What is Audio Production?

Audio production is most often used interchangeably with the term “music production.” However, the two words have different meanings. Audio production is a broad term representing multiple tasks regarding audio and recording. In addition, there are other industries besides music that require audio production.

With today’s digital technology, it can be more accessible than ever for music artists, podcasters, and independent filmmakers to perform audio production work. However, understanding how audio production works to create a final music piece or master recording involves many steps.

The skills necessary for audio engineers, producers, and musicians include having a keen ear to detect various sounds and identify what makes high quality. Experts in the music industry who have been working with sounds for a long time understand what helps provide enhanced audio and what tools are necessary to achieve the best sound.

Many parts encompass the whole of audio production, so understanding each aspect that audio production entails is essential. In this piece, you will realize what audio production is and what tools are utilized in audio production. 

Audio Production for Musicians

As an independent or aspiring musician, the idea of audio production involves everything from songwriting to the complete master of an original piece of music. Music producers do not typically work alone; some people handle different areas within the production, from the songwriting by the musician to the recording, mixing, and mastering by sound engineers. 

The scope of audio production is a way for musicians to take something they have created and give it life. A piece of music is not valid until it can be recorded and listened to by others. Sound, mixing, or mastering engineers play integral roles in audio production, but don’t assume that they are any less creative than the musician; positioning of recording equipment and alterations done on the backend of recordings can drastically alter and change sounds. 

Music production oversees the song flow and brings about certain emotions by utilizing instruments and voices specifically. Here is a breakdown of the different parts of audio production for musicians.

Song Composition

The lyrics and initial melody of music are known as songwriting, which kick starts the audio production process. Musicians in bands may collaborate and work together to develop the song, while individual artists may consult with a music producer for assistance. 

Audio production works with the song’s foundation and builds upon it. Since the music is still the basis at the beginning of the audio process, if it is not good enough, no amount of audio work will make it better. 

Arrangement and Editing

Decisions regarding the arrangement of the song include multiple steps, such as:

• Length of introduction, verses, and chorus

• Instruments to be brought out in different parts of the song

• Instrumental breaks or vocal breaks

• Changes in keys or notes

• Builds to crescendos and decrescendos

• Ending to the song

Kristina K., a piano instructor with Music to Your Home, says that “chord progression and instrumental choices are key to establishing an original piece of music and vital to the structure of the song.” In addition, music producers often assist musicians through the arranging and editing process without going against the artists’ vision or changing too much of the song’s original intent.

Feedback can also be helpful during this time, so musicians will sometimes work with audio and music producers to gain insight into what might help the song sound better. For example, sometimes suggestions recommending other instruments, rhythms, or vocals can help develop the song’s arrangement more rich or full.

Once the arrangements and parts have been recorded, next comes the editing. Audio engineers can listen to multiple recordings of a song and decide which one has the best quality or what parts they can take from each recording to splice together. 

This part of the audio process also involves cleaning up the sound, such as taking away any unwanted or extra background sound, removing sharp intakes of breath or “pops” from words with a “p” or “t.” They also pay close attention to timing and pitch so that the recordings all fit together well.

Mixing and Mastering

The next stage of audio production is mixing and mastering the song. Mixing also involves some more clean-up of the audio sound, but there are added elements using audio software and hardware. These plugins include tools that are used, which have some of the following:

• EQ (Equalizer)

• Compression

• Reverb

• Delay

• Vocal Tuning

• Expansion or Noise Gates

These effects for production allow the sound to become more high-quality and mastered. There should be a vast difference between the original, unmixed recording and the final master recording. The song should still contain that all instruments and vocals keep their initial sounds and allow the music to meet industry standards while making an impact.

How Audio Production is Used Elsewhere

The film industry, podcasts, video games, and other media platforms utilize audio production in their work. If you think about the crystal clear audio quality you hear when watching television or movies, there is a lot of audio editing and mastering that occurs for it to sound just right.

