appreciating classical music - particularly stuff made after the Renaissance - in order to get an understanding of the emotional impact things such as dynamics and voicing have on the listening experience. Electronic music heavily borrows from the classical music tradition in this context. Digital music production essentially makes you a computerized Mozart, in that you can control dozens of musical voices, but with even more micromanagement potential than the typical classical music conductor can offer. You will not have a complete understanding of these musical concepts from pop/rock music alone, or even from more 'sophisticated' musical practices such as jazz.

u/breakfastanimals94 · 3 pointsr/FL_Studio

Not really a tip/trick, but something that really helped me was reading Mike Senior's "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio."

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

That books does an excellent job of breaking down the process, and the purpose of different tools. Once you really know what FL's different plugins are meant for, and how to use them, making music will become much easier/faster. I really recommend reading through that book to familiarize yourself with all the powerful tools you have, I promise you that your music will improve dramatically after utilizing all the knowledge and skills presented in that book!!

Sorry if that's not necessarily what you're looking for mate, but it's something I feel will really help get you where you want to be!

u/soundthealarm21 · 3 pointsr/audioengineering
u/Ragnatronik · 3 pointsr/makinghiphop

As u/HoneyD said, you're overthinking it, imo. Not a whole lot of intricate mixing was done on most of those 90s beats. The gear they used and the vinyl sampling is what sculpted that sound.

I consider EQ, compression, and distortion to be basic level stuff. If you know the basics of those then you should be able to somewhat identify the tonal characteristics of a mix. Listen to those tracks you mentioned and try picking them apart yourself. What is the high-end like in those drums? Is it clear and 'sparkley' like modern songs? It's probably boxy (as in not much high-end past 10khz or so) and a little crunchy, which you can get from applying a low-pass filter and distortion. There's also probably not a whole lot of stereo information, so thinning the samples and drums can help to get that old school sound.

I honestly prefer Decimort2 over the S950. Sounds great, has a lot of versatility, and no hassle. You gotta remember that all of those classic machines were digital, so in theory you should easily be able to emulate them, but part of that special sound came from the inputs and outputs, most famously the SP1200 and MPC60. Read about the characteristics of the SP's output transformers and try applying what you gathered into the chain in your DAW. A lot of that dark, muddy sound comes from those outputs, and when you push them they get crunchy. A good distortion plug like Saturn, Decimator, AudioThing Vinyl Strip, Trash, etc., followed by a low-pass filter. If you have any vintage-style filters then that would help even more, as they can add some nice saturation.

If you haven't read this, I would highly suggest picking it up. It's not geared towards hip-hop, but mixing is universal and will help a ton in whatever genre you are making.

u/moothemagiccow · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I heard this was a good book for improving your mixes. I like the author's work in Sound on Sound.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-small-studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

You won't have much luck finding a job, skills or not.

u/theGaffe · 3 pointsr/audioengineering

I always recommend [Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior.] (https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1473187120&amp;amp;sr=8-5&amp;amp;keywords=home+studio+book)

Vocoders and formants are kind of specific, not sure if there's a lot of books that cover those in depth. I'd probably google around for some online literature for those. Or once you understand audio fundamentals, reading a plugin's manual will give you all the info you need to know.

u/terriblesounds · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I learned a ton from this book. Good luck!

u/w_v · 3 pointsr/Logic_Studio

When you're done with YouTube there are quite a few books written in the past ten years aimed at getting people started in production as effectively as possible.

As much as I hated his eMarketing-style sleaziness, Marc Mozart's book, Your Mix Sucks, is the best “starter” manual written in the past five years.

Another amazing resource is Mike Senior (of Sound on Sound fame)'s book, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. This nails what audio production is like in 2018. No large format studio nonsense, no old geezers waxing about mixing Diana Ross albums in the 70s.

u/salvodaze · 3 pointsr/ableton

Wow, ALL of these replies are gold :)

I'm reading [this book]
(https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807) about mixing, and it has some nifty ideas for arrangement as well. It says when you think about your mix in parts (be it verse, chorus, bridge etc. or otherwise) you might want to think about what instrument you want to be the focus of a part and make sure it shines through and any other competitive instrument makes way for the focus one, esp. if they are in the same frequency range. This seems like a "duh" idea but often times we are not that conscious in our decisions. The writer also mentions the ear can process only 3 things at a time, so it makes sense to choose our battles wisely in each part of the song :) Here's the full quote from Jack Joseph Puig in the book: "You have to consider the fact that the ear can process only three things at once. When you get to the fourth thing, the attention drops away somewhere.”

Edit: Added quote.

u/cryscloud · 3 pointsr/edmproduction

I just ordered Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio yesterday from Amazon. It looks pretty damn promising.

u/WanderingMayor · 3 pointsr/makinghiphop

Too many focus on plugins or hardware, and not enough learning and knowledge. Get a book or two. This one is on my wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240815807

u/markofthedevil · 3 pointsr/Reaper

One of the best books about ever:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818962/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_JWnJAb9FGWEFM


3rd edition improves the readability btw.

Edit: grammar.

u/thanthenpatrol · 2 pointsr/Acoustics
u/oxcrete · 2 pointsr/buildastudio

If you want to approach it academically, start with the master handbook of acoustics https://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328

u/awgoody · 2 pointsr/diyaudio

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Floyd Toole's Sound Reproduction, or Geddes' Audio Transducers. Toole's is more related to psycoacousics and implies guidelines for speaker building more than specific speaker building tips. From there, I'd probably go with AES and SMPTE Papers and obviously the great info on DIYAudio and AVSForum.

I/We can happily try to point you toward some good AES papers if you find a topic you're interested in. I have saved a ton of papers on waveguide theory and can send you some links if you find that interesting.

The patents can become interesting once you've really got a hand on things - I've been slowly working through the Danley paraline patents for hours and have barely scratched the surface.

u/transam617 · 2 pointsr/CabaloftheBuildsmiths

Mad_Economist just turned me onto this book

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/0240520092

For very in depth speaker design.

u/HGvlbvrtsvn · 2 pointsr/audiophile

You don't really grasp the concept.

&gt;Any room will sound better with a better speaker, as a general rule

Learn anything about acoustics and you'll swiftly learn this is not the case. This shouldn't been to be explained. Context matters. Speakers need to be suited to their environments.

&gt;In what way would a better speaker sound worse than a bad speaker in any given room?

All your saying here is a better speaker is better... Nobody is denying this. My argument is that after having spend a certain threshold on a good setup, you will almost never feel significant progress to your 'endgame' spending much more, no matter your gear. Acoustics quickly becomes your issue to solve, and it's the hardest one as you can't just buy it. It's not hard to create a flat speaker, it's not hard to create a low distortion amplifier, we live in 2019, a close-to-perfect setup is achievable for under £5k.

&gt;I have a terrible room (almost square, small, hardwood floors, couch, curtains) and I still haven't hit a wall with what I can get by buying better speakers.

Sorry to say this, but you likely just don't have a good ear for these things. A lot of rooms can be nullified by just turning the speakers up to a point where you're just hearing the shape of your room as a tuned box and not really hearing many reflections. Sounding Different =/= Sounding Better.

As connoisseurs for sound - especially when chasing 'endgame' as is our topic here. We're looking for a few key elements - a consistent, flat frequency response with no harsh inconstant peaks, we want to be able to hear stereo separation with minimal phasing of sound.

That last part matters the most, minimal phasing. suboptimal rooms make phasing a huge problem. It's something an expert audio engineer understands how to look out for, and is often those with little acoustics knowledge have no idea exists, or what to even look out for if it does.

All I'm trying to say in my post, is that it's easy to get chased up into the gear for your true audio 'endgame', when really doing so will never net you the results you truly are looking for - unless you've never heard a perfectly acoustically treated room.

My best piece of advice for anyone is to go and listen to a non-environment room, or a non-reflection zone room, it's an experience that will completely change your mind, especially when you get to A/B between different speaker arrays.

&gt;You seem to have strong opinions on room treatment, why not start a thread or offer up some advice/rooms you've worked on to educate people here?

Honestly, the best advise I can give anyone here is to read 'The Book' on speaker placement. It goes against a lot of what people believe, especially in a hi-fi context of acoustics.

Audiophiles just seem to care too much about the gear opposed to how it actually sounds, there are some relatively dogshit speakers (compared to their contemporaries) this sub recommends just because they're expensive. Most acoustics posts on this sub and any hifi forum get buried. Although if I do see some demand for it I may actually compile something someday.

TL;DR: After a certain point, speaker quality really doesn't get much better, and acoustics rapidly takes over in honing your perfect setup. Different does not equal better, and in a good enough room, a lot of the time a vastly more expensive speaker will not perform better.

u/throwdemawaaay · 2 pointsr/AskPhysics

My understanding of music theory is rudimentary but that a huge chunk of it is expressed in terms of ratios/intervals. It tends to stay within the musical scale, but since you can directly map that to frequencies it's all ultimately frequency ratios.

I'm not sure how much music theory you could derive from the direction of physics however, as a lot of it seems to depend on what we perceive as harmonious or dissonant. Why we like certain specific ratios and whether that's determined by something fundamentally physical is a super interesting question imo. I hope someone else can reply and shed light.

If you'd like a book on acoustics, that covers the physics of how speakers/instruments rooms and perception interact, Dr Floyd Toole wrote a great one: https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/0240520092

u/drinkalone · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Mixing Audio - Concepts, Practices and Tools by Roey Izhaki. Great because it also includes real life examples (On the CD thats included and website they provide) of different instruments being EQd and processed different ways.

u/MrProfDrDickweed · 2 pointsr/techtheatre

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Systems-Optimization-Techniques-Alignment/dp/0240521560 If you want to get REALLY in the weeds about audio system setup and theory

u/mikegusta · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

Wouldn't hurt to give producing a shot. Having good studio vibe is important for engineers or anyone who works any job in a studio setting. Producing other people's music is a fast track to learning that. Not to mention building a good network. You could get a crack at mixing the artists track to which is great practice.

If I remember correctly the books that head the most impact for me were:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Listening-Skills-Audio-Professionals/dp/1598630237

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-2e-Roey-Izhaki/dp/0240522222

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149




u/DNuggets · 2 pointsr/makinghiphop

My advice would be to nerd out about mixing first. This video is good for mixing trap, and it's cheap: http://audioschoolonline.com/product/?lesson=352

I'd also advise grabbing this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-2e-Roey-Izhaki/dp/0240522222

Once you get mixing down to a science, then you can get on to mastering.

u/bag_of_puppies · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Bob Katz - Mastering Audio is a fantastic book on this subject. Content ranges from audio fundamentals to advanced technical material, but is never overwhelming.

u/OwenTheGeek · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

Have you read Mastering Audio by Bob Katz?

