- name
- audio-production
- description
- Professional audio production for music, podcasts, and sound design. Use when working with audio recording, mixing, mastering, or sound design for any medium.
Audio Production
Comprehensive guide for professional audio production across music, podcasts, video, and interactive media.
Audio Fundamentals
The Audio Signal Chain
SOURCE → CAPTURE → PROCESS → OUTPUT
Detailed:
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Source │→→→│ Mic │→→→│ Preamp │→→→│Interface│
│(voice, │ │ │ │ │ │ (A/D) │
│ instr.) │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └────┬────┘
│
▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│Speakers │←←←│ (D/A) │←←←│ Mix │←←←│ DAW │
│Headphone│ │Interface│ │ Master │ │Recording│
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
Key Audio Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Standard |
|---|
| Sample Rate | Samples per second | 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz |
| Bit Depth | Dynamic range resolution | 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit float |
| Bit Rate | Data per second (compressed) | 128-320 kbps (MP3) |
| Dynamic Range | Loudest to quietest | ~96dB (16-bit), ~144dB (24-bit) |
| Headroom | Space below 0 dBFS | -6 to -18 dB typical |
Frequency Spectrum
20 Hz 20,000 Hz
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
SUB-BASS │ BASS │ LOW-MID │ MID │ HIGH-MID │ HIGH
20-60 │ 60-250 │ 250-500 │500-2k │ 2k-6k │ 6k-20k
│ │ │ │ │
Rumble │ Warmth │ Body │ Pres- │ Presence │ Air
Feel │ Punch │ Muddiness│ ence │ Harshness│ Sibilance
Decibel Reference Points
dBFS (Full Scale):
0 dBFS ████████████ Digital maximum (clipping)
-3 dBFS ██████████ Peaks (leave headroom)
-6 dBFS █████████ Recommended peak ceiling
-12 dBFS ███████ Average loud signal
-18 dBFS ██████ Recommended recording level
-24 dBFS ████ Conservative level
-60 dBFS █ Noise floor target
Recording
Microphone Types
| Type | Principle | Best For |
|---|
| Dynamic | Moving coil | Loud sources, live, durable |
| Condenser | Capacitor | Studio vocals, acoustic, detail |
| Ribbon | Thin metal strip | Vintage tone, smooth highs |
| USB | Built-in ADC | Podcasts, convenience |
Polar Patterns
CARDIOID FIGURE-8 OMNI
╭─────╮ ╭───╮ ╭─────╮
╭─┤ ├─╮ ╭─┤ ├─╮ ╭─┤ ├─╮
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ ● │ │ │ │ ● │ │ │ │ ● │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
╰─┤ ├─╯ ╰─┤ ├─╯ ╰─┤ ├─╯
╰─────╯ ╰───╯ ╰─────╯
Front pickup Front + Back All around
Recording Levels
Target Peaks: -12 to -6 dBFS
Average Level: -18 to -12 dBFS
Why?
- Leaves headroom for processing
- Matches analog equipment sweet spot
- Prevents digital clipping
- 24-bit has plenty of resolution
Recording Best Practices
- [ ] Set gain before recording (never during)
- [ ] Record at 24-bit minimum
- [ ] Use 48kHz for video, 44.1kHz for music
- [ ] Monitor with headphones
- [ ] Record a few seconds of room tone
- [ ] Check phase when using multiple mics
- [ ] Label takes immediately
Essential Processing
EQ (Equalization)
Types:
- High-pass filter (HPF): Removes low frequencies
- Low-pass filter (LPF): Removes high frequencies
- Bell/Peak: Boost or cut specific frequency
- Shelf: Boost or cut above/below frequency
