Posts Tagged ‘Recording Industry’
We’ve all been in this situation before: you are watching a TV program when suddenly, the commercial break comes up. The commercial is much louder than the program you were watching. You turn down the volume, only to have to turn it back up once the program resumes.
This isn’t some technical error at your local TV station or even your cable provider. This is an intentional strategy in the broadcasting industry. The idea is to get people to pay attention to the commercials by making them so much louder than the program. This is something also done in the recording industry with regards to music as well. This is changing the way that people record music, even the way people listen to music has changed as a result.
Average volume levels were once much lower in the recording industry. The norm would be 2 to 3 as the volume standard. Recordings would be done at this volume to make for a more pleasant experience for the listener. This also allowed for greater dynamic range on recordings, with a better blend of sounds on record.
Lower volume levels gave engineers the freedom to showcase arrangements and instrumentation. It also allowed them the ability to create greater freedom for movement where volume was concerned. Volume while recording music is a range in which you can increase or decrease the amount of sound. When you work with negative numbers on your volume dial; somewhere between -6 and -1, you have a lot of room to increase the volume if needed.
However, the standard volume has increased as the recording industry has progressed technologically. Currently, the industry standard is closer to 0 – one of the highest possible volumes. Many people do not even notice this and just turn down the volume during playback. This decision by the recording industry has, however, changed the way everything is done in the music recording industry, from the way instruments are recorded to the way that people listen to records.
This higher volume has changed the way that musicians and recording engineers think about dynamics, volume range and instrumentation and arrangements themselves. This has eliminated some of the possibilities for recording which were once parts of the music industry’s palate. If you take a close listen to music which has been recorded recently, you may notice that there is a lot less dynamic range than once was the norm, a change in the types of instrumentation used and so on. This is all due to the fact that the volume has been turned up as high as it can go! This has limited the possibilities for musicians and recording engineers.
Volume control and in fact, the entire process of mastering differs according to the format you get your music in. There is a different volume standard for the radio than for CD, which is in turn different than that for MP3 format. Those who have custom recording technologies and setups at their disposal, there can be more freedom in the volume levels and mastering process used. Before recording, you should think about what sort of volume you want your finished product to be at. This will help you make your own way towards the industry standards of producing CDs.
When recording, you should always think about the different volume levels which you can use and the big differences they can make to your recordings. You certainly don’t want to sacrifice your vision for the recording for the sake of volume. While you do want to fall within the parameters of industry standards, you also want to give yourself as much room to create as possible. This will let you make the recording you want at a volume level that invites the listener to turn it up and have a deeper experience.
Recording technology has advanced far beyond magnetic tape on large reels and recording everything live in the studio. New developments are happening all the time, both within the recording industry itself and with the technology used in recording. This is making more different sorts of recordings and recording setups possible.
Recording has actually gotten simpler and cheaper with each passing year. No longer does the would-be recording engineer or self producing artist need to invest thousands upon thousands in equipment. Newer recording equipment offers more capabilities and versatility with a lower price tag.
The biggest news in the field is of course digital recording technologies. Everything can be recorded digitally, right off of the board. Digital recording makes for a clearer, crisper sound and a wider frequency range.
New digital technology brings with it new, more compact mixing consoles. Great for bedroom studios and the like where space is at a premium, many of these boards have all the capabilities of a larger analog based board and can even handle everything without the use of an external computer or added software. This streamlines the entire process of recording and allows for much easier remote recordings, such as live shows and field recordings.
Along with these advances in recording is the near omnipresence of electronic musical instruments (think of samplers and sequencers, for instance), allowing entirely new kinds of sounds to be produced. That perfect sound once unattainable now is within reach and almost anyone can be their own arranger thanks to these new technologies.
Other musical equipment has kept pace. Amps, microphones and the like are being seen in constantly improving models. All in one amplifier/microphone combos are available, which can record as you play and are ideal for capturing a live performance without the interference of crowd noise, poor microphone placement, etc.
Due to the very different acoustics of studios versus live music venues, equipment can be divided into those that are better suited for one purpose than the other. Studio settings call for reducing resonance; in live recording, you’ll want just the opposite, for instance. Look for this separation of purposes to be a growing part of the recording equipment market, as well as that of musical equipment in general.
When putting together your own recording studio, consider these new technologies and how you can best use them for your specific purposes. You’ll want to take advantage of anything and everything that help you achieve that perfect sound, and today’s new digital recording equipment can get you there.
Bharatbook.com announces a new market research report “U.S. Sound Recording Studios Industry Report” provides the…..
The U.S. Sound Recording Studios Industry report, published annually contains timely and accurate industry statistics, forecasts and demographics. The report features 2008 current and 2009 forecast estimates on the size of the industry (sales, establishments, employment) nationally and for all 50 U.S. States and over 900 metro areas. The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on industry sales, establishments and employment, a breakdown of establishments, sales and employment by employee size of establishment (9 categories), and estimates on up to 10 sub-industries, including business management consulting, information systems consulting, and administrative management consulting services.
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