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Frequently Asked Questions
Basic Tracks - Multi-Track Music recording
A typical multi-track recording session begins with the band's rhythm section (bass, drums, guitar, keyboard) playing all at once while a guide vocal track is recorded at the same time. This is a very exciting part of the process. There you are, part of the creation of a piece of history, a song is born. After the rhythms of all the songs are recorded, the next step is to overdub the lead vocals to the songs. After the rhythms and vocals are finally to perfection, it is time to overdub the sweetening tracks, if needed (backup vocals, horns, keys, solos).
The engineer's goal is to have each instrument or group of instruments of the song recorded on separate tracks. This way, each of the instrument tracks can be played back as they would in a live performance. Once all the tracks are recorded, it is time to mix.
Mixing
Mixing is the proper blending of all the audio elements/tracks in a project/song to create a final audio product/mix. The mix engineer adjusts each track to get the proper balance and blend of the various sounds. Equalization (tone control) is used to adjust the tonal quality of each sound. Other signal processing devices (reverb, delay, compressors, noise gates, etc.) are used to further shape the sound. Automation is used to memorize adjustments within the song.
The "original final mix" is recorded in a 2 track (stereo) format such as CD, 24bit files or in 5.1 surround. When all mixing is completed on a project, it is ready for mastering.
Editing
Editing is the process of removing unwanted material from a program and piecing together the good sections to create a finished product. For music projects, editing can begin after all recording and mixing is completed. Editing can range from simple removal of "out takes," to rearranging the song order, to precision rearrangement of a musical selection.
In the days of reel-to-reel tape recording, the original mix tape was cut with a razor blade and spliced back together with splicing tape in the proper sequence.
In typical digital editing, the sections of the program are rearranged or deleted in the computer by simply programming the order in which the sound is played back. This is possible because the audio is recorded on a hard disk (random access) rather than on tape (linear). If something is to be cut, it is not "erased"- it is simply not "accessed". This is known as "non-destructive editing" because the original recordings are not physically cut or changed.
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