Most choirs spend their rehearsal time focusing on notes, rhythms, and precision. They rarely, if ever, discuss a song s meaning and feeling, even though those elements are precisely what draws people to the music in the first place. Thousands of books have been written about choral technique, teaching people how to sing technically well. What sets The Heart of Vocal Harmony apart is its focus on honest unified expression and the process of delivering an emotionally compelling performance. It delves into an underdeveloped vocal topic the heart of the music and the process involved with expressing it. The Heart of Vocal Harmony is not just for a cappella groups it is also for vocal harmony groups, ensembles, and choirs at all levels, with or without instruments. In addition to the process, the book features discussions with some of the biggest luminaries in vocal harmony: composers, arrangers, directors, singers, and groups including Eric Whitacre, Pentatonix, the Manhattan Transfer, and more!

Echo and Reverb is the first history of acoustically imagined space in popular music recording. The book documents how acoustic effects--reverberation, room ambience, and echo--have been used in recordings since the 1920s to create virtual sonic architectures and landscapes. Author Peter Doyle traces the development of these acoustically-created worlds from the ancient Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus to the dramatic acoustic architectures of the medieval cathedral, the grand concert halls of the 19th century, and those created by the humble parlor phonograph of the early 20th century, and finally, the revolutionary age of rock 'n' roll.
Citing recordings ranging from Gene Austin's 'My Blue Heaven' to Elvis Presley's 'Mystery Train, ' Doyle illustrates how non-musical sound constructs, with all their rich and contradictory baggage, became a central feature of recorded music. The book traces various imagined worlds created with synthetic echo and reverb--the heroic landscapes of the cowboy west, the twilight shores of south sea islands, the uncanny alleys of dark cityscapes, the weird mindspaces of horror movies, the private and collective spaces of teen experience, and the funky juke-joints of the mind.

Playback is the first book to place the fascinating history of sound reproduction within its larger social, economic, and cultural context-and includes appearances by everyone from Thomas Edison to Enrico Caruso to Dick Clark to Grandmaster Flash to Napster CEO Shawn Fanning. In a narrative that begins with Edison's cylinder and ends with digital music, the ubiquitous iPod, and the file-sharing wars, this is a history we have all experienced in one way or another. From the Victrola, the 78, the 45, and the 33 1/3 to the 8-track, cassette, compact disc, DAT, and MP3, the story of Playback is also the story of music, and the music business in the twentieth century and beyond.

Based on educational theory, and on recognized music teaching methods, Theory and Practice of Technology-Based Music Instruction develops a framework for examining music teaching that uses technology to introduce, reinforce, and assess skills and concepts. The framework guides in-depth discussions about theoretical and philosophical foundations of technology-based music instruction (TBMI), materials for teaching, teaching behaviors, and assessment of student work, teacher work, and fit of technology into the music program. The book includes examples of TBMI lessons from real teachers, and analyses of the successful and developing parts of these lessons. Also included are Profiles of Practice: firsthand accounts of music teachers using technology in their classrooms based on the author's observations, and the teachers' own reflections on their work. Because TBMI is situated in the world of public education, issues of accountability and standards are addressed. Also included are recommendations for professional development in technology based music instruction. Finally, the text looks to the future to discuss emerging technologies, alternative ensembles, and social issues that may impact technology based music instruction in years to come.

The sound recorder is the ‘mirror with a memory’ for those who listen. With it we can capture glimpses of our reality, producing ‘pictures’ as we express ourselves. These may ultimately serve as reminders of who we were and of our dreams…

Your recordings are the vehicle for your compositions. Improve the artistry of your productions with this techniques guide, which focuses throughout on musicality and how your decisions affect it. Author Carlos Lellis Ferreira walks you through the recording process, bringing aesthetic considerations into each discussion. Learn visually with detailed diagrams and clear explanations of best practices.

