HOME RECORDING STUDIO SOFTWARE

Computer based home recording gets cheaper all the time so if you feel you have talent and really aspire to be a professional singer you might consider putting together a home studio. Having your own gear allows you to record whenever you want, for as long as you want until you get the desired track.

The barriers to home recording entry are low - really just a computer, sound card, a quality audio software program for recording and editing and a microphone. If you want to save your songs to CD, you will need a cd burner and some blank cd's.

The first step is to set up the microphone on your PC, which has a built-in sound card (a necessity). If you don't need high sound quality, you can use the built-in microphone in your PC (if it has one). You can enable this through the control panel. If you're looking to produce something with better quality, then a good quality microphone is essential.

A good microphone doesn't have to be expensive but it is best to buy the best one you can afford. For recording the human voice a "condenser" microphone is generally recommended and they're easy to find at any audio store.

Then you will need some audio recording software. There are a number of free, simple audio recording applications that allow you to record sound and convert it to a popular audio format like MP3 or WAV (such as Audacity). You can download free software from Audacity by following the simple download instructions.

For a small price, you can get more advanced features, like the ability to edit recordings and apply sound effects. If you want to start getting professional, you can use programs such as Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge Studio 6.0.

When the microphone is set up and the right software is installed, it is time to get on with your home recording.Check that the microphone is at the right height and have a couple of practice runs. Don't forget to take into account "audio distractions" such as the phone, background noise or the neighbors. Don't be afraid of getting close to the mic, it will sound better.

Recording your first take is as simple as pressing "record." When you have finished recording your song, stop recording and the application can automatically convert your recording into a file that I can be played back.

How well-recorded do my demos need to be?

The answer is actually very simple. For song pitches, the recording can be much less "produced" than it should be for artist pitches. Some people believe that a song pitch demo should leave some room for imagination - let the artist or A&R person develop some emotional ownership of the song by imagining a tambourine part or a vocal harmony. For band or artist pitches, you may want to flesh out more tracks that show the artist's whole vision. Remember though, A&R people are far more interested in the song's potential, and the artist's appeal than they are about the quality of the recording. Nearly every act signed to a major label will be recording their entire album over again with a pro engineer and producer. The demo is only a demo!

How do I share my songs online?

If you want to upload and share your music online (MySpace, boomp3.com, Broadjam or to your own website) you can simply upload the mp3 files you have saved.

I know, I know, there are Blu-Ray disks and High Definition Mp4 files available today, so why bother with making a better DVD? Fact is, despite the HD revolution, the primary distribution of most home videos and movies is still the DVD. When viewed on an HDTV from a normal viewing distance, a standard DVD made this way can look deceivingly close to a High Definition Blu-Ray video disk.

I realize there are dozens of video editing programs and DVD burning programs. I'm not going to try to account for, or even profess that I know more than a few of them. However, the overall concept is the same for whatever programs you use.

Most of the time I use Sony Vegas to edit. Sometimes I use Final Cut Pro. My DVD recording method will work with either editing program. Regardless of which program I use to edit, I author my DVD using Sony's DVD Architect Studio. Even using Studio's default settings, the DVD comes out better than it does on the Mac.

You are about to learn how to make a DVD even better than your default settings will allow. Of course, this method only offers improvement on a DVD that is mastered from a clean, High Definition video source. So forget about it being useful for converting your old VHS tapes to DVD.

Creating a DVD on your computer is a multiple step task. When you begin the process of creating a DVD from your edited program, your edited program files are rendered into a set of two master files; one video file and one matching audio file. Sony Vegas creates an Mpg file for the video and an Ac3 file for the audio. Final Cut Pro and other editing systems create a similar set of files but with different extensions. These two master files are then imported into Architect Studio, which converts them again into the VOB audio/video files and the IFO indexing files that are standard for all DVD's.

When you select "Make DVD" in Vegas or select "Share" in Final Cut, the first rendering process in the editing software creates master files that are matched to the low resolution of the finished DVD; 704 by 480 pixels. This is quite a degradation from the 1920x1080 you recorded, or even 1280x720 if you used that format. In addition, the files it creates are Mpg 2 based. Mpg 2 files are an old encoding technology; Mp4 files are better. So how do you get around this process? Simple. Don't select "Make a DVD". Instead, create a single High Definition Mp4 file that has both video and audio in the same file.

Set the file Mp4 parameters manually for either the 1280x720 resolution or 1920x1080. You won't gain anything in your DVD by using 1920x1080 over 1280x720, except that you'll have a better master file for other purposes later on, like uploading to YouTube or Vimeo. Some newer Blu-Ray players have an SD card slot. If you copy the Mp4 file onto your SD card, you may be able to play the video directly from the SD card with quality that exceeds even Blu Ray. Not everyone can do this, however, so please read on.

Mp4 files are a newer and more efficient technology having less digital artifacts than similar sized Mpg 2 files. If you choose, you can create a larger Mpg 2 file instead of an Mp4, but Mp4 delivers a cleaner image, all other factors being equal. If you edit in Final Cut, you can create your HD file as a Quicklime file. Architect Studio works with those, too. No matter what type of master file(s) you create, you need to set the data rate to at least 10,000 Kilobytes (also stated as 10 Meg) per second in order to keep the compression artifacts below normal visibility.

Once you have created your master High Definition video file, play it on your computer to make sure your machine is fast enough to have rendered a skip-free master file. Once you know your master file is good, import it into your DVD authoring software. With Architect Studio, you can drop nearly any file (Mp4, Mpg 2, Quicktime) directly into the DVD authoring time line, or you can insert the file from the program's menu as a media file. Create your DVD menu and then burn your DVD using half the top speed your recorder will record. Recording at 8x using a 16x recorder will result in fewer playback errors that sometimes result from bits that don't get burned deeply enough at the higher recording speed.

In short, by using this method, what you are doing is keeping your master video file in High Definition mode through the intermediary rendering step (as opposed to standard resolution if you use the DVD default settings). This preserves the HD quality of your video as long as possible. Your finished DVD will still only be 704x480, but the cleaner intermediate rendering process will yield a DVD with less digital artifacts around the edges, and colors that are more pure. You'll especially notice the difference when the disk is played on an HDTV with the player connected to an HDMI port.

Most new DVD players have an HDMI output and will up-convert your DVD into an HD compatible signal for your HDTV. No, it does not turn your DVD into High Definition, but it does eliminate the raster lines of a regular TV and makes the DVD look much sharper than it does if you connect the player through the regular RCA video outputs.

The combined processes of mastering your DVD from a High Definition intermediary file, and using the HDMI connector with an HDTV will give you the best image you can get from a DVD. From your sofa, you may forget you aren't watching a High Definition Blu-Ray disk.

Beats are very much essential for creating good tracks of music. Beats are the basics for music and if the beats are not impressive enough then the music will not make an impression in the minds of people. With the development of technology, different beat software programs are available, which will be of great use to music composers to create their own exceptional beat samples.

Convert your home as a music recording studio:

With the help of software programs the music composers and the beginners in music composition can create their own music at their own homes, without going for recording studios. The software will help the musicians to create beats within minutes and listen to the beat with good sound clarity as of hearing in a recording studio. This not only saves much of their time from going to studios, but also saves money and this saved time and money can be used for advertising their music.

Features of a best beat software:

Different beat software programs are available in the internet with different formats, styles and options. Some website enables download of the software and some websites allow online composing. The software programs are user-friendly and it can be easily downloaded and these software programs are coming at affordable cost. Best software should enable conversion of beat to MP3 and the software should also enable upload of the created beat to external devices like MP3 player, iPod, etc.

Another important feature is that it should provide simple tutorials and instructions, so that the beginners will be benefited. There are software programs that provide video instructions for the user to get benefited. The software should have a collection of sounds that will be of great use to the composer.

