Build Your Own PC Recording Studio FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Rip, mix, burn? Well, yeah, thatﾽs a start -- but only a start. Connect your mike, drum machine, electric guitar, keyboard. Make your own music. Add effects. Master your CD. Stream your music on the Web. Heck, while youﾽre at it, why not build the full-fledged home recording studio youﾽve always dreamed of? Jon Chappell, whoﾽs recorded with everyone from Graham Nash to Bruce Springsteen, will show you how.
Youﾽll start by walking through building your PC audio system from scratch (we mean assembling case, motherboard, memory, CPU, and so forth). Donﾽt want to do this? Read the chapter anyway: You can use Chappellﾽs insights to pick the right prebuilt system. If you do want to do this, Chappellﾽs step-by-step instructions are excellent. For example, thereﾽs a careful look at working with standoffs (do this wrong, and poof! -- motherboard toast).
Next, Chappell turns to recording on your computer: installing and working with an audio/MIDI interface and control surface; using audio recording and MIDI sequencing software; choosing and using mikes (Dynamic or condenser? Will you need phantom power?). Once youﾽre into editing and mixing, Chappell introduces the recently revamped Cubase SX (you can download a save-disabled demo from Steinberg to follow along).
Thereﾽs a full chapter on mastering (trimming, EQ, compression, level-match, compression), burning, and packaging your CD. The book closes with the crucial nontechnical stuff you need to be a happy home studio owner: setting up your environment so itﾽs both comfortable and efficient and caring for your recording system once itﾽs humming along. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Regardless of whether your taste is heavy metal, hip-hop, or classical, this book will show you how to set up, operate, and maintain a working home recording studio. Learn to choose the right equipment for your music, produce audio for the Internet or a CD, and even get construction tips for building an optimal recording environment.
SYNOPSIS
Now you can make all the music you want from home using a single computer for multitrack recording, mixing, applying effects, mastering, and burning a CD. Learn to make the simple modifications necessary to convert your computer, speakers, and workspace into a home studio. Master the basics of recording audio and MIDI instruments, hardware, and software. No previous recording experience is necessary, and as long as you understand the basic workings of a computer, you'll benefit from this well-written resource. Build Your Own PC Recording Studio is a complete, illustrated step-by-step guide to the skills, tools, and peripherals you'll need to produce master-quality recordings at home. Record, edit, mix, process, master, and burn your own CDs Choose the right equipment for your music and audio projects Convert your existing workspace into an acoustically optimized environment Produce audio for the Internet Discover cost-effective upgrades that make the most of what you already have Get the latest coverage of music-specific hardware and software applications Design, package, and print your own CDs
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