Unlike many other recording books, Music Production: Recording is organized around real-world scenarios, with details about roles and responsibilities that help you navigate through key stages of production.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Julian "Jules" Standen, Gearslutz.com Introduction: The Art of Recording Part I: Core Concepts 1. Recording Environments 2. The Recording Team 3. The Tools Part II: Pre-Production 4. Preparing to Record Part III: Production 5. Studio Preparation 6. Live Room Setup 7. The Control Room Setup 8. The Sound Check 9. The Musician's Cue Mix 10. Tracking 11. Overdubbing 12. A Few Words on Studio Psychology 13. The Monitor or Reference Mix 14. Session Information Outro: Is it Worth It Appendices 1. Working with References 2. Bar Charts 3. Equal Loudness Contours 4. Instrument Part Names 5. Setting Gain Structure and Routing Signals 6. Replacing Drum Heads

Drum Tuning and Timbre

Make professional-sounding recordings of your songs in your home studio. Learn the essential techniques and processes of recording and mixing. Get the best sound quality from the tools studio space you have. Choose the right mics and other gear for your style. Understand what home studio tools exists, and choose what is right for you. Use loops, virtual instruments, and other contemporary strategies to enhance your creative songwriting process.

Richard James Burgess draws on his experience as a producer, a musician, and an author in this history of recorded music, which focuses on the development of music production as both art form and profession. This comprehensive narrative begins in 1860 with the first known recording of an acoustic sound and moves chronologically through the twentieth century, examining the creation of the market for recorded sound, the development of payment structures, the origins of the recording studio and those who work there, and, ultimately, the evolution of the recording industry itself. Burgess charts the highs and lows of the industry through the decades, ending with a discussion of how Web 2.0 has affected music production. The focus remains throughout the book on the role of the music producer, and Burgess offers biographical information on key figures in the history of the industry, including Fred Gaisberg, Phil Spector, and Dr. Dre. Undergirding Burgess's narrative is the argument that while technology has historically defined the nature of music production, the drive toward greater control over the process, end result, and overall artistry came from producers. In keeping with this unique argument, The History of Music Production incorporates clear yet in-depth discussion of the developmental engagement of technology, business, and art with music production. Burgess builds this history of music production upon the strongest possible foundation: the key transitions, trends, people, and innovations that have been most important in the course of its development over the past 136 years. The result is a deeply knowledgeable book that sketches a critical path in the evolution of music production, and describes and analyzes the impact recording, playback, and disseminative technologies have had on recorded music and music production. Central to the field and a key reference book for students and scholars alike, it will stand as a companion volume to Burgess's noted, multi-edition book The Art of Music Production.

The MIDI Manual is a complete reference on MIDI, written by a well-respected sound engineer and author. This best-selling guide provides a clear explanation of what MIDI is, how to use electronic instruments and an explanation of sequencers and how to use them. You will learn how to set up an efficient MIDI system and how to get the best out of your music.
The MIDI Manual is packed full of useful tips and practical examples on sequencing and mixing techniques. It also covers editors/librarians, working with a score, MIDI in mass media and multimedia and synchronisation. The MIDI spec is set out in detail along with the helpful guidelines on using the implementation chart.
Illustrated throughout with helpful photos and screengrabs, this is the most readable and clear book on MIDI available.
* Complete illustrated guide to the MIDI spec and explanation of the implementation chart
* Practical advice on sampling and sequencing, covering all the major DAWs
* Includes all the latest developments in hardware and software

Inside Computer Music is an investigation of how new technological developments have influenced the creative possibilities of composers of computer music in the last 50 years. This book combines detailed research into the development of computer music techniques with nine case studies that analyze key works in the musical and technical development of computer music. The book's companion website offers demonstration videos of the techniques used and downloadable software. There, readers can view interviews and test emulations of the software used by the composers for themselves. The software also presents musical analyses of each of the nine case studies to enable readers to engage with the musical structure aurally and interactively.

Modern Recording Techniques is the bestselling, authoritative guide to sound and music recording. Whether you're just starting out or are looking for a step-up in the industry, Modern Recording Techniques provides an in-depth read on the art and technologies of music production. It's a must-have reference for all audio bookshelves. Using its familiar and accessible writing style, this ninth edition has been fully updated, presenting the latest production technologies and includes an in-depth coverage of the DAW, networked audio, MIDI, signal processing and much more. A robust companion website features video tutorials, web-links, an online glossary, flashcards, and a link to the author's blog. Instructor resources include a test bank and an instructor's manual. The ninth edition includes:Updated tips, tricks and insights for getting the best out of your studio; An introduction to the Apple iOS in music production; Introductions to new technologies and important retro studio techniques; The latest advancements in DAW systems, signal processing, mixing and mastering.

Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques is a dare-a challenge for those who think recording music should be done a certain way. Sylvia Massy, engineer, mixer, and producer of such all-time great artists as Tool, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Oingo Boingo, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more, invites you to put everything you've ever known or learned about recording aside and dive head-long into the unknown. You might just find the doors blown off your conception of how great music should be recorded. If you want to take your creativity and freedom to a brand new level, open your mind and hear the sermons that Sylvia Massy preaches! She lives in a world far outside the norm, working in ways that, though frightening to some, yield results that are emotionally powerful, incredibly personal, gut-wrenching, organic, and even (based on her iconic client list) extremely commercially successful. Recording Unhinged contains many full-color R. Crumb-style illustrations by Massy, herself! In addition to being an A-list engineer/producer, she is a gifted artist! Her illustrations depict real and imaginary sessions and recording situations so the images move beyond literal demonstrations into the root-level heart and soul of her passion for recording and music! Also, included are lists, recipes, schematics, quotes, and stories, plus Massy interviews countless industry icons who shake-it-up in the music world.

Go beyond HTML5's Audio tag and boost the audio capabilities of your web application with the Web Audio API. Packed with lots of code examples, crisp descriptions, and useful illustrations, this concise guide shows you how to use this JavaScript API to make the sounds and music of your games and interactive applications come alive. You need little or no digital audio expertise to get started. Author Boris Smus introduces you to digital audio concepts, then shows you how the Web Audio API solves specific application audio problems. You'll not only learn how to synthesize and process digital audio, you'll also explore audio analysis and visualization with this API. Learn Web Audio API, including audio graphs and the audio nodes Provide quick feedback to user actions by scheduling sounds with the API's precise timing model Control gain, volume, and loudness, and dive into clipping and crossfading Understand pitch and frequency: use tools to manipulate soundforms directly with JavaScript Generate synthetic sound effects and learn how to spatialize sound in 3D space Use Web Audio API with the Audio tag, getUserMedia, and the Page Visibility API

Now in its fourth edition, The Art of Music Production has established itself as the definitive guide to the art and business of music production and a primary teaching tool for college programs. It is the first book to comprehensively analyze and describe the non-technical role of the music producer. Author Richard James Burgess lays out the complex field of music production by defining the several distinct roles that fall under the rubric of music producer. In this completely updated and revised fourth edition of a book already lauded as "the most comprehensive guide to record production ever published," Burgess has expanded and refined the types of producers, bringing them fully up to date. The first part of the book outlines the underlying theory of the art of music production. The second part focuses on the practical aspects of the job including training, getting into the business, day-to-day responsibilities, potential earnings, managers, lawyers, and - most importantly - the musical, financial, and interpersonal relationships producers have with artists and their labels. The book is packed with insights from the most successful music producers ranging from today's chart-toppers to the beginnings of recorded sound, including mainstream and many niche genres. The book also features many revealing anecdotes about the business, including the stars and the challenges (from daily to career-related) a producer faces. Burgess addresses the changes in the nature of music production that have been brought about by technology and, in particular, the paradigmatic millennial shift that has occurred with digital recording and distribution. Burgess's lifelong experience in the recording industry as a studio musician, artist, producer, manager, and marketer combined with his extensive academic research in the field brings a unique breadth and depth of understanding to the topic.

The Bruce Swedien Recording Method is an incredibly timely and timeless reference for anyone interested in capturing and mixing the best possible music recordings. From the Michael Jackson albums (Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, Invincible, and HIStory), to many Quincy Jones hits (The Dude, Back on the Block, Q's Jook Joint, and many more), to classic greats from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, the Brothers Johnson, and Natalie Cole, Bruce Swedien's impact on popular music has been undeniable. Engineers at all levels still use Swedien's recordings as a standard by which they judge the sonic validity of their own work. In The Bruce Swedien Recording Method, Swedien explains many of the techniques he has used to get award-winning drum, bass, guitar, keyboard, vocal, string, and brass sounds. On the accompanying DVD-ROM, he further reveals what he looks for in a recording and the steps he takes to imprint his characteristic world-class sonic signature on the music he mixes. Throughout this book, Swedien consistently pinpoints the most important considerations in the recording process, with such insights as: you don't listen to the equipment, you listen through the equipment...Nobody ever walked out of the studio whistling the console. ..The sound has to be so good to start with that it gives you goose bumps - and the list goes on and on!

