Recording Tips for Music Educators

Foreword by Richard McCready Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Getting Started Recording Your Group What are My First Steps? Microphone Placement Should You Use Microphones for Every Section? Summary 2. Recording During a Rehearsal in the Rehearsal Room Recording in Small Rehearsal Spaces Microphone placement and Proximity Overhead Microphone Placement Directional Microphone Placement Playback and Evaluation; Using the Recording as a Teaching Tool Summary 3. Recording in an Auditorium or Large Space Recording in a Large Space Microphone Placement and Proximity Use of Multiple Microphones Hand-held Devices Summary 4. Recording Jazz Ensembles, Show Choirs and Groups with Amplifiers Recording Smaller Groups Recording Groups that Move on Stage Summary 5. Recording Away from School Recording in an unfamiliar space Use of a stereo pair only Making adjustments for the unexpected Summary 6. Recording in Areas That are not Acoustically Treated Recording Outside Performances Hand-held Devices Recording in Poorly Treated Areas Summary 7. Mixing a Performance Recording What is a Mixer/Soundboard? Analog and Digital Mixers Starting the Mixing Process Getting the Right Balances to Keep the Live Performance Feel Using a Mixing Board in Post-Production Summary 8. Mastering a Performance What is Mastering? How to Get a Good Master? What are the Final Steps? Mastering Yourself Finalizing Your Master Summary 9. Developing a Budget How Much Should be Spent on Equipment? Where Can I Get the Funding for Equipment? How Much Can I Expect to Spend on Equipment? Hand-held Devices Soundboards Sample Budget Summary 10. Selecting the Best Equipment What Should be Considered when Deciding on Microphones? What Kinds of Cables Will be Best? What Kind of Mixing Board is Needed? Preamps Summary Appendix A Appendix B Glossary Index