High Tech Hits the Home Studio

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High Tech Hits the Home Studio

• Recording CDs in Your Studio

Presented by Michelle Sisler
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Ideas for Recording CDs

• Create Custom Accompaniments for students to
  play with at recitals
• Create Duet Parts for students to practice with
• Record Students Work/Create Portfolio
• Create a CD for each student per year
• Create themed CDs such as a Christmas CD with
  each student recording their Christmas song.
• Add backgrounds.
• Audition CDs
• Assessment During Lessons (Can be done directly
  on digital piano without making CD.)
• Create DVDs with students songs and Movie Maker

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Creating Music CDs
Digital Piano / Keyboard
Win Sony Sound Forge Win/Mac Cubase
(Steinberg) Mac Peak (Bias)
Mixing Console Optional
Stand Alone Equipment
Microphone with acoustic instrument or voice
Created By Michelle Sisler 2006
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Getting Started What Equipment Do You Need?

• Piano (Digital or Acoustic)
• Computer with audio software (such as Sound Forge
  or CuBase) and a sound card or Stand Alone
  Equipment
• Audio Cables
• Microphone and Mixer or Fast Track (for Acoustic
  Piano or other Instrument)

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Equipment Information

• Fast Track- Easy to use. Plug in your microphone
  and computer and you are set.
• Mixer More flexibility than Fast Track. You can
  record multiple parts, pianos, or instruments.
  You could also include vocal parts.
• MicrophonesDynamic Designed for Voice works
  for piano as well. Condensor Designed for
  Instruments - Slightly more expensive but better
  quality. Requires power (phantom power from mixer
  or battery).
• Audio Cables
• Stand Alone Equipment More expensive and you
  lose your editing features, Skips Tracks

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Sony Sound Forge

• is the word processing software for Audio using
  some of the same commands you are used to seeing
  such as open, close, cut, copy and paste.2
  versionsSound Forge 9Sound Forge Audio Studio

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Recording Options

• If you are using a digital piano, you can record
  your song on the piano or disk drive and transfer
  it to the computer.
• If you are using an acoustic piano or other
  instrument, you will record right to the computer
  with a microphone. (You can also use this option
  with a digital piano.)

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Setting Up

• Connect cables from your piano to your computer.
  The two large ends go into Audio Out on piano
  and the small end goes into Microphone port on
  computer.)
• If you are using a microphone, plug into the Fast
  Track or Mixer and then plug this equipment into
  your computer (USB or Audio).Audio Cables
  Y-Adapter Audio Cable (1/8 stereo phone plug to
  two phono plugs) 2 - 1/4 Jack Adapters

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Information on Sample Rate and Bit Depth

• Sample rate and Bit-Depth refer to the size and
  quality of your files.
• Higher Sample Rate Higher Quality
• Higher Bit-Depth less quantization (rounding)
  less noise in your audio.
• Use a sample rate of 44,100 and a Bit-Depth of 16
  for CD quality sound (Default Settings).
• Note Lower resolution formats reduce storage
  space requirements but can also compromise the
  audio quality of your sound files. Lower sample
  rates lose high frequency response, and 8-bit
  storage causes a reduction of your sound's
  dynamic range, resulting in dull and lifeless
  audio. Higher quality also equals a larger file
  size. For recording CDs, your file size can be
  higher but if you want to put music on the
  internet or a website, the file size may be too
  large.

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To Start the Recording Process

• 1. Open Your Audio Recording Program (Sound
  Forge).
• 2. Select File then New. The following window
  will appear3. Click ok.

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Once you click on okay, this screen will appear.
Click on the red Record button.
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The following screen will appear.
Click on the Remote button.
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• Sound Forge will now look like this.

Leaving your Sound Forge Window open, open the
Windows Recording Control Box (Start, All
Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Volume
Control). This Master Volume box will appear.
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• Under Options, Click Properties then select
  Recording.
• In the same Properties box, make sure the
  Microphone Box is checked as well.

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• The Recording Control Box will now appear.
• Select/Check the box in the Microphone section.
• In the Advanced Tab, you may need to turn off
  the Mic Boost.

