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All content in the course has been discussed. Our recording project has been submitted and i completed the final challenge.

Next topic is emerging technologies. Links below

Mixing in 3D

https://www.dear-reality.com/blogs/overview/object-based-3d-audio-mix-from-the-daw-to-the-interactive-world

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

https://vrscout.com/?s=music

360 video

A 360 music video. lets you move around with your mouse to view the enviornment in 360 (while music is playing)

Would be cool to have the audio adjust while you move as if you are there in person

https://www.epikmusicvideos.com/blog/86-360-degree-music-videos-what-and-why.html

Blockchain Technology and NFTs

Audius is a new emerging digital streaming service. Allows fans to connect with artists and exclusive new music.

Portals is a browser based metaverse. Social space to explore, make your own, and gather. Similar to Decentraland (a virtual LAND with avatars - hosts music festivals)

SnoopDogg in the Sandbox. Similar to music artists partnering with Twitch and video games by creating a virtual landsacape created by the artist. NFTs provided with Sandbox.

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Janis is specialized in recording classical orchestras, crossover ensembles, and 3D audio projects. Finishing his sound engineering degree at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, he is responsible for running and maintaining the spatial audio studio for classical music. At Dear Reality, Janis works in the Quality Assurance and Support team.

Also in Overview

Spatial audio redefines how artists, engineers, and listeners interact with sound. The new audio standard engulfs the listener and provides a much more emotional auditory experience by having sounds from every angle and distance. To unlock creative mixing possibilities and to empower producers to craft more lively and engaging music productions , Dear Reality introduces its VR application to Steinberg's Cubase 12 audio workstation.

Read More

With the immersive audio app The Planets you can experience the famous eponymous orchestral suite by Gustav Holst, played by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, as an interactive audio walk in a park near you, increasingly all over the world.

Read More

Re-synthesize your audio based on its DNA and go from slight alterations to a complete aggressive reconstruction with MIYA, Dear Reality's latest wavelet distortion plugin for audio signals. MIYA follows a radically different approach to distortion by creating a wide range of permutations of the original input using adjustable harmonics. Enhance your sounds to punch through the mix by sculpting them like a synthesizer and go from subtle textures to gnarly distortion and even massive sub-harmonics.

Read More

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Object-based 3D audio mix - From DAW to interactive

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Janis is specialized in recording classical orchestras, crossover ensembles, and 3D audio projects. Finishing his sound engineering degree at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, he is responsible for running and maintaining the spatial audio studio for classical music. At Dear Reality, Janis works in the Quality Assurance and Support team.

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Sourced from Canvas:

Automation

As the name suggests, this allows some tasks to be handled by the computer. Anything you might consider adjusting as your project plays can be automated. This will be looked at in the next page.

Bouncing

Once you are done with your project, you'll need to get it our of the DAW and into a format that can be released/submitted. This is referred to as "bouncing." We'll look at this in another page.

Release and Distribution

For some of you, submitting the bounced audio file of your project will be the final step. For others, you may be interested in releasing or publishing your music to the public.

Tips for releasing music:

Proof read, listen on multiple devices, label your file, play it for someone, rest your ears.

Automation allows you to have parameters and settings change over time without needing to manually adjust them. It's like having an unlimited amount of hands able to turn dials while a project plays back. Physically, this is obviously not possible. However, with automation, you're able to bring a track to life in new ways.

Automation can be used on anything that has a knob, slider, fader, or other adjustable parameters. You can manually draw in automation data (known as offline automation) or you can perform it into a project by recording the adjustments you make in real-time (known as real-time automation).

https://www.waves.com/mix-automation-tips-to-bring-your-mix-to-life

https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/7-creative-automation-tips-for-music-producers.html

Bouncing

From Canvas:

The last step for your project is to bounce it. This takes your project, which is full of tracks, and "bounces" it down to just two tracks - a Left channel and a Right channel. This is what makes up a stereo audio file. This is the standard type of file that most people listen to on the media players. Common bounce formats are:

WAV

AIFF

Both WAV and AIFF formats are full quality, uncompressed audio. That is the best option when releasing professionally. Digital audio quality is another detail to configure. There are two aspects to this: Sample Rate and Bit Depth. Common settings are:

16-bit/44.1kHz (CD standard)

24-bit/48kHz (DVD standard)

Real time bouncing is bouncing while playing back the project. Offline bouncing does it very quickly without playing it back.

Normalizing - essentially automatically sets the audio volume level to its max level without clipping. you can bounce to ensure theres no clipping, but you have no control over volume levels and you may want to set dB levels lower than just 0.

Loudness penalty - allows you to view loudness measures by streaming services and lets you see if your track will be adjusted by each streaming service

https://www.loudnesspenalty.com/

Release and Distribution

Once you have a finished project in the form of a standard quality audio file, you may want to release it to the public. In the past, this would have been through some form of manufactured media like vinyl, cassette tape, or CD. Today, there are a number of ways to do this online, including low cost and free options. Some online services offer digital distribution only and others have a manufacturing service in addition to digital distribution. If you want to have your music on places like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more, you need to pay for a distribution service that will put your music on those platforms (you can't go directly to these streaming services and release directly yet). You also will need to be registered on a performance right organization (PRO) like ASCAP or BMI in order to collect royalties from streaming.. Here are a few websites to explore:

Free and subscription options, and limited to their website. Souncloud is unique in that it's a social platform where users can comment on music at specific points of the music as well as share/post.