How to purchase beat software:

Beat software can be downloaded from internet and the payment can be made through your credit/debit card. Programs are cheap as compared to any other musical instruments used for composing music. The beginners can purchase simple beat software that would cost around , and this software come with all the basic functions required for composing music. The software chosen by beginners should not only be simple, but should also be of good quality. It is always better to choose the software with 16 track sequencer with individual volume control facility. These kinds of beat producer software can be downloaded from the internet.

Uses of beat software:

As said earlier, the beat software will be of great use to the beginners who cannot afford to go for music studios for recording and with the help of the software they can create their own music at their homes and distribute it to their friends and relatives. Songs can be composed easily by dragging and dropping the sounds of different musical instruments. The composers can also be benefited by adding their own voice to the music through microphone imports. Thousands of chords, melodies and beats can be accessed through the software. The composers can create their own unique music and they can make their music stand apart from the crowd.

Create your own beat at your comfort with the help of beat software and make people enjoy your music for the years to come!!!

The first thing you need to know about recording vocals is that there are effectively two factors which matter when tracking vocals, all said and done.

1. This is the performance of a very unique instrument. Recording the human voice is unlike any other instrument. Far more consideration and time spent on tracking should be spent making sure the voice is ready and the preproduction has been done.

2. The recording of the vocals should not get in the way, or venture far from simply capturing the vibe and expression of a great vocal performance.

Remember it is the thinking skills, experience and simplified processes-executed as professionals which separate the average hobbyist from the seasoned industry vet with credits, contacts, and confidence in craftsmanship. Determine characteristics of the vocal, the texture, the end result you want to hear/hear in your head, what microphone would best suit the voice, and why?

DO NOT COMPROMISE. Only settle for the best vocal performance you can get. Don't be unrealistic though. You probably won't get it all perfect in one take top to bottom. Punch in and overdub passages as need be. But overall, focus on the quality and not the quantity. I've learned to focus the importance on a few-to-several great takes not 45 decent variations.

The whole name of the game is to get a good clean sound at the source without unwanted distortion or clipping.

Using the right microphone.

Polarity, pickup pattern, and type all should be taken into consideration. Generally a unidirectional - condensor or dynamic microphone will be the right choice.

Gain-Staging is Critical

Again, I emphasize the importance of this. If you have the perfect performance but your levels were all too hot you've just made a big mistake. Don't let that happen. Play around with and adjust levels before-hand, gauge the technique and proximity habits of the singer. Set the pop filter accordingly.

Loop Recording Vocals

For overdub passages loop recording allows us to record between set points in the timeline on a loop. This is helpful and especially useful in overdubs. The thing to remember is that you'll want to keep in mind that the looped passage should fit into the song smoothly and effectively. Its better to take this into account and have an idea of what you're going after, rather than getting stuck trying to make something work. The flow and emotional expression of the performances should never be sacrificed for a interesting line that doesn't sound natural to the song and a normal singing pattern which can be sung by a human voice.

Should Sound Good Before Effects

If your daw recording software offers the feature, use monitor mixing to record dry tracks and still hear the effects in the headphones. Theres no need to go overboard if you are applying effects directly into the recording, and understand that once you print, these effects are "destructive" which means that they cannot be undone.

Using Effects on Vocals

This is pretty cool. Plugins are outstanding in there versatility and effectiveness these days. One cool effect is to use a tube emulation plugin to get more of that often treasured valve-mic sound.

Using Eq on Vocals

While its better to not add or make any equalization edits until the mixing vocals stage, if your tracks are picking up or tracking too much unwanted low end, one thing that will eliminate unwanted low end rumble and excessive bass frequencies is a low cut filter. Rolling off at about 80hz is a good starting point for vocal recordings. Most low pass/hi cut filters available as a hardware feature are at around 100hz.

Using Compression on Vocals

Personally, I don't typically use much compression when recording vocals, but many do. It can add an interesting style of performance, and that effect of expanding and then swallowing the vocals. Try to picture a mouth that has a dual function of a magnifying glass, as the softer words move towards it, it makes the softer phrases sound larger and then eats them up. Leave the soft knee on. Increased knee ratio will just make the compression ratio's smoother. Meaning there will theoretically be less abrupt action on the compression settings. You may not even notice much difference.

Bounce Down to Your Composite Track

After several full-run performances and the necessary overdub takes, the next step is to select & compile the winning takes into one consolidated track. This is called the composite track, or "comp track." This stage is where the rubber meets the road. Next lets get into the fun part, now that the hard work is done. From here we'll move on to Mixing Vocals in the home recording studio

One Final Tip...

Don't turn up the headphones too loud! There will be bleed in the recording, but you want to be able to feel yourself singing so you don't push your voice and strain it. Singers and tastes may vary of course, and there is no one size fits all with recording vocals.

If it is for personal use, a walkman or an mp3 player is the one which is best suited. This can be heard without disturbing others and can also be carried along with you. An MP3 capable walkman would be an added advantage as these can store more music so that more number of CDs need not be carried while you are on a journey.

A simple CD player or MP3 player is enough if it is to be heard only in one room. Such a player can also be used outdoors if it has battery facility attached and will be handy for family picnics. However, in order to cater to a number of rooms in the house a bigger system will be needed. This system should be capable of supporting extra speakers so that it can be located in different rooms. It should also have switches for each set of speakers so that when any one of the set is not in need, it can be individually switched off.

If your intention is to have a comprehensive system which can play music as well as video, it will be better to go for a home theater. These systems also provide for playing video games. They always come with a remote control. One should check that they are loaded with the latest music software so as to obtain best performance. Such a system can also be used for home recording, so you can use the system to nurture your talents.

Once a decision about the system requirement is arrived at, the particular item is to be selected. In doing so, your past experience and also opinions about various makes has to be considered. In any case it is always better to select a model of a company of long standing reputation, which gives sufficient guarantee and provide home service or have a service center near you. This aspect is of utmost importance. One should not blindly believe in pompous advertisements and compromise on your decision even though other models may be offering certain freebies.

Last, but not the least, a thought can be given to the color, shape and other external features of the equipment so that it is in harmony with the interiors of your home. It is better to take the help of a person having some experience in handling musical studio equipment rather than a simple electrician while setting up the system, especially in case of a home theater.

We're hitting a huge leap in the way musicians in the 21st Century produce there music through the means of technology. Just about two decades ago, the idea that anyone can own a home recording studio in there bedrooms would seem like a blur. Producers and pro musicians would spend thousands of dollars on analogue gear, hardware samplers, and processors just to make records.

But as we move into the digital age, softwares are beginning to replace "dinosaur" methods of producing. This isn't to say that analog gear has no value. This article will explain why anyone can music without having to spend any money. Here is a virtual beat maker that acts just like that MPC2500 you've had your eye on.

Ok, you're thinking, "great but what makes this beat maker so special?". Here are 3 main points:

1. It has a simple to use interface. Keeping things simple, fun and strait to the point. Too many beat machines have a steep learning curve. Less is definitely more! Things can become very complicated where the focus is too much either on graphics or on parameters/EFX plugins that will distract users from making music. As someone who is just starting out, you'll often find yourself overwhelmed by how to use a program like Pro Tools, because too much is thrown into your face all at once. It's not You need to start from simple means, and then gradually add more plugins.

2. Get your musical ideas from your brain to your speakers immediately without worrying "wheres this or wheres that?" Without these complications, you're be free to express the music inside you without getting in your way! Part of why musicians and producers have problems with computer music software is the feeling of working on your PC desktop, not music. Instead of building up that melody you hear in your head, you'll spend more time opening and closing windows just to get where you want. Of course, this takes time out of your workflow and will leave you uninspired and bored. This is very counter-productive to making music because it's supposed to be a fun process, not work!

3. With everything you'll need, never worry about having to spend add-on gear just to make beats. Tap the out on your computer keyboard if you like! With many fancy and expensive music gear on the market, it's easy to fall into the trap of buying hardware you don't really need. So often, producers fall victim to buying into the hype of the latest gadgets, or the next best instruments, and spend way more than they really need. As a result, they begin losing interest in making music. Avoid this trap by keeping it simple with easy to use software.

