ABSTRACT

Dynamics are a crucial feature of all musical performances. In beginner piano lessons, for instance, teachers impart upon their students the importance of playing the instrument with both a loud and soft touch. Instead, dynamics are a crucial component of that content, and it is impossible to hear a record without also hearing the dynamic scheme producers and engineers establish. This fact may even frustrate some musical performers, such as vocalists or musicians, who believe that their performances on records have more to do with their own creative inputs, rather than production choices made by engineers and producers. For those who make hip-hop beats, stereo configuration techniques are also particularly relevant because these musicians hope to collaborate with vocalists. In order to accommodate an emcee, producers will often leave space in the center of the stereo field.