This would be the best place to start learning about mastering, in my opinion: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

For videos, Streaky's channel on YouTube is the best I've seen (although I don't necessarily agree with 100% of his opinions): https://www.youtube.com/user/StreakyMasteringTV

u/hob196 · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

From memory, I believe that is The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski.

Another staple read about this is Mastering Audio: The art and the science by Bob Katz

u/aeon_orion · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

Mastering is a mysterious art form that takes practice and a good ear to be able to do well. The only plugins I would recommend for doing this you've already tried so I doubt you're gonna get anything better. A few things you could try though is mixing the track at a higher volume before using ozone or an L2 on the track or make a new session in your DAW import your mixed track on one channel and then a commercial track on another that is at the volume you want your track to be and then tweak the settings on the L2 or Ozone while doing an a/b comparison with the commercial track to try and get it sounding similar.

If you want to learn more about mastering though this is a fantastic book on the subject.

u/hunterwithin612 · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

My college used Modern Recording Teechniques. Its a great book, and I still refer back to it as a refresher. Has alot of the same things Practical Recording Techniques (Bartlett) has, but you can never have enough ideas and ways to mic.
Here is the link to Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Recording-Techniques-David-Miles/dp/0240810694

u/iamonapig · 2 pointsr/trapproduction

your low-mids to mids as well as highs are lacking. as in you need either better samples to fill out those frequency ranges or you need to eq your stuff better. along with that your sub is lacking any real presence (in terms of the kick and the bass). you can solve this by distorting/compressing/eqing your kick/bass. another problem is stereo placement -- try using the haas effect as well as panning your instruments well.


you've been producing for four years but haven't done much mixing/mastering and your track reflects that. look into buying this book and watch this video as well, i highly recommend this one.

u/Edgar_Allan_Rich · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I'm assuming this is a be-all, do-all type of room that includes tracking and mixing. I'm going to give pointers based on a "perfect world" scenario. It's up to you to make the necessary compromises.

  1. Your monitor position is not great for mixing or tracking; for a few reasons. You got the angles right for the ideal sweet spot, but the monitors are close to the front wall boundary. The ideal placement is somewhere around a third of the room length away from the nearest boundary (9' room length = monitors at ~3' from front wall). Setting monitors on top of a desk is also not ideal because desks will most likely move with the speakers, thus effecting bass response. Desks also cause bad early reflections, and monitors on a two-tier desk will be sitting approximately half way between the floor and ceiling (thus breaking our 2/3 rule again). My suggestion would be to mount the speakers on heavy duty brackets screwed directly into the wall studs 2/3 of the way up the wall above you, pointed down. You will be able to get a wider sound field without sacrificing floor space due to the geometry, avoid reflections, and get better bass response because they will be coupled to the highest amount of mass possible (wall studs + slab). This was my personal solution at home and I have pristine stereo imaging and excellent bass response as a result. This obviously isn't an easy option for most consumer monitors though because not all of them have mounts. The alternative option (although pretty weak) is to at least use Auralex Mopads between the monitors and the desk to keep the two from coupling. I've used them and you will hear an immediate difference. Acoustics are all about mass, and you either want as much mass as possible keeping monitors still or as little as possible to let them move. Two schools of thought, both of which have applications, but setting them right on top of a wooden desk is the worst of both worlds.

  2. It looks like you have bass traps in the corners, which is good. Ideally these should be 4" thick Owens corning 705 or a mineral wool of similar density. Yes, you can stack two 2" thick sheets together to get the same result as long as you don't use the stuff with the aluminum on the outside. 705 is better than 703 for bass traps because of the density. 703 is good for mid frequencies, so you can save a buck and get some of that for the door panels, but I'd go with 705 anyway because bass will go through the panel and then through the door (assuming it's a lightweight interior door) into the hall, acting as another bass trap. Do not pack pink stuff behind the corner panels. It's not worth it and it kills some of the bass trapping.

  3. The panel above the piano will not be doing much. A more effective placement for that panel would be to use 4" of 705 mounted parallel to the wall but with air space of 2+ inches between them. This will trap lows down to ~50 or 60hz, mids, and highs. Mounting the panels directly against the wall will not allow them to absorb low end. The airspace is necessary to stretch down to deep low absorption. Mount as many of these types of panel as possible in this sized room for the flattest bass response. Expect to have some pretty bad modes below 80hz without more bass trapping. Ideally you'd cover as much wall and corner as possible.

  4. Lots of insulation around a room will make it sound pretty dead in the highs, which make be to your liking. you may be happier though by taping crate paper or grocery bags to the faces of your wall panels. This will reflect the highest highs, keeping the room sounding a bit less claustrophobic. It's cheap and effective.

  5. I don't see any ceilling treatment or mention of ceiling height. I'd install (at the very least) a 4" thick cloud above the drum kit and above mix position to kill early reflections. Ideally you would cover the upper corners where the ceiling meets the wall with 4" bass traps as well. This will greatly improve clarity. You can never have enough bass trapping in a room.

  6. If that's a closet next to the drums, I'd fill it with bales of pink stuff as an additional bass trap (yes, just leave them packaged and stack them up).

    If you're interested in where I got my information, I basically just followed any advice I could find from Ethan Winer, but a lot of it didn't make sense until I built my studio and ran some of my own calculations using this porous absorber calculator. I found it very interesting that a really thick layer of the pink insulation works way better than the dense fiberglass stuff at controlling low end for cheap. The reason people like the dense stuff so much is simply because it saves space, but it's actually pretty ineffective compared to say, 8" of pink stuff.

    If you plan on mixing in this room I would highly suggest the books Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio and Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros, as they both go over small, existing room treatments in great detail.

    Good luck with your room.

    Quick edit: Don't be tempted to put your monitors on their sides just to look cool. If they have tweeters then they should be standing upright to give the best imaging.
u/TidesTheyTurn · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

For a great start covering the basics of Reaper specifically, Kenny Gioia's Reaper 4 Explained series is good.


For specific questions about a detailed task you're trying to accomplish, Youtube and the Cockos forums are good. (e.g., "How do I change the tempo of a section without stretching the audio?")


For info on mixing in general, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is good (as others have said), but I prefer The Systematic Mixing Guide for a more straightforward, concise and practical approach.

u/js52589 · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

I recommend looking into some books on production. There is so much more information crammed into the better books than you will find in a week's of searching forums and youtube tutorials. For books on mixing, I say you can't go wrong with Bobby Owinski's The Mixing Engineer's Handbook or Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studioand for general production I recommend Rick Snoman's Dance Music Manual just be sure to get the latest edition, it includes chapters that cover everything from basic theory the popular genres (trance, dubstep, DnB, Techno, House, and Ambient/Chillout), it covers the electronics and science of acoustics, MIDI, DAW's and everything that come's along with them (instruments, effects, samplers, etc) and promoting and distributing your music. I can't say enough about this book and what a great way it was for me to see the "big picture" of what was ahead of me when I was starting out.

u/tmwrnj · 2 pointsr/Guitar

For recording, I'd strongly recommend the books Recording Secrets for the Small Studio and Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior. They cover everything you need to know in a simple, readable format. I'd also recommend browsing the archives of Sound on Sound Magazine. It has been the leading music tech magazine since 1987 and the archives are a treasury of knowledge.

For guitar pedals, I'd recommend the YouTube channel That Pedal Show. It's a weekly series all about pedals and amps. The presenters really know their stuff - Mick is editor-in-chief at Guitarist magazine and Dan is a professional guitarist who builds pedalboards for some of the best players in the world. Their videos show off some of the best gear in the world, but they also cover really basic topics like how to power your pedals, what order to put your pedals in and how many watts your amp should be.

u/ShitTaste · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I highly recommend you get a copy of Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. It's a fantastic book that carefully explains what you're trying to accomplish when you mix and how to do it.

u/Flyingpolish · 2 pointsr/trance

I'm reading Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio to figure out how to get my tracks to sound professional and a big theme is setting up the right monitoring environment and a consistent workflow. I have a habit of mixing while I compose rather than waiting to add effects later. While my friends really like my arrangements, my tracks always seem to fall victim to muddiness.

Do you have any tricks that you employ to keep a workflow organized and sounding nice while at the same time promoting the 'finish your tracks' mentality that you've already mentioned?

EDIT: Grammar...

u/UntimelyMan · 2 pointsr/india

Nice song but the audio is nowhere near release quality. You need to work a lot on mixing. I highly recommend this book.

u/antarchitecture · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Mike Senior from Sound on Sound wrote a book that I found really helpful. It tackles everything from how to set up a good listening environment to how to use eq, compressors, reverbs, delays, etc.

It's called "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

u/itsjack1996 · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

Don't really know any good "production" books, but this book on mixing is fantastic http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z. I hear very nice things about the Dance Music Manual, so thats worth checking out. You should also get a book on your DAW. Never underestimate the value of understanding what your software can do. It'll save you a lot of endless google searches when you need to get something done. :)

u/mikecoldfusion · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

About the first 1/4 of that book is about monitors, how to place them in a small studio, and things you can do to control room noise. This was the most informative part of the book for me.

The author goes off on a lot of tangents but its a very good book for general production knowledge as well. It clarified a lot of things I had a rough idea of.

u/imsalhi · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

A good idea is to get a private teacher, someone who can listen to your mixdowns and tell you what is missing. You might learn really advanced techniques and forget them as you will never need to use them (like multiband compression). Instead, just focus on what will get your own mixdowns to the next level.
Have you read this book?

u/manic_andthe_apostle · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

The Mixing Engineers Handbook is the standard, although there are 100’s of books.

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/128542087X

As far as phasing issues, you can fix those either during recording by flipping phase on offending mics, repositioning mics, or, if you’re using a DAW, aligning your tracks so that the issue goes away.

u/nardandsaffron · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

If you don’t build your walls on top of your floating floor you’ll still be sending lots of transmission down through the walls into the floor/ceiling below.

Best analogy is that you should try to keep your sound within a watertight bubble. Any holes or weakspots will absolutely let sound through.

I spent &gt;50k on studio construction on the 2nd floor of my building, and I can tell you that it’ll take a lot more than that to stop it from going below unless you’re in a concrete reinforced building. I have a storage space under me so it wasn’t a big deal.