I came up with some really great songs for myself and my friends. I recorded these songs in my personal home-recording studio when I lived in my parent's basement. I actually have some amazing electric and acoustic guitar tracks from years ago, but it was my home-made beats from these times that were making my songs sound mechanical and unnatural. It was that my options were limited in choosing from a diverse selection of quality drum sounds and samples. Without some really cool drum sounds and quality beats to choose from, my beats were whack, and they did not create that thumping rhythm section which carries the song through.

If you answered yes to any or all of the questions above, then you are now on the right track to finding a solution to your beat problems. High quality beat making software is your solution. If you want to make the hottest beat samples for the back-bone of your pumpin' songs, then pro beat making software is what you are looking for. There are a few top quality beat making software programs on the market today.

When I came across a pro beat making software I was really stoked. I finally discovered the driving source behind many of hip-hop & rap's hottest beats ever created. I knew I had uncovered something special, and that I had to start making my own sick beats right away.

Here's what to look for in a pro Beat Making Software:

• 1000s of quality sounds & beat samples for you to use in your projects.
• Capacity to export your beat samples into Mp3 files, and then you can import these Mp3 beats into a recording software, so that you can use your new loops in a song, and layer other tracks (mic, guitar, bass)over top.
• Easy to Use - User Friendly
• Tips on Song Craft & Production - Look for Inside Membership Areas packed with helpful tips on song craft & production

Use pro beat making software if you want to make top quality beats to back up your songs.

First, you must consider, is the amount of room required for setting up a recording studio, in order for everyone included to be comfortable while working. Depending on the number of people and size of instruments will help you determine just how much room each requires to feel comfortable while recording in your studio. Always choose bigger when given the choice, since the footage of the room will not change the sounds of anything.

Secondly, will be the dividing area between the playing and the engineering of your CD. In the past, this has proved helpful for mixing and monitoring sounds, while others are playing. More often than not, you will find there is one room that is divides into two. One area sections off to accommodate the soundboard as well as mixing and mastering for those who are performing. This will create a soundproof area that is better for your recordings.

The best set up of an engineering area is having everything within easy reach. This allows you to change the sounds quickly while they are ongoing. Having all your software and instruments such as the mixing board within an arms reach, ensures efficient, consistency when recording all influential instrumentations and vocals, this is essential for reaching your goal.

The musicians area calls for particulars in construction, such as the very best is having a wood floor. However if you must have carpeting, make sure it is very thin. These types of flooring do not absorb sound. To keep the sound compact, lower ceilings are most beneficial. When you have wood flooring or no carpet at all, place an area rug on the floor of the musicians area. You might also consider buffering your ceiling as well. Doing so helps to keep the sound from bouncing around.

Another good sound deadener is to place foam on certain sides of the walls. Where you place them will depend upon, the size, shape and build of the room. However, sound can be too deadening, if you are not careful, making it harder to find the right mix while recording.

You should also keep vocals in mind while planning your musicians area, as this is another part of your recording studio. You will need a separate area for microphones, when planning to record vocals to your CDs. This will also depend on the size of the room. Voice boxes are great for trapping all the sound. This can be a room as simple as a closet, for those at home recorder with a tight budget. Closets are able to keep the sound in the right area.

Recording studios will vary according to your needs, the type of instrumentation you use as well as the number of individuals you plan to record and the way you work.

The most efficient recording studio set up, begins with planning the most sensible way to organize your equipment, according to you needs.

Having your own recording studio will allow you to produce professional CDs. This is an essential factor for creating the right mixes and sounds, no matter your playing capabilities, your needs or your budget. It will be easy to create just the right sounds, if you take the time to plan your recording studio. Having the right equipment and dividing your space correctly provides you with many more capabilities, while recording.

There is no reason why you can't use the internal microphone on your computer to get you started in podcasting. If your computer doesn't have an internal microphone, you can find inexpensive external microphones for or less.

You'll want to monitor your own voice when you are recording using headphones. This is an important but often overlooked aspect of podcasting. Listening to yourself with headphones gives you instant feedback on how you sound through the microphone. For example, are you too soft or too loud? Can you hear a pop when you say words that start with a p? Can you hear a hum, buzz, or external noise in the background? Monitoring your recording will allow you to catch these quality issues quickly. Most headphones will do an adequate job of voice monitoring.

Another piece of hardware you need to consider is your PCI sound card. For best results, you'll want a sound card that supports 24-bit recording at either 48 kHz or 96 kHz. If your sound card only supports 18-bit recording, that is still fine, but you may consider upgrading in the future. Many sound cards on the market today have great features, such as multiple line-in capability, but yet are still reasonably priced.

Once you have these elements in place, the only other thing you'll need is software to record and edit your recording. One of the most popular software packages used by amateur podcasters is called Audacity. It gives all of the basic features a person needs to record and edit a podcast. It works on PCs and Macs, it's easy to use, and, most importantly, it's completely free. Once you've created and edited a recording, you'll need to convert it to MP3. Fortunately, there is also free software for to do this. One popular choice is called the LAME encoder. You can also use iTunes to convert your audio file to MP3. What you use is really just a matter of your preference.

That's it! You are now ready to start recording and publishing your podcasts. You should consider using this basic set up for at least a few episodes of your podcast before you start looking to upgrade your studio. That way you can see what works well and where you can get the most bang for your buck when you do decide you have money in your budget to get some more advanced technology.

You may think that your old microphone and recording software are doing just fine, but listen to the way that your music sounds after it has been recorded like that and listen to the way that those who have successfully recorded music from home sounds like. Chances are that it will not be difficult for you to see a substantial difference. Studio recording software allows you to do the same things that are done in the professional studios that can cost hundreds of dollars for a few hours of time. Of course, you have to figure out what the best software program is for you and which of the many out there will work the best for your needs.

The more features that your studio recording software has, the more expensive it is going to be. Then again, those who are looking at making a profit from their music career rather than just doing the recording as a hobby can easily view the purchase of such equipment as an investment. Many times, it can even be written off of your taxes, but you should talk to an accountant or tax expert on that one.

Studio Recording Software Programs to Try

If you are purchasing recording software for the first time, there are probably several different programs that you have been tempted to try. Depending on what your budget is, there are some different credible recording studio software programs out there that you may want to try. Here are a few to get you going in the right direction:

n-Track Studio
MixCraft 2.5
Acoustic Labs Multi Track recorder
WavePad (Master's Edition)
Audio Terminator
Wave Creator
RipEditBurn
Easy Audio Editor
McFunSoft Audio Studio

These are just some of the many different recording studio software programs out there that you can try. Depending on who you are, what you want to get into, and how serious you are about your music career you may have quite a bit of shopping to do before you find just the software program that you need.

It is a very easy to use program for anybody trying to make beats that they can sing or Rap over. This software is fantastic for newbies to professional producers searching for a speedy and simplified method to making beats at home without the need for a studio, equipment or anything beyond your personal computer. You will have to provide a microphone if you wish to include any vocals.

The DUBturbo software is similar to a high-end music creation program that is utilized inside an actual recording studio. Its functions are designed in such a way that it is very easy to use, while still retaining very high quality sound. You can have the software set up in 5 minutes and producing your very first music track in less than 10 minutes. This program has become the ideal preference for novices, amateurs or serious music producers.

This system is included with simple to follow instructional videos, 24/7 email support and a 60 day money back return policy. This software is not just a simple beat maker solution, it offers the opportunity for you to master the art of Rap and Hip Hop beats. It is a nicely displayed audio creation software identical to the higher priced digital audio workstations, but with a much much lower price tag.

Have you ever found yourself in one of these predicaments?

* You were working on the client's ad campaign in your home studio revising creative on your personal Mac when suddenly the power went off. You waited a few moments in the dark. You started feeling stressed, so you lit up a smoke. Then the lights came back on but your computer did not. You lit up another smoke.

