Music Triper

'The Buzz' is something that happens a lot in a recording studio as one of the syndromes of recording. If you are setting up a recording studio and notice that there is white noise coming from somewhere in your equipment, you will want to make sure that you check some things out, reorganize your options and figure out where the buzz is coming from.



If you don't find the buzz, or white noise, that is taking place in the studio, it can cause problems with the recording. The white noise, like everything else in the studio, will automatically be recorded as part of the sound wave. While some of this can be taken out with a filter during the mixing process, the sound will not be as clear and can cause problems by the time you get to the mastering process.



If you hear a buzz, the first thing to check is the spacing of all the instruments. Often times, the cables or the amps will be too close to each other. The frequencies will begin bouncing off of each other and will cause the buzz to happen. You will want to move the instruments away from each other or will want to turn them in a different direction so that the frequencies don't hit.



Not only can that sound come from the instruments, but can also come from monitors. Your monitors, like the instruments, can create a buzz from the sound frequencies hitting the electrical part of the monitors and bouncing off. You will want to fix this by moving the monitors into a higher area or mounting them against the wall so that this doesn't happen. Crossing the monitors on both sides of the room so that they are far away from each other and give a complete sound will also help to prevent the white noise and will allow for a better sound to be heard.



Another check point for the buzz is with the cables that you are using. If a part of the cable comes loose or has some problems with the wires, it can easily start to create some extra noise. Cables that are crossing each other may also sometimes have this problem. If you want to make sure that you are stopping this type of noise from happening, get three prongs to plug into the amps and sound boards if possible. This is more stable than the single prongs and will prevent extra noises from slipping into the recording.



If you still hear the noise, you might want to check the sound board. Often times, the wrong levels on the mixing board can cause problems as well. If the volume is too high on one, for instance, it will cause feed back to occur in the rest of the room. Checking balances, frequencies, volume levels and trims on the mixing board may lead to preventing the background noises and allow the instrumentation to go into the software needed.



The setup of your studio as well as the way in which you proceed with your equipment should help you to get a handle on any of the extra noise that you hear. By checking all areas and keeping everything ordered in the right way, you should be able to prevent the extra buzzing sound from going into your recording.

The improvement of technology and the capabilities within digital music not only allows for different sounds and formats to be available, but is also creating a space where musicians can record for themselves. If you are ready to record, you can set up a space that works for what you need and start moving towards getting your sounds on CD. Following are some of the must haves in order to get your recording studio up and recording.



Software and a computer. There are a lot of options that are available with software, but you want to make sure that you have it. This is the brain center of your recording studio and will do more for you and your music than anything else. With your computer, also make sure that you have a lot of memory and power that can easily store and keep up with the recordings.



Foam. One of the most important parts of your recording studio is to make sure that it is sound proof. It's easy for your instruments or voices to bounce off the wall, causing an echo when you record. Recording foam will deaden the sound and allow you to record what you need without the bounce back. Keep in mind that, depending on the room size and the acoustics, you may not have to foam the entire room.



Mixer. In order to get the sounds from the instruments into the computer, this is your tool. Make sure that you have enough inputs and outputs to record all of the instruments that you want at once.



Pre-amps. If you really want some good sound, don't just plug your instruments into the mixer. Instead, you should get pre-amps into the mix. This will allow for instruments, such as guitars and basses, to keep their best sound, then go into the mix board. For example, if you want a bass to have a certain resonance, you can set it up on the pre-amp, without it changing the main sound of the guitar, as it would if they were both plugged into the mix board.



Monitors. You will need special speakers for after the recording in order to make sure that you have everything set together right. Monitors will help you to hear both the high and lows of your recording and make sure that it all blends together correctly. Some prefer headphones over monitors; however, if you choose this option, make sure that they are recording head phones, designed in the same way as monitors.



Microphone Equipment. It would be nice if you could just set up a regular microphone for recording, but it doesn't work that easily. You will need to get a recording microphone, which will catch all of the sounds from the voice on every side. Attached to the microphone should be a popper, which will stop the hard consonants from recording and muffling the recording. Compressor. This is an option for recording, but shouldn't be overlooked. This is specifically used for vocals, and allows the waves in the voice to not reach certain peaks. Instead, it is compressed to equal the rest of the waves. You can then adjust the voice to match the other instrumentation as you go.



Starting with this equipment will allow you to have the basic boosts that you need in order to cut your first recordings. Of course, you can always add in extra equipment, or take away other equipment, but with the above, you can get a good start to a basic and complete home recording studio.

