Effects plugins and virtual instruments
Plugins are the digital version of analog processors like compressors, EQs, and reverbs. Some plugins, called virtual instruments or software instruments, act as synthesizers or samplers. Matt demonstrates some of the benefits of plugins, like only needing one piece of software to add an effect to dozens of tracks. VST is one specific type of plugin; others include AudioUnits, AAX, and RTAS. Plugins need to match the computer's OS and the DAW's format to work.
- In a traditional analogue studio,…you'll find lots of musical instruments to produce sounds…and lots of equipment…like mixers and effect units…to process sounds.…In a digital studio,…software versions of those…instruments and processors…are inside of the dock.…The software versions are called plugins.…While analogue enthusiasts often…profess the audio superiority of analogue gear,…plugins in your dock are highly capable.…The quality of your work will depend…much more on your decisions and skills…than on whether the instruments and effects…are analogue or digital.…
The very best plugins may even be…even better than their analogue counterparts…because they have no unintended…noise or distortion…or because they do things that are impossible…in the analogue demand.…They're are also some distinct practical…advantages to using plugins.…If you want to use the same effect on 20 tracks,…you don't need 20 hardware units of the effect…in a rack of gear…or built in a mixing console.…You simply need to create duplicates of the…
Matt Mayfield
Learn everything you need to know about working with digital audio. In this flagship course, author Matt Mayfield demonstrates a wide array of audio and music fundamentals. The lessons are designed for new musicians, songwriters, producers, and engineers; those making the leap from analog to digital; and professionals who need to brush up on a concept or two.
The course starts with explanations of what sound really is and how we hear it, including discussions on frequency, amplitude, phase, and psychoacoustics. Matt explores analog audio signal path, explaining connections, gain staging, and metering. Next, he brings the audio signal into the digital domain, discussing analog to digital conversion, digital gain staging, file formats and compression, and dither.
Then the course digs into digital audio workstations (DAWs), explaining the concepts and misconceptions involved in digital recording systems. Matt describes how memory, CPU speed, and storage affect your DAW's performance, as well as how to manage computer resources and understand the plethora of file formats associated with digital recording. He follows with an overview of MIDI: how to generate, store, process, and communicate MIDI data. He wraps up with the audio processors that are often used for mixing in a DAW—including EQ, compressors, reverb, delay, and many others.
The three domains of sound: acoustic, analog, and digital
The analog vs. digital signal paths
Converting analog audio to digital
Digital formats and data compression
Understanding the five types of DAWs
Recording performances with MIDI
Mixing and processing audio with EQ, compression, and other effects
Audio Recording Techniques
with Bobby Owsinski
Music Production Secrets: Larry Crane on Recording
with Larry Crane
Live Sound Engineering Techniques: On Tour with Rush
with Brent Carpenter
Drum Setup and Mic'ing in the Studio
with Ryan Hewitt
1. Concepts of Sound
What is sound made of?
Frequency and amplitude
Phase and time
How do we hear?
The acoustic, analog, and digital domains
2. The Signal Path: Acoustic and Analog
Overview of a signal path
Getting sound into the analog domain
Types of analog connections
Gain stages in the analog domain
Getting sound back to the acoustic domain
3. The Signal Path: Digital
Adding the digital domain
Gain stages in the digital domain
Dither
Digital to analog conversion
How digital connections work
4. Digital Audio Workstations
Introducing the DAW
Types of DAWs
Managing computer resources
5. MIDI
MIDI: Recording performances, not sounds
How MIDI is communicated
Storing and processing MIDI
6. Mixing and Processing Audio
Levels, pan, and automation
Monitoring levels while mixing
Partials, harmonics, and equalization (EQ)
Types of EQ components
Compression and other dynamic processing
Threshold, ratio, and four types of dynamic processors
Attack and release in dynamic processors
Characteristics of analog and digital
Audio + Music Acoustics Audio Engineering Audio Foundations Mixing Music Production
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