* You visited a site the boys at the pub were talking about the night before and downloaded some audio files. Now you can't access your spreadsheets containing this quarter's bookings and projected sales for the next fiscal year. To add insult to injury, you were scheduled to present the forecast to senior management in New York on Monday and had not backed up your system. You don't even have a hardcopy of your number crunching.

* You and your companion laptop had occupied the spare office so you could work in solitude to put the finishing touches on your presentation to be delivered to the new client. Your co-worker then entered the room, slammed the door and bumped the table. You said goodbye to your coffee as well as your speaking notes and presentation. Or did you?

When the unthinkable happens and your data goes missing, it's human nature to panic.

Unless you majored in computer science, you are probably not aware of the inner complexity of a hard disk drive that stores data. You simply regard your files--those customer records, spreadsheets, invoices, presentations, online storyboards, photographs, and more---as your bread and butter, but to a data recovery expert they are "0's" and "1's" organized on your computer's hard disk drive. If your hard drive is defective, the operating system on your computer infected or damaged by a virus, or files are deleted accidentally, access to the data is prevented.

If you take recovery measures into your own hands, care and caution should be exercised or your missing data could result in actual lost data. You could do more harm than good to your computer and data, if you attempt to perform a recovery on your own. It is your choice, but the consequences could result in unforeseen circumstances.

Yes, technology has come along way. However, there are several best practices that you can follow to significantly reduce the probability of losing your data:

* Regularly backup your data and test your backup

* Keep your computer in a dry, controlled environment free from dust and smoke

* Use anti-virus software and update it frequently to scan and screen all incoming data

* Turn off your computer if it or the hard drive makes an unusual noise.

* If you work for a small organization or work from a home office, play it safe. Use power surge protectors in the event your environment experiences a power outage.

* If your organization is large, ensure your backup and redundant storage systems are maintained offsite in a controlled environment

* Do not delay in taking appropriate action, if you cannot access your data. Ask and you shall receive help.

Data recovery is not an area in which computer science majors currently specialize and data loss is one of the computer industry's most misunderstood concepts. That's why it's critical computer users avoid panic and attempts at misguided recovery efforts which can transform missing data into permanent lost data.

If you find yourself in such a predicament, get help.

If you require the assistance of a data recovery expert, don't settle for second best. Sure, data recovery is about retrieving those "0's" and "1's", but most importantly data recovery is about the quality of customer service you receive. From the time you place your panic-stricken telephone call seeking help until you have successfully downloaded your "missing" data, the communication between you and the data recovery firm is the catalyst for a successful data recovery. Deal with a data recovery organization where all employees--from the friendly receptionist who takes your initial call to the lab technician who is responsible for the recovery of your data--are empathetic to your needs. For here lies the true art of data recovery.

About CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. is a leading international provider of data recovery services. CBL employs proprietary techniques to recover data quickly and effectively from a wide array of affected media including hard drives, tapes, and other magnetic, optical and removable media. CBL offers services worldwide through its network of data recovery laboratories, offices and authorized partners in Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.

1. WHAT STRUCTURE SHOULD I USE?
The first question to ask in setting up your art business is how you should set it up - i.e., what structure it should have. This may seem like a silly question, but it is a very important one, as it determines how you report your income and expenses. And report them you must!
There are several types of organization to choose from, and the determining factor is risk. How much risk are you willing to take? Are you willing to pay more for less risk? I will demonstrate what this means:

a. SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP
The most risky organization is the sole proprietorship. This is because if someone sues you as a sole proprietorship, they can, theoretically, take your home, your car, and all your worldly possessions in a lawsuit. There is no separation between the business and you, so any lawsuit can take everything. However, most art businesses have little lawsuit risk attached to them. I am unlikely to get sued for damages unless I steal someone else's art. (don't do that!) If I was installing stairs, on the other hand, I would definitely want to limit my risk. The term for this characteristic is 'unlimited liability.'
Now, there are advantages to being a sole proprietorship. There is little to no cost in setting it up, no legal forms to fill out, no paperwork to file with the state. When you report your income and expenses, it goes on the Schedule C of your own personal tax return (1040), and isn't taxed separately.
There are also disadvantages, such as the aforementioned unlimited liability. There is also the fact that the company has a limited life - when you pass away, so does the business. (Ask Disney if this is important). It is also more difficult to get financing from banks and therefore difficult to expand.

b. CORPORATION
If you are willing to pay a little more money on a regular basis, you can get the advantage of limited liability with a corporate setup. A corporation is a separate entity from you as a person, therefore if it is sued, only those assets owned by the company can be taken, not your personal home and possessions. This is the main advantage of having a separate corporation. It is also easier to expand, as banks are usually more willing to offer financing for this. It can have a life beyond the life of the founder, as many corporations have (i.e., Sears, Disney).

Now to the disadvantages; The main one is the cost and complication of setting up and upkeep. There are fees to setting up the corporation with the state (none for the federal government), and annual fees to keep the license in good standing every year. In my home state of Florida, it is about to set up the corporation, and 0 a year to keep it going. There is also additional paperwork, as you need to file a separate tax form every year (1120 or 1120S) with the federal government. You may also need to file one for your state. And, you may have to pay taxes at a corporate rate, which is usually higher than your personal rate.

I would like to go into the differences between a C corporation and an S corporation. C is the corporations we are most familiar with - corporate monsters like Microsoft, IBM, Disney, Sears, etc. These get taxed at a corporate rate, which is currently 15% up to ,000 in profit, and goes up from there. An S Corporation (S stands for Small) has to have less than 100 stockholders (among other requirements) but does NOT get taxed at the corporate level. Let me repeat that - no tax is paid on the corporation itself. Instead, the income gets reported on each shareholder's tax return, and is paid at their personal rate. This is usually the better deal for small companies, as personal returns are not taxed at all for the first 00 in income.

c. LLCs and LLPs
Many people ask me about Limited Liability Corporations and Limited Liability Partnerships. These are both fairly new entities, and as such, don't have (as of yet) their own share of rules and laws by the IRS. I personally don't recommend them, as they have little advantage over the S corporation, and are usually more expensive to set up. A savvy person can set up an S corporation fairly easily. A lawyer is required for LLCs and LLPs, and they like charging a good deal of money to do so - which is why they recommend them so much.

d. RECOMMENDATIONS
In my personal opinion, most artist would do best as a sole proprietorship, unless there is a significant possibility of liability (i.e., you do 3D installations that someone could trip and fall on). In that case, I would recommend S corporations as the best alternative.

2. WHAT IS INCOME?

In the common usage, Income means (literally) any money coming in - whether it be a loan from the bank, a paycheck from your job, a gift from Grandma, or a sale of a painting. However, in the accounting world, many words take on different meanings. This is one of them.

Income, for someone running a business, derives from operating the business. If it's an art business, then sales from your art business is your main form of income.

That income can have several categories, though; You can have sales of existing art and art products, such as bookmarks, you can have commissioned sales of art, and you can have sales of excess supplies, or shipping, or display equipment. The majority of your income should come from the first two categories, though.

COMMISSIONS

For those that are unfamiliar with commissions, it is when someone contracts with you to produce a piece of art to their own needs and desires, rather than purchasing art you created before you met them.

CONSIGNMENTS

Another form of sales is consignment sales, which involves placing your artwork in someone else's store, and only receiving money when it is sold. Sometimes this is a gallery, sometimes a gift shop, sometimes online - but the portion of income you receive is the only income you declare, not the total price. For instance, if I have a print on sale at the local gift shop for , and I get from it when it sales (the other goes to the gift shop) then I declare income from the sale.

SELLING OTHER STUFF

Sometimes an artist has too much of a particular supply, and decides to sell off the excess on ebay, or doesn't need a table anymore, or a particular display piece. This is called incidental income - not something you do on a regular basis in your business. It's not the sale of art, but it is slightly related. These sales are income, but not always sales income - sometimes it's called 'gain' rather than profit. It's reported differently only if you are selling fixed assets, i.e., your computer, your desk, your display equipment. If it's just paint or brushes, it's regular income. Sometimes size DOES matter!

