Monday, December 31, 2012

Home Audio Equipment for Recording Musicians

Home audio equipment presents customers with a vast array of products and choices, so it's time to inform yourself of those choices and give yourself the knowledge needed to make smart choices from a wide variety. Modern technology allows anyone to transform a room of their house into a built-in theater or professional studio, and products range in the power of their sound, the depth of their sound, the percussion of their sound and the clarity of their sound. Welcome to the world of home audio equipment.

Whether purchasing for music, recording or entertainment, there are certain categories your purchases are going to fall into. Woofers and subwoofers are essential additions: loudspeakers that specialize in amplifying low frequency sounds, improving the depth and dimension of sound. A/V receivers also amplify sounds, and serve as connectors to bridge between many audio sources, from musical instruments to television sets and MP3 players. Standing speakers, shelf models and wall units are another versatile addition to home audio equipment, and several smart purchased can achieve the desired surround-sound. A well-placed woofer, subwoofer and wall-mounted speakers can make the difference in a state of the state sound system.

Headphones are an underrated necessity that have been unfairly dismissed in modern sound systems. When the point of most sound systems is to project the perfect sound, headphones almost seem counterintuitive if not for the essential advantages of their function. For starters, headphones allow sound systems to be enjoyed privately and quietly in case of neighbors, roommates, friends or family members.

More importantly, a quality pair of headphones can isolate the entirety of sounds just as well as expensive speakers and woofers, and their close proximity to the ears allow people to hear previously unheard beats, instruments and arrangements. Both earbuds and headsets should be included as this subtle necessity for properly enjoying home audio, and shouldn't be overlooked when shopping for larger and more bombastic products like home theater systems, sound bars, speakers, receivers, stereo shield systems and streaming audio technology.

Seasoned consumers know to test most audio equipment before purchase or immediately after, since all of the technical specs in the world won't be able to truly convey the experience of the sound that would otherwise be effortlessly distinguished by the human ears. Another rule of thumb in purchasing audio equipment is to be mindful of the price, since professional studio equipment will cost a sizable amount more than comparable home theater set ups. As far as sound equipment is concerned, there is little in the way of corner cutting beyond purchasing used equipment from a trusted sort.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Start a Professional Mixing & Music Career

For those interested in further their music mixing career, Audio School Online is a good resource for learning vocal mixing basics.

The music industry is one of the most competitive fields and lucrative industries. This is why the industry attracts thousands of people each year. Many of these individuals have goals of becoming a professional mixologist for a major record label or recording studio. Due to the competitiveness of the industry, it is very important that music mixing professionals today be fully educated and trained in the latest music techniques and mixing technology.

One of the places these individuals go for training is Audio School Online. This online school has proven to be a great resource for music and mixing education and training. In terms of mixing related courses, the school offers a variety of online classes. In order to make learning easier, these classes are categorized by instrument, genre and skill level. This is done in order to allow each student the ability to learn at their own pace.

Some of the things taught in these classes include learning about various mixing plugins, pan adjustments, and also about various levels of music compressions. Other mixing and vocal related topics include vocal comping, snare intensive and tape editing. The other great thing about these courses is that they are all currently available for under thirty dollars. These prices work for very well for entry level musicians, because most start out living on very tight budgets. For those who are even on tighter budgets, the school offers a few free courses as well.

In terms of music genres, the Audio School Online offers a wide range of hip hop, pop, and rock related courses. For the hip hop courses, some of the class topics include how to mix hip hop instrumentals, EQ basics, hip hop mix session, and kick drum compression. In regards to the rock and pop related courses, some of these class topics include live drums, pro vocal recording, pro tools session setup & organization, and also basic mixing, editing & clean up. In order to provide training for a wide variety of people, these courses are offered at an intern, freshmen, junior, sophomore and senior level.

Once a student has completed all the above courses in vocal mixing basics, they will be qualified to apply for professional mixing and music positions at major recording labels like Motown, Atlantic, La Face and Def Jam.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Top Vocal Recording Tips

For an excellent vocal recording session, you first need to make sure your singer is comfortable with their surroundings, and they are under no pressure while they are recording. They also need to be able to focus. The easiest way to make sure the singer is not distracted is to make sure that it is only them and the producer in the studio when they are recording.

You also need to make sure that the room you are recording in is in good enough shape to be used as a studio. You would want a sound proof room with little to no echo so that the audio that you are singing doesn’t bounce off the walls and if someone is outside the room you cannot hear them. If you can hear people outside the room, you may be able to hear them on the recording and that will also cause a huge distraction to the vocalist.

Pop shields between the microphone and the singer help eliminate the unnatural “b” and “p” sounds. If you do not have one of these you can use panty hose stretched around a wire, this is a cheap fix but it works until you can afford actual equipment.

Make sure that the singer is provided a good microphone; this could be the difference between creating a hit and creating horrible sounding audio. Remember the saying, you get what you pay for, in this situation that is the case. The recommended microphone to use when recording is a large diaphragm condenser microphone. Also the microphone should be at the right distance from the singer. They should not sound too far away, but you also don’t want them sounding like they are standing right over the microphone. The right distance is about a foot away from the vocalists face.

Reverb on the vocals in the audio can also help make the audio sound stronger and is more acceptable to the listening ear. Also singing again over the track will help make the vocalist’s voice sound a lot stronger. Singers may also sing to the side of the microphone which will help eliminate some sounds that will sound harsh when they are spoken directly into the microphone.

One final vocal recording tip you should always remember is to listen to what you want you music to sound like before you begin, get a good idea of it in your head and go from there. Also make sure that you are always checking the audio and fixing it as you go, rather than doing a whole song over and over until you have it right.