Also structural engineering blah don’t crush the person below blah

Build It Like The Pros

^pdf is out there

+1 for cans after 10p or moving

u/BORG_US_BORG · 2 pointsr/homestudios

Have you tried doing some research?
There is a wealth of information on the internet, and numerous books on the subject as well.
Here's one: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=home+studio&amp;qid=1564774723&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-2

u/robotnewyork · 2 pointsr/buildastudio

Are you planning on making a recording studio or just a space for making noise? If you are making a recording studio I'd recommend this book. It's what I used for my basement studio - it covers important things to consider like electrical wiring tips (use thicker yellow wire, don't run lines parallel, don't use non-LED light dimmers), 2x4 stud placement (make 2 rows of 2x4 with a few inch air gap in between), ceiling recommendations and everything else. It also debunks many of the popular myths like egg carton soundproofing and gets into the science of how the room should be shaped, etc. It's a must have for home studio building.

u/Mackncheeze · 2 pointsr/mixingmastering

The Mastering Engineer's Handbook is a great one. I haven't read it, but I did read "The Recording Engineer's Handbook" by the same guy. It's a combination of his own experience and (mostly) a collection of knowledge by top level mastering engineers.

u/Kinglm · 2 pointsr/ableton

Thank you for the great advice, I bought this book and havent gotten around to reading it yet, and i probably should...

u/NequissimusMusic · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

this, this and this are said to be pretty good and are on my "to buy" list as well. Just took a short look at one of them at a friend's house a while ago and seems to be pretty well written.
Also: AFAIK written by a redditor. ;)

u/Heatedbread · 2 pointsr/EDM

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034
This is hands down the most comprehensive guide I've come across and it's taught me everything I know. If you post on /r/edmproduction this will be the first guide they recommend. If you can't afford that then here is a free guide that is also very good. https://gumroad.com/l/tldrmusic

u/schimmi · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

There's not much to add, everyone's already told it like it is. Might i recommend the absolutely wonderful and informative book "Music Theory For Computer Musicians" by Michael Hewit?

On a semi-related note, how did you make that video for your song?

u/xtremeggnog · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

Do you know your way through Ableton already or are you looking to learn more about the in's and out's of Ableton?

If you know how to use Ableton already, I highly recommend spending more time delving into music theory over DAW tutorials (especially if you are producing deep house which has more complex chord structures). I bought the following book off Amazon and was happy with what I learned off music theory (allow the beginning starts off a little slow if you have been producing for awhile):

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537349050&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=music+theory+electronic

If you are wanting to learn more about the in's and out's of Ableton, I'd recommend saving some money and looking up tutorials on YouTube on how to accomplish what you are looking to do. If you have any questions regarding Ableton plugins, there is likely a YouTube tutorial on it for free.

u/rafael000 · 2 pointsr/abletonlive

Find sample packs with sounds you like and make your own racks.

Then, go learn music theory. If you don't know the basics (never played any instrument) it will be hard to do anything good.

I'm a drummer, so I have a hardtime with notes and chords, so I started reading a music theory book for computer musicians. It's not great and it can be hard if you don't know nothing, but it sure helps.

u/Open_Eye_Signal · 2 pointsr/electronicmusic

I actually major in music theory, so don't feel bad :P I'm not really sure of any materials as I've mostly learned from teachers and professors. I've seen this book thrown around a lot:

Music Theory for Computer Musicians

u/mczanetti · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

DO NOT GIVE UP


if you enjoy the process of doing music, and like what you are doing, continue with it. i think you should read some technical resources, to get a better understanding on how things work and how they related with each other.

I highly recoment [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034), and [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manual-Tools-Techniques/dp/0240521072). You can find booth on torrent, but buy if you can. they tottally worth the price.

one thing i read from a skrillex interview: "everyone starts making shit music. continue making bad music until they start to sound good"

u/pingpongchongkong · 2 pointsr/musictheory
u/Kerb3r0s · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

Music Theory for Computer Musicians https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598635034/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xWBVCbA2HCEHM

This book starts from the absolute beginning and walks you through everything you need to k ow to start making music using a DAW and synths. It’s written like a textbook so it has lots of pictures and exercises at the end of each chapter.

u/Marie_Orsic · 2 pointsr/TechnoProduction

You could try this book. Might be the best is if you got some music lessons on piano. You don't need to learn to play Rachmaninoff but having somebody to show you proper techniques is going to be helpful. Since you will be paying for it out of your own pocket you are likely going to be more motivated to practice and to continue. Once you have the basics down you can then start to pick up other bits and pieces from other people on YT, friends or what have you. If you're interested in more sort of classical Detroit techno then you would want to look into learn some jazz and gospel for more complex chords. Of course its possible to make techno with out learning any theory and there are many who have done so but you will likely get there faster with it.

u/Trigger757 · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I cant tell you what recording software is right for you, cheapguitars link is a good place to start off looking. Id also check out kvr.com for hosts and plugins, they have as comprehensive a list of audio software as any you will find online, and their forums are a great learning resource.

As for music theory, id recomend this book if you have any interest in doing more than just record electronically.

u/_lzrfc · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

This book is really great for mixing. Currently making my way through it. It is very dense and thorough


This book has been recommended to me a lot for mastering. A very good producer told me this was the standard for wanting to learn proper mastering techniques. I haven’t read it yet

u/BuzzBotBaloo · 2 pointsr/diypedals

&gt; Have I received bad information?

Yes, very bad information.

&gt; (1) is this passing along the power into my own effects chain?

Unfortunately...yes. And that's not good because...

&gt; (2) if so, would that power be too much and risk damage?

Absolutely yes. The amp, the effects, and just about everything "down river" may be ruined.

If you really are interested in learning more about DIY FX and stuff, this was a book I got decades ago and still own a worn, dog-eared copy...I have never built any of the projects (many use obsolete parts and I'm too lazy to cross-reference them when there are so many great projects available from modern sites), but it's a good read for how many things like this work. BTW, if you google the book title, you might find a PDF of it on a university website. It's probably also available through a library.

u/burkholderia · 2 pointsr/guitarpedals

If you put in the time and effort you can pick it up fairly well. If you really want to get into design and modding and stuff I'd say find a few fairly simple circuits and socket a bunch of the components so you can see how changing various parts impacts the sound. This is supposed to be an interesting book from Brian Wampler. Most of the negative reviews basically bash it for basically taking informations and schematics you can find online and putting them into a book, but the analysis and organization helps you work through some of this stuff. This is another good one too from Craig Anderton. The Anderton tube sound fuzz is the basis for one of my got to distortions.

u/Zodsayskneel · 2 pointsr/diypedals

Craig Anderton's Electronic Projects for Musicians! I actually bought this book in 2010 and it completely overwhelmed me. Then I watched an interview with Jeorge Tripps (I think in the FUZZ documentary) where he mentions this book specifically as how he got started. I recently dusted it off and now I totally understand everything going on in there (I think!!!)

u/philco27 · 2 pointsr/diysound

Electronic Projects for Musicians by Craig Anderton is great if you want to learn some pedal basics!

https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Projects-Musicians-Craig-Anderton/dp/0825695023

He has some other books that are also pretty awesome for getting your feet wet.

u/ProgHog231 · 2 pointsr/Bass

I don't know of bass-specific books, but bass pedals are just guitar pedals tweaked in some cases to preserve or work with lower frequencies. A few choices:

  • This older book by Craig Anderton has some good information, although I'm not sure that all of the projects are feasible: Electronics Projects for Musicians
  • If you are less interested in building, then Dave Hunter's Guitar Effects Pedals may be worth a look.
  • And lastly, there is the The Stompbox Cookbook, which contains both some theory and practical stuff. It is pretty expensive though.

    There are also quite a few online resources. Many of these might be deeper into the weeds than you want, as they will have schematics, lists of components, and building instructions. Google will be your friend in this area. There's a PDF on this page that might be a good intro to this sort of thing, as it designed for a first-time builder.
u/EHX_Engineering · 2 pointsr/guitarpedals

BYOC and General Guitar Gadgets kits are a great start to learn how to solder and assemble. Electronic Projects for Musicians is a good book and Jack Orman's website, muzique is an incredible resource. Electrosmash is also awesome in their analysis of various famous circuits. I still reference that site every once in a while.

u/aasteveo · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

But seriously, if you don't even know what the term 'gain-staging' means, a single paragraph on a reddit thread is not going to help you much. That's basic fundamentals on how audio works. I'd suggest picking up some beginner books.

There's a lot of fundamentals covered in this Sound Reinforcement Handbook.
And the Mixing Engineer's Handbook is great.

u/HamburgerDude · 2 pointsr/LetsTalkMusic

To add on to this comment I highly recommend reading this book and it's free too. You'll have a undergrad or even graduate understanding of how digital signals work...http://www.dspguide.com/ and definitely buy this book if you want to expand upon it...it's the bible of audio engineering: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

u/signalflowlaxative · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

Have you read this?

u/MrBelch · 2 pointsr/IWantToLearn

This is pretty much the bible, it just doesn't have the new digital stuff in them. There is a lot to know, you should hop over to /r/livesound and /r/audioengineering and read up!

u/adrianmonk · 2 pointsr/audio

OK, the negative numbers thing is confusing at first, but there's a reason behind it. This will be easier if you understand logarithms, but hopefully it will make sense even if you don't.

Basically, an equalizer works by splitting the sound into different frequency bands, then passing each band through an adjustable amplifier.

An amplifier's job is to take a sound and make it louder. Well, really it's dealing with electricity, so it takes an input voltage and makes a higher output voltage. For example, using numbers I just made up, suppose the input is 0.02 volts and the output is 2 volts. It's basically multiplying the voltage by 100. If the output were 0.2 volts, it would be multiplying it by 10 instead of 100. So you've got ratios of 10 or 100 or whatever else.

In the audio world, logarithms are used when talking about these ratios. This is partially for convenience (the ratios can get really big), but it's also because it corresponds more closely to the way the ear perceives sound.

Continuing the example from above, the base-10 logarithm of 10 is 1, and the base-20 logarithm of 100 is 2.

Actually, I sort of lied. In audio, decibels (symbol: dB) are used. A decibel is simply a way of writing a ratio. It's the same as a base-10 logarithm, except then it's multiplied by 10. (Hence the "deci-" prefix.) So in the example above, the amplifier whose output is 10 times its input is increasing it by 10 decibels. Because 10 decibels means "a ratio whose base-10 logarithm is 1". The amplifier whose output is 100 times its input is increasing the voltage by 20 decibels, because 20 decibels means "a ratio whose base-10 logarithm is 2".