Free to post; share/cut of sales split between artists and Bandcamp. Upload music for sale or for free streaming. Clean and convenient site for personal distribution. Lately, they've been offering 100% sales to artists on select days through the pandemic. This may continue afterwards. If you coordinate a promotional effort to drive sales on those days, you'll end up benefiting the most.

This site has been around for a while. Free for streaming on their site. Fee for distribution. You can also manufacture CDs in bulk. Share/cut of sales split between artists and CDBaby. 1-time Pay per release.

Distribution service online. Monthly/yearly fee to maintaining distribution, but releases are unlimited. This one is gaining in popularity in recent years.

Distribution and Mastering service. Monthly/yearly fee to maintaining distribution, different price/release tiers.

Audius is like Spotify or SoundCloud, but utilizes blockchain technology. Audius is a crypto-powered music streaming app that empowers artists. It's also has an engaging interface for remixing/reposting. Some notable artists in the space are: Skrillex, Weezer, deadmau5, Russ, Mike Shinoda, Diplo, Madeintyo, Odesza, Disclosure, Alina Baraz, and Wuki.

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Audio production can take a lot of practice and a great deal of time. Fortunately, mix automation techniques can help speed up your process and improve your workflow. So how can you use automation efficiently in your mixes?

In this article, we'll be exploring different ways to automate your production to save you time and get the sound you're looking for.

We've previously discussed mix automation basics, detailing how the process works and why it benefits your music. If you still need clarification on these points, take a look at the article, because in this post we'll be diving deeper into automation with seven creative tips, applicable to all genres.

Want to try these automation tips out?

Get access to all of the plug-ins used in this article with a free trial of a Music Production Suite Pro membership.

1. Start with a swell

We often think about the chorus as the most important part of a song, but listeners won't make it that far if they aren't hooked from the start. Those first few seconds need all the attention they can get.

While it won't suit every mix you make, automating a short swell that leads into the start of the song is an effective technique to pique listeners' interest, almost flinging them forward. To do this, copy the first note of a lead element to a new track and reverse it, baking in the swell motion, then automate the level for timing and feel. Have a listen to a clean start, then the swell version. To my ears, the swell bring a lot more confidence.

This might be enough for your song, but there are plenty of other mix automations you can add on to for ear candy. Try automating the pitch from low toward the note center. Or automating a reverb wash at the end of the swell for drama. Maybe adding a low-pass filter with Neutron Pro and automating it to move from closed to open will fit your song. These are all simple and time-efficient experiments to carry out, so there's no harm in trying them all. I gave the reverb swell a shot:

2. Automate pans for sound design

There are many reasons you'd choose to pan something in a mix: to create space in the center, widen background vocals, and reduce masking are a few. Once you bring automation into the picture, however, a whole new world of sound design possibilities opens up.

At slow speeds, an automated pan will add subtle movement to secondary mix elements without disrupting their balance. In a four chord keys progression, try starting the first chord off to the left, then panning towards the right as the notes fade out. Do the opposite once the second chord lands, and repeat.

If showy is what you want, go ahead and pan hi-hats, percussion and chopped vocals back and forth to evoke the high-octane energy of EDM, trap, and Detroit electro. This brings out a musiciality in otherwise standards sounds like 808 hats and snares. You may want to keep the same pan scheme for the whole song, but you can often get a lot more mileage by panning at strategic moments, like during a hi-hat triplet before a snare, or in the lead up to a major song moment.

For tempo-synced accuracy, use specific note values on your DAW's autopan plug-in. If you find sidechain compression too aggressive or unnatural, this is an alternative option to carve out pockets in your mix for kicks and other percussive elements to occupy.

3. Accentuate vocals with throws

Instead of processing an entire vocal track with reverb and delay, many mixers opt for "throws" instead, choosing to send only certain words to an ambience bus.

This might be done at the end of a phrase to fill in the open space before the next one, to build anticipation before a chorus, or to introduce a brief, one-time magic vocal moment. If you really want to make throws standout, be sure to process your reverbs and delays created with a plug-in like Neoverb Pro further with EQ, modulation, distortion, and anything else you feel makes sense in context.

Just so you know, this vocal throw technique can be applied to all instruments, and works particularly well on plucked instruments with shortener notes, like guitars.

4. Bring forward or hide elements with EQ

All too often new engineers dial in an EQ curve and forget the option to automate individual nodes. To make a chorus more exciting, you can automate a gentle boost in high frequencies on a vocal or guitar part then return the settings back to normal during the verse. Conversely, after a particularly cathartic song moment, you can cool things off by automating a filter to close down on lead elements.

I sometimes use EQ to create contrast between two similar-sounding sections, like an introduction and verse. I'll keep the intro in a reduced frequency range with a bandpass filter, then automate the filer to open and fill out the spectrum just before the first verse hits. Listen to this in the audio clip below:

5. Loosen programmed sections with variation

For all of the convenience that MIDI programming brings, the sequences you make will lack the natural variation of live playing without a bit of mix automation. If you want to bring a loose, organic feel to programmed parts in your DAW, there are a number of things you can do.