Common Applications:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Vocal: │
│ HPF at 80-100Hz (remove rumble) │
│ Cut 200-300Hz (reduce mud) │
│ Boost 3-5kHz (presence) │
│ Shelf boost 10kHz+ (air) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Kick Drum: │
│ Boost 50-80Hz (sub) │
│ Cut 300-400Hz (boxiness) │
│ Boost 3-5kHz (attack/click) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Electric Guitar: │
│ HPF at 80Hz │
│ Cut 400-600Hz if muddy │
│ Boost 2-4kHz (bite) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Compression
Parameters:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Threshold: Level where compression starts │
│ Ratio: Amount of compression (4:1, 8:1, etc.) │
│ Attack: Time to engage (fast=punch, slow=body)│
│ Release: Time to disengage │
│ Knee: Hard (sudden) or soft (gradual) │
│ Makeup Gain: Restore lost volume │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Common Settings:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Vocals: 3:1-4:1, medium attack/release │
│ Drums: 4:1-8:1, fast attack │
│ Bass: 4:1, medium attack │
│ Mix Bus: 2:1-3:1, slow attack, 1-3dB GR│
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Reverb
| Type | Character | Use |
|---|
| Room | Small, tight | Natural ambience |
| Hall | Large, spacious | Orchestral, ballads |
| Plate | Bright, smooth | Vocals, snare |
| Spring | Vintage, boingy | Guitar, lo-fi |
| Chamber | Warm, dense | Natural depth |
Key Parameters:
- Pre-delay: Time before reverb (50-100ms for vocals)
- Decay/RT60: How long it lasts
- Damping: High-frequency absorption
- Size: Room dimensions
- Mix/Wet-Dry: Balance with original
Delay
| Type | Application |
|---|
| Slapback | 50-150ms, rockabilly, presence |
| Stereo | Different L/R times, width |
| Ping-pong | Alternating L/R, interest |
| Tempo-sync | 1/4, 1/8 notes, rhythmic |
Mixing
Gain Staging
Signal Flow Levels:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Input: -18 dBFS (sweet spot) │
│ ↓ │
│ Plugin 1: Output matches input level │
│ ↓ │
│ Plugin 2: Output matches input level │
│ ↓ │
│ Fader: Unity (0 dB) ideally │
│ ↓ │
│ Bus: -12 to -6 dBFS peaks │
│ ↓ │
│ Master: -6 dBFS peaks (before limit) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Panning Guidelines
Stereo Field:
Hard L L L-C CENTER R-C R Hard R
│ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │
Rhythm Gtr1 Keys1 Vocal Keys2 Gtr2 Rhythm
Gtr BVox1 Bass BVox2 Gtr
Kick
Snare
Common Positions:
- Center (0): Lead vocal, bass, kick, snare
- Slight L/R: Main instruments, harmonies
- Wide L/R: Rhythm guitars, stereo keys
- Hard L/R: Doubled parts, effects
Frequency Balancing
Making space (subtractive EQ approach):
┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Kick: Boost 60Hz │ Cut from Bass here │
│ Bass: Boost 80-100 │ Cut from Kick here │
│ Gtr: Owns 1-3kHz │ Cut vocal slightly │
│ Vocal: Boost 3-5kHz │ Cut guitar slightly │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Each element should have its own frequency "home"
Mix Bus Processing
Typical Chain:
1. Subtle EQ (tonal shaping)
2. Light compression (2:1, 1-3dB GR)
3. Stereo enhancement (if needed)
4. Limiter (only for reference bounce)
Keep mix bus processing minimal!
Leave headroom for mastering.
