Audio recording and production related books - what do you recommend?

[Phil O'Keefe]

I think it would be nice to have a collection of recommended books for people who are either just starting out, or who want to brush up on things a bit, or who just want a good audio related book to read.

So what are some of your suggestions?

Please list WHY you like the book, and the basics about what it covers.

Oh, and a link to where people can find it would also be cool... most things can be found on www.amazon.com , but if it's not there, or it's hard to find, and you know where to get it, please list a link. :)

[Phil O'Keefe]

Here's my first suggestion:

Home Recording For Musicians by Craig Anderton (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0825615003/104-6278587-0620761?v=glance)

It covers the basics in an easily understood and utterly practical way. Lots of useful tricks and tips, and Craig really makes it easy to understand what he's saying.

This would be a good choice for the musician who has developed in interest in home recording but doesn't have a lot of experience with it.

[Phil O'Keefe]

And as long as I'm kissing up to Craig ( ;) :D ), I also highly recommend:

MIDI For Musicians by Craig Anderton (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0825610508/qid=1122496323/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/104-6278587-0620761?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

This is THE bible as far as I'm concerned when it comes to understanding MIDI - what it is, what you can do with it, etc.

[Phil O'Keefe]

For some really great production insights, definitely check out:

Behind The Glass by Howard Massey (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879306149/qid=1122496442/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6278587-0620761?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

This book features insights on the production process and offers techniques and tips / suggestions from such legendary producers as George Massenburg, Phil Ramone, Brian Wilson, Eddie Kramer, Al Schmitt, Mitch Froom, Ed Cherney, Sir George Martin, Arif Mardin... the list is quite impressive. And so is the book. This one is another "must have" IMO. http://www.foxtick.com/foxboard/images/smiles/Phil-Thumbs-Up-Small.gif

[doug osborne]

Any of Bobby Owsinski's Handbooks, Bob Katz's Mastering Audio, Tomlinson Holman's 5.1 Up and Running (if you are considering surround), The Beatles' Gear and Recording Sessions, all available on Amazon.

I'm learning a lot from Nika Aldrich's book about Digital Audio, only available at Sweetwater AFAIK.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Another excellent book that relies heavily on the input from some major cats is

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0872887235/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-6278587-0620761?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

Again, this is a book where Bobby has collected a wide range of very useful tips and tricks from a variety of well known and very knowledgeable cats, and organized it in a very cool way. If you're new to mixing and you need some top level pointers, this is a great book to get. Heck, even old hands will probably pick up a few cool ideas or be reminded of a cool technique that they have not used in a long time. I know I did.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Note to self: Type faster next time. ;)

[doug osborne]

You included a link. I cheated.

[boosh]

I can not recommend anything else than my Friend Bruce Swediens Book :

Make Mine Music.

[Kranak]

Thanks for all of these. Should keep me busy for a while. I will be back in about 3 years with some questions. :D

[Phil O'Keefe]

Although I have not read it yet, there's also

The Recording Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1932929002/ref=pd_sim_b_4/104-6278587-0620761?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

If it's as good as his mixing book, it's probably excellent. :)

[Phil O'Keefe]

Another great overview book is

Modern Recording Techniques by David Miles Huber (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0240804562/qid=1122501227/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6278587-0620761?v=glance&s=books)

It's a little more technical than some other books out there, but if you're looking for a good fundamental overview of the technical stuff about recording that you really SHOULD know, this is a good place to start. :)

[Phil O'Keefe]

If you want to learn about improving the acoustics of your rooms, or are considering building a new room, you should definitely check out some of the books by F. Alton Everest (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=F.%20Alton%20%20Everest/104-6278587-0620761) - I've got a few of his books, and they're full of useful information. :cool:

[Kiwiburger]

+1 for "Behind The Glass" by Howard Massey

If you already have the basics down, a very insightful book is "Mixing with your Mind" by Michael Stavrou. This is a slightly out-there viewpoint from a very creative mind. It's probably an example of throwing pearls before swine for a lot of readers - but I value it highly.

The book is endorsed by George Martin. Mike worked as mix engineer for AIR studios in the '80's, and mixed some classic pop hits.

I think George Martin's "All you need is Ears" is a good read too. Provides some real history and insights into some of the best music ever recorded.

[seaneldon]

Bruce Swedien's "Make Mine Music" was cool.

[Red Winger]

Completely agree with the selections above, including Owsinski, Massey, and, most of all, the Katz book. Since no link was provided to Bob's book, here it is:

Mastering Audio (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0240805453/qid=1122531005/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3249802-3598546?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[geek_usa]

By far the most in-depth, accurate book I have ever read...


Recording Tips for Engineers by Tim Crich (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0240519744/qid=1122535572/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i6_xgl14/103-7612222-4182230?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)


:)

[WFTurner]

Another recommendation for a book by Craig Anderton, Sonar 3: Mixing and Mastering (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0825629527/qid=1122561737/sr=8-12/ref=pd_bbs_sbs_12/103-6757242-3916657?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). Don't let it's usefulness seem narrow because of it's reference to Sonar 3 in the title. While it's been a great study companion in learning Sonar, it's content is useful towards becoming proficent on any Daw/Software setup.

I know this is supposed to be in reference to books, but if you ain't got no bucks for thick books this is great as having a good book: The Project Studio Handbook (http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/articles12.htm)

[kylen]

I have a bunch or recording books in my batcave, the ones right next to me are the ones already mentioned by Anderton, Katz, Owsinski (recording, mixing, mastering handbooks).

I've been looking for the Mixing in the Mind but I guess I'll have to order it, the other George Martin book I want to get too - the entire team that was put together on his watch was so influential IMO, oh yeah the beatles helped too!!!

[Phil O'Keefe]

It's not a book, but I would really be remiss if I didn't mention Tom Dowd & The Language Of Music. (http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/) IMO, this DVD is an absolute "must have". It's not going to give you a lot of mic technique suggestions, nor a lot of technical info, but it DOES give you a lot of historical background, and shows you a great producer / engineer (one of the best of all time, IMO) "doing his thing". Just seeing how Tom interacted with artists is worth the price of the DVD - I highly recommend it. :cool:

[Lee Knight]

Owsinki's books are the 2 (Mixing and Engineering) that I pick up the most. I'm always going back to them as a reference. Always. I also like Pro Tools Overdrive. So many of the PT books are just the same stuff. The Overdrive book deals with applications and advanced techniques.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592006256/104-9941349-4363927?v=glance

[bjorked]

The "Tom Dowd..." DVD is DEFINATELY worth whatever it costs! Everyone involved in recording should own this. Shows how important it is for the artist to trust the engineer / producer and vice versa.

Also proves that an open mind and some ingenuity can make all the difference.

Two thumbs way up!

[maxmartin]

One cool book is:

The Art of Music Production

It's more about what a producer does and what kind of producer you wanna be. Not to technical

[Bluewater]

Great thread for us 70s cats who play music, more or less, and are struggling with getting it down in the digital age. Amazon and I would like to thank you for the great references. ;)

And I can't wait to see Dowd at the Layla mixing board; other than seeing Eric and Duane recording it, I can't tell you what a penultimate experience that will be. :cool: :cool: :cool:

Thanks folks :)