The audio expert : everything you need to know about audio / Ethan Winer.

Includes index.

Overview: Gain a deep understanding of audio practice and theory with this easy-to-read book, illustrated with more than 400 figures and photographs. Using common sense, plain-English explanations and minimal math, author Ethan Winer helps you understand audio at the deepest, most technical level-no engineering degree necessary. If you're an intermediate to advanced recording engineer or audiophile, you already know the basic mechanics of how audio "works." This book will take you beyond that, weaving together audio concepts, theories of aural perception and acoustics, musical instrument physics, and basic electronics and demonstrating their relationships to one another. Rather than merely showing you how to use audio devices like equalizers and compressors, Winer explains how they work internally and how they are spec'd and tested. With The Audio Expert, you get: Videos and audio examples on the companion website (TheAudioExpertBook.com) that help you understand complex topics, such as vibration and resonance; Platform agnostic explanations, applying to Windows and Mac operating systems, and to most software and hardware. Practical tips, tricks, advice, and lots of myth-busting.

Acknowledgments -- About the author -- Introduction: -- Bonus Web content -- Part 1: Audio Defined: -- Chapter 1: Audio basics: -- Volume and decibels -- Standard signal levels -- Signal levels and metering -- Calculating decibels -- Frequencies -- Graphing audio -- Standard octave and third-octave bands -- Filters -- Phase shift and time delay -- Comb filtering -- Fourier and the fast Fourier transform -- Sine waves, square waves, and pink noise-oh my! -- Resonance -- Audio terminology -- Null test -- Summary -- Chapter 2: Audio fidelity, measurements, and myths: -- High fidelity defined -- Four parameters -- Lies, damn lies, and audio gear specs -- Test equipment -- Audio transparency -- Common audio myths -- Stacking myth -- Myth-information -- Big picture -- Summary -- Chapter 3: Hearing, perception, and artifact audibility: -- Fletcher-Munson and the masking effect -- Distortion and noise -- Jitter -- Audibility testing -- Dither and truncation distortion -- Hearing below the noise floor -- Frequency response changes -- Utrasonics -- Ringing -- Aliasing -- Phase shift -- Absolute polarity -- Ears are not linear! -- Blind testing -- Psychoacoustic effects -- Placebo effect and expectation bias -- When subjectivists are (almost) correct -- Summary -- Chapter 4: Gozintas and gozoutas: -- Audio signals -- Audio wiring -- Audio connectors -- Patch panels -- Impedance -- Summary -- Part 2: Analog And Digital Recording, Processing, And Methods: -- Chapter 5: Mixers, buses, routing, and summing: -- Solo, mute, and channel routing -- Buses and routing -- Console automation -- Other console features -- Digital audio workstation software and mixing -- Pan law -- Connecting a digital audio workstation to a mixer -- Inputs and outputs -- Setting record levels -- Monitoring with effects -- Windows mixer -- Related digital audio workstation advice -- 5-1 Surround sound basics -- Summing -- Gain staging -- Microphone preamplifiers -- Preamp input impedance -- Preamp noise -- Clean and flat is where it's at -- Summary.

Chapter 6: Recording devices and methods: -- Recording hardware -- Analog tape recording -- Tape bias -- Tape pre-emphasis and de-emphasis -- Sel-sync -- Tape noise reduction -- Tape pre-distortion -- Failings of analog tape -- Digital recording -- In the box versus out of the box -- Record levels -- Recording methods -- Specific advice on digital audio workstations -- Copy protection -- Microphone types and methods -- Micing techniques -- 3-to-1 Rule -- Microphone placement -- DI=direct injection -- Additional recording considerations -- Advanced recording techniques -- Vari-speed -- Summary -- Chapter 7: Mixing devices and methods: -- Volume automation -- Editing -- Basic music mixing strategies -- Be organized -- Monitor volume -- Reference mixes -- Panning -- Getting the bass right -- Avoid too much reverb -- Verify your mixes -- Thin your tracks -- Distance and depth -- Bus versus insert -- Pre and post, mute and solo -- Room tone -- Perception is fleeting -- Be creative! -- In the box versus out of the box-yes, again -- Using digital audio workstation software -- Slip-editing and cross-fading -- Track lanes -- Normalizing -- Editing and comping -- Rendering the mix -- Who's on first? -- Time alignment -- Editing music -- Editing narration -- Re-amping -- Backward audio -- Mastering -- Save your butt -- Summary -- Chapter 8: Digital audio basics: -- Sampling theory -- Quantization -- Sample rate and bit depth -- Reconstruction filter -- Oversampling -- Bit depth -- Pulse-code modulation versus direct stream digital -- Digital notation -- Sample rate and bit depth conversion -- Dither and jitter -- External clocks -- Digital converter internals -- Bit-rate -- Digital signal processing -- Latency -- Floating point math -- Digital audio quality -- Summary -- Chapter 9: Dynamics processors: -- Compressors and limiters -- Using a compressor -- Common pitfalls -- Multiband compressors -- Noise gates and expanders -- Noise gate tricks -- Expanders -- But -- Dynamics processor special techniques -- Other dynamics processors -- Compressor internals -- Time constants -- Summary -- Chapter 10: Frequency processors: -- Equalizer types -- All equalizers (should) sound the same -- Digital equalizers -- EQ techniques -- Boosting versus cutting -- Common EQ frequencies -- Mixes that sound great loud -- Complementary EQ -- Extreme EQ -- Linear phase equalizers -- Equalizer internals -- Other frequency processors -- Summary -- Chapter 11: Time domain processors: -- Echo -- Reverb -- Phasers and flangers -- Summary -- Chapter 12: Pitch and time manipulation processors: -- Pitch shifting basics -- Auto-tune and melodyne -- Acidized wave files -- Summary -- Chapter 13: Other audio processors: -- Tape-sims and amp-sims -- Other distortion effects -- Software noise reduction -- Other processors -- Vocal removal -- Summary.

