Using Your Portable Studio

Getting professional results out of today's portable studios is an art. In this book, top producer and engineer Peter McIan guides you step by step through the theory and practice of getting the most out of these remarkable machines. As you are introduced to the Why, What, and how of studio recording and production, you will find invaluable 'recipes' designed to show you how to 'push the envelope' of your portable studio's capabilities.

In this book, Michael Mowbray shows readers how to set up a completely speedlight-based portrait photography studio. He goes in depth regarding gear and techniques, providing photographers with scores of example portraits and lighting diagrams to make it easy to follow along and replicate the portrait lighting effects that he shows. Readers will learn about selecting speedlights (Mowbray covers Canon, Nikon, and third-party units), learning standard operations, and working with the units on the camera’s hot shoe (a connectivity device on top of the camera) or in the periphery for more flexible, controllable results. Readers will learn why modifying the light from speedlights will produce a lot more bang for their buck and will also discover a host of tools—commercial and DIY—that can be used to change the direction, color, and quality of light for the ultimate artistic control.

Philip Newell's comprehensive reference work contains pearls of wisdom which anyone involved in sound recording will want to apply to their own studio design. He discusses the fundamentals of good studio acoustics and monitoring in an exhaustive yet accessible manner. Recording Studio Design covers the basic principles, their application in practical circumstances, and the reasons for their importance to the daily success of recording studios. All issues are approached from the premise that most readers will be more interested in how these things affect their daily lives rather than wishing to make an in-depth study of pure acoustics. Therefore frequent reference is made to examples of actual studios, their various design problems and solutions. Because of the importance of good acoustics to the success of most studios, and because of the financial burden which failure may impose, getting things right first time is essential. The advice contained in Recording Studio Design offers workable ways to improve the success rate of any studio, large or small.

An 816-page All-in-One guide designed for both beginning and experienced digital photographers, offering seven minibooks on everything from buying a camera and choosing the right equipment to editing with high-end tools and restoring photos digitally Includes chapters on basics such as point-and-shoot photography, with later chapters exploring editing, printing, and shooting portraits or high-speed action This new edition covers the latest technology changes in digital photography, including Photoshop 7, new low-priced SLR cameras, updated storage and output options with DVD technology, and how each of these changes affects photography techniques David Busch is the author of more than fifty technology books, most covering digital photography, image editing, and digital restoration

Produce a podcast like the pros More people than ever are turning to podcasts for on-demand, mobile entertainment and information. Podcasting For Dummies offers a fast and easy way to get the know-how you need to produce and distribute one of your very own. Written by a pair of podcasting pioneers, this book shares insight on the technology behind recording, editing, and sharing podcasts, along with tips and tricks on how to produce a pro-level podcast. Podcasting has enjoyed a recent boom thanks to a new crop of hit podcasts catching the ears of the public and media along with the continued growth of mobile and streaming devices as a source for entertainment. If you want to jump on the podcasting bandwagon, you've come to the right place! In this fully updated edition, would-be and experienced podcasters alike will get all the tech information, production insight, and promotional tips they need to either get a podcast off the ground or improve on an existing one. Get the gear you need Find your podcasting voice Find and build an audience Plan your podcast New tools have made it easier than ever to create a podcast—and this book shows you how.

In this new edition, discover how to achieve commercial-grade recordings, even in the smallest studios, by applying power-user techniques from the world’s most successful producers. Recording Secrets for the Small Studio is based on the backroom strategies of more than 250 famous names. This thorough and down-to-earth guide leads you through a logical sequence of practical tasks to build your live-room skills progressively from the ground up, with user-friendly explanations that introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis. On the way, you’ll unravel the mysteries of many specialist studio tactics and gain the confidence to tackle a full range of real-world recording situations. Specifically designed for small-studio enthusiasts, this book provides an intensive training course for those who want a fast track to releasing quality results, while the chapter summaries, assignments, and extensive online resources are perfect for school and college use. Learn the fundamental principles of mic technique that you can apply in any recording scenario – and how to avoid those rookie mistakes that all too often compromise the sonics of lower-budget productions. Explore advanced techniques which help industry insiders maintain their competitive edge even under the most adverse conditions: creative phase manipulation, improvised acoustics tweaks, inventive monitoring workarounds, and subtle psychological tricks. Find out where you don’t need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count. Make the best use of limited equipment and session time, especially in situations where you’re engineering and producing single-handed. Pick up tricks and tips from celebrated engineers and producers across the stylistic spectrum, including Steve Albini, Neal Avron, Roy Thomas Baker, Joe Barresi, Howard Benson, Tchad Blake, T-Bone Burnett, Geoff Emerick, Brian Eno, Paul Epworth, Shawn Everett, Humberto Gatica, Imogen Heap, Ross Hogarth, Trevor Horn, Rodney Jerkins, Leslie Ann Jones, Eddie Kramer, Jacquire King, Daniel Lanois, Sylvia Massy, Alan Meyerson, Justin Niebank, Gary Paczosa, Tony Platt, Jack Joseph Puig, David Reitzas, Bob Rock, Laura Sisk, Fraser T Smith, Young Guru, and many more. Now extensively expanded and updated, with new sections on contact mics, software instruments, squash mics, and ensemble depth distortion.

