Welcome
Welcome to the companion webpage for William Moylan'sRecording Analysis: How the Record Shapes the Song.
From this home page you may navigate to materials that support the various processes of recording analysis. There are figures that will allow you, the reader to assemble graphs, tables and diagrams to analyze recording elements. Included are files that illustrate and clarify some central concepts of the text, and other files and materials designed to support developing observation and listening skills. There is also a document (with support audio files, and embedded photos and figure) to guide establishing a playback system suitable for analyzing recordings; here you find basic guidance in optimizing your current playback system within your own listening space.
The navigation bar (above) will take you to six other pages:
Timelines
These .pdf files fall into two categories.
- Some may be used as the x-axis of graphs the reader assembles using the various y-axes found in the graph templates of the following section.
- The other timelines are used to compile observations of multiple recording, music and/or lyrics elements, or to assemble specific evaluation information and conclusions.
Graph templates and diagrams
These are .pdf files of the many unique graphs and diagrams for recording elements found throughout the text. The graphs may be used as they are presented here, or any graph’s y-axis may be combined with any of the timelines of the previous section; this allows the reader to create their own graphs, formatted to be most suitable to any individual track they are studying. Sound stage diagrams and diagrams that combine elements are also included.
Typology tables
These .pdf files are useful for compiling observations on recording elements. These tables can be modified to emphasize the attributes and variables most significant to the element(s) being observed.
Spectrograms and related files
These color spectrogram .pdf files allow a clearer examination of the frequency content of the “Here Comes the Sun,” “Let It Be,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” examples that are discussed in Chapters 5, 7 and 10.
Audio files
These .wav files are intended to be downloaded and played (uncompressed) through a playback system (that includes loudspeakers). The files are divided into groups:
- To assist in hearing into timbres, through learning the sound quality of the harmonic series
- To assist learning the sound of pitch/frequency registers, to assist in recognizing the levels of frequencies and octave placement of pitches
- To support playback system testing and calibration.
Guidance for establishing accurate playback
This is a .pdf document to aid in evaluating a sound system and in placing loudspeakers within a listening room. The text of the document is illustrated by photos and a figure. Three audio files located in the previous section are intended to assist in the process of evaluating and adjusting a playback system toward being as accurate as it might be, given its inherent limitations.
