For years I wanted to learn the secret to making CD recordings of my students’ playing. I searched and searched on-line, talked with various techy people at workshops, and scoured bookstores looking for the answer. I knew there had to be a simple answer somewhere, but it eluded me at every turn. Then finally, one day I discovered a free audio recording software through a friend, and a few steps later my first “recording studio” was in business! The post in which I described this elementary set-up – Record Audio CDs in Your Studio – has become one of the most popular posts on the blog. Not many months later, I learned an even more effective way of making quality audio recordings using a Clavinova.
However, the few tidbits of information I’ve been able to offer on this topic pale in comparison to the fabulous new book published by Oxford University Press: Recording on a Budget – How to Make Great Audio Recordings Without Breaking the Bank by Brent Edstrom. Mr. Edstrom is incredibly knowledgeable about all things audio, yet still manages to communicate in a way that is easily understood by those of us who don’t understand all the technical jargon. The clean, well-organized layout is accompanied by lots of helpful graphics and photographs that contribute to an even better understanding of the material. There is also a password protected companion website with sample audio files.
The book is an excellent fit for both the recording enthusiast who wants to dig in and understand the nuts and bolts (discussions of acoustics, microphone frequency responses, mixing essentials, etc.) and the creative musician and/or teacher who just wants to know enough to be able to make quality recordings of live music. It’s not the type of book that most people would sit down and read cover to cover, but it’s an invaluable reference that should find its way into the hands of every musician, band director, classroom music educator, independent music teacher, and anyone else who wants to effectively utilize the audio recording capabilities of today!
And you could win a copy of Recording on a Budget for free, compliments of Oxford University Press! Just leave a comment below and you will be entered in a drawing to win this book for yourself. The drawing will be held at noon (CST) on Thursday, March 31, using a random number generator. Enter now for your chance to win!
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