At the top of the list is velocity automation, which controls the how hard a sound is played. On a quantized snare that maintains the same placement throughout a song, you'll want at least one other parameter to be in flux. Having some hits come in louder than others is a good way to break this monotony. You might want to vary note length too, so automate the release to shorter and longer to have some snares with crack a little more than others.

This is already enough to get a more natural feel, but you don't need to stop there. To replicate the sound of a drummer hitting a different part of a drum skin, automate snare pitch by just a few cents every hit.

6. Automate the master bus for better dynamics

When you've come close to finishing a song, but feel a chorus isn't jumping out just enough, try pushing things up a couple dB on the master bus with a plug-in like Ozone Pro to simulate what would be a group of musicians giving more of themselves to the music. Alternatively, you can drop the level of the master output before the chorus that you really want to pop, making it seem larger in comparison. The latter option is recommended if headroom is limited.

At a smaller scale, draw in gain automation on separate instrument submixes, bringing up their level every quarter note, or in a way that emphasizes the feel and character of the instrument. This will bring some natural movement to a mix that needs a little oomph.

7. Automate the master tempo for surprise

Though something of a novelty effect, automating the tempo of your song has advantages for the creative producer.

You might want to start your song slow and automate up to the correct tempo, the way a needle would drift on a turntable. Bring the tempo back down at the end of song for a similarly disorienting feel, like Mura Masa did in his song, " What If I Go?"

Conclusion

For the modern mix, automation is often necessary to make consumers feel like they are listening to a living, breathing piece of music. You can automate just about anything in your DAW, so it's really up to your explore-these tips are just a starting point.

A final tip is to arrange your mix so multiple automations intersect at the same-as that synth filter is closing down, have your vocal delay increase, and the shaker move between the speakers. Though you can go overboard with automation, you'll find it takes a lot of drastic moves to get there.

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7 Creative Automation Tips for Music Producers

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Audio production can take a lot of practice and a great deal of time. Fortunately, mix automation techniques can help speed up your process and improve your workflow. So how can you use automation efficiently in your mixes? In this article, we'll be exploring different ways to automate your production to save you time and get the sound you're looking for.

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"As the name suggests, virtual instruments are simulations of real instruments (or fake ones). During early development, instruments were recreated using electronic hardware - synthesizers and, later, samplers. Today, software is the most common way to implement these instruments. "

Reasons to use MIDI:

"Virtual instruments can supplement things you don't have - or be used entirely (like in electronic music)

You can create mock-ups without needing to utilize recording spaces or resources

You can swap out real takes for virtual takes to fix issues

You can create entirely new sounds not possible with traditional acoustic instruments

Accessibility can be inspiring and inclusive

They can be cost-effective alternatives to real instruments"

What is a VST?

"A virtual instrument is a type of software that acts as a sound module. These instruments can be fantastically detailed emulations of vintage keyboards, recreations of analog synthesizers, sophisticated sample players, pianos, orchestral instruments, drum machines, and instruments no one’s dreamed of before. Nearly all virtual instruments act as plug-ins within a DAW host program, though some also offer a standalone mode for live performance. One thing they all have in common is that they use your computer’s CPU and other resources to create sound.

If you’re already familiar with traditional digital keyboards, then it might make sense to think of virtual instruments like this. Digital keyboards are really four pieces of technology in one: a MIDI controller, an audio interface, a computer, and a virtual instrument. The keybed and hands-on controls are the MIDI controller, the I/O is the audio interface, the circuitry of the sound module is the computer, and the program running on that computer is the virtual instrument itself. The beauty of creating a virtual instrument rig is that you get to choose all four components yourself — and you can have as many virtual instruments as you like!"

No need to take notes on music theory

Spitfire LABSLinks to an external site. (Orchestral and experimental acoustic/synthesized instruments. Excellent sample library company.)

Orchestral Tools SINEfactoryLinks to an external site. (Orchestral instruments. Another excellent company)

Native Instrument Komplete StartLinks to an external site. (balanced variety of instruments from famous brand)

Ample Sound Ample Bass P Lite IILinks to an external site. and Ample Sound Ample Guitar M Lite IILinks to an external site. (Rhythm generating guitar and bass. Good quality considering it's free)

VCV RackLinks to an external site. (Modular rack synthesis)

List of Free Instruments on Plugin BoutiqueLinks to an external site.

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Mastering is a complex and sometimes subjective art that each mastering professional can have varying opinions on. Essentially, you are making a great song sound the very best it can be. Your goal is to look at the song as a whole, review the stereo mixdown, and make it ready for distribution across all platforms and understanding you want the song to sound good across different medias of sound (CD, Cassette, Vinyl, streaming - speakers, headphones, phone speaker). Making the song sound cohesive, and if part of an album, making sure it aligns and blends with other songs on the EP/album.

Some of the key effects used are EQ, loudness/limiter, compression.

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Dynamic Processing and Time Based Effects

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Dynamic Processing and Time Based Effects

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Dynamic Processing

Compression

Limiter - cuts sound above a certain frequency

Gate - automatic switches mics on/off. only allows sound above a threshold. Opposite of a limiter.

