Native Recording with Asio and Vst Plug-Ins

Drawing on his programming experience and expertise, Wiffen provides practical advice on the process of getting good quality audio in and out of ASIO, VST plug-ins and software such as Cubase.

Native (or "host-based") recording is the practice of recording audio using computer software. In this text, the author draws on his programming experience and expertise to provide practical advice on the process of getting good quality audio in and out of ASIO (Audio Streaming Input Output), VST plug-ins (hardware accessories, such as soundcards and software modules which are "plugged-in" to provide, for example, additional sound effects and software such as Cubase. The author also gives advice on how to treat and generate new sounds and timbres to add to the final mix. This doesn't just mean installing the necessary drivers for an audio interface, but also deciding what mics and ancillary equipment to connect, and preparing the audio interface. The techniques provided in the book can be practised via the demos and tutorials on the accompanying DVD-ROM.

Section I Native audio recording to hard disk: preparing the audio
microphone selection
microphone placement
mic pre-amping
monitoring at source - avoiding latency problems
hi-impedance sources
line level sources
phono sources - record decks and hi-fi systems
compression
other analogue effects
recording quality
sample resolution - word length
sample frequency - clock rate
internal processing resolution - how much higher?
final output resolution - dithering
ASIO - audio stream input/output
digital audio formats
Windows soundcards (entry level) - latency issues
Macintosh Sound Manager (up to MacOS9.2) - latency issues
Macintosh Sound Manager (from MacOSX)
professional audio cards (PCI slots) - multiple cards
professional audio cards with on-board processing (PCI slots)
professional audio cards (PCMCIA) - portable systems
professional audio interfaces (USB)
professional audio interfaces (FireWire) - multiple interfaces
recording and monitoring channels
transport commands
assigning file path
monitoring channels in record
internal recording/bouncing
mixdown preparation and outputting channels
internal mixdown
outputting to analogue mixing desks
outputting to digital mixing desks
send/return buses - using analogue effects
final output to master. Section 2 Virtual studio technology (VST plug-ins): virtual instruments
synthesisers
sample playback devices
hybrids
specific keyboard instruments
DSP effects
insert effects
channel effects
master effects. Section 3 Mixdown (bringing it all together): preparation
tidying up audio recordings
allocating resources (prioritizing)
committing effects (re-recording)
committing synths parts to audio
artistic considerations
mastering considerations.