SHIPPING

If you also charge shipping on your sales, this too is considered income. The cost of your shipping shows up in expenses, and usually these two cancel out.

SALES TAX

Many people ask how Sales Tax comes into play with income. In reality, we never 'earn' sales tax - we merely collect it and hold it for the state government. Whenever we make a sale that is taxable, we collect the sales tax. Once a month, or once a quarter, or sometimes once a year, we tally up all the sales tax we SHOULD have collected and pay it to the state. That SHOULD is a very important word! If you did not collect sales tax, but should have, you are STILL liable to pay it to the state, out of your own pocket.

Since Sales Tax is not income, when we collect it we do not include that as income (thus we don't get charged income tax on that money). It's not an expense that we can deduct, either... it doesn't go on the federal income tax return at all!

CONCLUSION

All in all, income is any money coming in that is a result of a business transaction in your business. That sounds complex, but it helps differentiate between things that aren't income - like a gift from your dad, or a loan from the bank. Those aren't income, and you don't pay taxes on it!

We wouldn't want to be paying Uncle Sam MORE than he is asking for, now, do we?

3. HOW DO I VALUE INVENTORY?
Inventory is one of those mysteries of the accounting world, an esoteric subject fit to backroom discussions by candlelight and adding machines, right? WRONG! Inventory is a very simple concept - the cost of the stuff you have that you can sell.

INVENTORY
Inventory can include any number of things, but they should be things that can be traced to a particular piece. That means that you can include the canvas, paper, frame, matboard, and hanging hardware that you bought for that painting - but not the paint itself. The reason is that this tube of Titanium White has been used to paint on 12 other paintings, and is still only halfway used. There is no easy way to attach the cost of the paint to a particular piece, so it is instead deducted as 'supplies expense', along with the paintbrushes, turpentine, disposable pallet pages, etc.

So, the cost of one of my digital prints would NOT include the computer, or the program, but would include the cost of printing, the matboard, and the bag. It wouldn't include the ink from the pen to sign it. Be reasonable, and you'll be ok.

This inventory cost is usually counted at the end of the year. The amount you have in inventory is the cost of each item you have that is ready for sale, plus unfinished pieces, which are considered 'work-in-process' inventory. Also include items that will be used for such pieces, like blank canvasses and uncut matboard, etc.

On your tax return, you list a beginning inventory amount (the amount of these items you had at the beginning of the year). You add the cost of purchases during the year, and you subtract the amount of these items you sold (at cost, not at sale price!). The ending figure should match how much you have on hand at the end of the year. If not, you make an adjustment so it does - this is breakage, spillage, spoilage, loss, etc. and can be deducted as an expense.

By structuring it this way, the expenses for inventory are only deducted when the item is sold, as opposed to when the items were purchased. This is an important difference to the IRS!

SUPPLIES
As I mentioned earlier, items that are used for many pieces are supplies, not inventory. They are deducted when they are purchased, rather than when they are used.
Supplies typically include items used up over the course of time, such as paints, inks, regular paper (office supply rather than photographic paper), pencils, pens, erasers, tape, etc. You get the idea. Also, these are typically low cost items, where it would take more time to keep track of the cost than the deduction is worth!

WAGES
One of the quirks of a sole proprietorship is that you, as the owner, cannot deduct wages for yourself. You can pay someone else and deduct those, but you simply take extra cash out of the company funds as a withdrawal - this is not deductible. If you are paying someone wages and they are directly responsible for creating inventory, you CAN include that portion of their wages in inventory cost. For example, you create painted vases - you have three apprentices doing the base work for you, prepping the vases for your master's touch. Their wages can be added to the inventory cost for the vases they prepare.

TIMING AND CASH BASIS
Timing is an important concept in the creation of inventory, and the sale thereof. The IRS likes to see an expense taken in the same month that the sale it is associated with is made (thus inventory). If you sell an item in December of 2004, and the payment is collected in January 2005, then you should record the sale in 2005 - and the associated inventory cost of goods sold. This is called 'cash basis' as opposed to 'accrual basis'. Most sole proprietors and S corporations are on cash basis accounting.
Accrual basis accounting is when you made that sale in December 2004, reported it in 2004, and listed it as a receivable - a sale that is made but not paid for yet. When the payment is made in 2005, it is not a sale, but a payment of the receivable.
When you have inventory, you are on 'modified cash basis', and that is the preferred method for sole proprietorships, and the one I have found works best with artists.

4. WHAT CAN I DEDUCT AS EXPENSES?
There are several things that people get confused about when considering what can be deducted on a tax return for your business. I will attempt to cover those items that cause the most questions.

EQUIPMENT
One of the most confusing areas is equipment. According to the IRS, if a piece of equipment is a substantial cost (i.e., more than 0) and will last more than one year, you should 'capitalize' it. By capitalize, they mean list it as an asset, and take the expense as a deduction over several years, rather than all in the year you purchase it. This is called depreciation, and has several rules to follow.
Equipment can include computers, mat cutters, display booths, desks, software, any number of things. The main point is that it should last longer than one year. Do not include consumables such as pens, paint, paper, brushes, even if they last longer than one year - the cost of these are minimal and it is a waste of time and paperwork to keep track of them.

Many of you have heard of Sec 179 depreciation. That is a special rule by the IRS that says you can take the whole cost of such an item in the year you purchased it. That is ONLY allowed if you are making a profit, and if you bought it new (not used). For the example given, the entire 0 would be taken the year it was purchased.

Recently, the IRS has also added a 'bonus depreciation' rule, where you can take 50% of the cost in the first year (whether or not you make a profit), and then deduct the rest over the next 7 years as before. For the example given, you could deduct 0 the first year, and then 0/7 = each year for 7 years thereafter.

Furniture and fixtures are considered 7 year property, while cars, computers and other electronics are 5 year property. For other items, you can check out http://www.irs.gov for the list.

TIME/WAGES
As mentioned previously, you can deduct wages paid to someone else, but not to yourself. Wages you take yourself are not deductible, and are considered a repayment on the loan you gave the company to start up.

If you have set up as a Corporation, however (C or S), you CAN deduct your wages - and you must declare them as income on your personal return. This is usually a wash.

TRAVEL AND MEALS
This is one of the more controversial aspects of IRS law and business deductions. The rules are fairly simple - it's the interpretation that's a bear!

You can deduct the costs of travel if you are primarily there on business. If there is some business and some pleasure, you should prorate the costs. For instance, I go to Dragoncon every year. If I didn't have my art in the art show, I would still go, so there is some pleasure factor. However, most of my time is spent in or around the art show, either setting up, tearing down, attending panels, helping the art crawl, schmoozing with other artists, etc. In my interpretation, I spend 80% of my time on business - so I feel justified in deducting 80% of my costs of the trip.

That would include transportation there (we drive, so it's actual gas expense or mileage at .5 cents a mile), the hotel room, the fee for renting the panel, the fee for attending Dragoncon, and 50% of MY meals there.

Other expenses you can take in this area are fees for art shows and galleries, networking club dues, travel to such club meetings, client meetings, and installations. You can even deduct the mileage on trips to the craft store! If you are staying overnight on business travel you can deduct REASONABLE expenses for hotel and meals.

Any deductible meals are only allowable at 50%, and should be directly related to the business, i.e., entertaining potential or existing clients, or traveling on business.

HOME OFFICE

This is another area filled with confusion, but the IRS has gotten more and more lenient in this area over time, due to the increased popularity of telecommuting in today's work environment.
However, you still need to have an area of your home devoted to art production to deduct the expenses related to it.

Indirect expenses are those that are paid on the whole house, including mortgage interest, real estate taxes, utilities, homeowner's insurance, rent, house repairs, etc. All of these get added up, and 10% of them is deductible.