Expander - Opposite of a compressor. compresses signal below a threshold. Reduces signal below threshold (such as 2:1)

DeEsser - compresses a small area of frequencies where sibiliance exists (loud Ss, Ps. Set DeEsser after compression and EQ has been set.

Time-based Effects

Can be done realistically - but most commonly through post-production after recording

Reverb - the effect of a sound reflecting over multiple surface at different distances and angles. When these sounds bounce back to the listener, they hear the sound and atmosphere of the room. The listener will hear the original (direct) sound blended with the sound of the room they are in. (source Canvas materials)

Delay - delay is more of a special effect compared to something like reverb. Another way to put it is reverb is used on almost every production while delay is more optional. When it is used, delay can enhance a production by adding interest to parts.

A few common uses:

On vocals

short delays can make a vocal sound thicker or provide an interesting stereo effect when panned.

long delays can add depth and atmosphere.

On guitar

short delays can create a vintage slap-back effect.

longer delays can sound dreamy.

delays synchronized with the tempo of the music can create rhythmic patterns and harmony that make the instrument sound bigger.

Modulation

Essentially, modulation effects rely on a modulator, like an LFO (aka: low frequency oscillator), to change a parameter at a specified rate of time. One way to imagine this is to think of someone rotating a parameter knob up and down while sound plays through. Having someone actually do this manually would be impractical so that is why an LFO takes on that duty. Depending on how the modulation is happening, you will encounter these common effects: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Vibrato, and Tremolo.

Modulation effects—Chorus, Tremolo, Flanger and Phaser

Time-based effects—Reverb, Delay and Echo

Spectral effects—EQ and Panning

Dynamic effects—Compression and Distortion

Filters

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From Canvas content (Source is Canvas):

Once you have audio recorded in your DAW, it's time to edit. Depending on the project and performance, you may need to edit a lot of things or just a few. At minimum, you'll likely want to apply fades to the start and end points to eliminate the unnatural click or chop effect (this is what you hear when you go immediately from not sound to recorded sound and visa versa). The list below describes some common editing tools and features you'll want to be familiar with.

1) Trim

2) Cut/Splice

3) Copy/Paste

4) Move

5) Fade

Signal Processing:

When it comes to signal process in audio production, we can divide it into two categories: Gain-based processing and Time-based processing. Gain-based has to do with levels, or "gain," while time-based refers to effects like reverb and delay. During the mixing process, you usually utilize gain-based signal processing to help balance levels better. Time-based effects are used to provide more depth to a mix, but they tend to be applied after. This video by Waves is a brief introduction to audio effect signal process.

Signal processing can be done with physical equipment or with virtual plug-ins. Each option has pros and cons. Physical gear often sounds warmer due to the electronic components (although not always true), but they are more expensive, take up space, and have input/output limitations. Virtual plug-ins are limited only by your computer's processing power. With a modern computer, it's easy to have plenty of available power. Plug-ins have many price-points, but many are free or affordable. Many even come pre-installed with a DAW. You can easily copy/paste settings and configurations making these a great option. Downsides are that they may sound more "stale" or have lesser quality compared to physical gear.

EQ:

EQ or equalization allows you to adjust levels of specific frequencies rather than the entire volume level. This is great for reducing unwanted frequencies or boosting weak frequencies that you want to hear better. You can also use EQ for editing for"surgical EQ" needs where you focus on a very small range of frequencies for precise editing. This video by Waves looks at the use of EQ.

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No new content - did an accumulative exam

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From Canvas content:

When recording more than one musical part at a time, there are a few options available: recording everything at once (live), recording each part individually, or a combination of simultaneously recorded parts and individual parts. Each approach has pros and cons. The following articles linked in this module will go into some of the se elements.

Keep in mind that these techniques will work for both ensembles/bands as well as individuals playing multiple parts.

From https://producerhive.com/music-production-recording-tips/live-recording-vs-overdubbing/ :

Overdubbing is the practice of recording over existing instruments when making a song. For example, you might be recording a bass part over a drum track, then the guitars will be overdubbed once the rhythm section is complete. In both cases, overdubbing is used to build a song “piece by piece”.

LIVE RECORDING

An approach where the recorded audio is a result of capturing a single performance.

With live recording, you will typically have all performers in the same room, stage, or studio space playing together in time with each take. Ideally, each instrument or instrument group will be separately mic’d up and recorded on a different track in the project (this is multitrack recording, which we’ll look at later).

Multitrack recording simply means that the recording contains more than just a single track. This can apply to live recordings and overdubbed recordings. It goes without saying that overdubbing would be much harder without multitrack recording, and live recordings would lose the ability to be mixed afterward.

The current popular music industry is after a refined sound with flawless tempo and pitch. Because many new and professional musicians try to emulate contemporary recordings, many of them use overdubbing in their music production process, but may not even think about it.

There are many song/album examples to compare the difference between recording an ensemble live vs overdubbed, but The Beatles are a great place to start. Part of this reason is because they were recording albums as overdub technology was developing. The Beatles, along with producer George Martin, became some of the earliest pioneers of the advanced studio techniques used today.

