Record, Mix and Master A Beginner’s Guide to Audio Production

This textbook is a practical guide to achieving professional-level audio productions using digital audio workstations. It contains 27 chapters divided into three sections, with specially devised diagrams and audio examples throughout. Aimed at students of all levels of experience and written in an easy-to-understand way, this book simplifies complex jargon, widening its appeal to non-academic creatives and is designed to accelerate the learning of professional audio processes and tools (software and hardware).The reader can work through the book from beginning to end or dip into a relevant section whenever required, enabling it to serve as both a step by step guide and an ongoing reference manual. The book is also a useful aid for lecturers and teachers of audio production, recording, mixing and mastering engineering.

Section One: Record.- 1. An Introduction to How Sound Works.- 2. Speakers.- 3. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).- 4. Digital.- 5. Hardware.- 6. Gain Staging.- 7. Microphones.- 8. Phase.- 9. Room Acoustics.- 10. Recording Tips.- Section Two: Mix.- 11. Equalisers (Eq).- 12. Dynamics.- 13. Effects.- 14. Subgroups.- 15. Monitoring in Mono.- 16. Mid-Side Processing.- 17. Transients.- 18. Panning.- 19. Plosives.- 20. Zero Crossing and Crossfades.- 21. Mixing Tips.- Section Three: Master.- 22. What is Mastering.- 23. Prepare Your Track for Mastering.- 24. Mastering Tools.- 25. Dither.- 26. Metering.- 27. Mastering Your Song – Things to Consider.

Simon Duggal is an award-winning producer/composer who has been producing, writing, recording, editing and mixing music for more than 30 years. He has made records for many top international artists including: Shania Twain, Maxi Priest, Erasure, Apache Indian, Janet Kaye, Errol Reid (China Black), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Beat, Luciano, Desmond Dekker, Dillinger and many more. Duggal has composed music for adverts for companies including: Pepsi, Intel, Toshiba, Etisalat, Etihad and composed title and incidental music for a BAFTA winning UK TV drama. He is also an MA specialist mentor at the British and Irish Modern Music University in Birmingham, UK.

Paul Rogers is the Course Leader for Postgraduate Studies at the British and Irish modern Music University in Birmingham, UK, and a seasoned music industry veteran. He holds a PhD in music composition from Goldsmiths (UK).