To summarize what we have so far:

input voltage | output voltage | ratio | base-10 logarithm of ratio | decibels
-|-|-|-|-
0.02V | 0.2V | 10 | 1 | +10 dB
0.02V | 2V | 100 | 2 | +20 dB

But not only can amplifiers (and equalizers) multiply voltages and make them bigger, they can also make them smaller. That is, they can cut the volume level instead of increasing it. This corresponds to a fractional ratio, like 1/10 or 1/100 instead of 10 or 100. And when you take the logarithm of a fraction, you get a negative number. So let's extend the table a bit:

input voltage | output voltage | ratio | base-10 logarithm of ratio | decibels
-|-|-|-|-
0.02V | 0.0002V | 1/100 | -2 | -20 dB
0.02V | 0.002V | 1/10 | -1 | -10 dB
0.02V | 0.2V | 10 | 1 | +10 dB
0.02V | 2V | 100 | 2 | +20 dB

You may have noticed that this table could use another row right in the middle. If an amplifier can either increase or decrease voltage compared to its input, can't it keep the voltage exactly the same? Yes, it can, and this is called unity gain. Updating the table:

input voltage | output voltage | ratio | base-10 logarithm of ratio | decibels
-|-|-|-|-
0.02V | 0.0002V | 1/100 | -2 | -20 dB
0.02V | 0.002V | 1/10 | -1 | -10 dB
0.02V | 0.02V | 1 | 0 | 0 dB
0.02V | 0.2V | 10 | 1 | +10 dB
0.02V | 2V | 100 | 2 | +20 dB


So that's what the numbers on the equalizer knob mean:

  • -15 dB (all the way counterclockwise) means you are multiplying the voltage by about 0.0316, because log(0.0316) = -1.5, and 10 * -1.5 = -15 dB.
  • 0 dB (pointing straight up at 12 o'clock) means you are keeping the voltage unchanged, i.e. multiplying it by 1, because log(1) = 0, and 10 * 0 = 0 dB.
  • +15 dB (all the way clockwise) means you are multiplying the voltage by about 31.6, because log(31.6) = 1.5, and 10 * 1.5 = +15 dB.

    More or less, a practical implication of this is that a good starting point is to have all the equalizer gain knobs (the blue ones marked -15, 0, and 15) set to 0. That's the neutral position where they are neither increasing nor decreasing their frequency band.

    If you look elsewhere on the mixer, you will see these dB ratios show up several other places. For example, up at the top where the mics plug in, you will see a GAIN knob that goes from 20 to 60. That means the voltage from the microphone is being amplified anywhere from 20 dB up to 60 dB, depending on where the knob is set, so it is being multiplied by something between 100 and 1,000,000.

    You'll also see the dB indicated on the main fader at the bottom of the channel strip. You'll see that the 0 dB point is near the top, which means when you have the fader close to the top, you are passing through the signal without changing its level, and if you have the fader all the way at the very top, you're boosting it by relatively little.

    And you will see that the LED lights in the channel's meter are marked in dB as well, with 0 dB and +6 dB.

    Anyway, (finally) back to practical issues and trying to actually answer your question. My suggestion was you could try boosting up to 5 dB at around 2-5 kHz. To do this, you'd basically do something like:

  • Set the MF1 frequency knob (green) to 3kHz (pointing straight up).
  • Set the MF1 gain knob (blue) to 0 dB (pointing straight up), then turn it 1 or 2 notches to the right. The first notch would be +3 dB and the second +6 dB.
  • Now you will have a little bit of boost around 3kHz, but that may not be the best frequency. So try moving the frequency knob around in a range from about 2 notches to the left to 2 notches to the right. This will change where the boost is, and you may find that a certain frequency works better with a particular person's voice.
  • Sometimes, once you've found the frequency you really wanted, you don't need to boost (or cut) as much, so you might move the gain knob part of the way back toward 0 dB.

    Of course, this idea might not help. It's kind of a case-by-case thing.

    Sorry that was so long!

    By the way, a really good resource, if you're in the mood for something book length, is the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It's chock full of useful practical and theoretical information. Of course, mixing sound is a bit of an art and takes practice, so no book is a shortcut to perfection, but it does help.
u/protobin · 2 pointsr/Learnmusic

If you love music, and can pay attention to what its supposed to sound like; that's all you really need.

I highly recommend the Sound Reinforcement Handbook to all beginners.

u/Bonew0rks · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

Pick up a good book like this one
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008
It won't tell you how to use all the plug-ins, but it teaches you the fundamentals that you need to know in order to be even a half-way decent audio engineer

u/rturns · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

Black Book first

Yellow Book Second

Green Book Third

The first two can be found on Half.com quite often for cheap, the third is a new edition and worth the money.

u/soundguy90 · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

It's more of a live audio book but I hear it's one of the best.

u/alfiepates · 2 pointsr/livesound

They don't, exactly.

Basically the Lucas Nanos aren't quite as good as HK pretend they are. Awesome for tiny bar gigs and vocals on top of a small brass band or something, but no way are they selling that to DJs or people like you.

Guide wise, buy yourself a copy of this book and read it cover to cover. It's a little bit wordy and about 25 years old but it's still wonderfully relevant and if you're enthusiastic and attentive then you'll absorb it in no time.

u/squindar · 2 pointsr/CommercialAV

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

Shure has a bunch of great webinars online: http://www.shure.com/americas/support/training/materials
and Extron has a lot of stuff:
http://www.extron.com/technology/technology.aspx?techid=1&amp;amp;tabid=0&amp;amp;tab=training&amp;amp;s=th07

"CTS Certified Technology Specialist Exam Guide" would probably be a good resource for them, as well.

u/sleepswitheyesopen · 2 pointsr/audioengineering
u/PartyRepublicMusic · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

Reading this will teach you the Fundamentals of creating Dance Music. I have a copy and I'm actually reading it right now very Helpful, very well written.

u/Inga_Arvad · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

It's a magazine, I know googling "adsr magazine book" is pretty stupid on paper but it worked for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dance-Music-Production/dp/0956446035


EDIT: actually this magazine is just called Attack. I may be wrong? This book still looks pretty cool.

u/r2metwo · 2 pointsr/composer

In no particular order, here are some things that come to mind:



Modes of Rhythm

Anthony Wellington teaches slap bass and rhythm using the "Modes of Rhythm" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asYfvMzjk7M

This is an interesting approach to working with rhythm.


Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble by Dick Lowell

https://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Large-Jazz-Ensemble-Pullig/dp/0634036564/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=dick+lowell&amp;amp;qid=1554352576&amp;amp;s=gateway&amp;amp;sr=8-4

Good resource for jazz arranging



The Study of Orchestration by Samuel Adler

https://www.amazon.com/Study-Orchestration-Third-Samuel-Adler/dp/039397572X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=270ZIQBMLZL3O&amp;amp;keywords=study+of+orchestration&amp;amp;qid=1554354116&amp;amp;s=gateway&amp;amp;sprefix=study+of+orc%2Caps%2C203&amp;amp;sr=8-2

I have the 3rd edition. Get it used rather than new. This is a popular choice when studying instrumentation and orchestration for orchestral/chamber music.


Other good orchestration online resources:

http://resources.music.indiana.edu/isfee/

https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Academy/Instrumentology/


The Secrets of Dance Music Production

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dance-Music-Production/dp/0956446035/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=attack+magazine&amp;amp;qid=1554356008&amp;amp;s=gateway&amp;amp;sr=8-1

I haven't checked this one out completely, but it's an interesting resource for electronic music with great visual analysis


And if you're looking for things to improve your composing skills, definitely study counterpoint. Start with Species counterpoint then move to other styles/eras. Learning this completely changed my perspective of theory and why we learn it.


Hope that helps.

u/haharrison · 2 pointsr/edmproduction

if you're trying to figure out how people are doing the things they are doing in 2019 books are a waste of time. the "book" you should be reading from is other people's songs. reference reference reference. you're not going to get anything but fundamentals from books. no book is going to tell you to clip or slam your shit with OTT which as memey as it is - that's the modern sound.

&amp;#x200B;

if you're stubborn though here's a books that will tell you less than 10 of your favorite reference tracks: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dance-Music-Production/dp/0956446035

u/becomingmacbeth · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I began as a classical pianist, got a DMA, been teaching for almost 20 years, mid 30s now. I like the Mike Senior books on building and running a studio (mixing and recording ), and used them in a commercial recording class I taught a while back. They are a great place to start.

u/will_arsmtrong66 · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

No. I didn't start until I was 34 (been doing it less than a year.) I record and mix all of my own music now. If you want if bad enough you'll find a way. Buy this book. It's amazing. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1138556378/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

u/Holy_City · 2 pointsr/DSP

Fair warning: synths can be beasts. The DSP part isn't what's going to give you the most trouble, hopefully. This book covers synth architectures and coding them in C++. I strongly recommend going through his first book on audio effect plugin design. The author is a former engineer at Korg.

I strongly recommend you start with a plugin before porting it to a hardware platform.

u/Eugarps · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

This book will give you what you need to know, even if you don't have any DSP background (though you should definitely read up outside of the book). My professor taught us out of it for one of our digital audio classes in which we designed FX plugins.

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Software-Synthesizer-Plug-Ins-RackAFX/dp/1138787078

u/unirorm · 1 pointr/audioengineering

A rule of thumb is that mastering will makes wonders on a good mix and ruin a bad one.
The science of mastering as described from Bob Katz in his book , takes only minimal effort to make a usually good mix to sound great in almost every setup, from moms radio to high end system.

While he clearly states that the received matterial isn’t always perfect (sometimes even from very good professional engineers) there are few tricks to help with that. Unfortunately distortion isn’t one of them. Despite the evolution of music technology today.
If something can help you here is Izotope RX7.

If you want a stellar result you have and should re-record, if you believe in your track. I think it’s one way, in the other hand if you just want it for you and your fiends there some restoration that can be done to help given the size of distortion but I strongly advice you against. It’s always a bad image for what you do even if you have to present it to your friends.

We can only talk in general if we don’t hear what’s the amount of distortion, because in my experience it’s always more than that. (Usually squashed elements that sounds lifeless and a lot more “amateurities”).

u/chowmont · 1 pointr/audioengineering
u/infectedketchup · 1 pointr/audioengineering

Modern Recording Techniques for actual audio. Professor was a wealth of information, so we used a lot of handouts, but he did give us a recommended reading list:

Assistant Engineer's Handbook

Mastering Audio

Master Handbook of Acoustics

personally, i found having a copy of Practical Electronics for Inventors laying around super useful, as it explains circuits and what different diagram symbols mean and how to build basic circuits - awesome if for some reason you need to troubleshoot a piece of gear or you're just curious about what's going on under the hood

u/frgtmpsswrd · 1 pointr/reasoners

A few purchases I made recently after few days of researching and asking for recommendations.

Mike Stavrou - Mixing With Your Mind

Rick Snoman - Dance Music Manual, 3rd Edition

Bob Katz - Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science

Bobby Owsinski - The Mixing Engineers Handbook: 4th Edition


Edit: ...and I just checked out the ableton book recommended by /u/NeiloMac and now it's on its way.

u/terrorizeplaza · 1 pointr/diypedals

ElectroSmash has some very good breakdown of famous pedals, their circuits and how each part of the circuit shapes the wave. Here is Big Muff for example.

Apart from that, I can't 100% guarantee it will answer your questions, but I've recently stumbled upon a book called Electronic Projects for Musicians by Craig Anderton. I've skimmed over it and it seems to explain everything quite nicely.

Last thing - you can try and get a degree in Electronic Engineering :D

u/GuinessDraft · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

I started with this book back in the late 80's:
Electronic Projects for Musicians

It was written sometime earlier than that, so it may be difficult to find the exact same parts (there should be some modern direct replacements), but it taught me quite a bit. I don't remember it being completely dumbed down, but I was able to use it in high school, while taking physics. It can't be that bad.