Ways to overdub https://blog.landr.com/overdubbing/:

1) record on a new track

2) Record over an existing track

3) Punch in and out

4) Loop record

From Canvas material:

A came across an older article that shared some tips and hints going into the overdubbing process for better results:

1. Know exactly what you are working on that day

2. Have all the resources you need available.

3. Make sure all parts have been rehearsed and that all performance issues have been sorted out.

4. The overdubbing musician should play their part at the tempo of the song when getting sounds.

5. Set up a comfortable space for the musician to work in.

6. Always have a plan B, incase everything you planned goes wrong.

7. Never rush through performances in an attempt to complete your goal for the day.

8. Never settle for average performances that will need to be fixed with editing.

9. When you capture the essence of a part, record it everywhere it needs to be without delay.

10. Take regular breaks, especially if there is frustration and confusion in the studio.

11. Always communicate with the musician immediately after a take, even if it's to tell them you are not sure or need to listen to it again.

These aren't the only things to consider, but I agree that these are a great starting point.

You can read the full article here: https://www.music-production-guide.com/overdubbing.htmlLinks to an external site.

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What is "overdubbing"?

What are the similarities and differences between live recording and overdubbing?

Find which approach works best for you.

Ultimately when you are recording, you are capturing a performance. Depending on the type of performance you are recording, you will want to use overdubbing or live recording. These two approaches have their own unique advantages and drawbacks, so it's important to know how they differ and what they are best used for.

Below we'll look at live recording vs overdubbing, how these techniques can be applied (and even used together), and how multitrack recording can be used in both.

The Difference Between Live Recording vs Overdubbing

Overdubbing is the practice of recording over existing instruments when making a song. For example, you might be recording a bass part over a drum track, then the guitars will be overdubbed once the rhythm section is complete. In both cases, overdubbing is used to build a song "piece by piece".

Live recording typically captures all instruments simultaneously in a single performance. This doesn't just apply to live albums by touring acts, there are also plenty of studio albums recorded this way too.

That's the quick version, now let's dive into the details...

Definitions

Live Recording

An approach where the recorded audio is a result of capturing a single performance.

With live recording, you will typically have all performers in the same room, stage, or studio space playing together in time with each take. Ideally, each instrument or instrument group will be separately mic'd up and recorded on a different track in the project (this is multitrack recording, which we'll look at later).

It doesn't matter if the current tracks, recording at that time, are intended to be in the final mix. It also doesn't matter if you intend to edit, overdub, or mix everything later. At that point in time, live recording is being used to capture a performance.

Live recording was the only method of recording up to the development of sel-sync recording by Ampex in the 1950's. Before this, the best that could be done in terms of "overdubbing" involved at least two separate machines. The playback on one machine was routed to another machine that would be recording both the playback and everything being recorded in that take.

Overdubbing/Overdub Recording

This is a method that involves recording a performance against a previously recorded sound.

Overdubbing is an approach that builds up a song "piece by piece" as new parts are recorded on top of existing audio. Usually with this approach, one part is recorded at a time, and the song is built up with each successive take.

Even if you're starting on a new song and are only recording against a click track, if you're not recording all the instruments at once then you are not doing a proper live recording of your song. If you find yourself recording one (or a few) parts at a time when making your song, then you have taken the overdub recording approach.

Sel-sync recording gave tape machines the capacity to monitor and record at the same time, letting the musicians punch-in or overdub over previously recorded tracks, as well as record new tracks in time with the prior-recorded material. Many took advantage of this new feature to record a section until they were satisfied with the take - a luxury that had not existed up to this point. Then when digital recording took off, the possibilities became endless.

Multi-tracking/Multitrack Recording

This is not the same as overdubbing or live recording.

Multitrack recording simply means that the recording contains more than just a single track. This can apply to live recordings and overdubbed recordings. It goes without saying that overdubbing would be much harder without multitrack recording, and live recordings would lose the ability to be mixed afterward.

Live Recording vs Overdubbing (Pros & Cons)

Live Recording

Live recording is more "accident-prone" for a few obvious reasons. Your entire song is being captured in a single moment, and fixing mistakes is much harder. You need to be strict about how you organize your recording session and the musicians involved.

So why do we use live recording if it's so... fragile? Simply put, a tightly rehearsed band sounds more lifelike, spontaneous, and human when recorded. This is not to say that overdub recording can't be all those things, it just takes a lot more time and energy to get there. At the very least, building a song with live recording is much quicker than overdubbing assuming you are able to get a good take in the time you have booked.

For live recording sessions, most (if not all) of the musicians need to be present and in the same place at the same time. Musicians often have other jobs outside of their music, making scheduling a challenge. On top of this, in the session, all musicians need to be mentally present.

If you are recording a live performance that involves an audience, there literally are no second chances. Mistakes will be included in the recording. Any audible feedback or loud noise will get picked up in the recording. This is bad for genres like classical music where there are many rests or sections with quieter instruments playing.

Getting "the take" for a live recording can take an eternity. One take may be perfect except for a single minor hiccup in the bass while another may have a great drum solo that's hard to let go of. A poorly rehearsed group will take forever to get a satisfying take that everyone is happy with.

Financially, it's better if the group tracks everything they want to in one session. Extra sessions mean more planning, scheduling, traveling, and money.

Preparation for the session is as much work as the session itself. Planning for things such as supplies (food, audio equipment, first aid, and other tools) has to be addressed before the session starts. The staging of the musicians in the studio live room, iso booths, and sometimes control room, needs to be discussed between the musicians and engineer beforehand.