What did the term 'author' denote for Lutheran musicians in the generations between Heinrich Schutz and Johann Sebastian Bach? As part of the Musical Performance and Reception series, this book examines attitudes to authorship as revealed in the production, performance and reception of music in seventeenth-century German lands. Analysing a wide array of archival, musical, philosophical and theological texts, this study illuminates notions of creativity in the period and the ways in which individuality was projected and detected in printed and manuscript music. Its investigation of musical ownership and regulation shows how composers appealed to princely authority to protect their publications, and how town councils sought to control the compositional efforts of their church musicians. Interpreting authorship as a dialogue between authority and individuality, this book uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore changing attitudes to the self in the era between Schutz and Bach.

Emphasising the creative aspect of music technology, this introduction sets out an overview of the field for music students in a non-scientific and straightforward way. Engaging and user-friendly, the book covers studio concepts: basic audio and the studio workflow, including audio and MIDI recording. It explores synthesisers, samplers and drum machines as well as basic concepts for electronic performance. In considering the role of the DJ, the book addresses remixing and production, drawing upon many examples from the popular music repertoire as well as looking at the studio as an experimental laboratory. The creative workflow involved in music for media is discussed, as well as controllers for performance and the basics of hacking electronics for music. The book as a whole reflects the many exciting areas found today in music technology and aims to set aspiring musicians off on a journey of discovery in electronic music.

Refining Sound is a practical roadmap to the complexities of creating sounds on modern synthesizers. As author, veteran synthesizer instructor Brian K. Shepard draws on his years of experience in synthesizer pedagogy in order to peel back the often-mysterious layers of sound synthesis one-by-one. The result is a book which allows readers to familiarize themselves with each individual step in the synthesis process, in turn empowering them in their own creative or experimental work. The book follows the stages of synthesis in chronological progression, starting readers at the raw materials of sound creation and ultimately bringing them to the final "polishing" stage. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the synthesis process, culminating in a last chapter that brings everything together as the reader creates his/her own complex sounds. Throughout the text, the material is supported by copious examples and illustrations as well as by audio files and synthesis demonstrations on a related companion website. Each chapter contains easily digestible guided projects (entitled "Your Turn" sections) that focus on the topics of the corresponding chapter. In addition to this, one complete project will be carried through each chapter of the book cumulatively, allowing the reader to follow - and build - a sound from start to finish. The final chapter includes several sound creation projects in which readers are given types of sound to create as well as some suggestions and tips, with final outcomes is left to readers' own creativity. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of learning to create sounds on a synthesizer is to understand exactly what each synthesizer component does independent of the synthesizer's numerous other components. Not only does this book thoroughly illustrate and explain these individual components, but it also offers numerous practical demonstrations and exercises that allow the reader to experiment with and understand these elements without the distraction of the other controls and modifiers. Refining Sound is essential for all electronic musicians from amateur to professional levels of accomplishment, students, teachers, libraries, and anyone interested in creating sounds on a synthesizer.

Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture documents the transition of recorded music on CDs to music as digital files on computers. More than two decades after the first digital music files began circulating in online archives and playing through new software media players, we have yet to fully internalize the cultural and aesthetic consequences of these shifts. Tracing the emergence of what Jeremy Wade Morris calls the "digital music commodity," Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture considers how a conflicted assemblage of technologies, users, and industries helped reformat popular music's meanings and uses. Through case studies of five key technologies - Winamp, metadata, Napster, iTunes, and cloud computing - this book explores how music listeners gradually came to understand computers and digital files as suitable replacements for their stereos and CD. Morris connects industrial production, popular culture, technology, and commerce in a narrative involving the aesthetics of music and computers, and the labor of producers and everyday users, as well as the value that listeners make and take from digital objects and cultural goods. Above all, Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture is a sounding out of music's encounters with the interfaces, metadata, and algorithms of digital culture and of why the shifting form of the music commodity matters for the music and other media we love.

