Helpful tools and techniques for producing high-quality demo recordings. Produced for participants of Centrum's music workshops by David Christensen. Learn more at www.centrum.org,or at www.david-christensen.com

1. Audio Production This PowerPoint presentation was prepared by David Christensen, Technical Director for Centrum. www.david-christensen.com for use class presentations during Centrum’s Blues and Chamber Music workshops in 2007. There are two files…the MHTML file made from PowerPoint, which you of course have found. (Note: Click “slide show” in the lower right for full screen viewing.) There is limited audio in the presentation, so turn up your volume. There is also a file called samples of A.wav If you load this file into any audio editing program (including Audacity a free program you can download) you will see the wave forms for a pure 440 Hz tone (A) and the wave form for the note A from a human voice, a flute, a guitar and a piano. This helps in understanding harmonics/overtones. The program will suggest when you want to look at this file. I hope you find the program of interest. I’d love to hear your comments. David Christensen [email_address]

2. Audio Production Basics & Techniques for Demo Recording David Christensen, Technical Director for Centrum www.david-christensen.com Prepared for the 2007 Port Townsend Jazz and Chamber Music Festival

3. Audio Production Basics Goal: Make someone's ear drum move.

4. Side view of an ear drum

5. Side view of an ear drum

6. Side view of an ear drum

7. Creating a wave form Time Frequency Volume

8. Creating a wave form Time Frequency Volume

9. Simple wave form – A 440 Time Frequency Volume (click the speaker icon to hear tone)

10. Audio Production Basics Just what do we hear and how loud is too loud

14. Audio Production Basics How does this relate to what we want to record?

28. Audio Production Basics What does sound look like?

30. Audio Production Basics Analog vs. Digital No…we are not going to discuss which is better!

41. Audio Production Basics What do you need to know about recording digitally?

45. Audio Production Basics Best ways to record

49. Audio Production Basics Recording volume level

50. Set record level so the loudest sounds are down 10dB from 0

51. When recording digitally DO NOT allow the volume level to exceed 0dB

52. Audio Production Basics Once you arrive at a recording level for a piece, do not change it for different movements!

53. Audio Production Basics Microphones

54. Audio Production Basics Microphones The Microphone Book John Eargle

64. Audio Production Basics Mic placement (a good mic in the wrong place sounds like _ _ _ _!)

70. Audio Production Basics Is Stereo Important?

71. Audio Production Basics Is Stereo Important? Yes!

78. Audio Production Basics Post Production (or OK, it’s recorded…now what?)

85. Before Normalizing

86. Normalized

87. IMPORTANT Adjust volume equally for all cuts of a classical recording. Normalizing

88. Track 1 - 6 dB Track 2 - 12 dB Track 3 - 5 dB Track 4 - 4.5 dB Raise volume of each track 4 dB leaving .5 dB headroom. Normalizing

89. Audio Production Basics Ways to get your demo where you want it.

99. Audio Production Basics Questions – Discussion – Experiment?