Microphone bleed will occur in live recordings unless you're recording in acoustic isolation with one microphone. Microphone bleed is when the sound from one instrument is picked up by the mics for the other instruments - ideally only the mic facing the player should be recording that particular instrument. Drums are notorious for this as they are so loud that they will get picked up on a vocalist's singing in the same room.

Lucky for many, overdub recording removes the majority of these problems...

Overdub Recording

With overdub recording, all of the musicians do not need to to be in the same session, or even the same location. The drums can be tracked at a studio with a specially built live room and the vocals can be tracked at a home studio. This comes in handy when working with musicians with limited availability. It saves time and money if the group uses expensive studio time only to track certain instruments or vocals (versus the whole song).

Mistakes can be easily overdubbed in isolation to the other tracks. So there will be much less pressure to get each take right when working against time with the other musicians. Since the overdubbed tracks were recorded in isolation, it's easier to edit the individual tracks against the rest of the mix.

Since the session usually doesn't take up massive amounts of studio space and equipment, overdub sessions free up opportunities to use beloved audio gear that the studio might only have in limited supply. For example, this lets an engineer use the same warm vintage microphone on all the singers, even if the studio owns only one.

With overdubbing, mic bleed issues are non-existent or minimal at worst. The most you usually hear is between different drum kit microphones and on different spot microphones. Less mic bleed issues allow more freedom in how the performer can be mic'd. It also allows the engineer to turn the microphone preamp higher without fear of clipping every time a drum bleeds through, and eases individual track mixing.

Getting The Best Of Both Worlds (Hybrid Recording Methods)

These days, we have the luxury of using both approaches with ease. We get to enjoy the benefits of both live recording and overdubbing, and when we use them together, the drawbacks are effectively canceled out.

So this means you can record a few takes with your band present, knowing you can overdub and edit later thanks to multitrack recording. You still get the organic "live in the room" feel of live recording, but any mistakes that occur are no longer permanent.

Here's a description of a common method of recording popular music. You'll notice that it employs the use of both live and overdub recording methods.

Quick Example of a Hybrid Approach

The rhythm tracks (drums, bass, rhythm guitar, percussion, etc.) are recorded live first. This could be as small as specific sections, to the entire track. Then the melodic elements can be added on top.

It's way easier to overdub melodic parts to the beat than to match the rhythm tracks to the melodic parts. It's not impossible, but with overdubbing, it's easier to sort out the rhythm tracks first.

The order in which the instruments are recorded is up to you at this point. Where possible, do live recordings that group a number of instruments together. For example, you may want both your rhythm and lead guitarists playing at the same time. Record a few takes until you are sure you have enough material - remember that mistakes can be edited out because we are taking a hybrid approach.

Repeat this process until you have all the parts you need to build your song. Now you will be arranging and comping the recordings, choosing the best take for each instrument in each section.

Using a click track technically means the basic tracks (rhythm tracks) would be considered an overdub. But of course, the click never makes it to the final track!

This allows for easier comping and provides a metronome to keep the tempo. Some may attempt to record without a click track which makes overdubbing very difficult. This might be fine for ambient or noise music, but for most popular styles, timing is too important.

Is One Better Than The Other?

While a good chunk of the music industry is using overdub recording, there are still scenarios where live recording is the better option. Any classical, jazz, or acoustic instrumental ensemble tends to record better live.

The musicians in ensembles are used to performing with each other- orchestras have leaders for each section and they all follow a conductor. Having musicians record in isolation from one another usually takes the organic feeling of the music. Even with overdubs, instrumental sections are usually recorded all at once.

The current popular music industry is after a refined sound with flawless tempo and pitch. Because many new and professional musicians try to emulate contemporary recordings, many of them use overdubbing in their music production process, but may not even think about it.

In my opinion, the best method of recording is to use a hybrid of both in order to get all the benefits of live recording and overdubbing. Where possible, try live recording with multiple musicians for an organic feel, then overdub later instead of obsessively aiming for the perfect take. Utilizing both approaches like this saves time and money, and will make the process of completing your song a whole lot easier.
(If you're recording at home, make sure you read 7 Ingenious DIY Recording Studio Hacks!)

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Live Recording Vs Overdubbing (Pros & Cons)

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When you are recording, there are two main approaches you can take. Here's what you need to know about live recording vs overdubbing.

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Sourced from Canvas content:

Unlike a guitar or other "standard" instrument, there really isn't an official standard for drums - this is also true when it comes to drum notation when writing music. However, there are some common things that are agreed upon by most players. For example, the basic drum layout (or where a certain drum component will go). Once we deviate from a "normal" or common setup, that's when we run into challenges that need problem solving. Even if you're not a drummer, these are good things to keep in mind. And even if you don't plan on recording or playing physical, acoustic drums, your music can still benefit from understanding some general setups and mechanics.

The 5-piece set is most common above is called a 5-piece because it has 5 drums (kick, snare, and 3 toms). While it does have cymbals, they are not counted when using that numbering system. Basic drum kits usually range between 4 and 5 pieces with the number of toms being the variation (there's always a kick and snare).