Direct expenses would include a dedicated business phone line, repairs or utilities that are for the dedicated work area alone, etc. These are deducted at 100%. (i.e., the window in your studio was repaired).

OTHER EXPENSES
There are several other expenses that can be deducted that many people don't think about. Here are some of them:

Health insurance for the artist can be deducted, and it is usually better deducted for the business (self-employed health insurance deduction) than on the Schedule A, where it is limited by your income level. This is one of those deductions you can only take if you've got a net profit.
Advertising - including mailings to your mailing list, business cards, etc.

Business insurance - something very important. This is separate from health insurance!
Legal or professional services - including the costs of setting up the corporation and doing the taxes each year.

Office supplies or rentals - do you have a water cooler? Postage machine? How about a credit card machine?

Rent of space or equipment - definitely deduct rental trucks or space fees. The booths at the art shows, if they are rented, and the space itself, certainly!

Repairs or maintenance of equipment - yes, this includes your computer if you use it for business! If it is also used for personal things, you should again prorate it. If I use my computer for 90% business, I can deduct 90% of the repairs. You get the picture!

Taxes and licenses - property taxes, business licenses, those can all be deducted. Sales tax, however, is NOT a business expense - nor is it income when you collect it. Technically, it is something you collect and hold in order to pass it on to the state government.

Conclusion
Taking responsibility for running your own business is a big step, but it can be done with a little organization and education. When you are out of your depth, contact a professional and let them help you. Most artists are afraid of the business side of art, and that is understandable. However, the more you know the better you can understand how the business works, and the more you can devote your time, energy and creativity to forming the art you love.
Helpful websites:

IRS site for Businesses: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/index.html
Links for state Dept. of Revenue sites: http://www.smbiz.com/sbrl041.html
Quickbooks: http://www.Quickbooks.com

Now the question still remains - How do you add audio to your website? Do you picture a studio full of audio professionals that know an intricate mix of commands to create the audio files? Erase that complicated scenario from your mind. Creating audio elements is in fact very simple and you can do it from the comfort of your own home or office.

Answer these questions before we go into the specifics of creating audio files for your website.

· Do you know how to type a paragraph in Microsoft Word or other word processing program?

· Do you know how to highlight a word, sentence, or paragraph in Microsoft Word or other word processing program?

· Do you know how to "delete" a word, sentence, or paragraph in Microsoft Word or other word processing program?

If you answered "yes" to these questions then you already have what it takes to create and edit audio files. Don't worry if you answered "no" to these questions because you can acquire these skills quickly.

The first task is to fill your office or home with the proper tools for audio recording. You need to invest in a microphone (preferably of high studio quality), computer, and quiet room. These are three basic necessities you need to get started.

Next you will need to verify that you have an interface that will connect your microphone with your computer. Most new computers have audio capabilities built in. If your computer is older you can consult with a computer technician at your local computer store.

Now it is time to actually record your audio message. You can use software called "Sony Sound Forge". Sony Sound Forge enables you to create CD tracks and web audio files. You can even capture audio from an analog source and digitize it onto CDs and MP3s.

You should use the MP3 format when creating audio files. This is the accepted format in 98% of the world. Therefore you know most customers will be able to hear the audio.
The basic steps to creating a MP3 audio file are to hit the record button, mark spots where you make a mistake, and edit out these mistakes through the delete option. Sony Sound Forge has a free trial offer and also provides tutorials on how to use their software.

You can also integrate music and sound effects into your audio file. Make sure, however, that you select music that is royalty free. You can search for this type of music by typing "royalty free music" and "buy out music" in Google.

Adding audio to your Internet marketing campaign has never been easier. Take a giant leap above your competition by adding audio to your website. You can create an intimate web experience for customers which can lead to immediate and future sales.

Today, due to technological improvements and widespread adoption of recording equipment, it's easy to setup a home recording studio. You can either setup a studio to record your own music, or you can help others by offering recording services to the marketplace. To run a successful recording studio, you need to learn how to acquire customers. Article marketing is a great way to reach out to target customers.

Tip 1: Write about recording difficulties.

Some musicians don't like to meddle with technical equipment. What mic to use, what software to buy, etc. They just want to record high quality music. In your articles, you can write about the different types of recording equipment that you use in your studio. The goal is to show that you possess in-depth knowledge of such equipment, and can do a good job with recording audio.

Tip 2: Write about the benefits of recording in a home studio.

Of the top of my head, I can think of a few. For instance, recording fees are definitely more affordable. The quality of the recordings are similar to those recorded by a professional studio. However, you pay significantly lower fees.

You can also write about how the recordings can help them realize their dreams. They can send in their music for auditions, sell them on the Internet and so on.

In the mythology generated by capitalism to pacify the masses, the myth of intellectual property stands out. It goes like this : if the rights to intellectual property were not defined and enforced, commercial entrepreneurs would not have taken on the risks associated with publishing books, recording records, and preparing multimedia products. As a result, creative people will have suffered because they will have found no way to make their works accessible to the public. Ultimately, it is the public which pays the price of piracy, goes the refrain.

But this is factually untrue. In the USA there is a very limited group of authors who actually live by their pen. Only select musicians eke out a living from their noisy vocation (most of them rock stars who own their labels - George Michael had to fight Sony to do just that) and very few actors come close to deriving subsistence level income from their profession. All these can no longer be thought of as mostly creative people. Forced to defend their intellectual property rights and the interests of Big Money, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Schwarzenegger and Grisham are businessmen at least as much as they are artists.

Economically and rationally, we should expect that the costlier a work of art is to produce and the narrower its market - the more emphasized its intellectual property rights.

Consider a publishing house.

A book which costs 50,000 DM to produce with a potential audience of 1000 purchasers (certain academic texts are like this) - would have to be priced at a a minimum of 100 DM to recoup only the direct costs. If illegally copied (thereby shrinking the potential market as some people will prefer to buy the cheaper illegal copies) - its price would have to go up prohibitively to recoup costs, thus driving out potential buyers. The story is different if a book costs 10,000 DM to produce and is priced at 20 DM a copy with a potential readership of 1,000,000 readers. Piracy (illegal copying) should in this case be more readily tolerated as a marginal phenomenon.

This is the theory. But the facts are tellingly different. The less the cost of production (brought down by digital technologies) - the fiercer the battle against piracy. The bigger the market - the more pressure is applied to clamp down on samizdat entrepreneurs.

Governments, from China to Macedonia, are introducing intellectual property laws (under pressure from rich world countries) and enforcing them belatedly. But where one factory is closed on shore (as has been the case in mainland China) - two sprout off shore (as is the case in Hong Kong and in Bulgaria).

But this defies logic : the market today is global, the costs of production are lower (with the exception of the music and film industries), the marketing channels more numerous (half of the income of movie studios emanates from video cassette sales), the speedy recouping of the investment virtually guaranteed. Moreover, piracy thrives in very poor markets in which the population would anyhow not have paid the legal price. The illegal product is inferior to the legal copy (it comes with no literature, warranties or support). So why should the big manufacturers, publishing houses, record companies, software companies and fashion houses worry?

The answer lurks in history. Intellectual property is a relatively new notion. In the near past, no one considered knowledge or the fruits of creativity (art, design) as 'patentable', or as someone's 'property'. The artist was but a mere channel through which divine grace flowed. Texts, discoveries, inventions, works of art and music, designs - all belonged to the community and could be replicated freely. True, the chosen ones, the conduits, were honoured but were rarely financially rewarded. They were commissioned to produce their works of art and were salaried, in most cases. Only with the advent of the Industrial Revolution were the embryonic precursors of intellectual property introduced but they were still limited to industrial designs and processes, mainly as embedded in machinery. The patent was born. The more massive the market, the more sophisticated the sales and marketing techniques, the bigger the financial stakes - the larger loomed the issue of intellectual property. It spread from machinery to designs, processes, books, newspapers, any printed matter, works of art and music, films (which, at their beginning were not considered art), software, software embedded in hardware, processes, business methods, and even unto genetic material.

