Part 1: Introduction
The Recording Studio
A commercial studio is made up of one or more acoustic spaces to ensure the best possible capture of sound for each instrument. There may be separate rooms for each instrument in some higher end studios. This is to ensure the best quality recording possible.
For example, the room that best suits the recording of a guitar is not the room that best suits the recording of a piano.
The control room
Ideally the studio's control room is acoustically isolated from the studio. As well as the surrounding areas.
The console (or board) can be thought of as the recording artist's canvas for the recording engineer. This room also houses the recording, effects, and control equipment.
Live/On-Location Recording
Unlike the traditional multitrack recording environment where overdubs are often used, in on-location recording is created in realtime.
The recording Process
The recording process is as follows:
1. Preparation
2. Recording
3. Overdubbing
4. Mixdown
5. Mastering
6. Product Manufacture
In the Preparation Phase these are the the following must be addressed:
•What is the goal?
•What is the budget?
•What is the estimated studio costs?
•Do we have enough money?
•How much will it cost to manufacture CDs?
What are the advertising costs?
•How will we sell our music and to whom?
•Have we practiced enough?
•Are our instruments, voices and heads ready for the task ahead?
•are there any legal issues to consider?
Recording
The first phase in the multitrack production process is recording. This is where one or more sound sources is picked up by a microphone and recorded to a device (weather that be a reel to reel machine, or computer).
A commercial studio is made up of one or more acoustic spaces to ensure the best possible capture of sound for each instrument. There may be separate rooms for each instrument in some higher end studios. This is to ensure the best quality recording possible.
For example, the room that best suits the recording of a guitar is not the room that best suits the recording of a piano.
The control room
Ideally the studio's control room is acoustically isolated from the studio. As well as the surrounding areas.
The console (or board) can be thought of as the recording artist's canvas for the recording engineer. This room also houses the recording, effects, and control equipment.
Live/On-Location Recording
Unlike the traditional multitrack recording environment where overdubs are often used, in on-location recording is created in realtime.
The recording Process
The recording process is as follows:
1. Preparation
2. Recording
3. Overdubbing
4. Mixdown
5. Mastering
6. Product Manufacture
In the Preparation Phase these are the the following must be addressed:
•What is the goal?
•What is the budget?
•What is the estimated studio costs?
•Do we have enough money?
•How much will it cost to manufacture CDs?
What are the advertising costs?
•How will we sell our music and to whom?
•Have we practiced enough?
•Are our instruments, voices and heads ready for the task ahead?
•are there any legal issues to consider?
Recording
The first phase in the multitrack production process is recording. This is where one or more sound sources is picked up by a microphone and recorded to a device (weather that be a reel to reel machine, or computer).
Reel to Reel
ProTools
In general, audio recording looks like this:
And that is a general overview of audio engineering.