As for mechanics, what you need to know is that drummers use all 4 limbs - 2 arms and 2 legs (this is not a requirement, and there are drummers with fewer than this average). The point is that playing the drums is incredibly physical to make sound. If you're thinking about this from a writing/composing standpoint, keep in mind that with this physical limitation you can't expect a drummer to be able to perform more than 4 hits at any one time (that would imply all limbs are hitting something) (this is a dead giveaway when you hear a drum part that has too many hits that would be physically impossible to play).

When recording, it's important to consider the physical aspect of playing because the performer could potentially hit microphones that are placed too close. This is easy to forget when you setup when the drummer is away from the set -  the moment they start playing, be sure to observe and adjust as needed. It can be helpful to have the drummer play a little first so you can get a feel for the amount of space they will need to play naturally.

a really good video on recording drums:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPPhmyBIi6k&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fdvc.instructure.com%2Fcourses%2F89619%2Fpages%2Frecording-drums-pt-1%3Fmodule_item_id%3D5966574&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title

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How To Record Drums with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 Microphones with Brian Deck | Reverb How To Record

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Recording techniques for Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, other instruments

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Recording techniques for Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, other instruments

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"Brass is one of the more difficult instrument families to record. It's easy for them to sound flat in sound quality or just plain fake (for those of you familiar with software sample libraries, brass and saxophones tend to be the most fake sounding out of all the available instruments recorded). These videos will give you an idea of where to start, but just like what was mentioned with strings, feel free to experiment with mic placements."

Audiotechnica is advertising their own instruments - however they seem to recommend using a condenser mic with a pad in place to handle the strength and pushed air from brass instruments

Brass instruments:

14 inches from trombone recommended
directly above and straight down for tuba. Moving mic up higher can warm it up more
French horn does not need to be directly facing soundhole, capture more room ambience. Can also mic from rear and above (because the listener never really listens to direct sound, but reflected sound). Two mics can be used - one mic in front and another behind. Do not have mic directly facing bell

Woodwind instruments:

Flute - by aiming mic towards center, can capture more a fuller, warmer sound. Farther up, above can capture more room ambience

Clarinet - micing the bell is not the best, since audience never hears directly from bell. more of the reflected sound. 10 inches away, aimed towards the bottom between bell and finger holes

Oboe - similar to clarinet

Bassoon - opposite approach to oboe. higher up, but not facing the bell

Saxophone - mic above bell, try to get where the warmness meets the punchiness of the instrument

Soprano sax - similar to clarinet micing technique because bell faces same direction

Tenor sax - similar to main sax. balance between bite from bell and warmth from body

baritone sax - 6 inchs from bell, slightly off-axis

Recording banjo - recommended to aim at top of body and neck. about 10 inches from instrument to capture warmness

Part of what I learned, experimentation with mic placement is imperative in deciding how to best record instruments and how this blends in with other instruments. With acoustic instruments, you generally want to capture sound as natural as if the listener was in the room. Warmness, clarity, fullness are generally what is looked for.

For cajon - have mic facing front and another mic facing the back hole for lower bass frequencies

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Recording Techniques for Electric Guitar, Bass, and Piano

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Recording Techniques for Electric Guitar, Bass, and Piano

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Electric Guitars - two options of recording electric guitars are through a DI (directly putting in DI, then audio interface, to DAW) or placing a microphone towards the guitar amplifier - or both. The preferred method seems to be to record electric guitar via amplifier as you have more control over the tone of your guitar, and you are picking up how it sounds in the room. The videos are incredible - it shows how the sound can vary based on microphone placement to the guitar amp, taking care of your guitar (making sure strings are clean, guitar is tuned). lots of experimentation.
Type of microphone plays a large factor in the tonal quality of your electric guitar (dynamic, compressor, ribbon)

Recording Bass - similar to electric guitars, you can record via DI box, placing a microphone to the guitar amp, or both, preamp signal, interfaces & modeling (skip the DI box and preamp - must accept instrument level), industry standard is shure beta 52A

Often recommended not just to mic-up and record - experimenting to find YOUR sound or sound you want to capture by experimenting with mic placements, method of recording, types of amps, instruments, messing with EQ settings

Recording Piano
"Pianos cover a wide range of frequencies as well as physical space. Those characteristics along with numerous playing styles make the instrument potentially challenging to capture effectively (there's also the issue of different companies making different design decisions, so there's no perfect universal layout).

There are two common styles of pianos: Grand Pianos and Upright Pianos. Grand pianos are more expensive and typically found in studios and performance halls, while upright pianos are typically more affordable and common in smaller venues and in the average home."

Keep mics at least three times the distance of each other than the mics are to the sound source to avoid phase. Brightness increased by getting closer to hammers, opposite when away. Can place microphone near soundboard (close to strings). Or can record with one microphone and place mic away from piano. The farther away, the more likely you will pick up the sound of the room and other ambient noises.

Microphone placements.- XY, spaced pair, blumlein (according to video, will give the most natural sound), PZM

When mixing piano in stereo, generally you want the high keys (microphone placed at the high strings) panned closer to the right, lower keys (mic placed towards low strings) panned closer to the left as many people can imagine them playing and sitting down at piano. The opposite would be as if you were in the audience. Not so much in the case of drums since some people don't have experience using a drum set, so it is generally panned as if you are an audience member.

