Whether your audio environment is a home studio, recording studio, DJ booth , or bedroom, you can set it up to produce a clean sound and to function as an efficient workspace, as long as you can decipher a bit of technical jargon. Manufacturers and audio pros tend to assume you have the knowledge and experience they have, even when you don't, but getting a grasp of the basics isn't difficult. | Essentials Setting Up Your Equipment Getting up and running with your gear means thinking through every aspect of your workspace: -
Make your studio comfortable and easy to use -
Use speaker placement and acoustic treatments to make the sound of your recordings and playback as true to the original as possible -
Properly hook up equipment, being mindful of physical connectors and signal level and type, both digital and analog -
Reduce noise interference and preserve signal integrity -
Manage digital audio protocols to maintain compatibility with your equipment Essential Terms -
Sound isolation/sound treatment -
Coaxial versus optical -
Connector types: ¼", XLR, 1/8 " minijack, RCA/phono, TOSLINK, BNC, 4mm -
Tip/ring/sleeve -
Preamplifier -
Impedance -
Grounded, ground loop -
Balanced/unbalanced -
Digital formats: S/PDIF, ADAT Optical, AES/EBU, AES3, TDIF Where to Start Mixers and interfaces generally come with helpful connection diagrams. Once you're hooked up, plug in a microphone or instrument and follow signal flow from the source through to your computer, checking to make sure sound is reaching each component. | | |