An Introduction to Music Technology, 2nd Edition by Dan Hosken

Chapter 4: Digital Audio Software

Examples

Mixing: Dynamics Processing

• Compression Example [30 sec. YouTube video]—Matches figure 4.17 in the book. An excerpt from George Crumb's Black Angels for electric string quartet, first the original recording, second heavily compressed (so level is much lower), and third with the overall level restored.
• The Loudness War [2 min. YouTube video]—video by Matt Mayfield explaining the problem with "wimpy loud sound"
• Loudness: War & Peace [20 min. YouTube video]—video by Bob Katz explaining the history and issues surround the loudness wars.

Mixing: Effects

• Effects Demo [2.5 min. YouTube video]—a series of effects applied to a single-note guitar loop and then repeated with a strummed guitar loop. The effects in order are: clean (no effect), echo, flanger, chorus, phaser, artificial reverb, convolution reverb, clean (no effect).
• Creating Impulse Responses with Logic Pro X [5 min. YouTube video]—A demonstration of capturing impulse responses with Logic's IR utility

Links

Mixing: General

• Four Key Components to a Great Mix—from Mackie website

Mixing: Equalization

• Thinking About Equalization—by Dave Moulton at TV Technology
• Equalization: Overtones and Equalizers—by Dave Moulton at TV Technology

Mixing: Reverb (Artificial and Convolution Reverbs)

• Making Impulse Responses with Logic's IR Utility—article from Sound On Sound magazine

Mastering

• The Secret of the Mastering Engineer [PDF] —by mastering engineer Bob Katz

DAW software and Plug-ins

See Chapter7: Audio—What do I Need?

Book Home

Sound

• 1, What is Sound?
• 2. Sound Properties & Waveform View
  • Suggested Activities
• 3. Overtone Series & Spectrum View
  • Suggested Activities

Audio

• 4. The Digital Audio Workstation
  • Suggested Activities
• 5. Audio Hardware
• 6. Digital Audio Data
• 7. Audio—What do I need?

MIDI & Software Instruments

• 8. Software Instruments & Sequencing
  • Suggested Activities
• 9. MIDI Hardware
• 10. MIDI Messages
  • Suggested Activities
• 11. A Basic Synthesis Model
  • Suggested Activities
• 12. Synthesis Techniques
• 13. Sampling Techniques
  • Suggested Activities
• 14. Beyond the DAW/Sequencer
• 15. MIDI & Softsynths—What do I need?

Notation and CAI

• 16. Computer Notation
  • Suggested Activities
• 17. Computer-assisted Instruction

Appendices

• A1. Computer Hardware
  • Suggested Activities
• A2. Computer Software
  • Suggested Activities