I don't know if it still comes with it, but mine even came with a flexible record thing you tore out that gave you a sample of what each pedal should sound like. Pretty high tech for 1989.

u/sn4xchan · 1 pointr/audioengineering

Sound Reinforcement Handbook

The Mixing Engineers Handbook

Modern Recording Techniques


Those books are probably some of the best resources for a beginner to read. After that it becomes more of an art than a science.

u/djcody · 1 pointr/techtheatre

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook - everything you need to know about live sound from the physics through implementation of large systems.

u/danielsound · 1 pointr/askscience
u/jaymz168 · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook is about the best place to start to understand setting up a live sound system.

u/19chiodowi · 1 pointr/techtheatre

Sound Reinforcement :
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008
One of the best reads, i would reccomend it just in general, i havnt read it cover to cover yet so im not sure how well it covers automation but you should have a go mate.

u/birdbrainlabs · 1 pointr/techtheatre

LOL.

It's all good =)

The ?tag=blahblah-20 thing is the affiliate part.

Here's the clean link: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

u/Loping · 1 pointr/livesound

The Bible
It depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. This book has been suggested by a ton of folks as a great place to start. I went into reading it with a basic understanding of electronics, speaker placement, and "mixology". I came out the other side with a better understanding how and why the things I was taught to do actually work.

u/DoliKnarly · 1 pointr/DJs
u/keepinthatempo · 1 pointr/audioengineering

there's alot to learn. best place to start is read.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

u/Duckarmada · 1 pointr/audioengineering

I've heard good things about this one as well, but the Amundson and McCarthy are great starts.

u/JGthesoundguy · 1 pointr/livesound

Awesome advise from everyone and they are right on. Find a place to hang out, get to know folks and network, work hard and listen. I would add that you might grab a good reference source. Online is obviously a fantastic resource but it can be a pain to learn something when you don't know what to look for or ask yet. I would suggest the rather outdated but still totally relevant Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook It doesn't keep up with our digital world, but has the absolute fundamentals of acoustics, how a system is put together and basics of how things work. It'll be a great primer and stepping stone to know what questions to ask online/mentor, and is advanced enough that you'll probably reference it from time to time throughout your career. Also, since a lot of the digital workflow stems from the analogue world, referencing this book can help make sense of why we do some of the things that we do. Anyway it's on Amazon for like $25. Easy Christmas present. :)

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_PPNywbKYBB7BP

u/5dollarcheezit · 1 pointr/HistoryofIdeas

Also, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook is pretty much the audio engineer's bible.

u/seanrquinn · 1 pointr/AudioPost

They're probably just going to be boiled down versions of this.

Which you can read and apply if you're pretty technical about it. Then you can compile with youtube/google lessons on software.

u/MRiddickW · 1 pointr/audioengineering

Cool, I'll make a note of these. TBH, the more practical (for me) side of audio is live sound. While I love learning about recording and hope to do a lot more soon, most of my time interacting with audio is as a musician battling with feedback and crappy sound. Do you have any recommendations for books about that? Currently, the ones I've been looking at are

u/Fudbar · 1 pointr/toronto

This..absolutely. I wouldn't dump 40k into pro studio gear though.. get a bunch of smaller pa systems and gear that you can rent out easier, splash out a bit on a nice mid level console and a few select bits of high quality outboard gear to practice recording on. You'll make money and develop contacts, and if you do it right, you'll have enough profit after awhile to afford the school of your choice if that's still what you want. Also, if you haven't already, buy this. It'll teach you basic fundamentals so you don't waste time learning bad habits on your own. Audio recording is one of those 'learn all the rules then break them' things. If it sounds good, you did it right.

u/DJworksalot · 1 pointr/TechnoProduction

There's no expectation that you produced every sound yourself either. Just ask the Beastie Boys, or any rapper for that matter.

The thoughts you express here are harmful to creativity. I'd advise you to change your perspective on what constitutes authenticity.

Also, you don't know me. Don't assume that you know my artistic process. My post here comes from having studied and taught mindsets that are beneficial for creative output.

Some resources for you that I'm sure you'd find helpful:

The Mental Game of Electronic Music Production by Jason Timothyhttps://www.amazon.com/Music-Habits-Electronic-Production-Procrastination-ebook/dp/B00ZJG398U

The Secrets of Dance Music Production by David Felton
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dance-Music-Production/dp/0956446035/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1538863017&amp;amp;sr=81&amp;amp;keywords=the+secret+of+dance+music+production

I'd also highly recommend the music school taught by Mike Monday. He's coached people like Claude Von Stroke and is a well-accomplished producer himself. His insights into the creative process are among the best I've found. Nothing technical, all mindset, which is the biggest stumbling block to making and releasing lots of quality music in my opinion. https://mikemonday.com/

u/Fancy_Acanthocephala · 1 pointr/maschine

Not sure I can explain it in a single comment, but instead I'd recommend you to keep this book for weekend reading The Mixing Engineer's Handbook

u/supersimmetry · 1 pointr/audioengineering

I would reccomend reading Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.

It's an amazing book that doesn't really focus on recipes for the perfect mix, but rather teaches you how to approach a mix,what's the right mindset when deciding the levels for each track and so on. It goes through every basic aspect to more advanced topics.

Give a look to its table of contents. This book may be what you need to find aswers to your questions.

Similarly, I found this series by Izotope very useful.



These are few of the things that helped me when facing the same issues you've mentioned and I hope they help you as well.

u/digitalundernet · 1 pointr/learnprogramming

I recently asked something similar on /r/dsp looking for a way to program hardware to make sound. One of the posters pointed me to these two books made by a korg dev who wrote how to make VSTs and the like (You'll be most interested in the second book). All C++ and from what Ive read so far really good books. ALSO look into the Juce library for more. They started as an independent library before Roli bought them and have been improving the core tools substantially. They even have smartphone tools to make android/ios synths. Again this is C++.

(Link to the poster who showed me for credit)

u/M_Silvers · 1 pointr/synthesizers

Check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Software-Synthesizer-Plug-Ins-RackAFX/dp/1138787078/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=DSP+synth+will+pirkle&amp;qid=1570634689&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0

&amp;#x200B;

Get it along with free software and it walks you through developing digital synth plugins.

u/ElGuaco · 1 pointr/synthesizers

This is the book here. I've started reading it, but haven't actually gotten around to trying it myself. He's supposed to have a whole plugin platform that is basically ready to go so that you can focus on the synth part and not on all the infrastructure. It looks very promising.

u/sjleader · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

There is a great book called "The Mix Engineers Handbook"
https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/128542087X

It has a lot of guys who did famous records in the 60s and 70s talking about how they did things.

u/Robotecho · 1 pointr/synthesizers

I think that era of sound engineering being a black art that is passed down from master to apprentice is pretty much gone, at least reserved for a very small elite.

As much as you and I will never get the chance to learn from a master in a big studio, we now have very similar technology to them, at least to the point of just making a decent sounding recording.

There are definitely a lot of young producers emerging from their bedrooms now and challenging the establishment.

Checkout Flume for instance, he produced his debut on a laptop, and he just got a Grammy. So that whole professional industry is in the middle of a major disruption, just like the whole music industry.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert, but my mixes have a basic level of cohesion, competitive loudness, and they sound OK on different speakers.

If you don't feel like your mixes are cutting it, I'd definitely recommend working through a book (the other one that comes up a lot is The Mixing Engineers Handbook I've worked through that one too ) or go YouTube if you prefer, just make sure that you are working through a start to finish introduction. That is key to me, that you learn all the basic techniques as a whole set of tools, and apply them together. I thought I had worked out as much as I could from the internet too, but I had a lot to learn, and still do.

Also make sure you are constantly comparing your mixes to commercial mixes you like, on your system. Get a set of reference tracks, and run them alongside your mix and A/B them. That is one technique everyone recommends and you learn so much that way.

u/MaxwellMrdr · 1 pointr/audioengineering

These two books will get you far:
[The Mixing Engineer's Handbook](The Mixing Engineer's Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/128542087X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mSDqzbH36PSN0)
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

Here's a lengthy video series on mixing by Michael White: Fundamentals of Mixing

I like the way he uses graphical representations to help you visualize various aspects of mixing.

Also check out the UBK Happy Funtime Hour podcast.

u/SleepNowintheFire · 1 pointr/makinghiphop

Regarding speakers for your studio, you don't need the huge hi-fi speakers that big studios have, they use those mainly to flatter artists and industry reps. For mixing, you should get a set of speakers with a relatively flat frequency response that spotlights the midrange and has low distortion. The Avatone Mix Cube is good for this. You only really need one because a lot of mixing is in mono. The Yamaha NS10s are also good (these are more expensive and are pretty standard in most studios. The thing about these speakers is not that they sound good, but that, on first listen, you'd probably think they sound bad; they highlight problems in your mix.

I imagine if you're doing hip-hop a lot of your listeners will listen on headphones so it's useful to do some mixing on headphones (you might do mono mixing on your nearfield and work out panning and stereo stuff on headphones, for example), so get two good pairs of studio headphones-one for you, and one for people you record (unless you're building this to record yourself, although if people know you have this cool studio they might want to get in on the action and it'd be good to be prepared for that if it does happen-you might also want to record a feature on your track or something).

Get a DAW and know it back and forth. I would say for your purposes, unless you're already well-versed in Pro Tools or already have a copy of it, don't get Pro Tools-there's a huge learning curve and it's by far the most expensive. Reaper has a free demo that you can use indefinitely and FL Studio and Audacity are free. Ableton is what most producers use but it's not really made for tracking or mixing, so what some people do is they produce in Ableton and bounce the track to another DAW to mix.

Microphone-wise, ideally for vocals you want a large-diaphragm condenser. A small-diaphragm will work too but LDCs are standard. You can record on a dynamic mic but they usually need a lot more gain which might mean more noise and you'll need to be handy at mixing to get the sound you want out of a dynamic mic.

If you're investing in a big project like this, read a lot and know what you're doing. This book will get you started on mixing techniques and the basics. This one is a must, it starts out with some chapters on how to acoustically treat the room you're working in which even though it isn't glamorous or fun is totally vital to a good studio.

u/HisHolyNoodliness · 1 pointr/Guitar

I HIGHLY recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/128542087X

You'll end up using it for a reference guide, so get yourself some of those colored sticky bookmark things. It's incredibly useful to have nearby when mixing - and for the over all knowledge in it.

Mixing along is a massive subject/job on it's own.

u/datums · 1 pointr/audiophile

You're clearly failing to grasp the concept of early reflection attenuation. I'm not trying to be a dick, but you might find [this] (http://www.amazon.ca/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328) to be very informative. I have the third edition. It's more geared toward professionals, but it is still pretty accessible.

u/DrAwesomeClaws · 1 pointr/webdev

This is a great book regarding Acoustics and Audio in general:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328

u/AverageJoeAudiophile · 1 pointr/hometheater

&gt; So how do you determine what sounds good to a person with bad ears?

