Home Recording For Dummies, 6th Edition

Home Recording For Dummies, 6th Edition

by Jeff Strong
Released November 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119711100

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Book description

Make your next track a studio-quality gem with this celebrated recording guide 

Have you ever dreamed of producing the next big song? Or maybe you need some hints on the recording gear used to create pro podcasts? With just a little bit of guidance, there’s nothing stopping you from creating crystal-clear, studio-quality tracks from the comfort of your own home. In Home Recording For Dummies, expert sound engineer and celebrated author Jeff Strong demystifies the world of recording and walks you through every step of creating high-fidelity audio.  

With this book at your side, you’ll discover how to choose a room that fits your studio needs, get the hardware you can’t live without, choose the right microphone for the task at hand, record live and virtual instruments, build rhythm tracks and loops, and edit, mix, and master your recording. 

Learn how to: 

  • Set up your home studio, acquire and connect all the right gear, and build multi-track recordings 
  • Understand the different types of microphones and the best use for each 
  • Record audio from live sound or virtual instruments 
  • Edit your tracks for better project management 
  • Mix and master your music for public consumption 

Home Recording For Dummies is the must-read guide that helps home create high-fidelity, multi-track songs and recordings that blow audiences away. 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Getting Started with Home Recording
    1. Chapter 1: Understanding Home Recording
      1. Examining the Anatomy of a Home Studio
      2. Getting a Glimpse into the Recording Process
      3. Making Sense of Mixing
      4. Adding the Final Touches
    2. Chapter 2: Getting the Right Gear
      1. Determining Your Home Studio Needs
      2. Detailing Your Digital Options
      3. Computer-Based Digital Recording Systems
      4. Studio-in-a-Box Systems
      5. Mobile-Device Recording
      6. Exploring Sample Setups
    3. Chapter 3: Getting Connected: Setting Up Your Studio
      1. Understanding Analog Connections
      2. Delving into Digital Connections
      3. Working Efficiently
      4. Optimizing Your Room
    4. Chapter 4: Meet the Mixer
      1. Meeting the Many Mixers
      2. Understanding Mixer Basics
    5. Chapter 5: Multitrack Recording
      1. Understanding Multitracking
      2. Getting Ready to Record
      3. Setting a Tempo Map
      4. Saving Your Work
      5. Sharing Files with Others
  6. Part 2: Working with Microphones
    1. Chapter 6: Understanding Microphones
      1. Meeting the Many Microphone Types
      2. Assessing Your Microphone Needs
      3. Deciding How Many Microphones and What Kind
      4. Finding the Right Mic for the Situation
      5. Partnering Mics with Preamps
      6. Considering Compressors
      7. Analyzing Some Microphone Accessories
      8. Caring for Your Microphones
    2. Chapter 7: Taking a Look at Microphone Techniques
      1. Singling Out Close Miking
      2. Detailing Distant Miking
      3. Assessing Ambient Miking
      4. Selecting Stereo Miking
      5. Creating Miking Combinations
    3. Chapter 8: Miking Your Instruments
      1. Getting a Great Lead Vocal Sound
      2. Getting Good Backup Vocals
      3. Examining Electric Guitar Miking
      4. Exploring Electric Bass Miking
      5. Miking Acoustic Guitars and Similar Instruments
      6. Maneuvering Horn Mics
      7. Placing Mics for a Piano
      8. Setting Up Mics for Strings
      9. Digging into Drum Set Miking
      10. Getting Your Hands on Hand Drums
      11. Perfecting Percussion Miking
  7. Part 3: Recording Live Audio
    1. Chapter 9: Getting a Great Source Sound
      1. Making Sense of the Signal Chain
      2. Setting Optimal Signal Levels
      3. Understanding Pre and Post Levels
      4. Getting Great Guitar, Bass, and Electronic String Instrument Sounds
      5. Creating Killer Keyboard Tracks
      6. Recording E-Drums, Drum Machines, and Electronic Percussion
      7. Making the Most of Microphones
    2. Chapter 10: Recording Audio
      1. Performing Your First Take
      2. Punching In and Out
