Mix & Mastering
Lecture & Workshop
The lecture and workshop will be held by Michele Gaggia in German and English language.
Location: the Recording Studio of the FH Salzburg.
Topics
Analogue and Digital Mixers
- setting the input levels
- metering, pan & balance
- adding effects (insert or send/return)
- using external effects
- control surfaces
Control Rooms and Monitoring
- control room design and acoustics: LEDE, RFZ, Non Environment, ESS
- sound proofing and acoustic control
- absorption, diffusion, reflection
- main monitors, mid fields, near fields
- stereo and 5.1 surround setups
Mixing
- what is mixing?
- "technical" mix parameters and "musical goals" in a mix
- places from where to start mixing
- sound of single instruments in a mix
- how to prevent instruments "fighting" with each other
- positioning sounds in the stereo field, setting stereo width on stereo signals
- minimal phase vs. linear phase EQ; passive vs active EQ
- opto-compressor vs. VCA compressor
- algorithmic reverb vs. impulse response reverb
- the mixdown
Mastering
- what is mastering?
- typical mastering tools and effects
- what can (and should) be fixed/adjusted
- mastering EQ and compressor
- multi-band compressor
- brickwall limiter
- dithering, audio file format conversion
- ISRC and UPC/MCN, PQ editing, DDP, etc.
- Project presentation
End of Semester Project
Handouts
Main Handouts
- DAW Overview - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 29.01.2017)
- Acoustics Basics and Digital Recording - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 25.03.2020)
- Digital Audio Formats - Drivers - Plugins - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 29.01.2017)
- Microphones and Recording Techniques - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 29.01.2017)
- Sound Synthesis 01 - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 29.01.2018)
- Sound Synthesis 02.- Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 09.06.2018)
- Audio Effects - Michele Gaggia (PDF download, updated 29.01.2017)
- Mixing and Mastering Tips - Michele Gaggia (PDF download , updated 29.01.2017)
- Mixing Automation - Michele Gaggia (PDF download)
- Studio Design - Michele Gaggia (PDF download , updated 29.01.2017)
Additional Handouts
Recommended Literature
Books
- Henle, Hubert (2001) Das Tonstudio Handbuch.
GC Carstensen Verlag: München. ISBN 3910098193 Amazon - Pieper, Frank (2004) Das Effekte Praxisbuch.
GC Carstensen Verlag: München. ISBN 3910098274 Amazon - Owsinski, Bobby (1999) The Mixing Engineer's Handbook.
Artist Pro - Mix Books: Vallejo (CA). ISBN 0872887235 Amazon - Owsinski, Bobby (2000) The Mastering Engineer's Handbook.
Artist Pro - Mix Books: Vallejo (CA). ISBN 0872887413 Amazon - Gervais, Rod (2011) Home Recording Studio: Build it Like the Pros
Course Technology CENGAGE Learning, Boston (USA). ISBN 1-4354-5717-X Amazon
Magazines
- Keyboards - http://www.keyboards.de
- Production Partner - http://www.production-partner.de
- c't (Magazin für Computertechnik) - http://www.heise.de/ct
- Computer Music - http://www.computermusic.co.uk