Mixer: You use a mixer to send the electrical signal of your input device into your recorder and to route signals in a variety of ways. Traditionally, a mixer serves the following purposes:Routing your signals into your recorder: This allows you to set the proper level for each input device so that it’s recorded with the best possible sound. Chapter 4 explores the different mixer-type devices for this purpose.Blending (mixing) your individual tracks into a stereo pair (the left and right tracks of your stereo mix) or surround sound channels: This role of the mixer is where your vision as a music producer takes center stage and where you can turn raw tracks into a polished piece of music. Chapter 16 explores this use of a mixer.
Recorder: The recorder stores your audio data. For most home recordists, the recorder is digital. You can find out more about the different types of recorders in the next section of this chapter.
Signal processors: Most of the time, you have to tweak your recorded tracks. Signal processors give you the power to do this. Signal processors can be divided into the following basic categories:Equalizers: Equalizers let you adjust the frequency balance of your tracks. This is important for making your instruments sound as clear as possible and for getting all your tracks to blend well.Dynamics processors: Dynamics processors are used to control the balance between the softest and loudest parts of your tracks. They have many uses in the studio to help you make your tracks sit well together and to keep from overloading your system. Chapters 9, 19, and 22 explore ways to use dynamics processors in your music.Effects processors: Effects processors allow you to change your tracks in a variety of ways, such as to create a more realistic sound or unusual effects. Typical effects processors include reverb, delay, chorus, and pitch shifting. You can find out more about these processors in Chapter 19.
Monitors: Monitors, such as quality headphones or speakers, enable you to hear the quality of your recording and mixing. Monitors come in three basic designs:Headphones: Headphones come in an astonishing variety. Some are good for listening to music, while others are good for recording and mixing music. Most home recordists start with headphones because they typically cost a lot less than speakers and serve the double duty of allowing you to hear yourself while you record and allowing you to hear the mix when all your tracks are done.Passive: Passive monitors are like your stereo speakers in that you also need some sort of amplifier to run them. A ton of options are available with prices from around $100. Just remember that if you go this route, you need to budget money for an amp, which can run a few hundred dollars or more.Active: Active monitors have an integrated amplifier in each speaker cabinet. Having a built-in amp has its advantages, including just the right amount of power for the speakers and short runs of wire from the amp itself to the speakers (this is kind of a tweaky area that some people claim produces a better sound). You can find quite a few active monitors on the market starting at just a couple hundred dollars.
Checking out recording system types
With the long list of equipment that I present in the previous section, you may think that you need to spend a ton of money to get everything you need. Fortunately, home-recording systems are available that contain many of the components you need, so you don’t have to buy everything separately. I go into detail about these systems in Chapter 2, but here’s a basic overview:
Studio-in-a-box (SIAB) systems: These are all-in-one units that have everything in them except for the sound source, input device, and monitors. For very little money (starting well under $500), you get almost everything you need to start recording. These types of systems are also easy for a beginner to use and are great for musicians who don’t want to spend a ton of energy tweaking their setups.
Computer-based systems: These systems, often referred to as Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) use the processing power of your computer to record, mix, and process your music. Computer-based systems, similar to the SIAB systems, perform many of the typical recording functions at once. When you have one of these systems, you only need your sound source, your input devices, and your monitors.
Ultra-portable systems: Even though the rest of the systems I describe here can be portable, ultra-portable systems are designed so that you can record nearly anywhere with little fuss. These types of systems include smartphones, linear recorders, and tablet computers, which I introduce in Chapter 2. Like SIAB and computer-based systems, most of what you need is included, so all you have to worry about are your sound sources, input devices (or not — some come with mics already), and monitors (most often just a set of headphones).
Getting a Glimpse into the Recording Process
It’s easy to focus on all the gear that’s used in audio recording and think that the process must be pretty complicated. Well, it can be if you want it to, but it doesn’t have to be. The heart of recording over the last 60 years or so has been an approach called multitracking. At its core, multitracking involves recording all the instruments on separate tracks so that you can mix them later almost any way you want. You can multitrack by recording everything — or at least most of the instruments — at one time, just like a live performance, or you can go to the other extreme and record each instrument separately. Either way, you need a bunch of tracks to be able to record to, and you need to understand how to blend all these separate pieces into something musical.
Setting up a song
The first step in recording your music is to set up your system to record. Because you’re probably using a digital system, you need to configure your song. This usually involves setting the file type, bit depth, and sample rate. This process is one that you’ll become very good at in no time. For the lowdown on setting up songs in various systems, check out Chapter 5.
Getting a great sound
Getting your sound source to sound great in your system is the most important aspect of recording quality music (well, aside from the song and the performances). This is also an area where you’ll constantly be growing and learning. I’ve been recording professionally since 1985, but I still discover something new every time I set up a mic or plug in an electronic instrument. Any time you spend tweaking your mic placement or recording chain setup (configuration and levels) is time well spent, and the reward is often added clarity or at least a more interesting sound. For an introduction to the intricacies of recording high-quality source sounds, check out Parts 2 and 3 of this book.
Recording
After you have everything set up, the actual process of recording your music properly is pretty straightforward: You enable your track and press the Record button. This is easier said than done when the clock