The Audio Production Studio, for Project Studio Recording and digital file production. Some sample music files and notes on how they were done, supporting hardware, wiring and what you need to do to set up a similar system.
Last Updated: June 12 2010
Audio Production Studio
The music files below where produced using a small studio based around REAPER, ASIO4ALL and a collection of VST instruments and effects.
If your audio hardware didn't come with ASIO drivers, ASIO4ALL is required to have low audio latency. Here used the DELL PC's on board SigmaTel audio subsystem. Without ASIO4ALL there was an 85msec delay between playing something and hearing it back. With ASIO4ALL that became 2msec, which is inaudible. Make sure you turn off the software GM synth in windows as per the ASIO4ALL FAQ.
For a VSTi GM/GS synth get sfz player, Fluid R3 SoundFonts and the sfARK file decompressor. This will get you back the GM synth capability, and open up a world of different drum kits and instruments.
Used a Roland PC-180 Midi Keyboard Controller connected via a Edirol UM-1ex USB-Midi interface to enter midi tracks. The Microphone a Dynamic Cardioid ( a Shure SM58 clone) connected via a Behringer MIC100. You don't need any EQ or pan control when recording.
The guitar went through a distortion pedal, into the MIC100, then into the PC. The guitar sound was produced with combination of a custom hardware cabinet simulator and an Amp Cabinet VST.
Monitor Controller
A Monitor Controller, basically a volume control and some switches, is used to control monitoring speaker levels and speaker routing. As there isn't any need for a traditional mixer, this box handles the monitor functions that a mixer has.
It is also needed to get around a problem with the 24bit onboard audio of recent DELL PCs. This is because the DELL PCs audio input cannot be controlled independantly of the PCs output volume using the Windows Mixer. The Line In seems to be just mixed straight as an analog signal to the PC's audio output socket. It gives you Zero Latency Monitoring, but at full volume, hence the need for another real volume control.
Monitor Controller Schematic
This little controller contains a precision ALPs Dual Ganged volume control, has switches to select an input from one of two sources and output to one of two destinations.
This output switch sends the signal to a Hi-Fi Receiver, small desktop PC speakers, larger speakers, a set of passive 8" three way bookshelf speakers and headphones. Mixes are tried out on different speakers to get an idea of what it really sounds like.
Doing the Mix & Mastering
Reaper has all you need to be able to mix and process your recorded tracks. Levels, Pans and everything else can be automated and edited. It is a lot of extra work to make something sound like a commercial CD. Level control via automation, compression, EQ, filtering, effects and limiting are all mandatory. Magazines like Sound On Sound and Computer Music have articles pointing out the details with case studies and tutorials.
The Mix is then rendered to a stereo WAV file. Mastering is generally a separate step after producing a mix, after it has been rendered as this stereo file. More EQ and compression. This could then be burnt to a CD, but we use Audiograbber to normalize, and convert to an MP3. Some notes are put in via the FileInfo function in WinAmp . The acid test of a mix usually ends up being an MP3 played thru a FM transmitter adapter in the car in peak hour traffic. After revising the mix a few times, it is ready for uploading to the internet.
DIY acoustic treatment using rockwool or foam panels is required to produce a suitable listening environment. If you want to do Bass Traps and HF absorption , like in SoundOnSound Studio Rescues and this DIY Broadband Absorber Panels and Bass Traps, then in Australia, Bunnings Warehouse carries Bradford SoundScreen batts, the local brand for the rockwool material.
Australian company SoundAcoustics have a range of reasonably priced foam tiles and diffusers available from their website store.
a 30 second heavy metal instrumental for an Art & Technology Demo Reel on YouTube. Highly compressed and limited to make it loud. Uses EZDrummer for the drums, and one track each for rhythm guitar, bass and lead. Something like the sound track to Monster Garage .
Art & Technology Demo Reel (34 seconds )
A 1:37 minute instrumental in the style of a program like MONSTER GARAGE or AMERICAN CHOPPER on a Hot Rodded FJ Ute Rebuild. Highly compressed and limited and features narration on the construction.
AdrianBruce-FJ Ute Rebuild.mp3 (1:37 1.5MBytes)
A 2 minute hard rock instrumental for V8 Muscle Cars, using muscle car burnouts as part of the track . Highly compressed and limited to make it loud. Uses Drum Kit From Hell for the drums, and tracks for rhythm guitar, bass and leads.
AdrianBruce-burnout.mp3 (2:14 2.01MBytes)
Supercharged, Nitromethane burning Topfuel Drag racing. Guitar Rock with synth bass and drums. Used our guitar DI speaker emulator and load. I wanted to get "gasoline is for washing parts, Alcohol is for drinking. Nitromethane is for racing. Nothing else is exciting." into a piece of music.
Dean Neal's Serious Attitude ANDRA Top Fuel Television commentary used with permission.
AdrianBruce-Nitromethane.mp3. ( 2:14 minutes 2.03MBytes )
Real rock Guitar and Bass. VST synth and Soundfont based drums using szf player. With all the bad news at the start of 2009,
Let's hope it is going to be A Really Good Year. ( 2:34 minutes 2.4MBytes )
A short 2 minute instrumental with rock/metal guitar and synths. Call and Answer between bitter guitar and sweet synth lead...
AdrianBruce-BitterSweet.mp3. ( 2:12 minutes 2.0MBytes )
Sharing Files with SoundCloud
We have now also put some files on a new European based service, SoundCloud at Megacurve. They also allow embedding of a playlist like this on your website:
This service allows public and private sharing of huge original sound files for business, and streaming of mp3s for demonstration.
The other reason you might want to do this is that music files can have quite an impact on the bandwidth plan you need to run a website, such as this one. Even if your files are not that popular with the music loving public, the search engine robots, particularly Yandex.ru will read all your files every few days unless they are blocked.