Likewise, podcasters frequently will hire podcast managers to work on audio production for their episodes. Since podcasts utilize people talking, there is a lot of editing to remove breath sounds, extra background noises, and clean up filler words that are used like “uh” and “um” for a smooth flow.

Learning Audio Production

If you want to learn how to do audio production yourself, there are many options for taking courses or finding out how to do your own composition, arranging, mixing, and mastering. Of course, taking an online course focusing on production can be most helpful. Still, you can also search YouTube since it will have plenty of free tutorials on different audio software and hardware for you to learn, however this option will be a lot more time consuming, less focused and harder to find the right information.

When working on audio production, it is crucial to stay persistent, record ideas often, and get inspiration from listening to a lot of music, podcasts and listening to audiobooks to help you develop and build upon your creativity.

Equipment is another necessary aspect of audio production. While you can easily record using a high-quality smartphone, you may eventually want to invest in some equipment such as software, microphones, pop filters, maybe even a soundbox or foam panels to build your own in-home recording studio. 

Don’t rush into anything; start small and invest in your knowledge of learning first, so you can decide what is best to help you grow. Just start simple to build your understanding of audio production, and soon enough, you can become an expert within the industry.

Written by Nicole McCray

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Jony Studios is developing a course based on all of our experience in the business / music industry. It will be a concise value packed online course on everything you need to know about music production to succeed. From songwriting to producing to marketing your brand.

The course is called: Producer Launch - The Ultimate Online Music Production Course

This will help millions of musicians, home recording studio owners and producers learn what took me over 10 years to learn in a few months, plus it will be lifetime access, so I will keep adding more valuable content for all the people in the course as I keep growing. This is going to be an amazing community as well, where we can all learn from each other and keep growing together.

If you would like to get notified of when this course is released, sign up with your email here. Everyone on that list will receive an exclusive 50% off when the course launches! It’s time to take action now.

The Benefits of Professional Mixing and Mastering

Thanks to music streaming and digital music platforms, independent music artists have the ability to make and release their albums, from creating the music to releasing it for licensing or streaming. Working with a record label has become a thing of the past for many music artists. Musicians also have the advantage of keeping all rights and ownership and deciding where they want to submit and distribute it. 

When it comes to mixing and mastering your music, this is where many artists can fall short in the quality of sound. Sound engineering knowledge is not easily accessible. The most technically savvy and professional audio experts understand how the most subtle alterations and modifications can affect the overall sound, tone, and message within a piece of music. 

Some musicians may not realize the importance of professional mixing and mastering. However, as an independent musician, even if you have a DIY approach to your music, you should research and look into the benefits that investing in professional mixing and master can offer for your music career.

WHAT IS MIXING AND MASTERING, EXACTLY?

Music mixing and music mastering are two different things but typically are combined since they complement one another. Mixing is the adjustment and combination of audio files together, while mastering is the fine-tuning of the entire audio to give it the best sound when listening.

Many music artists, even those with the equipment for good sound quality, don’t always know what they are listening to or looking for when attempting their own mixing and mastering. The mixing process being the first step is one of the most vital parts to creating balance with instruments, electronic sounds, and voices. Mastering is the final step before making your songs ready for distribution and licensing.

To provide a little more explanation, let’s break down each element:

Audio Mixing: The process of mixing involves taking the recordings of individual tracks, be it voice or instrument, and converting it into the stereo or multichannel format, or more plainly, blending all of the individual parts that make up a song and creating a “put together” version.

You will be doing the most editing with the mixing since this is where you will blend chopped-up, recorded parts and layer them together. If you have a good ear, you might attempt to do this yourself, but you have to understand voices and instruments to reach the correct highs, lows, mids, and everything else in between. 

When creating the audio mix, you will utilize audio software and the main objective is to balance all of the individual tracks together. It may require:

• Applying filters, such as highpass, lowpass, fades, EQ, reverb, and compressors to create a balanced mix;

• Adjusting pitch and tempos to match up timing and correct keys;

• Balancing the track levels (may require you to listen between speakers to develop the stereo sound); and

• Ensuring every track can be heard when played together.