3:1 rule - if sound source is 1 inch away from mic, make sure second mic is 3 inches away from the other mic

Micing up an upright piano - can place mic from behind the piano near soundboard. Having matched pairs of microphones are better

Need to research sound phase to understand fully...

If were to record an acoustic piano - I generally prefer always a more organic, natural sound - so would probably use the blumlein method of recording, with an additional mic capturing a bit further from piano. Or would experiment using a PZM if available to me

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Recording Techniques for microphone and acoustic guitar

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Recording Techniques for microphone and acoustic guitar

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"how an instrument will fit into the production. Will the recording be of a solo instrument or an ensemble? If it is an ensemble, is it large or small? Are the instruments apart of the same family (for example: violin and cello are in the string family)? Is the instrument a central part of the production or just supporting the overall arrangement? These questions can guide you towards your decision."

For acoustic guitar, preferred recording is around the 12th fret, about 12 inches, with the mic facing towards the right hand/sound hole to pick up fingerpicking techniques. This is a very balanced sound, however there are other techniques based on what you want out of acoustic guitar recording.

Closer you are - more direct, bass, thick powerful sound. Above the soundhole

at the bridge/or below the bridge will give you other options.

Can also do above the soundhole, facing towards the sound hole - to pick up string attack

TWO microphones is also possible - panning them across stereo field/having levels. Make sure microphones are in phase - same distance.

recording a singer-songwriter - a technique I don't do too often besides during the songwriting process/brainstorming. Typically, I record a guitar track separately then sing separately to create a demo.

"So which method is best? Well, it depends on a variety of factors and preferences.  In general, more microphones can give you more flexibility to craft the sound you want. This is due to individual control of each mic and the ability to isolate sound sources. The result is also clearer and more direct. If you're prefer a more natural blend of vocals and guitar, want more room atmosphere, or simply only have access to one mic, then a single mic technique is what you can use. Regardless of what you choose, you can still get a great recording if you optimize your mic placement."

DAWs and recording:
Before hitting record:

make sure your inputs/outputs are matched, that you have the right channel, that your DAW is set-up and configured with your interface.
You also need to make sure your levels and gain staging are there.
Project settings: metronome, count off, tempo, time signature

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How to choose the right microphone: what is the desired sound source, what is the mic supposed to pick-up, what is the equipment it is connected to. Must be able to pick up correctly.
"The mic needs to be able to handle the loudness and frequency range of the voice or instrument you're miking. It also needs to be compatible with the physical connections and electrical characteristics of the audio mixer, recorder or computer the mic will connect to."

Mic specs
Tranducer type: dynamic, condenser, ribbon
Polar pattern
Frequency response and proximity effect
Electrical output (sensitivity, impedance, max SPL, etC)

Dynamic transducer - consists of diaphragm, voice coil, and a magnet. Very durable
Condenser microphones - thinner diaphragm with a back place. More sensitive to loud sounds yet helps provide more detailed sound. Makes it better to capture drums, requires phantom power. can be made small
Ribbon is a type of dynamic mic - however it has a metal ribbon foil between the poles of a magnet. provide warm, mellow, most pleasing sound. requires more thorough care.

Polar pattern - defines how it responds to sounds coming from different directions.
Omnidirectional - 360 picks up sound in a sphere/circle
Unidirectional - sensitive to sound coming one direction (include cardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid)
Bidirectional - picks up noise from front and back of mic,
*Need to note the degree angles*

Frequency response is determined by the range of the sound (from lowest to highest frequency) that a microphone can reproduce and how sensitive and consistent it is within that range.
Flat response mics - useful for acoustic instruments, vocal groups, orchestras
Shape response mics - more sensitive to some frequncies than others
Proximity effect. - the closer the sound to the mic, the bass becomes more prominent.

Professional microphones always have low impedance; high impedance is most common for musical instruments.

Wiring configuration is important.

Max SPL - Self-Noise = Dynamic Range

Because large diaphragm condensers provide that rich, pleasing sound, they're a great choice for vocals and spoken word. If you want your voice to sound warm and have more "color," go for a large diaphragm.

They're also great for recording an amplified electric guitar as they capture a thicker, full-body sound.

Small diaphragm microphones are great for recording acoustic guitar, piano, hi-hat, cymbals, and percussion, where you want to capture every detail.

Want to hear how your finger is sliding against the string when you play an acoustic guitar? A small diaphragm would be a great choice.

A diaphragm is the component of the transducer that vibrates in response to sound waves. It plays a very important role in communicating sound: sound waves hit the diaphragm and cause it to vibrate back and forth.

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Signal flow integrity is important all throughout. If one area is weak (ex. poor mic choice, poor mic placement) this will affect other processes in the signal flow (poor final recording that mixing/editing cannot salvage).
Microphones usually contain a diaphragm and metal plate to convert acoustic energy to electrical energy.
20Hz to 20,000 Hz is usually the level of human hearing.
Ultrasonic - too high for human hearing like dog whistles
Infrasonic - too low for human hearing like whale sounds
Decibels - logarithmic scale used to describe volume of sound. 1 to 2 bels is 10x as much, dB is used to the nearest tenth (ex. 3.5, 2.2, 0.3)