With every turn of the knob on a mixer or mastering tool is also a certain application of acoustics with the recording. If you can grasp the acoustics of recording and how it works with the development of your particular sound, you will also have more capabilities in recording and how you are able to portray the audio sounds that you are creating.



Acoustics begins with the vibration of air, or in some instances, an electronic device. With natural acoustics, the air moves through a certain compartment, such as an instrument or the voice. The more the vibration of the air moves, the more sound it is able to create for the instrument. This is what leads to the sound waves, which are more re-creations of the vibration of air that is moving through the space that it is in.



The vibration of air is what causes various acoustics to respond in a given space. It is also the simple concept of air vibration that leads to specific ideals about how to set a recording studio in order to take in the right sounds to record. Understanding how to control acoustics becomes the basis for setting up a recording studio as well as the main concept in controlling sounds as they are recorded.



When a sound is made through an instrument, it has a variety of levels of air that it hits and causes to vibrate. At one level, we hear this as a note that is played through the sound. However, the acoustics can take on different capacities in producing different sounds that are not heard.



The first sound that is produced comes from the environment in which the sound is played. If the room is larger, has further ceilings and is spacious, the sound will bounce against the walls. This will cause the sound to move faster, become louder and to resonate throughout the area. For recording, this is why the walls are deadened and smaller spaces are created. If there is the echo effect in the song, it can begin to sound like the beats are off.



Another way in which acoustics change the sound is through resonance. This is when the vibration of the sound is heard, even when the note is no longer being sung or played. This resonance can continue to move as long as the vibration of air continues to hit the particular area. Most of the time, resonance will be a filtering off of the initial sound as the vibration of air continues to slow down. In recording, this resonance is also muffled through the sound proof rooms in order to create a clearer sound.



The last part of acoustic sounds is the concept of overtones. Even though we only hear one note that is being played or sung, this is not the only note that is in the air. Acoustics create a vibration of sound waves that continue to resonate and vibrate at different levels. These will be pitches that are created above the original pitch, with specific spacings in the pitch. While they are not heard, they still create an effect on the ear with the sound vibration that moves through the air. This also makes a difference in recording, as the overtones can create a different effect and can be recorded as a wave file. This may cause differences in peaks as well as basic sounds that are heard in the piece.



With the understanding of these acoustic ideas is also the ability to control it within the recording studio. Each of these areas are 'sound proofed' at certain levels. This is to allow the audio to move into the recording area as a pure wave file, which will then stop the acoustic sounds from muffling, echoing or changing the sound that is intended to be heard in the recording.



When defining acoustics and recording, there are a variety of perspectives to consider that relate to sound waves and how they work. By understanding these perspectives, you can create a recording area that is more conducive to muffle certain acoustics and to let others resonate through the air.

The digital age has not only led to revolutions in new software and capabilities, but also an entirely new set of sounds for instrumentation. For those who are familiar with music at all, they also know that it is no longer necessary to have live instruments to play everything or to have a person present. The computers have the capacity of substituting for any type of instrumentation you need. However, before deciding to digitalize everything, you should consider the differences between playing live or using a computer.



There are several sounds that are now becoming capable of taking the place for real instruments. MIDI was the first set of sounds that were produced which were the same as real instruments. The packages in MIDI were taken by recording live instruments on every note and turning them into a digital sound wave. As this particular type of package has evolved, so have the sounds and the ability to make the sounds seem more real and less electronic. Most MIDI packages are used only with Mac computers or as added on plug ins to what already exists.



The second type of digital effect is known as VST's, or Virtual Sound Technology. This is a generalized term that includes a wide variety of instrumentations, loops sounds and electronic effects that can be used in almost any software program. Like MIDI, VSTs take live instruments, copy the sounds and reproduce them using digital effects. The result is a wide variety of instruments, sounds and certain measures of general arrangements that can be used almost anywhere.



When you are recording, the question becomes whether to use the electronic capacities that are there or to move into recording live instruments. While the electronics progress, the sounds become better and somewhat capture what is being done. However, there are things to listen for and to familiarize yourself with before moving into using electronics.



The first part of the electronics that is missing from the picture is the idea of resonance. With live instruments, each note carries harmonics over it that can not be heard, as well as resonance from the strings and vibrations. The vibrations come from the strings or air hitting other air and hitting the sound. Because the MIDI and VST packages are digitalized, it will be missing this capacity and won't be able to carry this same vibration. This is one of the largest cons of VSTs. Even with the progressions in copying the sounds, it is impossible to find ones that add in the resonance of a real instrument.