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You are now ready to test the sound.
You should have both of these boxes on your
screen.
Press play or play your instrument. The input
meters (green bars) show the level of the
incoming signal. For recording, the incoming
audio should remain primarily in the yellow. If
you see the incoming signal entering the red, try
turning down your volume. This will help
eliminate distortion. Make sure to try out the
loudest parts of the song as well.
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Lets Record!On the same screen, press the red
Record button. Then press Play on your piano
(or start to play).
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You are now recording!The red recording bar will
flash red.
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When the song is completely finished, press the
blue Stop Recording square (the same place you
started the recording.) This will stop the
recording.
Then press Close
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Your song will now appear as a waveform in a data
window.
The top is sound that comes out of the left and
the bottom is the sound that comes out of the
right.
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To play your song, click the play button. You
can also start from a selected point in the song
by placing your cursor at that point and then
pressing play, or play a specific section by
highlighting the section.
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Save Your File Select where you would like to
save your file, type in a file name, and select a
Save as Type. If you are going to create a CD,
choose Wave (Microsoft) (.wav) which is the
default. Other options such as MP3, Quick
Time, etc. are used if you will be putting your
file on the Internet.
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Editing Your MusicThe most common edit is extra
space before, after, or sometimes in the middle
of a song. This is shown in the waveform by a
flat line. You will also hear the silence when
you play the song. Zoom in this section using
the up arrow on your keyboard.
Note Before doing any editing, you may want to
save your file using Save As to keep your
original file in tact.
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With your mouse, highlight the extra space. For
fine tuning and to move slightly forward or
backward more accurately, use the side arrow keys
on your keyboard. Make sure to select both upper
and lower waveforms. To do this, click in the
middle of the waveforms. Now press the Delete
key on your keyboard.
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Fading Out

• Another common edit is fading out.
• Listen to your song and find the place you want
  to start the fading out.
• Highlight the section from that point to the end
  of the song.

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SelectProcess,Fade,Out
You can use the undo and re-do buttons until you
have re-saved your work. Re-save your file using
Save to save over your current file.
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More Editing

• To edit in the middle of a song, place your
  cursor in where you want to edit, like you would
  in your word processing program. Remember, for
  fine tuning and to move slightly forward or
  backward more accurately, use the side arrow keys
  on your keyboard. You can also Insert Markers
  (Special, Insert Marker) to create a reference
  point of where you want to edit.
• To edit a mistake, play the file and when you
  hear the mistake, click the pause button so you
  know where this point is.
• Play the selection or song after you edit and
  check to see if any further editing is necessary.
  This is especially helpful when eliminating
  space in the middle of a song.

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Other Editing Options
Other options include Mute, Insert Silence,
Pitch, Reverb, Fade, Pan, Graphic Equalizer,
Volume, Distortion, Pitch Bend. To use these
options, highlight the section you want to edit
and select from the menu.
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Burning Your CD Track-At-Once Option
Use this option when you want to burn only one or
two tracks.

• Open the songs you wish to record.
• Under Tools, select Burn Track-At-Once Audio CD.
• You will need to close your disk before it will
  play in your CD player. If this is the only
  track you will be putting on the CD, check the
  box next to Close Disk when done burning. If
  you plan to add more songs to your disk, do not
  select this until your last song.

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Burning Your CD Using Your Computers CD Burning
Software
Use this option when you want to burn multiple
tracks.

• Common Programs are Easy CD Creator, Roxio, Nero
• Open your Recording Software Program.
• Select Create a Music CD.
• Select the tracks you want to include and move
  them up or down to put them in order.
• Burn Your CD.

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Involve Your Students

• Teach them about audio production
• Offer summer technology lessons
• Have them record their own CD
• Add to Movie Maker or Sony Vegas

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Resources

• Getting Started with Sound Forge(Book by
  Michelle Sisler 6.95)Free with Purchase of
  Sound Forge at Conference
• Technology Guide for Music Educators(TIME)
  Artistpro Publishing
• Strategies for Teaching Technology(TIME)
  Artistpro Publishing