Intellectual property rights - despite their noble title - are less about the intellect and more about property. This is Big Money : the markets in intellectual property outweigh the total industrial production in the world. The aim is to secure a monopoly on a specific work. This is an especially grave matter in academic publishing where small- circulation magazines do not allow their content to be quoted or published even for non-commercial purposes. The monopolists of knowledge and intellectual products cannot allow competition anywhere in the world - because theirs is a world market. A pirate in Skopje is in direct competition with Bill Gates. When he sells a pirated Microsoft product - he is depriving Microsoft not only of its income, but of a client (=future income), of its monopolistic status (cheap copies can be smuggled into other markets), and of its competition-deterring image (a major monopoly preserving asset). This is a threat which Microsoft cannot tolerate. Hence its efforts to eradicate piracy - successful in China and an utter failure in legally-relaxed Russia.

But what Microsoft fails to understand is that the problem lies with its pricing policy - not with the pirates. When faced with a global marketplace, a company can adopt one of two policies: either to adjust the price of its products to a world average of purchasing power - or to use discretionary differential pricing (as pharmaceutical companies were forced to do in Brazil and South Africa). A Macedonian with an average monthly income of 160 USD clearly cannot afford to buy the Encyclopaedia Encarta Deluxe. In America, 50 USD is the income generated in 4 hours of an average job. In Macedonian terms, therefore, the Encarta is 20 times more expensive. Either the price should be lowered in the Macedonian market - or an average world price should be fixed which will reflect an average global purchasing power.

Something must be done about it not only from the economic point of view. Intellectual products are very price sensitive and highly elastic. Lower prices will be more than compensated for by a much higher sales volume. There is no other way to explain the pirate industries : evidently, at the right price a lot of people are willing to buy these products. High prices are an implicit trade-off favouring small, elite, select, rich world clientele. This raises a moral issue : are the children of Macedonia less worthy of education and access to the latest in human knowledge and creation ?

Two developments threaten the future of intellectual property rights. One is the Internet. Academics, fed up with the monopolistic practices of professional publications - already publish on the web in big numbers. I published a few book on the Internet and they can be freely downloaded by anyone who has a computer or a modem. The full text of electronic magazines, trade journals, billboards, professional publications, and thousands of books is available online. Hackers even made sites available from which it is possible to download whole software and multimedia products. It is very easy and cheap to publish on the Internet, the barriers to entry are virtually nil. Web pages are hosted free of charge, and authoring and publishing software tools are incorporated in most word processors and browser applications. As the Internet acquires more impressive sound and video capabilities it will proceed to threaten the monopoly of the record companies, the movie studios and so on.

The second development is also technological. The oft-vindicated Moore's law predicts the doubling of computer memory capacity every 18 months. But memory is only one aspect of computing power. Another is the rapid simultaneous advance on all technological fronts. Miniaturization and concurrent empowerment by software tools have made it possible for individuals to emulate much larger scale organizations successfully. A single person, sitting at home with 5000 USD worth of equipment can fully compete with the best products of the best printing houses anywhere. CD-ROMs can be written on, stamped and copied in house. A complete music studio with the latest in digital technology has been condensed to the dimensions of a single chip. This will lead to personal publishing, personal music recording, and the to the digitization of plastic art. But this is only one side of the story.

The relative advantage of the intellectual property corporation does not consist exclusively in its technological prowess. Rather it lies in its vast pool of capital, its marketing clout, market positioning, sales organization, and distribution network.

Nowadays, anyone can print a visually impressive book, using the above-mentioned cheap equipment. But in an age of information glut, it is the marketing, the media campaign, the distribution, and the sales that determine the economic outcome.

This advantage, however, is also being eroded.

First, there is a psychological shift, a reaction to the commercialization of intellect and spirit. Creative people are repelled by what they regard as an oligarchic establishment of institutionalized, lowest common denominator art and they are fighting back.

Secondly, the Internet is a huge (200 million people), truly cosmopolitan market, with its own marketing channels freely available to all. Even by default, with a minimum investment, the likelihood of being seen by surprisingly large numbers of consumers is high.

I published one book the traditional way - and another on the Internet. In 50 months, I have received 6500 written responses regarding my electronic book. Well over 500,000 people read it (my Link Exchange meter registered c. 2,000,000 impressions since November 1998). It is a textbook (in psychopathology) - and 500,000 readers is a lot for this kind of publication. I am so satisfied that I am not sure that I will ever consider a traditional publisher again. Indeed, my last book was published in the very same way.

The demise of intellectual property has lately become abundantly clear. The old intellectual property industries are fighting tooth and nail to preserve their monopolies (patents, trademarks, copyright) and their cost advantages in manufacturing and marketing.

But they are faced with three inexorable processes which are likely to render their efforts vain:

The Newspaper Packaging

Print newspapers offer package deals of cheap content subsidized by advertising. In other words, the advertisers pay for content formation and generation and the reader has no choice but be exposed to commercial messages as he or she studies the content.

This model - adopted earlier by radio and television - rules the internet now and will rule the wireless internet in the future. Content will be made available free of all pecuniary charges. The consumer will pay by providing his personal data (demographic data, consumption patterns and preferences and so on) and by being exposed to advertising. Subscription based models are bound to fail.

Thus, content creators will benefit only by sharing in the advertising cake. They will find it increasingly difficult to implement the old models of royalties paid for access or of ownership of intellectual property.

Disintermediation

A lot of ink has been spilt regarding this important trend. The removal of layers of brokering and intermediation - mainly on the manufacturing and marketing levels - is a historic development (though the continuation of a long term trend).

Consider music for instance. Streaming audio on the internet or downloadable MP3 files will render the CD obsolete. The internet also provides a venue for the marketing of niche products and reduces the barriers to entry previously imposed by the need to engage in costly marketing ("branding") campaigns and manufacturing activities.

This trend is also likely to restore the balance between artist and the commercial exploiters of his product. The very definition of "artist" will expand to include all creative people. One will seek to distinguish oneself, to "brand" oneself and to auction off one's services, ideas, products, designs, experience, etc. This is a return to pre-industrial times when artisans ruled the economic scene. Work stability will vanish and work mobility will increase in a landscape of shifting allegiances, head hunting, remote collaboration and similar labour market trends.

Market Fragmentation

In a fragmented market with a myriad of mutually exclusive market niches, consumer preferences and marketing and sales channels - economies of scale in manufacturing and distribution are meaningless. Narrowcasting replaces broadcasting, mass customization replaces mass production, a network of shifting affiliations replaces the rigid owned-branch system. The decentralized, intrapreneurship-based corporation is a late response to these trends. The mega-corporation of the future is more likely to act as a collective of start-ups than as a homogeneous, uniform (and, to conspiracy theorists, sinister) juggernaut it once was.

When I first started reading about compressors I was hopelessly lost. The terminology was technical in an almost mean-spirited way and I couldn't make heads or tails of what was being written. To keep things simple, I think of compression as a way of evening out the loud and soft parts of any vocal or instrument so that its behavior is a bit more predictable. In other words, compression brings up the really soft spots and tames the really loud spots so that you're not constantly reaching for the volume fader on your mixing board (or virtual mixing board on your DAW). In its simplest form, a compressor, whether a hardware unit or a plug-in, will squeeze the audio so that its highs and lows are less pronounced. This allows you to do things like bring down the volume level of the compressed track without fear that its softer parts will get lost, or bring up the volume level without fear that the loud parts will jump out. It might help to think of all compression settings (attack, release, ratio and threshold) as ways to squeeze your audio more or less aggressively. Not enough compression will leave tracks that jump out of a mix at inappropriate times or get lost in the sound of the other instruments; however, too much compression can make a track sound lifeless or uninspired. My rule of thumb is to be less aggressive compressing audio on the way into your DAW (because you're stuck with whatever you do) and more aggressive with my plug-in compression (because you can always dial it back).

