Digital music and audio: consumer / user guides Books

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Starting on a Good Note 5 Chapter 1: Introducing GarageBand for Macs and iDevices 7 Chapter 2: Equipping and Setting Up Your Recording Space 25 Chapter 3: Introducing Multitrack Recording with GarageBand 49 Part 2: Making Music on a Mac 77 Chapter 4: Getting Started 79 Chapter 5: Using Loops to Make Music 93 Chapter 6: Recording with MIDI and Software Instruments 113 Chapter 7: Recording Vocals and Acoustic Instruments with a Mic 139 Chapter 8: Recording Electric Guitars and Other Electronic Instruments 159 Part 3: Postproduction: Finishing Songs on a Mac 175 Chapter 9: Editing and Polishing Tracks 177 Chapter 10: Mixing Tracks into Songs 203 Chapter 11: Mastering Mastering 217 Part 4: Making Music with Your iDevice 229 Chapter 12: Getting Started 231 Chapter 13: Making Music with Live Loops 247 Chapter 14: Laying Down Software Instrument Tracks 263 Chapter 15: Recording Vocals and Acoustic Instruments with a Mic 279 Chapter 16: Recording Guitars and Basses 297 Part 5: Postproduction: Finishing Songs on an iDevice 313 Chapter 17: Editing and Polishing Tracks 315 Chapter 18: Mixing Tracks into Songs 333 Chapter 19: Mastering Mastering 347 Chapter 20: File Compression and Your Music 353 Part 6: The Part of Tens 365 Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Improve GarageBand’s Performance 367 Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Take Your Recordings to the Next Level 377 Chapter 23: Ten Useful Websites 385 Index 391