Depending on the audio software you are using, you may need some filters and plug-ins, possibly even a bundle, to obtain all of the filters and changes you can make in the recordings. Then, once your mix is complete, you can move into the mastering.

Audio Mastering: Mastering is the final process of polishing the mix into the best presentation for distribution. The main objective with mastering is to enhance and advance your already well put together mixture in a final form for listeners. 

When developing the mastering, you will utilize more fine-tuning skills with your audio filters, such as EQs, stereo wideners, and saturation, giving the mix a streaming-friendly sound. Mastering is a separate process from mixing, but sometimes engineers, especially more expert sound engineers, can do some mastering while they are mixing. It is the stage where a track is assembled and adjusted for its final, cohesive flow. Don’t forget in this stage to add Fade-ins at the beginning and end of the track, as well as labeling and noting your metadata.

If you are a beginner, this production process can be highly time-consuming. You need to wait until your mix is finished before doing any of the mastering so that you have the opportunity to listen to the track multiple times on different devices and be sure that you are ready for that next step. Of course, the better option would be to utilize a professional in mixing and mastering. 

GET A LEG UP ON THE COMPETITION

With internet music streaming and a plethora of music libraries and playlists out there for people to listen to, musicians are always looking to find ways to stay ahead of the trend. One of the most effective ways to help your music stand out above other independent musicians is by working with professional sound engineers who have vast experience with the most updated technologies and audio hardware. 

Professionals in mixing and mastering can provide your tracks with more than just more precise sound. You will need those types of results to ensure that your tracks are the ones people listen to and say “wow.” 

Many sound professionals understand what it takes to ensure that your music ends up being featured and distributed through a library of music to license for your videos. They also have the know-how to correctly format your music digitally to give you all the most searchable terms for creatives to choose your music for their projects.

LEARN ABOUT IMPROVING YOUR AUDIO

Sound engineers spend countless hours listening to sounds and can detect unwanted noises, hums, or other changes that affect the overall quality of your music. So you should do yourself a favor and find out if you can sit in while they work or listen to the quality from the rough recording you made versus the finalized product after being mixed and mastered. You will be surprised at how different they will sound.

Many mixing and mastering services or engineers understand all of the terminologies that go into their craft. If you want to ensure that your musical tracks are being taken care of properly, you should too. 

It can help you know things like depth, volume control, EQ, reverb, and more since these are the tools used when creating the master recording. Even though you may not be using them right away, if sound engineering interests you and you have an excellent ear as a musician, it doesn’t hurt to learn something new.

SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND (WASTED) MONEY

If you do not know how to mix and master yourself, don’t try it blindly. The process of mixing and mastering tracks can take time, and it requires a good ear and a lot of dedication and patience. In addition, if you are not trained in the art of how to utilize audio programs and plugins, you will spend way too much time trying to get it right when it comes to your music.

Not every piece of audio hardware or software is the same, either. Based on things like your music style or genre, you may not know what the best type of equipment is to buy, and you could end up wasting your money on programs that do not benefit the sound you desire. Instead, save yourself time and money by putting it towards hiring and working with a professional sound engineer.

GAIN CONSISTENT SOUND QUALITY AND RECOGNITION

Many independent artists and musicians dream of the day when their songs can be immediately recognized when just the first few notes or bars are played. One thing that hiring a sound engineer can do for your music is just that - give you that perfect level of dynamics and achieve that sound that people will be able to recognize right away.

Engineers will create smooth transitions to make it sound like it was recorded in just one take. But, of course, sound quality can vary depending on multiple factors, even if you have a decent home studio setup. Also, when you’re not recording it all in one session, it is sometimes easy to detect when things are cut off or changed. But, with a mastering expert on your side, they can eliminate all of that for you.

