Music production

Music production (4th edition)

Again (December 2021) acquired a new book for my collection: Music Production: Learn How to Record, Mix, and Master Music from Hans Weekhout who is also teaching Music and Technology at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Arts).  Hans Weekhout was one of the lecturers of Sound Education Nederland explaining how to mix vocals. I bought the Dutch version (4th Edition) but an English version (3rd Edition) is also available. More information is found on the website of Music Production, which also points to the extra online content.

We can all record music. You can come a long way with a smartphone. But if it really has to sound good, there’s a lot more to it. Acoustics, microphone setup, EQ. reverberation and compression determine the final sound. With ‘Music Production’ you learn to produce, record, mix and master yourself. With hundreds of tips and tricks, this is the handbook for the novice and advanced music producer.

A selection of the topics:

• What types of microphones are there, how do they work exactly and which affordable types are good?
• How do you record drums, or percussion, bass, guitar, piano or vocals?
• How do you go about doing a recording session and how can you bring a musician to a better performance?
• How do you choose speakers, how do you place them and can you also make a good mix on headphones?
• How do you improve the acoustics of your own space and how can software help?
• Is recording to tape worth it? Can you achieve the same with plugins?
• Clear practical examples and tips & tricks in Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Ableton Live
• Project organization: learn to work faster, this allows the flow of ideas to find its way better
• Mixing: as a beginner you learn the basics, for advanced there is a section with advanced techniques
• The seam of the stocking on key production effects like EQ, delay, reverb, compression, limiting, distortion, multiband compression and dynamic EQ
• From bass drum to lead vocal: step-by-step through the mixing process with every instrument. Which settings are good and which plugins are eligible?
• How do you support the musical story of the song with a good mix?
• The 10 most common mixing mistakes (and how to avoid them!)
• A current Top-3 of the best plugins for every task, including free/low-budget options
• What is mastering? Learn how to master yourself step by step ‘in-the-box’.

Hans Weekhout is one of the well-known names in the Dutch studio world. He worked with many greats, ranging from Marco Borsato to Prince and from Falco to Herman Brood. As Capricorn he scored a world hit with the dance track 20Hz. As a teacher he is affiliated with the pop department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In recent years he has taught successful artists such as DeWolff, Eva Simons, Jungle by Night, Bombay and Jett Rebel. Jellywood is the name of his studio.

Hans Weekhout (2021) Muziekproductie, 4de editie, Django Music & Publishing.

Table of content (3rd Edition; 4th edition contains additional chapter ‘Working with computers’)

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

PART I RECORDING

• 1/ PRODUCTION: THE STUDIO AS AN INSTRUMENT

• 2/ IN THE STUDIO

• 3/ ANALOG RECORDING

• 4/ SPEAKERS AND ACOUSTICS

• 5/ MICROPHONES

• 6/ RECORDING TECHNIQUES

• 7/ RECORDING | DRUMS AND PERCUSSION

• 8/ RECORDING | OTHER INSTRUMENTS

• 9/ DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION AND MIDI

• 10/ RECORDING ON THE COMPUTER

• 11/ THE RECORDING SESSION

PART II MIXING

• 12/ EFFECTS | EQUALIZERS

• 13/ EFFECTS | ECHO/DELAY

• 14/ EFFECTS | REVERB

• 15/ EFFECTS | COMPRESSION AND LIMITING

• 16/ ORGANIZING A PROJECT

• 17/ SETTING GOALS FOR THE MIX

• 18/ WORKFLOW OF THE MIX

• 19/ MIXING | DRUMS

• 20/ MIXING | BASS

• 21/ MIXING | GUITAR

• 22/ MIXING | KEYBOARDS

• 23/ MIXING | VOCALS

• 24/ GETTING MORE FROM THE MIX, COMMON MISTAKES

• 25/ BOUNCING THE MIX

PART III ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES

• 26/ VINTAGE EQ AND COMPRESSION

• ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES | INTRODUCTION

• 27/ ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES | DRUMS

• 28/ ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES | BASS

• 29/ ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES | GUITAR

• 30/ ADVANCED MIXING TECHNIQUES | VOCALS

PART IV MASTERING

• 31/ MASTERING

• 32/ DIY MASTERING

• 33/ JUST ONE LOUDER

PART V APPENDICIES

• APPENDIX 1 | CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND

• APPENDIX 2 | OUR HEARING

• INDEX