Read more less

Book SynopsisElectronic music instruments known as synthesizers have been around since the 1950s, but the past few decades have seen their capabilities expand exponentially and their forms shape-shift from room-filling grandeur to sophisticated applications that run on pocket-sized phones and MP3 players. This book reveals the history, basics, forms, and uses of this astonishing instrument.Trade ReviewSynthesizers are wonderful musical instruments that cover a very wide range of implementations and uses. Mark Vails The Synthesizer is a must-read for anyone who has interest in learning about these engineering marvels. It is a great introduction if you are new to synths, but also very informative and up-to-date for the seasoned synth player. * Dave Smith, Dave Smith Instruments *A hugely detailed, exhaustively researched and splendidly idiosyncratic work which nails its extensive subject matter. Mark Vail enthusiastically charts the development of the synthesizer from the Trautonium to the latest software instruments, and also gives us valuable insights and tips from leading electronic composers, including legendary synth pioneer Wendy Carlos. * Dave Stewart, Keyboardist *In the past few decades, the synthesizer has finally come of age. Mark Vail's extensive work documents this journey from its austere and rarified beginnings to its present technologically sophisticated state. His well-illustrated book is filled with anecdotes and insights, amazing successes and ridiculous flops, expert advice on how to roll your own, lots of commentary on artists, their gear and their methodology, and finally, a guide to recording and disseminating your own musical masterpieces. Stash this volume where its easy to get to; you'll be using it a lot. * Don Buchla, Composer and Instrument Designer, Berkeley, California *Mark Vail is the best explainer and historian of music synthesizers that I know. I highly recommend this book, which is a whole lot of fun to read. * Roger Linn, Roger Linn Design *Table of ContentsForeword by Michelle Moog-Koussa ; Preface ; About the Companion Website ; 1. Trendsetting All-Stars ; 2. Acoustics & Synthesis Basics ; Real-World Acoustics ; Types of Synthesis ; Audio Sources: Oscillators, Noise, & More ; VCAs, Envelopes, & LFOs ; Envelope Followers & Pitch-to-Voltage Converters ; Filters ; EQs & Filter Banks ; Analog Sequencers ; Arpeggiators ; Reverb ; Analog Delay ; Digital Delay ; Loopers ; Other Effects ; 3. Choosing Your Synthesizer(s) ; What's Your Budget? ; Musical Tastes & Goals ; Hardware vs. Software ; Portability & Power ; Programmability: Pros & Cons ; Expandability ; As Others Have Done ; Perspective ; Modular Synthesizers in the 21st Century ; An Overview ; Modular Synth Shopping ; More on Eurorack Modular ; More on FracRak Modular ; More on Serge Modular ; Connectivity ; Convincing Analog & MIDI Synths to Coexist ; MIDI-to-CV Conversion ; CV-to-MIDI Conversion ; Controllers ; Synths & Controllers with Keyboards ; Alternative Controllers ; Wind Controllers ; Touch Controllers ; Hand-Held Controllers ; Struck Controllers ; Controllers for Microtonal Tunings ; 4. Composition, Programming, & Performance Techniques ; Composition ; Scoring to Picture ; Composing for Living Art ; Following Through on a Thought ; Sage Advice from a Master ; Scoring with Intent, Even When Intimidated ; Patching, a.k.a. Programming ; Encouraging Synthesists' Creativity ; When & How to Experiment with Sounds ; The Good & Bad of Non-Programmability ; Programming for Progress ; Fun with Modular Synths ; Layering Synth Sounds ; Programming for Expression ; Performance ; Tools of the Trade ; Dependence on the Tried & True, but Moving Forward ; Modular Apparitions ; Defying the Dependence on Visuals ; 5. Recording the Synthesizer ; As It Was & How It's Become for the Switched-On Innovator ; Serial vs. Random-Access Media ; Strategies for Recording Film & TV Scores ; Harnessing the Power of Modular Synths with Ableton Live ; Automated Mixing ; Outboard Processing: Preparing Audio for Recording ; Recording Direct & Expanding for Surround-Sound ; Appendix: Selected Bibliography, Museums & Films, Manufacturers, Blogs, Dealers & Stores ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRefining Sound is a practical roadmap to the complexities of creating sounds on modern synthesizers. As author, veteran synthesizer instructor Brian K. Shepard draws on his years of experience in synthesizer pedagogy in order to peel back the often-mysterious layers of sound synthesis one-by-one. The result is a book which allows readers to familiarize themselves with each individual step in the synthesis process, in turn empowering them in their own creative or experimental work. The book follows the stages of synthesis in chronological progression, starting readers at the raw materials of sound creation and ultimately bringing them to the final polishing stage. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the synthesis process, culminating in a last chapter that brings everything together as the reader creates his/her own complex sounds. Throughout the text, the material is supported by copious examples and illustrations as well as by audio files and synthesis demonstrations on a related companion website. Each chapter contains easily digestible guided projects (entitled Your Turn sections) that focus on the topics of the corresponding chapter. In addition to this, one complete project will be carried through each chapter of the book cumulatively, allowing the reader to follow - and build - a sound from start to finish. The final chapter includes several sound creation projects in which readers are given types of sound to create as well as some suggestions and tips, with final outcomes is left to readers'' own creativity. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of learning to create sounds on a synthesizer is to understand exactly what each synthesizer component does independent of the synthesizer''s numerous other components. Not only does this book thoroughly illustrate and explain these individual components, but it also offers numerous practical demonstrations and exercises that allow the reader to experiment with and understand these elements without the distraction of the other controls and modifiers. Refining Sound is essential for all electronic musicians from amateur to professional levels of accomplishment, students, teachers, libraries, and anyone interested in creating sounds on a synthesizer.Trade ReviewShepard employs an inviting and accessible writing style to explain advanced topics in a way that is easy to understand. This book demystifies many of the topics of synthesis that can be confusing to people. * VJ Manzo, Assistant Professor of Music Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and author of Max/MSP/Jitter for Music *Refining Sound is an approachable introduction to the secrets of synthesis. The companion website is chock full of tutorials, making this well organized book a handy reference for either self-study or in a course. * Mary Simoni, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Michigan, Dean, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute *In Refining Sound, Brian Shepard provides a deeply valuable and sorely needed resource for the musician seeking to understand sound design. In clear language, he thoroughly explains and illustrates concepts that could be tedious and overwhelming for most readers, and does so from the perspective of the musician rather than the mathematician or physicist. I'm sure we will use this book as the primary text in our synthesis classes for years to come. * Scott L. Phillips, PhD, Co-director of Music Technology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham *Brian K. Shepard's book on synthesizers and synthesis is one of those rare volumes which is comprehensive in its explanations of the history of synthesizers and electronic music in general that makes for a jolly good read. For enthusiasts and professionals alike, this book is the best I've read in years. Thoroughly recommended. * J. Peter Robinson, Composer *Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface ; Acknowledgements ; About the Companion Website ; Introduction: Getting the Most Out of This Book ; 1: Synthesis and Synthesizers: Digging Beneath the Surface of Your Synthesizer ; 2: Oscillators: Mining the Raw Materials of Your Synthesizer ; 3: Oscillator Combinations: Creating Exotic Compounds from Your Raw Materials ; 4: Amplitude Envelope Generators: Shaping Your Sounds ; 5: Audio Filters: Refining the Color of Your Sounds ; 6: Internal Modulation Sources: Dynamic Shaping of Your Sounds ; 7: External Control Sources: Shaping Your Sounds with Playing Techniques ; 8: Effects Processors: Polishing Your Sounds ; 9: Putting It All Together: Creating and Refining Your Own Synthesized Sounds ; Appendix I: Further Reading and Information ; Appendix II: Suggestions for the Instructor ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisVideo games open portals into fantastical worlds where imaginative play prevails. Sound Play explores the aesthetic, ethical, and sociopolitical stakes of people's engagements with audio phenomena in video games-from sonic violence to synthesized operas, from democratic musical performances to verbal sexual harassment.Trade ReviewAs addictive and energetically conceived as its subject matter, Sound Play enables even non-gamers to navigate the sonic waves and kinetic pleasures of story worlds that challenge us to rethink the complexities of human agency, identity politics, and embodied performance. * Maria Tatar, author of Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood and editor of The Annotated Brothers Grimm *A major contribution from a bold and brilliant new voice with exceptional interdisciplinary range. Cheng is a serious player: his virtuosic flair is fully matched by his technical rigor and depth of interpretive insight. Sound Play confirms that the New Musicology is truly out of beta. * Kiri Miller, author of Playing Along: Digital Games, YouTube, and Virtual Performance *Compelling from the first page, Sound Play is an engaging and sophisticated study of how audio-whether in the form of music, voices, noises, or effects-crucially shapes our experience of video games, and how gaming deeply informs our engagement with sound. But more than that, William Cheng's excellent new book demonstrates how the interrelation of sound and play in video games challenges us to think deeply about what it means to live in a world in which the virtual and the real are increasingly intertwined. * Mark Katz, author of Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music and Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ *Captivating and inspired, probing and nimbly persuasive, playful yet bursting with profound insight, Sound Play is virtually and absolutely indispensable. * Charles Hiroshi Garrett, author of Struggling to Define a Nation: American Music and the Twentieth Century and editor-in-chief of The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd edition *William Cheng tackles the wild west of game audio and conquers it with a combination of academic scrutiny, coupled by a gamer's unadulterated love of the art. Sound Play could very well be a turning point in the history of video game audio: the day when game audio came of age and inherited the mantle of serious art through the lens of scholarly analysis. With Sound Play, game audio finally has the academic credentials it needs to take its place among the other fine arts. * Christopher Tin, Grammy-winning video game music composer *Table of ContentsForeword by Richard Leppert ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: A Tune at the End of the World ; Chapter 2: How Celes Sang ; Chapter 3: Dead Ringers ; Chapter 4: Role-Playing toward a Virtual Musical Democracy ; Chapter 5: The Wizard, the Troll, and the Fortress ; Epilogue ; End Notes ; Works Cited ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisExpanded, updated, and fully revised—the definitive introduction to electronic music is ready for new generations of students.Essential and state-of-the-art, The Computer Music Tutorial, second edition is a singular text that introduces computer and electronic music, explains its motivations, and puts topics into context. Curtis Roads’s step-by-step presentation orients musicians, engineers, scientists, and anyone else new to computer and electronic music.The new edition continues to be the definitive tutorial on all aspects of computer music, including digital audio, signal processing, musical input devices, performance software, editing systems, algorithmic composition, MIDI, and psychoacoustics, but the second edition also reflects the enormous growth of the field since the book’s original publication in 1996. New chapters cover up-to-date topics like virtual analog, pulsar synthesis, concatenative synthesis, spectrum analysis by atomi