      3. Exploring Overdubbing
      4. Submixing
      5. Bouncing
      6. Keeping Track of Your Tracks
    3. Chapter 11: Understanding Electronic Instruments and MIDI
      1. Meeting MIDI
      2. Gearing Up for MIDI
    4. Chapter 12: Recording Electronic Instruments Using MIDI
      1. Synchronizing Your Devices
      2. Sequencing
      3. Saving Your Data
      4. Transferring Data Using MIDI
    5. Chapter 13: Working with Loops
      1. Understanding Loops and Loop Types
      2. Choosing Loop Formats
      3. Setting Up Your Session
      4. Adding Loops to Your Sessions
      5. Editing Loops
      6. Creating Loops
  8. Part 4: Editing and Enhancing Your Tracks
    1. Chapter 14: Getting into Editing
      1. Understanding Digital Editing
      2. Finding the Section You Want to Edit
      3. Editing to Improve the Sound of a Performance
      4. Creating a Performance That Never Happened
      5. Discovering Other Ways to Use Editing
    2. Chapter 15: Editing MIDI Data
      1. Understanding MIDI Windows
      2. Editing MIDI Data
      3. Editing Program Data
      4. Changing Continuous Controller Data
      5. Quantizing Your Performance
      6. Transposing Your Performance
      7. Saving Your Data
      8. Transferring Data Using MIDI
  9. Part 5: Mixing and Mastering Your Music
    1. Chapter 16: Mixing Basics
      1. Understanding Mixing
      2. Managing Levels as You Work
      3. Getting Started Mixing Your Song
      4. Mixing in DAWs
      5. Using the Stereo Field
      6. Adjusting Levels: Enhancing the Emotion of the Song
      7. Tuning Your Ears
    2. Chapter 17: Using Equalization
      1. Exploring Equalization
      2. Dialing-In EQ
      3. Equalizing Your Tracks
    3. Chapter 18: Digging into Dynamics Processors
      1. Connecting Dynamics Processors
      2. Introducing Compressors
      3. Looking into Limiters
      4. Introducing Gates and Expanders
      5. Detailing the De-Esser
      6. Setting Up Side Chains
    4. Chapter 19: Singling Out Signal Processors
      1. Routing Your Effects
      2. Rolling Out the Reverb
      3. Detailing Delay
      4. Creating Chorus Effects
      5. Making Sense of Microphone Modeling
      6. Applying an Amp Simulator
      7. Detailing Distortion Effects
      8. Selecting Tape Saturation Effects
    5. Chapter 20: Automating Your Mix
      1. Understanding Automation
      2. Accessing Automation Modes
      3. Writing Automation
      4. Viewing Automation
      5. Editing Automation Data
    6. Chapter 21: Making Your Mix
      1. Submixing Tracks
      2. Mixing in-the-Box
      3. Using an External Master Deck
    7. Chapter 22: Mastering Your Music
      1. Demystifying Mastering
      2. Getting Ready to Master
      3. Paying a Pro or Doing It Yourself
      4. Hiring a Professional Mastering Engineer
      5. Mastering Your Music Yourself
      6. Preparing for Distribution
    8. Chapter 23: Creating Your Finished Product
      1. Understanding File Formats
      2. Putting Your Music on CD
      3. Delivering Digital Files
      4. Creating MP3 Files
      5. Pressing Vinyl
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 24: Ten Invaluable Recording Tips
      1. Using an Analog Tape Deck
      2. Layering Your Drum Beats
      3. Decorating Your Room
      4. Setting a Tempo Map
      5. Listening to Your Mix in Mono
      6. Doubling and Tripling Your Tracks
      7. Recording Dirty Room Ambience
      8. Overdubbing Live Drums
      9. Pressing Record, Even during a Rehearsal
      10. Leaving the Humanity in Your Tracks
    2. Chapter 25: Ten (or So) Ways to Distribute and Promote Music
      1. Marketing Yourself
      2. Setting Up Your Own Music Website
      3. Putting Your Music on a Music Host Site
      4. Engaging in Social Media Networking
      5. Offering Free Downloads
      6. Selling Your Music Digitally
      7. Licensing Your Music
      8. Podcasting
      9. Selling Your CDs
      10. Promoting Your Music
      11. Connecting with an Email Newsletter
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Advertisement Page
  14. Connect with Dummies
  15. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Home Recording For Dummies, 6th Edition
  • Author(s): Jeff Strong
  • Release date: November 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119711100