| Recent Comments |
| Categories |
| Archives |
| Tags |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General
SkippyStudio is the former name of the website of SkippyStudio This website from Antoine van Kampen about his music related endeavors. It contains information about bands he played in, music he composed (e.g., time to start), songs he mixed (e.g., Tip toe through the Crypto), his home studio, and a lot of other stuff. Just explore and have fun.
0
0
Part of the content is produced by Antoine van Kampen. Other parts were copied from various resources including internet or books. Some of this copied information could be used on my website since it is licensed under Creative Commons. There is also copyright protected information on my website but never long excerpts. I always tried to acknowledge the sources of this information but realize that I may have failed to do this occasionally but not intentionally. In case you want me to remove content that you produced, or to (more) properly acknowledge it then drop me an email.
0
0
Part of the content is produced by Antoine van Kampen. Other parts were copied from various resources including internet or books. Some of this copied information could be used on my website since it was licensed under Creative Commons (e.g. information from Wikipedia). There is also copyright protected information on my website but never long excerpts. I always tried to acknowledge the sources of this information but realize that I may have failed to do this occasionally but not intentionally.
Can you copy and use information from SkippyStudio? In principle you can freely use all content that I produced. For content that I have copied from other websites or sources please refer to the original source. The problem might be that it is not always clear which information I produced and which information I copied (without permission) from other websites. In case of doubt let me know.
All content that I produced is or will be licensed under Attribution 4.0 International.
0
0
Skippy Studio is the home studio of Antoine van Kampen where he composes, plays, records, and mix music. The core of the studio comprises Cubase, the X32 digital mixer, and a range of keyboards. If you want me to mix your song or do a project with me then contact me.
0
0
No, I don’t provide any lessons for synthesizer, hammond, nor piano. I can, however, highly recommend Piano with Willie. I don’t have any link with this guy but have taken some of his (video) lessons. It’s really great.
0
0
Depends on what you are looking for but in principle I can provide advice about (the type of) keyboards (e.g., piano, synthesizer, etc) that you are looking for and other attributes (e.g., amplifier, pedals, stompboxes) that you may need. Just drop me an email.
See also the other [services] that I provide.
0
0
Antoine van Kampen is the creator of the SkippyStudio Website and the owner of Skippy Studio. His aim is to make profit from his music production services. (see [here]) but lots of information is provided for free through my website. Antoine is running Skippy Studio next to his other job as researcher at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AMC). See also www.bioinformaticslaboratory.eu.
2
0
This website was build by me using WordPress and the Avada theme. The platform is hosted by Hoasted.com. See also [here].
0
0
Skippy Studio
Skippy Studio is the home studio of Antoine van Kampen where he composes, plays, records, and mix music. The core of the studio comprises Cubase, the X32 digital mixer, and a range of keyboards. If you want me to mix your song or do a project with me then contact me.
0
0
Yes. I can teach you the basics of a DAW (for example for mixing). In fact I have a basic but free tutorial on my website. Have a look at my online courses.
0
0
You can listen and my compositions and my mixes on this website. If you want me to mix your song then have a look at my mixing services.
0
0
Depends on what you want. Drop me an email with some further details. I rarely do this due to lack of time but you never know…….
0
0
Antoine van Kampen is the creator of the SkippyStudio Website and the owner of Skippy Studio. His aim is to make profit from his music production services. (see [here]) but lots of information is provided for free through my website. Antoine is running Skippy Studio next to his other job as researcher at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AMC). See also www.bioinformaticslaboratory.eu.
2
0
Terminology
A digital audio workstation (DAW) is application software used for recording, editing, and producing audio and MIDI files. Modern DAWs like
Cubase have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece. [Wikipedia]. See also [this post] with an overview of different DAWs.
See also
0
0
When we record audio in a digital format, like an MP3 the original signal is sampled, digitized and stored as binary code. When a computer reads this code, it recreates the original audio signal. Some formats (e.g.., mp3) use data compression to reduce the size of the file. There are several common audio formats including wav, flac, mp3, etc. For more information: [here]
0
0
This is an often asked question. What is the difference between an active and passive DI-Box? What is the difference with a (microphone) splitter? How does re-amping fits into this picture? An excellent overview is provided by the SOS article ‘Meet the problem solvers‘.