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Leaping into Logic Pro 5 Chapter 1: Getting Logic Pro Up and Sprinting 7 Chapter 2: Examining Logic Pro Projects 21 Chapter 3: Exploring the Main Window and Tracks Area 37 Chapter 4: Embracing Tracks and Regions 65 Part 2: Digital Recording and Using Prerecorded Media 81 Chapter 5: Introducing Digital Audio and MIDI 83 Chapter 6: Recording Audio 97 Chapter 7: Recording MIDI 111 Chapter 8: Adding Media to Your Project 123 Part 3: Making Music with Virtual Instruments 135 Chapter 9: Making Beats with Drum and Percussion Software Instruments 137 Chapter 10: Playing Virtual Vintage Instruments 163 Chapter 11: Sound Design with Synths and Samplers 185 Chapter 12: Conducting a Virtual Orchestra 213 Part 4: Arranging and Editing Your Project 225 Chapter 13: Arranging Your Music 227 Chapter 14: Editing Audio Tracks 255 Chapter 15: Editing MIDI Tracks 277 Part 5: Mixing, Mastering, and Sharing Your Music 297 Chapter 16: Mixing Your Project 299 Chapter 17: Shaping Your Mix with Effects 321 Chapter 18: Automating Your Mix 341 Chapter 19: Mastering Your Final Track 347 Chapter 20: Bouncing and Sharing Your Music 355 Part 6: The Part of Tens 363 Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Use an iPad with Logic Pro 365 Chapter 22: Ten Tips to Speed Your Workflow 377 Index 383

Read more less

Book SynopsisApple's iPods continue to set the bar for media players, with bold new features like the Touch's supersized screen and Siri voice control. But iPods still lack a guide to all their features. That's where this full-color book comes in. It shows you how to play music, movies, and slideshows; and shoot photos and videos.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSibelius is an incredible application, that is feature-rich and easy to use if you know how. It can help professional musicians as well as students and those who are just starting out. With expert advice on this great music app you will be able to create, edit and print publication-quality musical scores, as well as hear your music played back. This book includes step-by-step instructions for tasks such as creating your first score, building up your composition and sharing your work with others, and gives simple tips to enhance your compositions. Find all the information you need – made easy – in this great practical guide.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less