Bad ears as in they have never listened to quality products in the first place.

&gt; Besides, a speaker that measures well is not necessarily one that is pleasing to listen to.

Actually pretty much wrong. There has been a TON of study on what sound characteristics people prefer. And it's almost always a flat measuring speaker with good off axis response.

https://www.harman.com/sites/default/files/white-paper/12/11/2015%20-%2005%3A54/files/AudioScience.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/0240520092

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/104588-harman-kardon-want-standardised-sound


So until a speaker can be shown to do reasonably well at achieving those goals. It's not the best idea to jump on hype trains.

Someone got mad.

u/minnend · 1 pointr/audiophile

Good points overall, but the big gap in my opinion is that we do not understand the science of sound reproduction as it relates to perception. We understand a lot (e.g. read stuff by O'Toole, Winer, Linkwitz, etc.) but there are pretty big gaps too. A good example is how to optimize reflections and other interactions, e.g. compare open baffle designs with line arrays with active cancellation like in the Kii Three.

For more detail, check out Linkwitz's long list of "frontiers" in practical sound reproduction that are not well understood:
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/frontiers.htm

u/drewofdoom · 1 pointr/livesound

A few books to consider:

Backstage Handbook. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed. This one is... well... it helped me to understand some things about physics. Not all of it is relevant, and you'll have to draw some conclusions yourself as to how it all applies to audio engineering. At the very least, it's a great introduction to subatomic physics for people who aren't great with math. YMMV, but I found that a basic understanding of what sound waves actually do goes a LONG way. From there you can discern certain things like how ambient temperature and humidity will affect your mix.

The Business of Audio Engineering. Worth the price of admission, despite grammatical errors.

Mixing Engineer's Handbook. Might be worth it. Interviews with established recording engineers. Has some interesting info. Only the first half of the book is really worth reading, though.

Mixing Audio. Relevant information. Could almost act as a textbook.

That will at least get you started. I know that you're looking more for the mixing side of things, and that's great, but trust me on this. You will want to know as much as you can about all facets of theatrical/concert/special event work. THAT'S how you really get gigs.

u/sirCota · 1 pointr/IAmA

That's a very vague question because I don't know the type of music you're doing, or the type of sound you're trying to achieve. I don't understand what you mean by "spark the sound back up..." but I assume you mean that compression is making your sounds quieter. You need to compensate for the loss in level by turning the gain up after compression.

I would suggest reading a few books on mixing and music production. http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688 is a good place to start.
Before you even start compression and eq, it's more important to record your sounds through the best equipment you can afford and focus on the balance and relationship between instruments. Compression and EQ is meant to correct or alter the sound due to poor recording or performance. Of course, there are tricks and these things are applied creatively to make your production compete with what you hear on the radio ... but i would basically have to teach a whole class on the subject and unless you have something more specific, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
there are no rules. Generally, main elements are panned center (bass, kick, snare, vocals, etc) and build your panning around that. like I said, there are no rules and I really have no idea the type of sound you're trying to achieve. keep at it and read read read as much as you can on the subject (from a reliable source). You can get better by practice and constantly A/Bing your work against work you admire. Once you learn the terminology and what compression is actually there to do .. you'll find it's much easier.

u/wLudwig · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I have this book:http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688

It definitely helped me understand a ton more about the tools I was already using and how to use them better. I would highly recommend the read.

u/22PoundHouseCat · 1 pointr/livesound

You should read this book instead.

Green Bible

Edit: Formatting

u/aquowf · 1 pointr/audioengineering

Try designing some sounds for an open source game (like minecraft or something). Some games will be easier to edit than others but it's probably in your best interest to learn a bit of programming with the way that indie gaming is developing (people tend to wear more than one hat) - but I know that for minecraft you can simply replace an ogg file with a new ogg and that's that.

Here's a really cool book about mixing audio. It focuses on mixing live instruments but it comprehensively covers the fundamental ways in which every VST works and how best to use it. It's a good read and taught me a lot about sound design.

Also, you cannot go wrong with a decent pair of monitors and a decent preamp. 500 bucks is probably the minimum that I'd recommend spending on these items but having a truly honest pair of speakers goes a very, very long way.

u/TheOneMax · 1 pointr/ableton

If I may recommend a book that I think every should read at least once it's Roey Izhaki's Mixing Audio. It has been recommended to me by an audio engineer professor and I must say that it has incredible content that helped me tremendously when I first started producing.

u/thechimpfarm · 1 pointr/livesound

"Mixing Audio" by Roey Izhaki
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0240522222

Buying this book and following along with his exercises was the best experience I've had in trying to grasp compression techniques. Seriously, he walks you through using compression as a simple utility, as an effect, and as a way to apparently move your instruments forward or back in the mix. Very cool.

You'll want to kill the band from the examples by the middle of the book.

u/onairmastering · 1 pointr/audioengineering

That's why MEs are important, but I would say "master" one, then compare the rest to the first one. That is simplistic, assuming all songs sound the same (all songs are the same exact song)

Psychoacoustics take a more prominent role here, since, for example, you can have a song "mastered" at XYZ, and the following at the same XYZ, but if the intro of the next song is not cohesive (starts with the same magnitude), song B will sound less loud than song A, even thought they have the same "mastering" settings.

"Mastering Audio" is a good investment, if you are going to forgo an ME and have someone else take a look at your tracks.

u/nphekt · 1 pointr/edmproduction

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371 is a pretty good resource. But the best way to learn is working together with someone who knows the tools and uses them well.

u/Kdnce · 1 pointr/makinghiphop

I watched this video - the music is cheesy sorry - a few months back and applied the advice. After hunting down the free VST counterparts to the plug-ins used in the video, I tried the techniques out and feel that I have had some success with my amateur mastering techniques. I know I will never master as well as Bob Katz like this, but considering this technique is free the results seems pretty solid.

Speaking of Bob Katz if you want to really dive deep into the art of mastering this book is really nice on the whole topic.

u/eno2001 · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I read Katz's "Mastering Digital Audio". Great book with lots of really good info about properly using a computer for mastering. http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Second-Edition-Science/dp/0240808371/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1334684096&amp;amp;sr=8-3 If you haven't read it and you're trying to learn how to master, this is a great place to start.

u/mrtrikonasana · 1 pointr/ableton

Learn your DAW, the built-in ableton tutorials are an excellent place to start. Then start learning from the masters. These books are pretty good.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371
http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Second-Edition/dp/1598632515/ref=pd_sim_b_4

u/daxophoneme · 1 pointr/edmproduction

I would recommend Bob Katz book on mastering. It covers all the main techniques and has beautiful diagrams. http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371

u/Joellosaurus · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Ableton is practically MADE for looping! I'd recommend checking out a some youtube videos in the first instance. As for books, you'd be surprised at how great the documentation for music software is, take a look at the Ableton Manual. For everything else I highly recommend Huber's "Modern Recording Techniques", it covers a wealth of topics in just enough detail.

u/AFX_Has_No_Meme · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

&gt; best mix i ever did though, was on 2$ headphones (i was in vietnam 2 years ago.) listened to it the other day and i was blown away by the big boomy bass.

It's definitely possible to put together a great mix on a "bad" pair of headphones or speakers, especially if you actually know the strengths and (more importantly) the weaknesses of those headphones or speakers, although usually more work is required.

&gt; any tips in relation to that?

I would suggest you read this article. It's written from the point-of-view of drum &amp; bass production, but the underlying principles apply to every form of music. Don't be fooled by the title, Thinking Inside the Box. While "in the box" is often used to describe working with a computer or DAW that's not what the title is referring to, but rather a basic concept for visualizing mixing.

I would also recommend you take care in that your perception of stereo separation is more pronounced when using headphones, as each channel is effectively isolated to a different ear, and as such stereo effects and mixing can sometimes seem less pronounced on a home stereo as a result. Depending on your intentions this could be a good thing, or a bad thing.

&gt; course, when im listening in headphones and lower the bass, it sounds more sucky lol.

This might be because your headphones aren't considered very good. The high expense of professional studio monitors isn't because they sound good, but because they playback a recording imparting very little of their own character on the playback sound. Lower quality studio monitors, and consumer grade equipment, are typically made with cheaper components and manufacturing techniques that do impart their own character on the playback sound. Sometimes manufacturers "cover up" the imperfections in playback caused by their devices by increasing the bass response, as it can drown out minor problems. This issue doesn't really matter to consumers, but for the purposes of mixing or mastering it's better to make adjustments to a recording based on the most accurate playback of that recording. Unfortunately the most ideal monitors in this regards are obscenely expensive.

Of course, people just simply like bass too.

&gt; ah thanks alot, do you use this mono technique yourself?

Yes, often. It's so much easier to get instruments or sounds to sit well in a stereo mix if they themselves are in mono. When I do use stereo instruments or samples, or stereo effects such as chorus, I use them sparingly to create a specific feel, usually isolated to a specific passage in a song rather than through-out the entire song.

&gt; and what do you do for a living (curious now, very well written and thoughtful answers.)

I actually work for Hewlett Packard, but I've had a lot of jobs over the years, including working as a studio assistant. I learned a great deal from the two audio engineers in that studio, but a lot of it came from experimenting and trying to emulate the work of others. I also borrowed an earlier edition of this book from one of the studio engineers, and although I never sat down and read it from front to back, but rather used it for reference for the most part, I found the book incredibly helpful. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in audio production and engineering. I'm an amateur musician as well, but these days a great deal of my free time is spent working on a business plan, as I'd like to secure a business loan (for a type of record label no less, although my proposed business process is radically unique).

&gt; oh and have an excellent weekend if i dont see you before its over. :)

Cheers! You as well :)

u/ayetriddy · 1 pointr/makinghiphop

I thought this one was pretty good. Talks in depth about various mixing techniques, EQing certain instruments, and where instruments should sit in mixes. It’s honestly not anything you won’t find online but as one consolidated book it’s pretty good.

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Sound On Sound Presents...) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240815807/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XiQIAbC62CP9N

u/LocalAmazonBot · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

u/portuga · 1 pointr/edmproduction

SOS magazine has a shit load of articles on every production topic you could imagine. These are very in depth articles, by some real knowledgeable folks. Don't let the fact some of these articles are a decade old put you off. They are still relevant, specially in intemporal topics like EQ.

https://www.google.pt/search?q=sos+eq+articles

Also here's a recommendation for a good book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807 (it's from a reviewer for SOS)

^^^(and ^^^you ^^^can ^^^even ^^^find ^^^it ^^^online)

u/krypton86 · 1 pointr/Learnmusic

You can learn everything you need to know about how to operate it in a weekend. Unfortunately, what you won't learn in a weekend is how to effectively record and mix music. I recommend you pick up a book on mixing audio like Mixing Secrets for the small studio or The Recording Engineer's Handbook if you plan on recording through this mixing desk.

u/pleasecallmefilip · 1 pointr/livesound

One book that I keep recommending is Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.