0
0
Digital filters are for the most part identical to their analogue counterparts on which they are based. However one of the way in which they can differ is when they are carried over to the digital domain by means of the ‘bilinear transform“‘. As long as the sampling rate exceeds the frequencies of interest by a comfortable margin, the bilinear transform provides a very accurate way to design a digital filter.
The problem with the bilinear transform only presents itself with certain filter types and only when the filter is applied at the top end where some of the cut or boost would pass beyond half the sampling frequency – the Nyquist frequency which represents the highest frequency which can be reproduced by the system at that sampling rate.
A consequence of using the bilinear transform is that the amplitude must be at unity at the Nyquist frequency. Because of this the symmetrical shape of bell filters applied at the high end will be distorted, squashing the slope of the bell above the centre frequency more and more as the centre frequency is raised.
(https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/what-is-eq-cramping-and-should-you-care)
0
0
Haas Effect, also called the precedence effect, describes the human psychoacoustic phenomena of correctly identifying the direction of a sound source heard in both ears but arriving at different times. Due to the head’s geometry (two ears spaced apart, separated by a barrier) the direct sound from any source first enters the ear closest to the source, then the ear farthest away. The Haas Effect tells us that humans localize a sound source based upon the first arriving sound, if the subsequent arrivals are within 25-35 milliseconds. If the later arrivals are longer than this, then two distinct sounds are heard. The Haas Effect is true even when the second arrival is louder than the first (even by as much as 10 dB.). In essence we do not “hear” the delayed sound.
This is the hearing example of human sensory inhibition that applies to all our senses. Sensory inhibition describes the phenomena where the response to a first stimulus causes the response to a second stimulus to be inhibited, i.e., sound first entering one ear cause us to “not hear” the delayed sound entering into the other ear (within the 35 milliseconds time window).
Sound arriving at both ears simultaneously is heard as coming from straight ahead, or behind, or within the head. The Haas Effect describes how full stereophonic reproduction from only two loudspeakers is possible. (After Helmut Haas’s doctorate dissertation presented to the University of Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany as “Über den Einfluss eines Einfachechos auf die Hörsamkeit von Sprache;” translated into English by Dr. Ing. K.P.R. Ehrenberg, Building Research Station, Watford, Herts., England Library Communication no. 363, December, 1949; reproduced in the United States as “The Influence of a Single Echo on the Audibility of Speech,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 20 (Mar. 1972), pp. 145-159.).
Copied from: https://www.aes.org/par/h/#Haas_Effect
See also Reverb, delay, and the Haas effect
0
0
MIDI Machine Control, or MMC, a subset of the MIDI specification, provides specific commands for controlling recording equipment such as multi-track recorders. MMC messages can be sent along a standard MIDI cable for remote control of such functions as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop, Pause, and Record. These are “System Exclusive” (SysEx) messages, specifically Real Time Universal SysEx messages. See also [Wikipedia] and [Midi.org].
0
0
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitation.
With Cubase 12 Pro you can now create Dolby Atmos music in Cubase 12 Pro. Cubase 12 Pro shares the Dolby Atmos Renderer implementation with Nuendo and the two are very similar. Cubase 12 Pro has native Rendering to 2.0, 5.1, 7.1 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 speaker layouts and adds rendering to binaural audio for headphones.
Differences from the Nuendo Atmos implementation include ADM BWF export only (not import), the use of a single bed, and native rendering only (cannot be used with the Dolby Atmos Production or Mastering Suite).
0
0
Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error in audio (but also images). Dither is routinely used in processing of digital audio and is one of the last stages of mastering audio (to a CD.)
0
0
AV systems have traditionally required point-to-point physical connections between devices, resulting in cumbersome amounts of specialized, single-purpose cables that define where audio and video signals can go. Changes are labor-intensive and expensive, and noise and signal degradation are constant companions as distances grow. The result is systems that are difficult to deploy and even more difficult to adapt as demands shift.
