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.

Mixing and mastering, the two final steps in the complex process of sound engineering, require both artistic finesse and technical facility. Even the slightest difference in the way a sound is processed can lead to a shift in the overall aesthetic of a piece, and so sound engineers must work towards an understanding of sound engineering that is particularly oriented towards the artistic and aesthetic. In order to create effective mixes, a sound engineer must maintain a distinct set of artistic goals while drawing on an in-depth understanding of the software involved in the process. Creating final masters requires specialized aural skills and a similarly advanced understanding of the software in order to fine-tune the product with respect to these goals. Mixing and Mastering in the Box addresses the practical and technological necessities of these two final steps without neglecting the creative process that is integral to the creation of high-quality recordings. Savage focuses primarily on creating mixes and masters in the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), or "in the box," currently a popular platform in the field of sound engineering due to the creative advantages and advanced technological capabilities it offers to its users. However, much of the information presented in Mixing and Mastering in the Box is also applicable to analog mixing gear or a hybrid system of digital and analog tools. This book, which features over one hundred illustrations and a comprehensive companion website, is ideal for beginning or intermediate students in sound engineering with a focus on DAW, recording artists who do their own mixing and mastering, or musicians who wish to be better informed when collaborating on mixes and masters.

The Oxford Handbook of Mobile Music Studies consolidates an area of scholarly inquiry that examines how electrical technologies and their corresponding economies of scale have rendered music and sound increasingly mobile - portable, fungible, and ubiquitous. At once a marketing term, a common mode of everyday-life performance, and an instigator of experimental aesthetics, "mobile music" opens up a space for studying the momentous transformations in the production, distribution, consumption, and experience of music and sound that took place from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first centuries. The second volume of the handbook examines the aesthetics of mobile music and its proliferating forms of performance, incorporating epistemologies and methodologies from a number of disciplines, including music studies, sound studies, mobility studies, communication studies, new media studies, performance studies, and more. The contributors draw on political economy and economic sociology, ethnography and autoethnography, musical and sonic transcription, analysis and hermeneutics, and historical and archival research. The chapters treat a significant number of devices, including the the flash drive, the field recorder, the mobile phone, the handheld video game, the laptop computer, the siren, and even a pair of shoes. The Handbook likewise investigates the sonification and musicalization of vehicles - boom cars, trains, and ice cream trucks - and the sonics and musics of walking, texting, and commuting. Its chapters cover a large swath of the world - the US, the UK, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Turkey, Mexico, France, China, Jamaica, Iraq, the Philippines, India - and a similarly broad array of musical styles and practices, from the recondite and subcultural to the mass-popular and global. The most comprehensive book of its kind, this handbook is a necessary reference for scholars in multiple fields.

This book puts sampling studies on the academic map by focusing on sampling as a logic of exchange between audio-visual media. While some recent scholarship has addressed sampling primarily in relation to copyright, this book is a first: a critical study of sampling and remixing across audio-visual media. Of special interest here are works that bring together both audio and visual sampling: music that samples film and television; underground dance and multimedia scenes that rely on sampling; Internet "memes" that repurpose music videos, trailers and news broadcasts; films and videos that incorporate a wide range of sampling aesthetics; and other provocative variations. Comprised of four sections titled "roots," "scenes," "cinema" and "web" this collection digs deep into and across sampling practices that intervene in popular culture from unconventional or subversive perspectives. To this end, Sampling Media extends the conceptual boundaries of sampling by emphasizing its inter-medial dimensions, exploring the politics of sampling practice beyond copyright law, and examining its more marginal applications. It likewise puts into conversation compelling instances of sampling from a wide variety of historical and contemporary, global and local contexts.

In this rich study of noise in American film-going culture, Meredith C. Ward shows how aurality can reveal important fissures in American motion picture history, enabling certain types of listening cultures to form across time. Connecting this history of noise in the cinema to a greater sonic culture, Static in the System shows how cinema sound was networked into a broader constellation of factors that affected social power, gender, sexuality, class, the built environment, and industry, and how these factors in turn came to fruition in cinema's soundscape. Focusing on theories of power as they manifest in noise, the history of noise in electro-acoustics with the coming of film sound, architectural acoustics as they were manipulated in cinema theaters, and the role of the urban environment in affecting mobile listening and the avoidance of noise, Ward analyzes the powerful relationship between aural cultural history and cinema's sound theory, proving that noise can become a powerful historiographic tool for the film historian.

