Making Music
  Computer Music Software and Hardware

Making Music's Quick Guides

Concise but fact-packed guides to essential computer music topics

• MIDI
  
  MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) - what it is, how it works and does it still have a place in today's music environment?
• Digital Audio
  
  Digital Audio - How sound is digitally recorded, the important parameters and the importance of sample rates and resolutions.
• FireWire
  
  FireWire - the connections, the speed, the cabling, and how it's being used for music in digital audio devices and the next generation of MIDI.
• Oscillators
  
  Oscillators explained - wave shapes, harmonics and fundamentals, pitch, amplitude and tone, pulse width and subtractive synthesis.
• EQ and Filters
  
  EQ and Filters - what they are, what they do, and the various types of EQ and filter that you'll find in music hardware and software.
• Envelopes
  
  Envelopes - ADSR and other envelope generators, what the ADSR phases do and how they can be applied to a range of synthesiser modules.
• Audio CDs
  
  Audio CDs - CD-R, CD-RW, 'book' formats, DAO and TAO burning, multisession recording, overburning, buffer underrun errors, subcodes and indexing.
• Time Signatures
  
  Time Signatures - what they are, what they mean and how to interpret them.
• Fades
  
  Fades and crossfades - different types, what to use in mixing and in loop creation. Zero-crossing points and software aids to help create seamless loops.
• Analogue Synthesis
  
  Analogue Synthesis - how it works, using Control Voltages, the main synthesis modules, and why many software synths emulate analogue synthesis.
• Synthesis
  
  Synthesis - a look at types of synthesis other than analogue including Additive, FM, Phase Modulation, Waveshaping and Granular synthesis.
• Reverb
  
  Reverb, echo and delay - the essential parameters and how they affect the sound; environment simulators and multi-tap effects.
• Samplers
  
  Samplers - the core set of features and functions of both hadware and software samplers including multisamples, velocity switching and velocity crossfading.
• Song Structure
  
  Song Structure - the various parts that make up a song including intro, verse, chorus, middle eight, bridge, hook, outro and break.
• Vocoders
  
  Vocoders - what they are, how they work, hardware and software versions, and suggestions for using them with sounds other than the voice.
• Modulation
  
  Modulation - different types of modulation, what they do and how they work including, vibrato, tremolo, chorus, phasing, flanging and rotary speaker effects.
• Microphones
  
  Microphones - the major types, how they work, pickup and response patterns, selecting the best mic for you.