While it's intended for recording engineers, it's very good at explaining the structure of a mix, and all the tools you can use to shape it.

And, like everyone said before me, get familiar with the digital mixer interface using the offline editors. You'll soon start seeing how similar they all are.

u/totalwerk · 1 pointr/edmproduction

I have read that and personally didn't take a whole lot away from it. For mixing I would recommend Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. For theory I would look into this, or maybe jazz stuff depending on your style, e.g. The Jazz Theory Book.

There are a whole lot of free resources that are worth checking out too, like Pensado's Place, r/musictheory , Pro Audio Files, Freejazzlessons.com, SeamlessR, etc.

u/Starch · 1 pointr/edmproduction

No subwoofer? Those Rokits lowest end is around 45Hz or so - not so good for EDM. Also consider using speaker stands &amp; adding some acoustic foam on the sides of the speakers &amp; behind. (I've been reading up on small studio setups lately; check out http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807 )

u/jseego · 1 pointr/musicians
  • Check out r/audioengineering - they have a weekly "no dumb questions" thread especially for beginners, and a weekly "gear" thread. They're a great source of information.
  • All of the other suggestions for mbox, focusrite, etc. are great. Me, I live in the protools world, so I would suggest an mbox.
  • Here are some suggestions for mics:
    • Shure SM57 - workhorse dynamic mic. Also sounds great with the windscreen attachment. Could be found on ebay for less, still in good shape. Durable, reliable mic.
    • AT2020 - large diaghragm condenser.
    • AKG P-170 - small diaghragm condenser.
  • Great book on home studios
  • Great book on mixing for the home studio

    Have fun and good luck!
u/Rhcpbrs · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I think one of the best ways to get better is to watch youtube videos. Specifically for me I have enjoyed Produce like a pro with Warren Huart
https://www.youtube.com/user/WarrenHuartRecording/

Also check out any videos from people who show the before and after sounds of their mixes. It is a good way to hear what they changed and sometimes they show and explain their thought process. I think it is important to remember that mixing is full of objective and subjective decisions and you have to find what works for you.

Another couple of things I did that really helped my mixing is I bought the Slate everything bundle and it comes with a short mixing class, that along with this book by Mike Senior have really improved the sound of my mixes
https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

Quick note though I'd still consider myself a beginner and there could be better resources and advice out there but feel free to ask anything I would try to help!

u/FilbyDilf · 1 pointr/mixingmastering

Definitely check out this book if you need some info on monitors. The first chapter lays out some great ideas for what monitors to look for.

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807/ref=nodl_

u/ScholarZero · 1 pointr/audioengineering

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is fantastic.

As for advice? Just do it. FL is fine to get started. If you feel it's holding you back, there's plenty of DAWs out there, some such as Reaper (if you're tech savvy, also it's free until you want to pay for it), Ableton (leans towards live performance), or Studio One (Free version available to learn on as well). Just... make a lot of shit, then make a lot of semi-ok shit, then make some ok shit and a few awesome things, then make awesome things with some occasional shit. It's the only way. You're already doing it.

u/Silentverdict · 1 pointr/audioengineering

I'm relatively new to the mixing game, started a few years ago in college and started back up now that I have a house and room to mix again, and those two resources were my favorites especially when I started learning.

First, you might not need all the info, but I highly recommend Mike Seniors book "Mixing secrets for the small studio". It's around $20, but totally worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807

The most important parts are:

A. he helps you get started on getting a good sounding room and speakers, which you need at least some of or you won't know what sounds good.

B. he goes through a mix step by step. Pros probably don't need that rigid of a format for going through a mix, but as a beginner, it's a great way to know what you should be listening for. It also keeps you from spending hours just messing around with no idea where you're headed, which is what I wasted too much time on early on.

One other resources helpful for beginners, if you wanna watch a lot of videos, is the Recording Revolution youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/recordingrevolution Most of his content is aimed towards new mixers, and he routinely does new series where he'll go through a mix step by step and show you how he does it, often using just stock plugins. While you might not follow everything he does (Sometimes he gets a little mix bus heavy, which I don't think is the best way to start for beginners) but his explanations on how plugins work is usually sound.

Anyway, lots of other great tips on this already, just thought I'd add my 2 cents.


u/SirKingdude · 1 pointr/audioengineering

I've been reading through Mixing Secrets for the Home Studio by Mike Senior and I love it. Definitely recommend it to anyone looking to improve their mixing chops!

u/2dglasses · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

sm57 to mic your guitars.

addictive drums 2 or bfd3 for drums.

a bass guitar + bass amp

this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

u/PoliticalBonobo · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I'd recommend Mike Senior's book, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. This will be the most straightforward and efficient approach. The book is fantastic. On top of that, I would start reading SoundOnSound magazine, which has regular articles on mixing (often by Mike Senior himself).

Youtube videos can work, but you'll save yourself a lot of time by simply having a tell-all book.

u/Boofus101 · 1 pointr/battlestations

Yeah, but all that treatment is completely wasted time and money because the speakers are going to create massive phase issues because you are pointing them at the short length of the room.

this is not a super secret pro tip, this is something that ten minutes of research would have told you is a huge no no.

Also, those ported speakers are too close to the wall. You should have them on stands, set back from the wall, and you should have them set up as a equilateral triangle if you want to use them as proper nearfield monitors. Your desk is too wide and too low to have an equilateral triangle at ear height.

It's a cool ass room and it will be great for chilling and watching movies or whatever. However, it's going to be a fucking nightmare if you ever want to do serious audio work(and by serious I mean if you want to have any clue what is happening when making programming and mix decisions while working).

Edit:this forums archives are really helpful for this kind of stuff

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/studio-building-acoustics/

If you want most of the information I've gleaned from that forum condensed into a single source, this book is worth it's price in time savings alone:

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1479748811&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=Secrets+of+the+small+studio


u/Barncore · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Well everybody's got a different bloody perspective don't they. ;) It's impossible for beginners to know which direction to start in.

The book i'm reading is this one. It was recommended to me at this very sub-reddit.

u/thenomadbeats · 1 pointr/makinghiphop

Youtube. Here's a starting point but just search for your specific DAW to start, but eventually it doesn't matter as much once you learn the fundamentals. This book is good too. Search in the sidebar and just google. Tons of resources out there you just have to put the work in. I've spent like, the last year trying to learn about it and I'm still ass, but I'm improving.

u/PacoPunter · 1 pointr/maschine

So first step to improvement is self examination. As long as you are hungry and looking for ways to improve it's going to happen with practice. All things considered you are doing pretty well for doing this one year and not having a background in music(saying your self taught is I guess what this means) is. So right now what is the difference between you and most people on soundcloud. Frankly not much. But out of let's say 1000 people who are at the level where you are how many say, "Yeah what I got is pretty good" compare to yourself who says "Alright, what I got is fair but how do I take it further". There are people out there better than you but if you are hungry and want to learn you will eventually pass them.

Now regarding your product. Beats are fine. If you were collabing with someone who wanted a simple beat for them to burn on its fine. But fine doesn't cut it with so many people out there. You need to learn how to use equalization, compression, filtering, delay, reverb. These are just as important as what you compose. You have a vision right? You hear other people's beats that you want to get close to. The more you learn the dynamics and effects the better your will be. And yeah when it's appropriate automate your tracks man. Not to a point where you step all over an artist but enough to engage the listener. Rule of four, if something doesn't change in four measures people check out.

I highly recommend this book for someone like yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0240815807/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466480159&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;amp;keywords=small+studio+mixing

Lastly yeah you should be collaborating. You will touch base with people who are ahead of you now but like yourself there's always someone trying to come up. The more you practice w people the better. Keep at it man. You will get better it's just part of the process.

u/Bass27 · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers
u/surfrat595 · 1 pointr/reasoners

I recommend reading this book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240815807/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;psc=1

I asked this very question myself on /reasoners a while back and someone suggested it to me(thanks whoever you were). Gives you a really good foundation on the more technical aspects of mixing and the theory behind certain mixing practices. Kinda a dry read but push through it.

I'd also like to second that mixing is not really so much about loudness but rather making your mix sound balanced both in the volume of individual tracks and the areas of the eq spectrum in which they occupy. Loudness is typically achieved as a result of this and also mastering after your mix sounds the way you like it.

Also, it helps to compare your own mix to a song or artist that you like the sound of and want to imitate from a mix standpoint.

It takes time but you will get it figured out. Just keep at it.

u/humblenations · 1 pointr/edmproduction

My little brother ... he's been doing it for 20 years. So his tips and help have been invaluable. And then after that this book here, for mixing:

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

It's a bit expensive but it's worth every penny. Got so much from it.

u/angryrancor · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

I've read, and enjoyed, Izotopes guide. Their Guide To Mastering is also a great flyby for basic mastering.

Anyone who wants a real in depth look, I recommend "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" by Mike Senior:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240815807/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687642&amp;amp;pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&amp;amp;pf_rd_t=201&amp;amp;pf_rd_i=1598632515&amp;amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;amp;pf_rd_r=0FHN1BXAFDMJ7D69KB5X

Enjoyable read, and certainly taught me a tremendous amount.

u/7even2wenty · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Read a book, maybe this one in particular https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0240815807

Then make a few hundred songs.

u/warriorbob · 1 pointr/edmproduction

I've removed this thread as this is all pretty broad, easy to find, hard to answer in a comment, or covered here plenty of times before.

&gt; What loop/sample sites offer free samples/loops

You can find this with search

&gt; What is the best way to fill in the buildup?

Listen to tracks you like and do what they do

&gt; Anything to take into account with vocoders and vocaloids?

Learn how they work and where vocals sit in a mix

&gt; Is there anything I should know about mixing&amp;plastering as well?

There are entire books about this, such as this and this and this ;)

You're welcome to post all of these in our regular "there are no stupid questions" threads; there should be a new one today. Best of luck and don't be afraid to research and just try things!

u/cultculturee · 1 pointr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

edit: new mix! please take a look at this one: https://soundcloud.com/pali_m/candied-sprites-1 (electronic dream pop)

  • For the main synth I sidechained the reverb to the original track (bring closer to front of soundstage, not as lost when listening back on mobile)

  • Bussed and compressed the drums separately

  • Sub bass

  • Other msc. automation.

    Most importantly though is I figured out I've been sitting too close to my monitors! I've been super frustrated trying to figure out why when I bounce the track the low end is SO much more prevalent and muddy, and it's because I haven't been hearing it properly at all. Standing outside your door to listen to your mix is also really helpful. Bought "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" and have been learning tons. Very nice to finally have a single resource to work from.