If you have no choice but to use a VST or MIDI package, you will want to consider finding ones that can play as closely to the real instruments as possible. Many of the older versions of electronic sounds carry the electronic sound to them and sound like synthesizers or man made instruments. You won't want to use a package that doesn't have a resemblance to the real thing. Most musicians and listeners can still tell the difference. If you want your sounds to be electronic, than this will work fine. However, if you are trying to portray a real instrument, you want to make sure that it carries a sound that closely resembles the live instrument.



The major way in which you can tell whether the packages are resembling live instruments is in how you hear the instrument. You may want to compare how the packages sound to the real things. For instance, an electronic sound will sound muffled and will be closer sounding to a synthesizer than to an instrument. Unless this is the exact sound you are looking for, you will probably want to check into newer versions or updates that use better technology options.



No matter what you decide with the instrumentation to use for your recording, the most important thing to keep in mind is what you want the end sound to be like. This means that you should keep things in mind such as resonance, resemblance to the real instrument and the electronic equivalent of that instrument. While both can remain just as effective in your arrangement, it is the small differences in sound that make a difference in what is being played.

The entire process of recording a CD is based on one thing; balance. Whether you are recording, mixing, mastering or putting in the final touches, this is always the perspective that you will be using to piece everything together exactly right. By keeping some general concepts in mind every step of the way, balancing your songs can become an easier process during recording and engineering. Following are some tips that you can use as you move through the process.



1.Volume levels. If something seems off with the instrumentation at any stage, check the volume levels first. This will allow you to hear what is really going on and to balance it out correctly. This goes for certain waves that can have volume envelopes as well as instruments and the mix of all of the instruments together.



2.Frequencies. If you are stuck with sounds in your process of recording, check and see if you have checked your frequencies lately. Every wave comes with low, medium and high frequencies. If one of these is distorted or too high, it can through the rest of the instrumentation off.



3.Automated Set-ups. One of the popular ways for engineers to become frustrated with finding balance or not finding balance is what is glanced over. Often times, software allows you to create automatic settings for instrumentation. Make sure that this is turned off if it doesn't fit right so that you can have the right balance.



4.The waves. In the end, everything comes down to the wave files. Balancing will always include where the waves peak, where they are too low and how they can reach a normalized sound. Making sure that your waves stay leveled at every step will keep everything even throughout the recording process. 5.Keeping it simple. One of the mistakes of new recordings that are still experimenting with the tools is to go too far with what is being done. As nice as it is to add in the extra effects, make sure that this doesn't throw off any part of the balance or cause you to loose the right sound with your song.



6.How close is it to the middle? This is along the same lines of frequencies, but has to do with the overall effects. Whether you are working with sound waves or with the entire line of instruments, make sure everything is close to the middle with your sounds.



7.Check the instruments. One of the ways to make sure that the balance is on is to make sure that everything is even with the different instruments. Many times, it will be one instrument that throws the other instruments off and causes the song to sound too high or too low. Using formulas and balances within the individual instruments first will help you to get the right balance later on in the recording process.



In the end, checking your balance within your recording will help you to get the right sound for your instrumentation. At all levels, balance with the wave files applies and helps to make the correct end product. Checking some of the basic parts that are in the recording process will help you to get everything in order and to keep it in the right space with the recording track.

It's finally time to put the voice into sound wave format. Before you start singing your favorite notes, you will want to make sure that everything is set up correctly. The voice is the trickiest part of recording as well as the very last step to getting everything in correctly. Before you begin, know exactly how to approach your notes.



Your first step to recording your voice is to not record your voice. This means that you will want to have everything else exactly like it should be. The rest of your instrumentation should be completed, including everything from the layering of instruments to the mixing. Putting the voice in before you have anything else done will cause slight confusion in the end from all musicians and may cause some parts of the track to be off.



After you have everything set, prepare your recording studio in the correct way for voice. This means that you should have an enclosed space to record, which doesn't cause the voice to bounce off the walls from the resonance. The microphone should be set in place to pick up all sides of the voice, but should be able to muffle the rest of the sounds in the room. The more enclosed and deadened the sound, the easier it will be to capture the voice.