Dante replaces all of those connections with a computer network, effortlessly sending video or hundreds of channels of audio over slender Ethernet cables with perfect digital fidelity. All connections are now managed with software, making routes fast, readable and reliable. Because all devices share the same network, signals can be sent between any devices no matter where they are located on a site, with no change to the wiring at all. Dante systems are easily expanded, exactly as one might add a printer to a network. Just connect additional devices to any available network jack and start using it.
See also What is Dante? and Wikipedia
0
0
A multitrack is a type of audio recording that involves capturing multiple individual audio tracks separately. These are combined during mixing. Each track can represent a different sound source, such as vocals, instruments, or effects, recorded in isolation. This method allows for full control during the mixing process because each track can be edited, balanced, and processed independently before they are combined into a final mix (stereo audio file).
Multitracks are commonly used in music production, film, and broadcasting. For example, in music production for a song, separate tracks might be used for vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and other instruments. Each of these tracks can be recorded separately and then mixed together to create the final version of the song.
0
0
Standards
Audio Engineering Society. AES Standards bring the industry’s engineering teams together to facilitate new technologies, improve performance and ensure audio interoperability.
0
0
Audio Random Access (ARA) is an extension for audio plug-in interfaces, such as AU, VST and RTAS, allowing them to exchange a greater amount of audio information with digital audio workstation (DAW) software. It was developed in a collaboration between Celemony Software and PreSonus. [Wikipedia].
0
0
Audio Stream Input Output (ASIO) is a computer sound card driver protocol for digital audio specified by Steinberg, providing a low-latency and high fidelity interface between a software application and a computer’s sound card. Whereas Microsoft’s DirectSound is commonly used as an intermediary signal path for non-professional users, ASIO allows musicians and sound engineers to access external hardware directly. [Wikipedia] [ASIO4ALL]
0
0
When we record audio in a digital format, like an MP3 the original signal is sampled, digitized and stored as binary code. When a computer reads this code, it recreates the original audio signal. Some formats (e.g.., mp3) use data compression to reduce the size of the file. There are several common audio formats including wav, flac, mp3, etc. For more information: [here]
0
0
A control protocol developed by Euphonix which operates at high-speed over an Ethernet connection. It is used between control surfaces and DAW computers to convey information about the positions of faders, knobs, and buttons and to carry display information. My AVID S1 controller is based on the EUCON protocol.
Audio Engineering Society: EUCON protocol (2006) (pdf) 508.23 KB 390 downloads
Retrieved from [semanticscholar.org] Robert Boyer and Philip E. Campbell and Scott... 0
0
The Human User Interface Protocol (commonly abbreviated to HUI) is a proprietary MIDI communications protocol for interfacing between a hardware audio control surface and digital audio workstation (DAW) software. It was first created by Mackie and Digidesign in 1997 for use with Pro Tools, and is now part of the Mackie Control Universal (MCU) protocol. [Wikipedia]. Note the the EUCON protocol provides a deeper integration with DAWs.
0
0
In 2003, the Mackie Control Universal (MCU) protocol was introduced, combining together functionality from Mackie Control, Logic Control and HUI into a single protocol.. DAWs which support MCU (in addition to those which support HUI) includes Cubase. [Wikipedia] [Mackie Control (SoundOnSound)]
0
0
The Virtual Studio Technology (VST) interface is developed by Steinberg and first launched in 1996, VST creates a full, professional studio environment on your PC or Mac. VST allows the integration of virtual effect processors and instruments into your digital audio environment. These can be software recreations of hardware effect units and instruments or new creative effect components in your VST system. All are integrated seamlessly into VST compatible host applications. These VST modules have the sound quality of the best hardware units, yet are far more flexible. All functions of a VST effect processor or instrument are directly controllable and automatable; either with a mouse or with an external hardware controller. VST also allows easy integration of external equipment, allowing you to put together a system tailor-made to your needs. Being an open standard, the possibilities offered by VST have steadily been growing over the past decade. New virtual effect processors and virtual instruments are constantly being developed by Steinberg and of course dozens of other companies. Leading third party VST instrument creators include renowned software companies such as Native Instruments, Arturia and Spectrasonic as well as known hardware manufacturers like Korg, Waldorf or Novation. Companies such as Waves, Sonnox, Antares and TC Works have contributed virtual effect processors. For more information: [Steinberg][Wikipedia].