    Still not totally up to par but would love your guys' thoughts on how to make it better.

    __.


    Hey fam, would love your thoughts on this guy: https://soundcloud.com/pali_m/candied-sprites

    Electronic dream pop, saccharine dancey refrain to sate your sweet tooth. Just an exercise to work on structure and comp techniques sorta, but I'd really appreciate some input on how to make it better, especially the mix.

    Will do my best to return feedback in kind.
u/Minorpentatonicgod · 1 pointr/MusicBattlestations

You really need to either hire someone to consult you on this, or do a crap load of research, and I mean a lot because if you don't you'll just end up wasting money with on a room that behaves no better than your average room.

This book is has just about everything you'd need to learn to do it right.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X

Treating a space is one thing and doesn't take a lot of planning to get good results, but PROOFING a room takes a lot of planning and specialized construction to make it actually work, miss one thing and have leaks and all the work you did was for nothing.

u/luxernofficial · 1 pointr/audioengineering

oh my god I found this at a used bookstore for 10 dollars so I figured I'd pick it up not thinking much of the book at the time. Thanks for calling it the bible. What an epic synchronicity.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1487605995&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=home+studio+recording+book

My recommendation.

u/isaacpercival · 1 pointr/drums

I build a similar room a number of years ago for playing and recording drums. If your clearance allows for it, you will get the most isolation using a 'room within a room' design like /u/Bolockablama said. If you can build a box that everything will fit inside comfortably that does not attach to the surrounding structure it will be easier to contain.

It will also help to add as much mass to your walls and ceiling. Using two layers of drywall instead of one will help, adding rigid insulation like Roxul will help a lot. There are products like resilient channels and Green Glue that work to help decouple drywall from other layers of drywall and the studs behind it as well which will all help keep sound contained.

I had a lot of help perusing the 'Studio Building' threads on Gearslutz as well. I've also heard great things about Rod Gervais's book.

Once your room is built, your on to room treatment!

u/mpedrummer · 1 pointr/drums

Buy this book - http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1425908164&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=build+it+like+the+pros

Basically, lots of drywall, and as few physical connections to existing structure as possible. Get a dB meter if you can, and measure the existing situation (use a PA or something) to see what kind of reduction your existing structure gives you.

u/kxion · 1 pointr/edmproduction

Hey,

I had the same question very recently and realized that I just need to learn some of music theory, not sure how deep I'm going to dig into it, but so my resources so far:

u/gopher9 · 1 pointr/musictheory

&gt; for example, instead of learning note names, I associated notes with fingerings on whatever instrument I was playing

There's literally nothing wrong with it especially if your instrument has an isomorphic layout.

Actually, isomorphic layouts allow you represend things in a very clear and intuitive way:

http://www.thecipher.com/Janko_scales.gif
http://www.thecipher.com/Janko_sevenths.gif

&gt; how to form a basic chord

By chaining thirds. If you want to get an inversion, move the bottom note one octave higher. Octave equivalence is a powerful concept, use it.

&gt; I guess I'm looking for moral support just as much as constructive advice

Read MTfCM. This is a great introduction book into music theory. Every concept is clearly explained, and showed not only in notes, but also on keyboard, tablature and piano roll.

u/Imadigm · 1 pointr/makinghiphop

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

buy this book. just buy it. also buy the mixing secrets book for the small studio. trust me. theyre phenomenal and will change your craft basically overnight

u/iamartsea · 1 pointr/edmproduction

The first and best thing with making music in general, regardless of DAW, instruments, medium etc. is to first have a basic understanding of music, how it works and music theory. I yet to read it myself as I have had theory training elsewhere, but Michael Hewitt's Music Theory for Computer Musicians is a book I have heard many people swear by to learn theory from. You may be able to borrow it from your local library or something too. Understanding scales, chords etc. from the get go, will be your compass for making music as you go. Now, many people will say 'you don't need as much theory' in music production, but they use music theory without even knowing it, they pick up the pieces unknowingly along the way. You can do that, but it's learning the hard way; isn't it better to have the compass at the beginning then to build it on the way?

Now that that's out of the way, find a basic FL Studio series tutorial to understand how the program works from basics to more advanced. Play along as you go, moving and tweaking things as you learn. Once you understand, start making something everyday. It can be a 4 bar loop, it's okay. The thing is, no matter how hard you try, you're not going to make good music at first. To get to the good stuff, you need to go through the crap. And the fastest way to learn is to do it everyday, without fail. And when you do this, maybe focus on something different every week. For example, the music I make this week is going to focus on learning Serum, or the music I make this week is focusing on how to mix using volume faders, or the next week will be using reverb to create depth in a mix etc. Focus on one thing at a time but still make music. Immerse yourself in the culture of production so that you constantly learn and do.

Hope that helped. :)

u/Pabl0Esc0bar · 1 pointr/edmproduction

Music Theory for Computer Musicians


Can't recommend this enough.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598635034/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WgX3CbXVSZR92


He also has books on composition and harmony. These are my goto books along with

Dance Music Manual https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138319643/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6iX3CbJ2DMG77

u/Tiger_Widow · 1 pointr/edmproduction

bad advice so far imo. You shouldn't try to learn something by randomly messing about until you eventual 'learn' it. Learn theory by reading books written on theory. Start with the basic conceptual stuff like what melody and harmony is and why it works the way it does. Learn your ABCs: major and minor scales, modes. How to build chords, Scale degrees and intervals. the cycle of fifths. The consonant &lt; &gt; Dissonant spectrum and how it relates to melody and harmony e.t.c.

THEN you can 'mess about', but in a structured way and explore the stuff you're learning as you learn it. Simply knowing scales is the equivalent of being able to say "hello" "yes" "no" "my name is" e.t.c. You've really got to get into the underlying relationships of intervals and harmony to begin getting a grasp of how to apply meaning (emotion/rhetoric/feeling) to your music.

the books by Michael Hewitt are a decent start as they apply this stuff in a computer music context. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

later down the line you can get into more complicated stuff like diatonic harmony, classical form, post tonal theory e.t.c.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classical-Form-Functions-Instrumental-Beethoven/dp/019514399X

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195336674/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;tag=masschairevio-20&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;camp=217145&amp;amp;creative=399369&amp;amp;creativeASIN=0195336674

It all depends on how far you want to go with it and ultimately how much control and scope you want to have. A lot of EDM producers are relatively theoretically mute. But it doesn't stop them from making decent music within the practice/genre they're versed in (but that's a different conversation a little outside the scope of your question ;) )

Also, study your favorite tracks, use what knowledge you have to deconstruct music you like, copy the chord progressions, arrangements, mimic timbre, vibe and theme e.t.c. Get familiar with the nuts and bolts of what makes the music you like sound so good to you, and then apply that general orientation in a creative manner to your own workflow.

Hope this helped!

u/CorkyRoboto · 1 pointr/edmproduction

Awesome dude! I'm a huge Seven Lions fan, as well as Mitis. Any melodic dubstep really. It sounds like you have found your taste, and a style that you truly love. Now just focus on developing your way of turning that taste into something you're proud of.

Pick something that you feel you need a lot of improvement and work on that. If you're making melodic music I would focus on just that.... melodic stuff. Learn music theory. Buy this book

This book is what really helped me understand music. I am still learning new things everyday about theory. If you wanna make anything like Mitis or Seven Lions you will heavily benefit from theory. Both of those dudes have a solid understanding of music theory and the basic foundations of a song.

Send me that link dude!

u/I_pity_the_fool · 1 pointr/IWantToLearn

If you're interested in music theory, I found this book helpful.

u/newmeforever · 1 pointr/edmproduction

The only thing I can really recommend is taking an intro to music theory class (this helped me the most).

But if you cant do that, check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Computer-Musicians-Michael-Hewitt/dp/1598635034

Other than that check youtube for music theory tutorials for your DAW, and just learn the notes of different chords. And then once you learn that stuff, make sure all the sounds you use in your track is in your key of choice. Of course as you get more advanced you can break the rules, but thats down the line...

u/cnst · 1 pointr/edmproduction

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1598635034

This is exactly what you want.

u/mafgar · 1 pointr/ableton

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Computer-Musicians-Bk/dp/1598635034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1376269007&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=1598635034

I enjoyed this book, although it has nothing that you couldn't find online already... it was nice to have a physical book to read wherever and think and mull over it all..

u/Totrox · 1 pointr/edmproduction

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Computer-Musicians-Bk/dp/1598635034

I absolutely love this. Make sure you buy the copy that comes with the CD!

u/hailmax · 1 pointr/edmproduction

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Computer-Musicians-Bk/dp/1598635034 this is definitely a good place to start. read this myself and it really helped alot

u/EGlass · 1 pointr/edmproduction

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Computer-Musicians-Bk/dp/1598635034

This is where I learned all the basics, highly recommend

u/explod1ngb0y · 1 pointr/edmproduction

I've been reading Music Theory for Computer Musicians and I really like it so far. It's pretty easy to follow and it has sound clips and exercises at the end of each chapter to help reinforce the lessons.

Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1598635034

u/SandwichSound · 1 pointr/ableton

This site and two apps are very useful as you can practice while out and about or bored and on your phone: Music Theory and Tenuto

Here is the book and related ones on Amazon, if you ever feel the need to direct some money towards the author or at least write up a good review for him instead: Music Theory for Computer Musicians

u/ralmeida · 1 pointr/weeklybeats

My song for this week: https://soundcloud.com/blowghoti/hidden-pearl

I tried to do something more relaxing this week, a song I would listen to while coding. I also tried to apply some concepts from the book Music Theory for Computer Musicians, mainly intervals and changing the scale from G to Em.

u/Tylasno · 0 pointsr/makinghiphop

Hit up the dude Bobby Owsinski, those frequency references came from this book. Let him know he must of made a mistake lol

u/Photik · 0 pointsr/edmproduction

The Mastering Engineer's Handbook: The Audio Mastering Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598634496/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RUHoDbKMHKJ0G

Haven't personally read this one, but was able to check out his book on mixing, which explained concepts to me very thoroughly and concise.

u/mcsharp · 0 pointsr/audiophile

Dude, just buy a book. There are lots of good ones out there. This one. is a good one. This one by Everest is classic. and so on.

u/toddriffic40 · 0 pointsr/hometheater

A good primer if you have the inclination to learn about how subwoofers work in a room and why you should use 4.

Dr. Toole uses 4 10's in his own personal system and he's one of the most respected people in the field.

https://twit.tv/shows/home-theater-geeks/episodes/14

&amp;#x200B;

His book is excellent. It's a heavy read though.

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/0240520092

u/solomute · -1 pointsr/Foodforthought

&gt;if you're saying they're basically the same, then why would it take me years to get where you're at, while it would only take you a month to get where I'm at?

Here, have fun. This covers about... a quarter of what I've had to learn, not to mention all the time I've spent developing an ear for mixing music.