Understanding Video Game Music develops a musicology of video game music by providing methods and concepts for understanding music in this medium. From the practicalities of investigating the video game as a musical source to the critical perspectives on game music - using examples including Final Fantasy VII, Monkey Island 2, SSX Tricky and Silent Hill - these explorations not only illuminate aspects of game music, but also provide conceptual ideas valuable for future analysis. Music is not a redundant echo of other textual levels of the game, but central to the experience of interacting with video games. As the author likes to describe it, this book is about music for racing a rally car, music for evading zombies, music for dancing, music for solving puzzles, music for saving the Earth from aliens, music for managing a city, music for being a hero; in short, it is about music for playing.

During the 1970s, the synthesizer spurred many fundamental shifts in the mechanisms of music-making. Along with the popularization of the musical aesthetics established by both the punk and post-punk movements, the synthesizer led to ground-breaking effects and processes. Dark Waves examines the role of the synthesizer in shaping the dark and dystopian sound of electronic music in 1970s Britain and is the first collected musicological analysis of The Normal, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and John Foxx. Many of these acts, dark in content, presentation and manner, would go on to influence the more commercial sound of 1980s synth pop, which in turn shaped mainstream electronic music today.

While composers and percussionists are working more closely than ever with one another, there are few resources that address this collaborative relationship in depth. However, Samuel Z. Solomon, himself a percussionist and teacher, offers a comprehensive examination of the issues that percussionists and composers encounter in How to Write for Percussion. The first edition, self-published in 2004, provided musicians and music programs the world over with practical and indispensible information about issues of notation, concert production, and much more. This new edition goes even further as Solomon offers more insights derived from his personal experience as a percussionist and teacher and from his collaborations with other musicians. The second edition of How to Write for Percussion expands the survey of behind-the-scenes processes-from instrument choice and notation to logistics, execution, and concert production-to uncover all the tools a composer needs to comfortably create innovative and skilled percussion composition. Solomon also includes more excerpts and performances as well as interviews with famous percussionists and composers that capture the intricacies of percussion composition. Moreover, the second edition features an expanded text with more instruments and more analysis, plus an extensive Online Video Companion containing over nine hours of videos with demonstrations, performances, interviews, and analysis to flesh out and clarify the material in the book. This updated edition of How to Write for Percussion will appeal to a wide swath of musicians including composers, arrangers, and percussionists. Those who have already utilized the first edition will welcome the upgrade, and those who have yet to benefit from Solomon's perspective will likewise find his insights illuminating.

How did the Depression-era folk-song collector Alan Lomax end up with a songwriting credit on Jay-Z’s song “Takeover”? Why doesn’t Clyde Stubblefield, the primary drummer on James Brown recordings from the late 1960s such as “Funky Drummer” and “Cold Sweat,” get paid for other musicians’ frequent use of the beats he performed on those songs? The music industry’s approach to digital sampling—the act of incorporating snippets of existing recordings into new ones—holds the answers. Exploring the complexities and contradictions in how samples are licensed, Kembrew McLeod and Peter DiCola interviewed more than 100 musicians, managers, lawyers, industry professionals, journalists, and scholars. Based on those interviews, Creative License puts digital sampling into historical, cultural, and legal context. It describes hip-hop during its sample-heavy golden age in the 1980s and early 1990s, the lawsuits that shaped U.S. copyright law on sampling, and the labyrinthine licensing process that musicians must now navigate. The authors argue that the current system for licensing samples is inefficient and limits creativity. For instance, by estimating the present-day licensing fees for the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique (1989) and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet (1990), two albums from hip-hop’s golden age, the authors show that neither album could be released commercially today. Observing that the same dynamics that create problems for remixers now reverberate throughout all culture industries, the authors conclude by examining ideas for reform.Interviewees include David Byrne, Cee Lo Green, George Clinton, De La Soul, DJ Premier, DJ Qbert, Eclectic Method, El-P, Girl Talk, Matmos, Mix Master Mike, Negativland, Public Enemy, RZA, Clyde Stubblefield, T.S. Monk.