The VST format has been brought up to version 3, though many developers still support the older VST 2.xx format. VST3 plugins are always 64-bit-compatible, offer sidechaining options and dynamically assignable outputs. However, they dispense with the popular preset/patch and bank storage format (.fxp and .fxb, respectively), which can make transferring patches between plugins and projects trickier.
There are still many 32-bit plugins. Often this isn’t an issue, as most plugin providers offer both 32-bit and 64-bit versions that can exist side-by-side on the same computer. You can’t run a 64-bit plugin in a 32-bit host; the reverse is also usually true. Some 64-bit DAWs have a built-in ‘bridge’ that can make 32-bit plugs available. If your DAW (e.g., Cubase) doesn’t, you’ll need a third-party bridge or wrapper (e.g., JBridge)
The other thing to bear in mind is that many plugins will require up to five destinations:
* The plugin file itself, that goes into your choice of vstplugins folder.
* Any 64-bit programme stuff, such as uninstall, manuals etc.
* Any 32-bit programme stuff, such as uninstall, manuals etc.
* There may be a 4th destination with the Windows /ProgramData folder where presets get stored.
* There may even be a large sample collection that you can save to a 5th destination
You can see [here] how I organized my plugins
See also: Differences between VST2 and VST3: https://www.musicianwave.com/vst2-vst3-differences/
0
0
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
SMPTE is the global society of media professionals, technologists and engineers working together to drive the industry forward. Technical brilliance. From the early days of entertainment technology to the latest digital media breakthroughs, the brightest minds in the industry have found their community in SMPTE, the home of creative technology.
SMPTE people form a global professional society of individuals and corporations collaborating for the advancement of all things technical in the motion picture, television and digital media industries. The Society fosters a diverse and engaged membership from both the technology and creative communities, delivering vast educational offerings ,technical conferences and exhibitions, informational blog posts , and the renowned SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. We champion local and global forums, section meetings and other events that offer invaluable access to a network of mentors and colleagues. We encourage and reward volunteer participation in leadership roles within the Society.
Just as importantly, SMPTE is an internationally recognized Standards organization, bringing order to the chaos of constantly evolving technologies with a high level of unbiased technical excellence. SMPTE’s more than 800 engineering standards and guidelines are developed in a collaborative process with individuals and corporations to advance global interoperability of hardware and software. As a result, the industry worldwide can enjoy both improved workflow and uncompromising quality for seamless creation, management and delivery of media.
[SoundOnSound audio levels] [IEEEXplore] 0
0
SMuFL is a specification that provides a standard way of mapping the thousands of musical symbols required by conventional music notation into the Private Use Area in Unicode’s Basic Multilingual Plane for a single (format-independent) font.
Most fonts containing musical symbols use a glyph layout that was first introduced in 1985 with Adobe’s Sonata font, which accommodates fewer than 200 basic symbols. In the last three decades, individual software vendors and font designers have built upon this de facto standard in an uncoordinated and haphazard fashion, leading to significant inconsistencies between different music font families. Furthermore, all existing music font families make use of many separate font files containing different subsets of symbols, not taking advantage of the capabilities of OpenType and Unicode.
In 1998, a range of 220 glyphs for musical symbols was added to the Unicode standard, but this range does not significantly expand upon the initial set of symbols contained in Sonata, and has not yet been widely adopted.
The goal of SMuFL is to establish a new standard glyph mapping for musical symbols that is optimised for modern font formats and that can be adopted by a variety of software vendors and font designers, for the benefit of all users of music notation software.
SMuFL is developed by Steinberg. Dorico, the music notation program I use, makes use of SMuFL. .
See also https://www.smufl.org/
0
0
You can have a look at the Delivery Recommendations for Recorded Music Projects.
0
0
MIDI Machine Control, or MMC, a subset of the MIDI specification, provides specific commands for controlling recording equipment such as multi-track recorders. MMC messages can be sent along a standard MIDI cable for remote control of such functions as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop, Pause, and Record. These are “System Exclusive” (SysEx) messages, specifically Real Time Universal SysEx messages. See also [Wikipedia] and [Midi.org].
