Topic: Beginners guides and books for post-processing (really basic)

[Oppanda]

Hi, apologies if this has already been covered.  Lockdowns cut short my taping, but now it’s started back and I now have a collection that I would like to work on and learn about post-processing.

 I am a complete newbie who doesn’t who anything about equalisation, normalisation, compression and other things that might be useful. 

Can anyone recommend a guide or book that goes through the very basics so I can start to understand what’s written in the threads here?

Thanks!

[kuba e]

Hi Oppanda. I read the book Mixing in a small studio by Mike Senior. It is a book about recording in the studio, but there are nicely described the basics that also apply to our audience recordings. All the information that is in this book can be found here on the forum. But there is everything together in the book and moreover it reads much better from a paper than from a computer.

A lot of patience is needed for postprocessing. Don't be discouraged by a hard start when everything will seem difficult to you. It takes time. Even I've made some progress although I don't have good hearing for music.

[Oppanda]

Hi Oppanda. I read the book Mixing in a small studio by Mike Senior. It is a book about recording in the studio, but there are nicely described the basics that also apply to our audience recordings. All the information that is in this book can be found here on the forum. But there is everything together in the book and moreover it reads much better from a paper than from a computer.

A lot of patience is needed for postprocessing. Don't be discouraged by a hard start when everything will seem difficult to you. It takes time. Even I've made some progress although I don't have good hearing for music.

Thanks for the recommendation!  I’ll certainly put that book high up on my list.  I’ll use this thread to post anything else that I find - I also started looking at courses too.

I’m quite experienced at photo post-processing so hoping it’ll eventually feel as natural as that.

[kuba e]

There will definitely be more similar books. I read this because it was translated into my language. It was more convenient for me. I like this book and it was useful for me, even though I already knew most of the things thanks to this forum.

Post-processing can be divided into two parts. One part is technical and the other is about listening skills. In the first part, it is necessary to understand the technical principles on which the recording and post-processing work. For those who are a little involved in technology, this is not difficult. For those who have a humanitarian focus, it can be a problem. But with a little effort and some help from this forum, everything can be understood. Personally, I really like theories about sound and its processing but I'm weaker for the second part. In the second part, you need to train good listening skills and also an idea and feelings of what you want to achieve. What is interesting is that listening skills can be trained. It starts with distinctive things and continues to finer details. It's more right fine detail together that makes the recording great.

[nassau73]

Kuba e is correct about the technical aspect combined with listening skills.

You don't say what audio software you plan on using. Izotope has some good videos that are geared towards their software but the techniques can apply to whatever you are using.

You can start checking them out at:

https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/what-is-mastering.html

[fireonshakedwnstreet]

I will just add to the great advice here two things that have helped me. First, familiarize yourself with the frequency "fundamentals" of different instruments; these would be the lowest and highest frequencies of an instrument. Obviously we are only recording in stereo so it won't be as dramatic as multitrack in a studio, but it makes a difference in shaping your sound to what you want to cut or boost.

Second, connected to ear training, know the characteristics and limitations of your monitoring system (it it bass heavy, trebly, etc). Try to listen on different systems if you can. If you have to use headphones (like I do) I suggest a good open back studio monitor.

I'm a big fan of EQ. A little goes a long way!

[Oppanda]

Thanks both.  Yes I’m looking at Izotope as that seems to be the most mentioned here. 

The fundamentals are what I really need and understanding EQ more than just the bass, mid and treble controls on an amp or hifi.  I am finding the theory just as interesting as the practical side.  Appreciating the whole signal chain end-to-end looks as much science as it is about the art!