ENHANCE YOUR STATUS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

While you can always attempt to mix and master your music on your own, there are many added benefits to working with a sound professional. The mixing and creation of a master recording are some of the most vital pieces of music production, and they can make or break you as a true musical artist. 

From understanding the need to create the best high-quality sound to provide you with a format that will ensure your music gets heard, there is no excuse not to utilize a tech-savvy sound engineer for your tracks. They can help you learn more about the importance of audio and create the big picture sound that reflects your music in the best light.

Written by Nicole McCray

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If you need further help creating your own music, we offer audio production and online mixing and mastering services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

5 Tips For Narrating Audiobooks

Have a book you want to turn into an audiobook? If not, then you should seriously consider looking into it as audiobooks are becoming very popular with book lovers!

If so, then consider writing your book, from the very start to sound appealing, rather than visually. This is definitely a change in one’s mindset especially if you’ve been a writer for a while now, but if you’re choosing to go into the audiobook market, then you’ll need to cater to its audience.

Keep on reading for tips and tricks on how to be a better narrator for your audiobook and keep your listeners engaged and interested as your story unravels.

1. Clear Audio Writing

The typical audiobook listener will have their focus split between the audio and whatever it is they’ve decided to do that day: driving, walking, and doing the dishes. Even if they were to give it the full attention, they only have that one chance to hear what you’re saying as the story continues with its flow, making it very different from physically reading the book as you can always backtrack and reread what it is you didn’t quite understand.

How to keep the reader engaged and still know what you’re saying is to include connecting words such as finally, therefore, then, while, and so as it draws attention to the contrast in what you’re saying. And don’t forget, repetition such as names is important as well.

So keep these in mind when recording that your words need to be clear and easy to understand. 

2. Audiobooks Are Performance Scripts

Write your story as a performance script from the beginning to make it easier to narrate for the audiobook. This way you can easily connect with your audience as the tones, rhythm, pace and any other audio signals throughout your story would’ve already been thought about - leaving you with little editing.

3. Repetition and Rhythm

Writing an audiobook based on how it sounds is similar to that of oral storytelling and slam poetry. Each writing performance has its own structures to it, but one aspect to note in particular is that of repetition and rhythm, and to land the nouns. So that even if your words aren’t super clear, the listener will still be able to understand what is going on. Basically, place more emphasis on nouns as opposed to other words.

However, make sure to change up your rhythm every now and then as it can get repetitive and boring and you don’t want to lose a reader.

4. Long Sentences and Breathing

Watch out for any long and wordy sentences in your story. Not only will it make it harder for the listener to understand what you’re saying, but you may run out of breath by the end of the sentence and ruin the quality of your work.

Read your sentences out loud more than once at any and each stage you progress on with.

5. Listeners Need Attunement Time

Hearing an unfamiliar voice can be a bit strange to people, especially to new audiobook listeners, so they’ll need time to adjust. 

Just as with any radio show host, they’ll have an opening line to ease the listener into their segment, as the words can get lost starting off, so avoid using any keywords in the first sentence. Try starting off the section with its main orientation words and then later on including important plot points of the story.

BONUS: Whispersync

Whispersync is a feature created by Audible as a means to synchronize your audiobooks with Kindle’s ebooks in case you or any of its many users decide to switch audiobook platforms and that way your progress in the story doesn’t get lost. In fact, it’ll start you right where you left at.

Be wary that not all audiobooks are compatible with this feature, but for those who use Amazon as their main platform will have easily granted access to it (except for books with images, that’s where it gets a bit tricky and you may as well not bother). 

CONCLUSION

Narrating your audiobook isn’t as easy as speaking into a microphone. You’ll need to be able to speak clearly, write your story as a script, make use of repetition and rhythm, watch out for long sentences and breath, and allow for listeners to adjust to your voice. Do you have any other tips on how to better narrate your audiobook? Let us know!

Written by Tina Phong

If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.