Create your own podcast on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad Start podcasting or take your podcast to the next level with start-to-finish guidance from Andy Affleck. You’ll learn tricks of the trade as you assemble your hardware and software, make recordings, edit and mix the audio, and encode and publish your shows. This book covers all the steps needed to make a podcast using a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Create your own podcast—or improve an existing podcast—using your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch! This book walks you through every step of the process, from choosing equipment and software through recording, editing, mixing, and polishing. Once your audio is in the can, you’ll find real-world advice and steps for encoding and publishing your episodes. This book replaces and updates Andy’s earlier title, Take Control of Podcasting on the Mac, with up-to-date instructions and complete coverage of iOS and iPadOS devices. The book includes more than dozen sound samples from various combinations of mics, positions, filters, and processing, so that you can hear the differences before you buy any special gear. Take Control of Podcasting provides the help you need for creating podcasts on a Mac, iOS, or iPadOS device: • Plan your podcast. Decide on a topic and format, decide on a production schedule, learn common terms and techniques, and think about monetization strategies. • Choose the right mic, headphones, and other equipment. Pick out audio gear while considering your budget and studio (or mobile!) needs. Plus, you’ll learn if you should buy additional audio hardware, like a breakout box or mixer, and find an explanation (with photos) of the main cable types that you’ll come across. • Pick audio software. Apps discussed at length include GarageBand for Mac and iOS/iPadOS, Audacity, Audio Hijack, Ferrite Recording Studio, and Voice Record Pro. Apps that are discussed briefly include Amadeus Pro, Ecamm Call Recorder, Fission, Izotope RX Elements, Loopback, Sound Studio, SoundSoap, and The Levelator. The book also mentions using Zoom, FaceTime, and Skype for interviews and remote recording, as well as various web-based podcasting platforms. • Learn key recording tips. Find advice about how to prepare for and conduct a successful interview, plus get a few essential tips for using a mic well. • Record in the studio or the field. Get step-by-step recording directions for GarageBand for Mac and iOS/iPadOS, as well as Audacity, Ferrite Recording Studio, Voice Record Pro, and Audio Hijack. • Record online interviews. Follow the book’s steps for recording an interview online through services such as Skype and FaceTime. • Edit and mix your audio. Find directions for removing unwanted noises and pauses, adding professional polish, and generally editing and mixing a recording. • Encode your podcast files. Before you send your podcast episode out on the internet, you’ll want to save it in the right format and add tags. • Get syndicated with RSS. Understand what should be in a podcast’s RSS feed. • Be a publisher! Get ideas for blog services that can host your podcast and related blog posts, and find directions for publishing your podcast in Apple’s iTunes Store and setting up a WordPress.com blog for podcasting. • What do other podcasters do? Find out about the gear and techniques used by podcasters Chuck Joiner (MacVoices), Jason Snell (The Incomparable), Louis Trapani (Doctor Who: Podshock), and Kirk McElhearn (The Committed). • Join a community. The book includes a link to a website Andy created to help podcasters share tips and get advice.

Dawn ot the DAW tells the story of how the dividing line between the traditional roles of musicians and recording studio personnel (producers, recording engineers, mixing engineers, technicians, etc.) has eroded throughout the latter half of the twentieth century to the present. Whereas those equally adept in music and technology such as Raymond Scott and Les Paul were exceptions to their eras, the millennial music maker is ensconced in a world in which the symbiosis of music and technology is commonplace. As audio production skills such as recording, editing, and mixing are increasingly co-opted by musicians teaching themselves in their do-it-yourself (DIY) recording studios, conventions of how music production is taught and practiced are remixed to reflect this reality. Dawn of the DAW first examines DIY recording practices within the context of recording history from the late nineteenth century to the present. Second, Dawn of the DAW discusses the concept of "the studio as musical instrument" and the role of the producer, detailing how these constructs have evolved throughout the history of recorded music in tandem. Third, Dawn of the DAW details current practices of DIY recording--how recording technologies are incorporated into music making, and how they are learned by DIY studio users in the musically--chic borough of Brooklyn. Finally, Dawn of the DAW examines the broader trends heard throughout, summarizing the different models of learning and approaches to music making. Dawn of the DAW concludes by discussing the ramifications of these new directions for the field of music education.