One of the important parts of recording the voice is linked to the peaks in the voice. It is easy for a vocal sound to peak, meaning that the sound wave goes past the maximum and into a 'red zone' of volume. You will want to prevent this from happening and keep the voice condensed in a specific area. Remember, it is always easier to get louder, but it is harder to get softer. For this purpose, compressors have been created. This is set into the microphone and compresses the sound wave before it is recorded into the software. Always check the compression of the voice and the peaks that it has so that you have room to work with the volume.



From this point, it is a matter of putting the right mixes in for the voice. Equalizers, or EQs will help to get the right sounds of the high and low frequencies in and should always be set on the mixer as well as within the software. You will also want to consider things such as noise gates, which stops the sound from resonating before it is recorded. If the voice naturally resonates, the noise gate will have a cut off point where the resonance will stop, making everything clear instead of sounding like it echoes.



After the voice is recorded, you can use it like you would any other instrument. This means that you can normalize the sound waves so that it matches with the other instruments in volume and gain. This also means that you can allow the volume to mix properly.



One of the greatest sets of tools for the voice is being able to manipulate the sound, which can be done after the normalization is complete. Reverb, flanges and other vocal tools can add back into the voice what is taken out for compression. This will depend on the type of voice and the effect that you want to have. For example, if the voice has a slight accent or already has a strong resonance, reverb will make it sound like an echo. A clearer voice; however, will add in a little sparkle to the mix. You will want to analyze the type of voice you are working with before you add in the mix and will want to take some time to experiment with your options.



If you follow this simple sets of rules, recording the voice can move from being the hardest and most complex part of recording to being the simplest step in putting together all of the sounds. Giving yourself room to experiment with the voice and understanding what it needs in order to work right will allow you to get the exact results every time.

Arranging and putting together a recording sometimes takes something a little bit different than getting a band together and mixing in all of the music. There are now more options available for piecing together your songs, making sure that everything is in the right place and keeping the sounds together correctly.



Tip #1: Take advantage of repeats and patterns. Everything musical is built off of a pattern. If you have patterns in your song, don't take the time to keep re-writing them into the music, especially if you are not playing it live. Creating a loop with that specific musical phrasing will be much more effective and will save you time.



Tip #2: Know where to find loops. Most recording packages come with pre-made loops that you can use for general patterns. This is especially effective if you need a rhythm pattern or a general beat. While loops shouldn't be the basis of your song, for the general back ground songs, this is a great thing to use.



Tip #3: Always think in layers. Whether you are using patterns, loops or recording live, the best way to get through the recording process is to think in layers. This should be happening from the arrangement of the song, but should continue to the actual production and mixing.



Tip #4: Know what to put in first. There are logical and effective ways to put down tracks to the different instrumentation. You will always want to start with the rhythm track because of the ability to have a repetitive loop and to keep everything on the right track. You will then stack from lows to highs, starting with the bass sounds, moving to mid range, and then high range.



Tip #5: Vocals are the icing on the cake. Even though the singers are the front of the stage, in recording they keep to the back. Before you bring a vocal person in to record, you will want to have the layers of your instrumentation completed, including the mixing. The voice can then be compressed in and will blend in nicely with the rest of the instrumentation.



Tip #6: Familiarize yourself with more than one program. Most recording studios will have a preference of their favorite programs to use for everything. However, the more versatile you are in your recording software, the more capabilities you will have to find the right sounds, arrangements and capabilities within the software. You will want to ask around to see what software is best at what.



Tip #7: Know the background from the front. One of the largest mistakes made in recording is having the balance and the back arrangements as the foreground. This all comes back to the volume control in your pieces. You will want to research what the standards are for each volume setting before you start recording.



Tip #8: It's easier to get louder in volume than softer. If you are just starting the mix, start low. Typically, you will want to test each instrument or pattern. They should be set around -6.0. From this, you can move up. You never want your volume to get to 0 when recording, especially before the vocals as it will cause the sound to be too loud, to peak with the waves and to be imbalanced.



Tip #9: Testing. When you test each of the sounds you want to look for volume control. Each of the instruments should not max out into a yellow or red zone. The volume should show a nice half way point with all of the instruments. Some can be higher than others for the mix, but if you keep this general rule in mind, it will be easier to keep the instrumentation fitting together with volume.



Tip #10: Know when to pre-set. If you have a certain sound you are going for, know what needs compressed or put together in a certain way, don't hesitate to do it before you begin playing. This is especially effective with the mixing. However, you don't want to experiment unless you are ready to lay the track down several times with different settings.



With these tips, you can build your pieces more effectively and with less time. Knowing what to use when with your computer, as well as what to set in the right place will help you to get the exact sound that you need.