Studio Secrets

Discover how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios by applying power-user techniques from the world's most successful producers. Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is the best-selling primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 160 famous names, this entertaining and down-to-earth guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. On the way, you'll unravel the mysteries of every type of mix processing, from simple EQ and compression through to advanced spectral dynamics and "fairy dust" effects. User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries and assignments are perfect for school and college use. ▪ Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes. ▪ Find out where you don't need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count. ▪ Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, Michael Brauer, Dylan "3D" Dresdow, Tom Elmhirst, Serban Ghenea, Jacquire King, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Noah "50" Shebib, Mark "Spike" Stent, DJ Swivel, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, Young Guru, and many, many more... Now extensively expanded and updated, including new sections on mix-buss processing, mastering, and the latest advances in plug-in technology.

FOREWORD: Were there paints used by the old masters better than ours today And were their methods superior Is turpentine a good painting medium Why do some paintings darken, discolor, or crack with age, while others do not What varnish should I use to restore the brilliancy of a painting which has grown dull Which is better, a sable or a bristle brush These are typical of hundreds of questions which painters and stu dents all over the land are constantly asking. Particularly since I started my Question and Answer Department in the Taubes Page, in the magazine AMERICAN ARTIST, have come to realize what a strong interest exists today in all such technical matters. This was not always so. In fact, this present keen attention to sound craftsmanship in painting is most gratifying to those of us who have long worked toward this very goal. For far too lengthy a period we might even say for scores of years many painters were so immersed in the purely aesthetic aspects of their art that they neglected those equally important technical phases which must always be observed if results are to be enduring. A gradual awakening has taken place only as one horrible example after another of fading, darkening, discoloration, cracking, or like type of failure has come to the fore. Even in the recent past there have been those who have treated craftsmanship so lightly that their paintings have already badly dete riorated or are doomed to an early demise. Small wonder, then, that more and more contemporary painters, profiting from all this, are turn ing to the investigation of the chemical and physical nature and action of pigments the respective functions of oils, varnishes and other me dia the preparation of grounds the possibilities of underpainting, etc.My personal feeling has always been that if a painting is worth do ing at all, it is worth doing well And by well I mean not only aes thetically well, but technically well. At the very outset of my career I was so impressed by the needless deterioration of thousands of paintings that the mastery of craftsmanship became a consuming passion. By good fortune, I was able to indulge this passion by studying at first hand the works of those leading exponents of sound craftsmanship, the old masters. In Paris, in Italy, in Vienna, in the Bauhaus in Weimar, under the famous Doerner in Munich, for years I was able to gratify my inquisitiveness along technical lines. One by one I inspected the great masterpieces of old. I compared I analysed I investigated I asked questions I read assiduously everything I could lay my hands on. And gradually I arrived at a conviction which decades of subsequent paint ing and teaching have served only to strengthen, that a regeneration of art will be possible only when painters cease to look on technical matters as superficial and return to the sound basic principles long ago established by the old masters.

Outstanding refresher course in creative thinking presents more than 300 methods and techniques for helping artists find a new angle for an existing style or get past a creative block.

Written for musicians of all skill levels, this reference is for a solid understanding of synthesizing and processing sound with your PC.

In this new edition, discover how to achieve commercial-grade recordings, even in the smallest studios, by applying power-user techniques from the world’s most successful producers. Recording Secrets for the Small Studio is based on the backroom strategies of more than 250 famous names. This thorough and down-to-earth guide leads you through a logical sequence of practical tasks to build your live-room skills progressively from the ground up, with user-friendly explanations that introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis. On the way, you’ll unravel the mysteries of many specialist studio tactics and gain the confidence to tackle a full range of real-world recording situations. Specifically designed for small-studio enthusiasts, this book provides an intensive training course for those who want a fast track to releasing quality results, while the chapter summaries, assignments, and extensive online resources are perfect for school and college use. Learn the fundamental principles of mic technique that you can apply in any recording scenario – and how to avoid those rookie mistakes that all too often compromise the sonics of lower-budget productions. Explore advanced techniques which help industry insiders maintain their competitive edge even under the most adverse conditions: creative phase manipulation, improvised acoustics tweaks, inventive monitoring workarounds, and subtle psychological tricks. Find out where you don’t need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count. Make the best use of limited equipment and session time, especially in situations where you’re engineering and producing single-handed. Pick up tricks and tips from celebrated engineers and producers across the stylistic spectrum, including Steve Albini, Neal Avron, Roy Thomas Baker, Joe Barresi, Howard Benson, Tchad Blake, T-Bone Burnett, Geoff Emerick, Brian Eno, Paul Epworth, Shawn Everett, Humberto Gatica, Imogen Heap, Ross Hogarth, Trevor Horn, Rodney Jerkins, Leslie Ann Jones, Eddie Kramer, Jacquire King, Daniel Lanois, Sylvia Massy, Alan Meyerson, Justin Niebank, Gary Paczosa, Tony Platt, Jack Joseph Puig, David Reitzas, Bob Rock, Laura Sisk, Fraser T Smith, Young Guru, and many more. Now extensively expanded and updated, with new sections on contact mics, software instruments, squash mics, and ensemble depth distortion.

Mosaics have been a part of our environment for thousands of years. This book describes the tools, materials and methods involved, giving us the means to unleash our creativity and play with light, colour, shape and contrast to create stunning mosaics, including a table top, a modern-day frieze, a wall lamp and a fabulous bird sculpture.

Fourteen of today's most prominent Web designers share with Photoshop guru Deke McClelland and Katrin Eismann some of the most effective ideas and techniques they use to develop their work - from basic type and color principles to site management tricks to the latest Web design capabilities offered by JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, VRML, Flash, and other tools.

This lavishly illustrated, full-color book has something for everyone: it covers Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia FreeHand, and other vector applications such as CorelDraw. Expert author and Macintosh guru Ted Alspach shows readers how to create Illustrator images that are truly spectacular. The CD-ROM contains animated tutorials and custom artwork, select vector utilities and presets for special effects, and test drives for Illustrator and FreeHand, an Acrobat version of the book, and more.