Home Studio Setup

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Home Studio Setup
3. Full Title
4. Copyright
5. Dedication
6. Contents
7. INTRODUCTION
8. SECTION 1 ACOUSTICS
   1. CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Acoustics
      1. Fundamentals of Acoustics
         1. How Sound Travels Through Air
         2. Frequency and Amplitude
         3. Delay and Reverberation
      2. Common Acoustic Problems
         1. Flutter and Comb Filtering
         2. Room Modes
      3. The Two Types of Acoustic Treatment
         1. Control
         2. Isolation
      4. Control vs. Isolation
   2. CHAPTER 2 Planning
      1. Programming
         1. Programming Questions
      2. Function
      3. Goals
      4. Time and Money
      5. Making the Most of Your Room
         1. One Room or Two?
         2. One Large Room
         3. Desk and Speaker Orientation
         4. Making Your Room Work
   3. CHAPTER 3 Construction
      1. Basic Construction Tips and Tricks
         1. Bass Traps
         2. Building a Bass Trap
         3. Diffusion
         4. Buying or Building Diffusers
         5. The Problem with Foam
         6. Alternatives to Foam
         7. Building Additional Permeable Walls
         8. Wall and Floor Construction
         9. Panel or Membrane Absorber
      2. Common Problems and Solutions
         1. Room Modes
         2. Equalization
         3. Absorption
9. SECTION 2 EQUIPMENT
   1. CHAPTER 4 Computers and Recording
      1. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
         1. Software-Based DAW
         2. Pro Tools vs. Everything Else
      2. Mac vs. PC
         1. The Legitimate Reasons to Choose
      3. Computer Hardware
         1. The Processor
         2. The Motherboard
         3. RAM
         4. USB and Firewire
         5. Hard Drives
         6. Video Cards
         7. Optical Drives
         8. Sound Cards and Audio Interfaces
         9. PCI Slots
      4. Plug-Ins
         1. Stock vs. Third-Party Plug-Ins
         2. Modeled vs. Digital
         3. Native vs. DSP
      5. MIDI Keyboards, Synthesizers, and Samplers
         1. MIDI Controllers
         2. Samplers
         3. Synthesizers
         4. Loop Players
   2. CHAPTER 5 The Front End
      1. Tradition
      2. Microphones
         1. Dynamic Mics
         2. Ribbon Mics
         3. Condenser Mics
         4. Microphone Polar Patterns
      3. Microphone Preamplifiers
         1. Tubes vs. Transformers (Solid State)
      4. Outboard Equalizers and Compressors
      5. Analog-to-Digital Conversion
      6. Cables
         1. Cable Materials
         2. Cable Types
   3. CHAPTER 6 Control and Monitoring
      1. Mixing Consoles
         1. Mixing Consoles vs. Audio Interfaces
         2. Analog vs. Digital Mixing Consoles
         3. Mixing in the Box or in the Console
         4. Audio Interface Mixer Functions
      2. Control Surfaces
      3. Studio Monitors
         1. Accuracy, Power, and Fatigue
         2. Active vs. Passive
         3. Near, Mid-, and Far Field
      4. Headphones
         1. Open vs. Closed
   4. CHAPTER 7 Putting It All Together
      1. Connection Scenarios
         1. Connection Scenario 1
         2. Connection Scenario 2
         3. Connection Scenario 3
      2. Furniture, Décor, and Ergonomics
         1. Setting a Vibe
         2. Lava Lamps and Lighting
         3. Displaying Art and Instruments
         4. Creative Acoustics
         5. Furniture and Décor
      3. Purchasing Suggestions and Equipment Conclusions
10. SECTION 3 RECORDING TECHNIQUES
    1. CHAPTER 8 Recording Techniques Fundamentals
       1. Fundamentals
          1. Transducers
          2. Signal Processing
          3. Analog Recording
          4. Digital Recording
          5. Bit Depth and Sample Rate
          6. Digital Recording Levels
          7. Tracking
       2. MIDI
          1. The Purpose of MIDI
          2. MIDI Techniques
          3. Other Uses of MIDI
       3. Production Basics
          1. Using a Click Track
          2. Using Loops
       4. Signal Flow and Routing
          1. Inserts
          2. Auxiliary Sends and Returns
          3. Busses
    2. CHAPTER 9 Tools
       1. Microphones
          1. Microphone Technique
          2. Choice Considerations
          3. Instrument Acoustics
          4. Proximity Effect
          5. Common Problems
          6. Stereo Micing
          7. Common Microphone Practices
       2. Dynamics Processors
          1. Side Chain
          2. Perceived Loudness
          3. Compression Basics
          4. Compression Techniques
          5. Mixing Considerations
       3. Equalization
          1. Filters, Peak/Dip, and Shelving
          2. Types of Equalizer Processors
          3. The Three Purposes of EQ
       4. Time-Based Effects
          1. Delay
          2. Reverb
          3. Flanger
          4. Phaser
          5. Chorus
    3. CHAPTER 10 Bringing It All Together
       1. Mixing
          1. The Purpose of Mixing
          2. Setting Up a Mix
          3. Panning
          4. Common Problems and Solutions
       2. Mastering
          1. The Purpose of Mastering
          2. Tools and Techniques
       3. Interfacing with the World
          1. Burning a CD
          2. Sharing on the Internet
       4. Conclusion
11. INDEX