Mastering
Mastering Goals
- Tonal Balance: Even frequency response
- Dynamics: Appropriate loudness/dynamics
- Stereo Image: Width and mono compatibility
- Translation: Sounds good everywhere
- Format: Prepare for distribution
Loudness Standards
| Platform | Target | Measurement |
|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS | Integrated |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | Integrated |
| YouTube | -14 LUFS | Integrated |
| Broadcast (US) | -24 LUFS | Integrated |
| Broadcast (EU) | -23 LUFS | Integrated |
| CD | -9 to -12 LUFS | Integrated |
Mastering Chain (Typical)
1. Reference Import
└─→ Compare to commercial releases
2. EQ (Linear Phase)
└─→ Broad adjustments only
3. Multiband Compression
└─→ Control specific bands
4. Stereo Width
└─→ Enhance or narrow
5. Limiting
└─→ Final loudness, prevent clipping
6. Dither (if needed)
└─→ 16-bit conversion only
Podcast Production
Recording Setup
Recommended Signal Chain:
Mic → Audio Interface → DAW
Equipment Tiers:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Budget: USB Mic (Blue Yeti, AT2020) │
│ Mid: SM7B + Cloudlifter + Interface│
│ Pro: Large diaphragm condenser │
│ + high-end preamp │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Podcast Processing Chain
1. Noise Reduction
└─→ Remove room noise, hum
2. De-essing
└─→ Tame harsh "s" sounds
3. Compression
└─→ Even out volume (3:1-4:1)
4. EQ
└─→ HPF at 80Hz, presence boost
5. Limiter
└─→ Catch peaks, -1 dBFS ceiling
Target: -16 LUFS (mono), -19 LUFS (stereo)
True Peak: -1 dBTP
Podcast Export Settings
Standard:
- Format: MP3 or AAC
- Bitrate: 128 kbps (mono), 192 kbps (stereo)
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
High Quality:
- Format: AAC
- Bitrate: 256 kbps
- Sample rate: 48 kHz
Chapters: Use ID3 tags for chapter markers
Artwork: 3000x3000 minimum, JPG or PNG
Sound Design
Creating Sounds
Approaches:
1. Recording: Capture real sounds (foley)
2. Synthesis: Create from oscillators
3. Sampling: Manipulate existing sounds
4. Processing: Transform through effects
5. Layering: Combine multiple sources
Synthesis Types
| Type | Method | Sound Character |
|---|
| Subtractive | Filter oscillators | Classic analog |
| FM | Frequency modulation | Metallic, bells |
| Wavetable | Morphing waveforms | Modern, evolving |
| Granular | Tiny sound particles | Texture, pads |
| Additive | Stack sine waves | Precise, organs |
| Physical Modeling | Simulate physics | Realistic instruments |
Layering Formula
Sound Design Stack:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TOP: High frequencies (air, presence)│
│ MID: Character, tone │
│ LOW: Foundation, weight │
│ SUB: Felt, not heard (20-60Hz) │
│ TRANSIENT: Attack, punch │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Process each layer separately, combine at end.
DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations)
| DAW | Strengths | Platform |
|---|
| Pro Tools | Industry standard, editing | All |
| Logic Pro | Complete package, Apple | macOS |
| Ableton Live | Live performance, electronic | All |
| FL Studio | Beat making, workflow | All |
| Reaper | Customizable, affordable | All |
| Cubase | MIDI, composition | All |
| Studio One | Modern workflow | All |
| Audacity | Free, simple editing | All |
File Formats
| Format | Type | Quality | Use |
|---|
| WAV | Uncompressed | Lossless | Production, archive |
| AIFF | Uncompressed | Lossless | Mac production |
| FLAC | Compressed | Lossless | Archive, audiophile |
| ALAC | Compressed | Lossless | Apple ecosystem |
| MP3 | Compressed | Lossy | Distribution |
| AAC | Compressed | Lossy | Streaming, Apple |
| OGG | Compressed | Lossy | Games, open source |
Export Specifications
For Mastering:
- Format: WAV
- Bit depth: 24-bit (or 32-bit float)
- Sample rate: Match session (typically 44.1/48kHz)
- Headroom: -6 dBFS peaks
For Distribution:
- Format: WAV or FLAC (lossless)
- Bit depth: 16-bit (with dither)
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
- Loudness: Platform target LUFS
Best Practices
DO:
- Record at proper levels (-18 dBFS average)
- Use reference tracks
- Take breaks (ear fatigue is real)
- Check mono compatibility
- Use subtractive EQ first
- Process in series, not parallel (usually)
- Save project versions regularly
- Export stems for backup
DON'T:
- Record with processing (usually)
- Mix at high volumes
- Over-compress everything
- Solo instruments too long
- Trust only one playback system
- Rush the mixing process
- Forget to dither (16-bit only)
- Master your own mixes (ideally)
Quality Checklist
Pre-Export
- [ ] Gain staging correct throughout
- [ ] No clipping or distortion
- [ ] Phase issues resolved
- [ ] Mono compatibility checked
- [ ] Low-end translation verified
- [ ] High frequencies not harsh
Final Check
- [ ] Listen on multiple systems
- [ ] Check in car, phone, earbuds
- [ ] Verify format specifications
- [ ] Confirm LUFS target met
- [ ] True peak below -1 dBTP
- [ ] Metadata correctly embedded