The Blackbird Academy Foundations: Must-Know Audio and Recording Principles is designed to build your music engineering and audio production skills. The principles are directed at beginners to more advanced music creators, remixers, musicians, songwriters, singers, and those curious about what it takes to record, overdub, and mix quality music. Those who aspire to music, from ages 10 and up, will gain operational skills and understanding of basic to advanced recording concepts including: Signal flow Microphone recognition and advanced placement The keys to achieving great results when recording Essential analog and digital gear used in audio production Using a digital audio workstation Understanding analog to digital, and digital to analog, conversion Using plug-ins and analog processing when recording, overdubbing, and mixing Developing software skills, such as tuning processing, editing, and mixing Console basics and operation Using auxiliary tracks and buses Using shortcuts to build speed Learning how to listen And much more! Those more advanced will also achieve benefits from reading what was written around the gear and workflow at Blackbird Studio, the world-renowned production facility located in Nashville, Tennessee. Blackbird has produced hundreds of hit records from a variety of artists, including Taylor Swift, Jack White, Martina McBride, The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and many more. Readers will learn an impressive range of valuable information only known in the inner circles of production at the heart of Music City USA.

The Vintage Recordings and Data A5 Journal from Galison features a series of analog images from the past such as a vinyl album, floppy disc, VHS tape, cassette tape, and many more. The journal has sleek silver gilded page edges and 136 lined pages. - Silver Gilded Page Edges - 136 Lined Pages - Size: 6 x 8.2", 152 x 208 mm

A comprehensive guide to London's 60 independent record shops. Features extensive original photography by Sam Mellish that documents and celebrates London's record shop culture. From the author of the bestselling The 500 Hidden Secrets of London. Forms part of a wider series that explores creative London. London's record shop scene is at its most vital and buoyant point since the 1990s, following a resurgence of interest in vinyl over recent years. Tom Greig, who has immersed himself in the world of London's record shops for close to two decades, profiles and tells the story of 60 distinctive independent record stores, selling both new and used vinyl. Vinyl London is at once a practical guide, featuring maps, addresses, opening times and stock information, and an attractive visual celebration of London's record shops. The book is organised geographically, and contains the following chapters; Soho; North; East; South; West; Suburbs; Markets; Vinyl Cafes.

The first photographic celebration of the most famous recording studio in the world, publishing in its 80th year. Unprecedented access to the Abbey Road archive - from Edward Elgar to the Beatles, Kate Bush to Elbow the most famous artists in the world have recorded here. This gorgeous book includes material on the artists, the engineers, the technology and the history of Abbey Road. It's an incredible document of cultural history, for anyone who values music and how it's made.

Sound in cinema is a fascinating area that is just beginning to get the attention it deserves. This innovative book highlights the workers who collaborated inside and outside Hollywood to produce dialogue, sound effects and music for motion pictures. It demonstrates the transformative powers of sound as they shape the specific ways in which film meaning is made. It interrogates the statement that 'the silent screen was never silent', shows how Altman & Malick pushed the boundares of dialogue, what Dolby did to movies, how Walter Murch, Alfred Newman, John Williams and many more scored and composed and how cinematic sound is adapting to digital exhibition on computer screens and smartphones. The overall objective is to make it hard for us to see films in the same way again.

Take your projects from vision to victory with Avid Pro Tools by delivering high-quality results with perfect recipes for every challenge Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key Features Learn to edit audio quickly and efficiently using different techniques Discover advanced automation techniques used during a mix session Unlock Pro Tools' most powerful features and explore their uses Book DescriptionPro Tools has long been an industry-standard Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) for audio professionals, but it can often be overwhelming for new and experienced users alike. The Pro Tools 2023 Post-Audio Cookbook acts as a reference guide to the software and breaks down each stage of a project into manageable phases. From planning a session, editing a sequence, performing a mix to printing the final masters, you can approach this book either sequentially or peruse the self-contained recipes. You’ll come to grips with workflows for music production, motion picture, and spoken word production, helping you gain expertise in the area of your choice. You'll learn aspects of music mixing like side chain processing to keep instruments from overshadowing each other and conforming for motion picture. The author’s expertise with Pro Tools will help you discover and incorporate different techniques into your workflows. You’ll also learn to build consistent and replicable workflows and templates by understanding what happens behind the scenes in Pro Tools. With this cookbook, you’ll be able to focus on the creative aspects of your audio production and not get mired by the technical hurdles. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to handle even the most complex features of Pro Tools to deliver immaculate results for your clients.What you will learn Explore the inner workings of Pro Tools Plan and organize projects effectively Edit audio quickly and efficiently Understand and explore the usage of audio routing Build effective mix templates Deliver custom solutions for varied service requirements Use advanced mixing techniques to enhance sound tracks Pick appropriate use cases for different audio effects and plugins Who this book is forThe book is for audio professionals, sound designers/editors, music engineers, podcast producers, re-recordist mixers, and students looking to learn about Pro Tools and its features. A basic understanding of Digital Audio Workstations and its operations such as import, edit, mix and bounce is a must.

