Understanding and Crafting the Mix: The Art of Recording

Contents

• List of Figures
• List of Exercises to Develop Listening, Evaluation and Production Skills
• Foreword by Rupert Neve
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Overview of Organization and Materials
• Establishing an Accurate Playback of Recordings
• Part One.
• Defining the Art of Recording: The Sound Characteristics and the Aesthetic Qualities of Audio Recordings
• Chapter 1. The Elements of Sound and Audio Recording
• The States of Sound
• Physical Dimensions of Sound
• Perceived Parameters of Sound
• Summary
• Chapter 2. The Aesthetic and Artistic Elements of Sound in Audio Recordings
• The States of Sound and the Aesthetic/Artistic Elements
• Pitch Levels and Relationships
• Dynamic Levels and Relationships
• Rhythmic Patterns and Rates of Activities
• Sound Sources and Sound Quality
• Spatial Properties: Stereo and Surround
• Conclusion
• Chapter 3. The Musical Message and the Listener
• The Musical Message
• Musical Form and Structure
• Musical Materials
• The Relationships of Artistic Elements and Musical Materials
• Equivalence and the Expression of Musical Ideas
• Text as Song Lyrics
• The Listener
• Conclusion
• Part Two.
• Learning to Listen, Beginning to Hear: Acquiring Fundamental Listening Skills and Establishing an Effective Approach to Listening
• Chapter 4. Listening and Evaluating Sound for the Aspiring Audio Professional
• Why Audio Professionals Need to Evaluate Sound
• Talking About Sound
• The Listening Process
• Personal Development for Listening and Sound Evaluation
• Summary
• Chapter 5. Fundamental Listening Skills
• Introduction
• Background Knowledge and Preparation
• Self Discovery and Realization: "What is Sound to You?"
• Beginning to Hear the Relationships and Qualities of the Mix
• Hearing Subtle Qualities
• Conclusion
• Exercises
• Chapter 6. A System for Evaluating Sound
• System Overview
• Sound Evaluation Sequence
• Graphing the States and Activity of Sound Components
• Plotting Sources Against a Time Line
• Summary
• Exercises
• Part Three.
• Understanding the Mix: Developing Listening and Sound Evaluation Skills
• Chapter 7. Evaluating Pitch in Audio and Music Recordings
• Analytical Systems
• Melodic Contour
• Pitch Area and Frequency Band Recognition
• Exercises
• Chapter 8. Evaluating Loudness in Audio and Music Recordings
• Reference Levels and the Hierarchy of Dynamics
• Program Dynamic Contour
• Musical Balance
• Performance Intensity versus Musical Balance
• Exercises
• Chapter 9. Evaluating Sound Quality
• Sound Quality in Critical Listening Contexts
• Sound Quality in Analytical Listening Contexts
• Sound Quality and Perspective
• Evaluating the Characteristics of Sound Quality and Timbre
• Summary
• Exercises
• Chapter 10. Evaluating the Spatial Elements of Two Channel Sound
• Understanding Space as an Artistic Element
• Stereo Sound Location
• Distance Localization
• Environmental Characteristics
• Space Within Space
• Exercises
• Chapter 11. Evaluating the Spatial Elements of Surround Sound
• Format Considerations
• Surround's Sound Stage and the Listener
• Sound Location and Imaging
• Evaluating Location in Surround Sound
• Distance Localization
• Sound Sources and their Environments
• Exercises
• Chapter 12. Complete Evaluations and Understanding Observations
• Pitch Density and Timbral Balance
• The Overall Texture
• Relationships of the Individual Sound Sources and the Overall Texture
• The Complete Evaluation
• Using Graphs for Making Evaluations in Production Work
• Summary
• Exercises
• Part Four.
• Crafting the Mix: Shaping Music and Sound, and Controlling the Recording Process
• Chapter 13. The Roles of the Recordist and the Aesthetics of Recording Production
• The Functional Roles of the Recordist
• The Artistic Roles of the Recordist
• The Recording and Reality: Shaping the Recording Aesthetic
• The Recording Aesthetic in Relation to the Performance Event
• Altered Realities of Music Performance
• Summary
• Chapter 14. The Sounds of Recordings: Shaping Musical Ideas and Musical Expression
• The Artistic Elements of Sound as Musical Materials
• Sound Qualities
• Timbral Balance and the Mix
• Sound Stage
• Environments
• Noises, Distortions and Unwanted Sounds
• Musical Balance
• Chapter 15. Preproduction and Preliminary Stages: Embracing Reality and Defining the Materials of the Project
• Sound Sources as Artistic Resources, and the Choice of Timbres
• Microphones: The Aesthetic Decisions of Capturing Timbres
• Equipment Selection: Application of Inherent Sound Quality
• Monitoring: The Sound Quality of Playback
• Summary
• Exercises
• Chapter 16. Recording and Tracking: Capturing and Shaping the Performance
• Approaching the Recording: Tracking and Recording Sessions
• In Session: Shifting Focus and Perspective
• An Overview of Two Production Sequences
• Editing: Rearranging and Suspending Time
• Signal Processing: Refining Sounds and Music
• Preparing for the Mix
• Exercises
• Chapter 17. Crafting the Mix, and Finalizing the Production
• Mixing to Support the Music and the Text
• The Mix: Composing and Performing the Recording
• Mastering: The Final Artistic Decisions
• The Listener's Alterations to the Recording
• Concluding Remarks
• Exercises
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Discography
• Index