Chapter 14: Synthesizers: -- Analog versus digital synthesizers -- Additive versus subtractive synthesis -- Voltage control -- Sound generators -- Modulators -- Filters -- MIDI keyboards -- Beyond presets -- Alternate controllers -- Samplers -- Software synthesizers and samplers -- Sample libraries -- Creating sample libraries -- Key and velocity switching -- Sampler bank architecture -- FM synthesis -- Physical modeling -- Granular synthesis -- Prerendering -- Algorithmic composition -- Notation software -- Summary -- Part 3: Transducers: -- Chapter 15: Microphones and pickups: -- Microphone types -- Dynamic microphones -- Dynamic directional patterns -- Ribbon microphones -- Condenser microphones -- Condenser directional patterns -- Other microphone types -- Phantom power -- Microphone specs -- Measuring microphone response -- Microphone modeling -- Guitar pickups and vibrating strings -- Summary -- Chapter 16: Loudspeakers and earphones: -- Loudspeaker basics -- Loudspeaker drivers types -- Loudspeaker enclosure types -- Subwoofers -- Enclosure refinements -- Crossovers -- Active versus passive speakers -- Room acoustics considerations -- Loudspeaker impedance -- Loudspeaker isolation -- Loudspeaker polarity -- Earphones -- Loudspeaker specs -- Accurate or pleasing? -- Summary -- Part 4: Room Acoustics, Treatment, And Monitoring: -- Chapter 17: Acoustic basics: -- Room orientation and speaker placement -- Symmetry -- Reflection points -- Calculating reflection points -- Angling the walls and ceiling -- Low frequency problems -- Reverb decay time -- Stereo monitoring -- Surround monitoring -- Summary -- Chapter 18: Room shapes, modes, and isolation: -- Modal distribution -- Room ratios -- Modes, nodes, and standing waves -- ModeCalc program -- Room anomalies -- Odd room layouts -- One room versus two rooms -- Vocal booths -- Surface reflectivity -- Calculating reflections -- Isolation and noise control -- Air leaks -- Room within a room -- Summary -- Chapter 19: Acoustic treatment: -- Acoustic treatment overview -- Buy or build? -- Flutter echo -- Absorb or diffuse? -- Rigid fiberglass -- Absorption specs -- Material thickness and density -- Acoustic fabric -- Wave velocity, pressure, and air gaps -- Bass traps -- DIY bass traps -- Free bass traps! -- Diffusers -- Treating listening rooms and home theaters -- Bass in the place -- Front wall absorption -- Treating live recording rooms -- Hard floor, soft ceiling -- Variable acoustics -- Treating odd shaped rooms -- Treating large venues -- Room equalization -- Summary -- Chapter 20: Room measuring: -- Why we measure -- How we measure -- Room measuring software -- Configuring room EQ wizard -- Using room EQ wizard -- Interpreting the data -- Waterfall plots -- RT60 reverb time -- Energy time curve -- Using the real time analyzer -- Measuring microphones -- Microphones comparison -- Results -- Calibrating loudspeakers -- Summary.

Part 5: Electronics And Computers: -- Chapter 21: Basic electronics in 60 minutes: -- Ground -- Volts, amps, watts, and ohms -- Electronic components -- Capacitor upgrades -- Inductors -- Power ratings -- Solenoids -- Transformers -- Switches -- Diodes -- Parasitic elements -- Active solid-state devices -- Amplifier damping -- Negative feedback -- Power supplies -- Passive filters -- Amplifiers -- Active filters -- Digital logic -- Practical electronics -- Splitters and pads -- Phone patch -- Summary -- Chapter 22: Test procedures: -- Frequency response -- Ringing -- Harmonic distortion -- IM distortion -- Null tests -- Disproving common beliefs -- Oscilloscopes -- Summary -- Part 6: Musical Instruments: -- Chapter 23: Musical instruments: -- Instrument types -- Sympathetic resonance -- Harmonic series is out of tune -- Equal temperament -- Wood box instruments -- Bowed instruments -- Bow -- Stradivarius -- Plucked instruments -- Amplification -- Solid body electric guitars -- Blown instruments -- Flutes -- Single reeds -- Double reeds -- Brass instruments -- Percussion instruments -- Piano -- Mozart, Beethoven, and Archie Bell -- Summary -- Index.