Expert guidance on enhancing your live music production skills with MIDI, audio sequencing and arrangement techniques, automation, modulation, MPE, and external instruments from an Ableton Certified Trainer Key Features Make the most of Ableton Live 11 tools and processes to create, record and edit your own music Engage with non-linear workflow for both music production and live performance Unveil the best solutions to common pitfalls and mistakes committed by Ableton Live users Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionThe Music Producer's Guide to Ableton Live will help you sharpen your production skills and gain a deeper understanding of the Live workflow. If you are a music maker working with other digital audios workstations (DAWs) or experienced in Ableton Live, perhaps earlier versions, you'll be able to put your newfound knowledge to use right away with this book. You'll start with some basic features and workflows that are more suitable for producers from another DAW looking to transfer their skills to Ableton Live 11.2. As you explore the Live concept, you'll learn to create expressive music using Groove and MIDI effects and demystify Live 11's new workflow improvements, such as Note Chance and Velocity Randomization. The book then introduces the Scale Mode, MIDI Transform tools, and other key features that can make composition and coming up with melodic elements easier than ever before. It will also guide you in implementing Live 11's new and updated effects into your current workflow. By the end of this Ableton Live book, you'll be able to implement advanced production and workflow techniques and amplify live performance capabilities with what the Live 11 workflow has to offer. What you will learn Understand the concept of Live, the workflow of recording and editing audio and MIDI, and warping Use Groove, MIDI effects, and Live 11's new workflow enhancements to create innovative music Use audio to MIDI conversion tools to translate and generate ideas quickly Employ Live's automation and modulation capabilities and project organization techniques to speed up your workflow Utilize MIDI Polyphonic Expression to create evolving sounds and textures Adopt advanced techniques for production and discover the capabilities of live performance Who this book is forIf you are a music producer, enthusiast, or hobbyist with a basic understanding of using Ableton Live for simple projects, this Ableton Live 11 book will help you improve your skills to employ the best features and techniques in your projects. This book is also for producers familiar with other DAWs looking to leverage their transferable skills to learn Ableton Live.

At the beginning of his career in the 1920s, Adorno sketched a plan to write a major work on the theory of musical reproduction, a task he returned to time and again throughout his career but never completed. The choice of the word reproduction as opposed to interpretation indicates a primary supposition: that there is a clearly defined musical text whose precision exceeds what is visible on the page, and that the performer has the responsibility to reproduce it as accurately as possible, beyond simply playing what is written. This task, according to Adorno, requires a detailed understanding of all musical parameters in their historical context, and his reflections upon this task lead to a fundamental study of the nature of notation and musical sense.
In the various notes and texts brought together in Towards a Theory of Musical Reproduction, one finds Adorno constantly circling around an irresolvable paradox: interpretation can only fail the work, yet only through it can musics true essence be captured. While he at times seems more definite in his pronouncement of a musical scores absolute value just as a book is read silently, not aloud his discourse repeatedly displays his inability to cling to that belief. It is this quality of uncertainty in his reflections that truly indicates the scope of the discourse and its continuing relevance to musical thought and practice today.

Create and compose production-quality music with the power of FL Studio 20 along with MuseScore and Wwise Key Features Develop widely applicable music composition techniques and create full orchestral scores Leverage the power of FL Studio to create your own production-level soundtracks Use cutting-edge tools to fuel your creative ideas and launch your composer career Book DescriptionFL Studio is a cutting-edge software music production environment and a powerful and easy-to-use tool for composing music. In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover how to use FL Studio's tools and techniques to design exciting soundtracks for your films, TV shows, video games, and much more. You'll start by understanding the business of composing, learning how to communicate, score, market your services, land gigs, and deliver music projects for clients like a professional. Next, you'll set up your studio environment, navigate key tools, such as the channel rack, piano roll, playlist, mixer, and browser, and export songs. The book then advances to show you how to compose orchestral music using MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) programming, with a dedicated section to string instruments. You'll create sheet music using MuseScore for live musicians to play your compositions. Later, you'll learn about the art of Foley for recording realistic sound effects, create adaptive music that changes throughout video games, and design music to trigger specific emotions, for example, scary music to terrify your listener. Finally, you'll work on a sample project that will help you prepare for your composing career. By the end of this book, you'll be able to create professional soundtrack scores for your films and video games. What you will learn Compose production-ready music for films and video games Plan and deliver a soundtrack music score for clients like a professional Apply practical music theory using themes, leitmotifs, scales, and modes Compose orchestral music with MIDI programming Design music for specific emotions Create sheet music with MuseScore, score music for films with Fruity Video Player, and make diegetic music Design interactive music by leveraging horizontal resequencing and vertical remixing Who this book is forThis book is for musicians and programmers who want to take their music composing skills to a professional level. Film directors and game designers who want to get involved in scoring music for their own productions will also find this book useful. All you need is a computer and FL Studio to get started.