EQ

While a wonderful (and essential) tool, EQ is also quite possibly the quickest way to royally mess up the sound of a mix. Overuse of EQ ranks second only to overuse of reverb as the hallmark of an inexperienced mix engineer. EQ should be used to subtly (or not so subtly) color the sound of the particular track you're working on so that it relates well to and leaves space for the other tracks in a mix. My experience has been that it's what you pull out and not what you put in that makes EQ work best. For example, even when you're looking for a boost in the high frequencies of a track, it's often more effective to pull a few dB from a lower frequency which, in turn, brightens the sound.

Vocals Vocal Compression on the Way In

Since the vocal (despite what your guitar-playing pals might tell you) is the most important element of any popular music mix, let's start here. Getting a vocal to sit well in a mix is a combination of compression, EQ and often volume fader automation. It's a fairly common practice to compress a vocal a little on its way into your DAW. This shouldn't be an aggressive type of compression but rather just enough to tame some of the loudest spots of a vocal so that your overall recording volume can be hotter.

An approach to the vocal chain in my studio runs as follows: microphone into hardware preamp/compressor and then directly into my DAW. To get into the nitty gritty, I generally set my hardware compressor's attack settings at around 30ms and release settings at about 1 second and my compression ratio to 3:1. Then, I play with the threshold making sure that at the hottest parts of the vocal, the gain reduction is at a maximum of -3dB. This leaves me room in the mix to compress further using a software compression plug-in. The danger of compressing too aggressively on the way in is that you'll end up stuck with the sound of the overly compressed vocal with no way of changing it later.

Vocal Compression in the Mix

Once the vocal is in the mix, I go to a plug-in compressor to further help keep the vocal present in the mix without jumping out too much in the loud spots. My recommendation would be to find a compressor that has a smooth, transparent sound that allows you to squeeze the vocal just a little more (approximately -3dB of gain reduction at the loudest spots) so that the vocal maintains it's presence. I set my attack at 26ms and my release at around 300ms. For more detail, take a peek at my general vocal settings in the screen shots on the right. If the mix is a particularly full one where the voice needs to cut through a bit more and show a little more sparkle, I'll use a frequency-specific compressor (like the Waves C4 on its "pop vocal" setting) which is a little more specific in terms of which frequencies it chooses to compress. In this case, 40hz, 500hz, 6khz and 16khz. To see exactly how the attack and release settings are set up for each frequency, take a look at the screen shot here below.

Vocal EQ

I rarely, if ever, EQ my vocals on the way in. I prefer to get a good uncolored vocal sound so that when it comes time to mix with the final instrumentation, I have the flexibility to work with the un-EQed vocal audio. This is particularly useful when you start by tracking a vocal against a single instrument like the acoustic guitar but end up mixing it in with a full band. EQ decisions shouldn't be made in a vacuum. Ultimately it's the relationship of the voice with all of the other elements in the mix that determines the EQ approach. Often, a vocal EQ that works in a mix won't sound particularly good when the vocal is soloed. As I mentioned earlier, my preference is to cut the EQ in certain frequencies as opposed to boosting it.

Here are a couple of instances where cutting frequencies can solve common vocal problems:

• Muddy or Boomy Vocal - In this situation, I tend to pull a dB or two at around 200hz. This also has the effect of making the vocal cut through a mix better or sound brighter.
• Piercing or Painful Vocal - Here, I'll pull a few dB at around 3 khz. This tends to take the edge off of the vocal without removing any of the clarity.

Here are a couple of instances where the tasteful boosting of frequencies is useful:

• Bringing out the low end in a vocal - add 1 or 2db of gain at between 80hz and 100hz
• Adding Brightness - Occasionally if a vocal sound is just a bit too dark or undefined, I'll add a few dB of gain at 5khz
• Adding Air or Breath - Here I'll use a shelving EQ which boosts all frequencies above 12.5khz

In a shelving EQ, a band of frequencies, in either the high or low frequency end of the spectrum, is increased or attenuated by a fixed amount. The term shelving doesn't usually apply to a mid-range boost or cut.

Acoustic Guitars

While working as an engineer in Nashville, I spent a lot of time miking and recording acoustic guitars. Despite the steadily improving pickup systems being installed in acoustic guitars, I still believe that there is no substitute for a well-placed condenser microphone (or microphones) when it comes to capturing the warmth, body and air of an acoustic guitar. However, as with all acoustic instruments, it's a challenge to properly sit one in a mix and preserve its texture and character while also blending it with the other instruments. There are a couple of approaches to compression and EQ that will go a long way towards solving this problem.

Acoustic Guitar Compression on the Way In

When compressing acoustic guitar on the way into my DAW, I find it's better to be a bit more aggressive with attack and release settings than you would with a lead vocal. I'll use the more of a medium fast attack (approximately 22ms) and release (approximately 500ms) on a hardware compressor with a ratio of 3:1 and then play with the threshold knob until, again, the gain is attenuated by about -3dB.

Acoustic Guitar Compression in the Mix

At this point, it's a good idea to base your compression settings on the kind of a mix you're doing. If it's a simple acoustic guitar and vocal recording, it's entirely possible to leave off all compression on the acoustic. However, if it's a full band mix and I want to make sure you can hear the acoustic strumming or finger picking clearly among the other instruments, I'll use a compression plug-in (like Metric Halo's Channel Strip) and compress a bit more aggressively: 16ms attack and 160ms release with a ration of 3.5:1. Take a peek at my settings.

Ratio

A compressor reduces an audio signal's gain (level) if its amplitude exceeds a certain threshold. The amount of gain reduction is determined by a ratio. For example, with a ratio of 4:1, when the input level is 4dB higher than the threshold, the the compressor will process the signal so that the output signal level will be 1dB over the threshold. So the gain (level) has been reduced by 3 dB.

Acoustic Guitar EQ

Very much like vocals, I don't believe in EQing acoustic guitar while I'm recording it, only because I rarely know what the other elements of the mix will be. However, there are a two very specific approaches I use to EQing an acoustic guitar depending on whether or not it's accompanying a vocal performance or a part of a bigger mix. In general terms, the EQ approach is more subtle in the simple guitar/vocal to preserve the fuller tone of the acoustic and more aggressive in the full-band mix to make room for other instruments while still preserving the essential elements of the acoustic's sound.

Here are some EQ settings for a simple acoustic guitar and vocal recording:

• Removing Boominess - I like to pull 1 or 2 dB at 125hz to remove the boominess that often accompanies miking an acoustic too close to the sound hole.
• Adding Sparkle - If after removing some of the boominess, I'm still looking for more sparkle in the acoustic, I'll boost a dB or two at 5khz.

 Below are some EQ settings for an acoustic in a full band recording:

• Adding Clarity - I've found that a high-pass filter at 120hz leaves room for the kick drum and bass guitar in a mix while allowing the acoustic to shine at the higher frequencies. Leaving in the low parts of the acoustic's frequency will often muddy the mix and obscure the kick drum and bass.
• Still muddy? - don't be afraid to take your high-pass filter up to 200hz or even 300hz if the guitar still isn't cutting through the mix. It may sound terrible soloed but perfect in the mix and that's the key.
• Adding Sparkle - As above, if cutting out the low frequencies isn't enough to get the acoustic to cut through a mix, adding two or three dB at 5k will do a lot to bring out the strummed or finger picked strings of the acoustic.

Compression and EQ are two very powerful weapons in your mix arsenal, but as with anything, overuse will do more harm than good. I think back to the words of an engineer whose work I really respect who liked to say "I'll compress until it sucks and then back it off from there." In other words, knowing when to say "when" is an equally useful skill. A final thought...as far as signal path is concerned, I tend to place compression after EQ because EQ effectively raises or lowers the volume of the track and I've found I get a more effective response from the compressor if I hit it with the EQed audio. I would highly recommend using the above EQ and compression settings not as an ironclad rule but rather as a jumping off point. Every mix is different and your ears will tell you what's working and what isn't.

Good luck!