Audio Effects, Mixing and Mastering

Book excerpt: This book is a quick guide to effects, mixing and mastering for beginners with a focus on Cubase. The first chapter highlights the most commonly used effects in audio production such as compressors, limiters, equalizers, reverb, delay, gates and others. You will learn about how they work, when to apply them, the story behind the parameters and what traps you might encounter. The chapter also contains a quick peek into automation and what it can do.In the second chapter we focus on what constitutes a good mix and how to achieve it using a clear and comprehensible strategy. This is followed by a look at the mastering chain that will help to polish and push a mix. The guide is sprinkled with helpful tips and background information to make the learning experience more vivid.Readers interested in the psychological effects of music are invited to move on to the e-book "Curiosities of the Mind".