Desktop vs. Portable
As the power of tablets increases, software companies are starting to produce their software on portable devices. An industry has developed to support this producing audio interfaces so that external microphones, control surfaces, and keyboard and other controllers can be plugged in. These systems are good for quick smaller projects, and the audio files can be offloaded to external storage.
Alesis iPad doc and other iPad audio interfaces. The same functionality hasn't appeared for Android yet because of audio engine and latency issues. Google is at work on the problem.
Storage
Sweetwater Storage Buying Guide
Backups
3-2-1 rule:
If you don't have a backup of your data you run the risk of losing it at any minute. All storage systems eventually fail, power outtages happen, equipment gets stolen and lost, mistakes are made. The "3-2-1 Rule" is an easy-to-remember system that improves your chances of recovery of your data in case something happens to your system.
- Keep 3 copies of any important file (a primary and two backups)
- Make copies on at least 2 different media types (such as hard drive and optical media), to protect against different types of hazards. Storage degrades at different rates and formats become obsolete. You may not remember floppy disks, but your teachers do!
- 1 copy should be stored offsite or online. Keep a copy in another building or back it up with a service like Dropbox, Box, or Carbonite. Some systems (like Carbonite) work in the background and copy new files without you having to remember to do it manually. You might want to have two duplicate hard drives and once a week copy everything from your work drive to a backup, and then keep the backup in another building.
Un-interruptable power supplies (UPS) will give you a few minutes to gracefully power your equipment down and save your data in case of an electrical power out. The primary role of any UPS is to provide short-term power when the input power source fails. However, most UPS units are also capable in varying degrees of correcting common utility power problems like voltage spikes.
An audio interface may have a pre-amp built in, but its main job is to convert and analog signal to a digital one that the computer can work with, and a digital signal back to analog to play through headphones or monitor speakers.
Reviews of interfaces will give you a feeling for what differentiates them: Antelope Audio Zen Studio, MOTU 16-channel interface, Universal Audio Apollo, Scarlett 2i2, RME Fireface UCX, PreSonus StudioLive, Aphex Channel, Digidesign Mbox Mini,
One way to reduce noise and jitter in in a studio studio is to add a masterclock to the system. All the analog to digital and digtal to analog converters are synchronized to it so that there are no synchronization problems between them. Apogee makes one called the Big Ben.
Another type of audio "interface" is a monitoring hub. It doesn't do the normal task of converting from analog to digital and back, instead it allows the engineer to easily switch between different inputs and output speakers. This is usually more of an issue for project studios than in larger studios whose consoles supply that functionality. One example of this is the PreSonus Central Station.
A "workstation" can mean different things. A "Digital Audio Workstation" is an electronic device or computer running a software application for recording, editing and producing audio files such as songs, musical pieces, human speech or sound effects.
Visit the developers' websites and then explore reviews at Sweetwater and Sound on Sound magazine.
- Avid Pro Tools - there are a lot of pieces to this industry standard platform
- Ableton Live - the software, and their Push interface [ video ]
- Apple Logic Pro, and its little sister, GarageBand, which runs on both computers and iPad
- PreSonus Studio One
- Steinburg Cubase
- Cakewalk Sonar
- Propellerhead Reason
- Mark of the Unicorn Digital Performer
- Cockos Reaper
Some of the handheld recorders you looked at last week can be used for multitrack recording. What they lack in graphical displays and editing tools can sometimes be made up by their low cost, portability, and physical controls for many functions rather than graphical elements that have to be manipulated on a screen with a mouse.
Sometimes people call the tables that DAWs sit on "workstations". This unit is a good time to consider the ergonomics of how you set up your equipment and your relation to it (i.e. the height of your chair). It is important to minimize stress on your ears, eyes, hands, and arms if you plan on spending a lot of time using the system.
An audio plug-in is software that adds or enhances audio-related functionality in the host computer program. Such functionality may include digital signap processing (DSP) that simulates filters, reverberation, and compression, or sound synthesis. Plug-ins can be designed by third party companies allowing them to produce special functionality without having to build an entire host system. For example, it is much easier for a small company to design a reverb plug-in than an entire DAW like Pro Tools. Pro Tools and other DAWs use the plug-in conventions to take advantage of what other developers create to give the user more options and resources. Plug-ins often have their own graphical user interface (GUI) that pops open in a new window when the plug-in is opened that helps the user visualize and adjust its parameters.
The most common system architectures for audio plug-ins are:
- VST (Virtual Studio Technology) – Introduced by Steinberg in 1996 in Cubase ver. 3.02. It is the most known interface type for effects and instruments. As of today VST has evolved into its 3rd version and is commonly referred to as VST3. You may also come across VSTi which simply stands for VST Instrument – it does not have any different the technical requirements, however. VST is the most widely implemented standard in the industry and is supported by (this list is not exhaustive): Ableton Live, Acid PRO, Cubase, Nuendo, FL Studio, Samplitude or Sonar. More on VST on Wikipedia.
- AU (AudioUnits) – Apple’s proprietary audio technology, part of the Core Audio provided by Mac X OS. It is part of the operating system so it provides low latency and system-level support for the interface. Most DAWs developed for the Macs support the AudioUnits interface due to its stability and system-level solutions (which also means faster processing). Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, Garage Band, Presonus Studio One and many others. More on AudioUnits on Wikipedia
- RTAS (Real-Time Audio Suite) – implemtned in ProTools series by Digidesign. Many plugin manufacturers develop RTAS versions of their plugins for the sake of compatibility with the ProTools series of DAWs. RTAS plugins can only be used in the ProTools system. More on RTAS on Wikipedia. Before Pro Tools HD there were two types of systems, ones that used RTAS plugins running off the computer's CPU, and TDM plugins which ran off additional hardward cards that were added to the computer.
- TDM (Time-division Multiplexing) – a version of ProTools plugins which are installed on outboard hardware such as dedicated DSP Processors for ultra-high precision and quality.TDM Plugins are usually installed in high-quality studio setups equipped with dedicated chips that process the audio signal – as opposed to having all processing done natively by the computer’s CPU.
—from Plugin Boutique
Virtual Instruments
- Buying Guide
- Virtual instrument categories
Representative reviews:
- Toontrack Superior Drummer - you can use it as a sound module or the grooves in its library [ website ]
- IK Multimedia Sample Tank
- Native Instruments Komplete
Notation software allows users to listen to what they write played back by the computer, typeset it for ease of reading by performers, and to extract parts from a conductor's score. Pitch and timing information can be saved in a Standard MIDI Files (.mid) in one program and then opened in a different program. Music XML preserves more of the details of notation such as what goes in which staff, slurs, dynamics, and articulation.
Each program has different combinations of features. Most allow MIDI input, some from microphones. Most have academic pricing, and they vary in how long the trial period is.
It is recommended to learn the basics of how to use a notation program before you get a project that requires its use, as you may not have time to learn and do it in time.
Finale
Finale was the first notation program to catch on. In the early days it was difficult to learn. Many musicians who learned it stuck with it even after other options appeared.
Sibelius
Integrated into Pro Tools. Generally easier to learn than Finale.
Notion
Notion is owned by PreSonus and runs on computers and tablets.
Noteflight
An online system owned by Hal Leonard. There is a free service, paid subscriptions offer more collaboration and publishing options.
[ Week 7 ]