0
0
OpenSoundControl (OSC) is a data transport specification (an encoding) for realtime message communication among applications and hardware. OSC was originally designed as a highly accurate, low latency, lightweight, and flexible method of communication for use in realtime musical performance. OSC was proposed in 1997 as “a new protocol for communication among computers, sound synthesizers, and other multimedia devices that is optimized for modern networking technology”.
OSC can be understood as a more flexible alternative MIDI; OSC clears away many of the ideological and hardware constraints inherent to MIDI in favor of a open-ended, user-defined address-space model that provides arbitrary parametric control via standard networking hardware. The OSC Specification 1.0 was formalized and published in 2002. The 2009 Specification 1.1 update added support for new features and data types. Over the years OSC has been useful in a wide variety of domains beyond musical contexts. Its timing accuracy and flexibility make it a ready solution for any application that requires time-sensitive communication between software and/or hardware endpoints.
0
0
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). Their members operate nearly 2,000 television, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms. The EBU strives to secure a sustainable future for public service media. We provide our Members with world-class content from news to sports and music, and build on our founding ethos of solidarity and co-operation to create a centre for learning and sharing.
The also publish technical reports and standards relevant for music production (here)
0
0
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. Founded in 1918, the Institute works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop standards- and conformance-based solutions to national and global priorities.
See also [here]
0
0
The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) enables sound recordings and music videos to be uniquely and permanently identified. ISRC helps to avoid ambiguity among recordings and simplifies the management of rights when recordings are used across different formats, distribution channels or products. The ISRC for a recording remains a fixed point of reference when the recording is used across different services, across borders, or under different licensing deals. For its format and more information see the ISRC handbook.
See also Registration SENA.
0
0
Organisations
Audio Engineering Society. AES Standards bring the industry’s engineering teams together to facilitate new technologies, improve performance and ensure audio interoperability.
0
0
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
SMPTE is the global society of media professionals, technologists and engineers working together to drive the industry forward. Technical brilliance. From the early days of entertainment technology to the latest digital media breakthroughs, the brightest minds in the industry have found their community in SMPTE, the home of creative technology.
SMPTE people form a global professional society of individuals and corporations collaborating for the advancement of all things technical in the motion picture, television and digital media industries. The Society fosters a diverse and engaged membership from both the technology and creative communities, delivering vast educational offerings ,technical conferences and exhibitions, informational blog posts , and the renowned SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. We champion local and global forums, section meetings and other events that offer invaluable access to a network of mentors and colleagues. We encourage and reward volunteer participation in leadership roles within the Society.
Just as importantly, SMPTE is an internationally recognized Standards organization, bringing order to the chaos of constantly evolving technologies with a high level of unbiased technical excellence. SMPTE’s more than 800 engineering standards and guidelines are developed in a collaborative process with individuals and corporations to advance global interoperability of hardware and software. As a result, the industry worldwide can enjoy both improved workflow and uncompromising quality for seamless creation, management and delivery of media.
[SoundOnSound audio levels] [IEEEXplore] 0
0
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). Their members operate nearly 2,000 television, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms. The EBU strives to secure a sustainable future for public service media. We provide our Members with world-class content from news to sports and music, and build on our founding ethos of solidarity and co-operation to create a centre for learning and sharing.
The also publish technical reports and standards relevant for music production (here)
0
0
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system. Founded in 1918, the Institute works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop standards- and conformance-based solutions to national and global priorities.
See also [here]
0
0
The ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) plays a vital role in the global management of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits – limited natural resources which are increasingly in demand from a large and growing number of services such as fixed, mobile, broadcasting, amateur, space research, emergency telecommunications, meteorology, global positioning systems, environmental monitoring and communication services – that ensure safety of life on land, at sea and in the skies.
Our mission is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, including those using satellite orbits, and to carry out studies and approve Recommendations on radiocommunication matters.
See also: [ITU-R]
0
0
Last updated on March 14th, 2024 at 10:25 am