TEXTBOOKS for
Audio Courses

Audio Engineering 101: A Beginner's Guide to Music Production
Tim Dittmar
ISBN: 978-0-240-81915-0

Audio Engineering 101 is a real world guide for starting out in the recording industry. If you have the dream, the ideas, the music and the creativity but don't know where to start, then this book is for you!

Filled with practical advice on how to navigate the recording world, from an author with first-hand, real-life experience, Audio Engineering 101 will help you succeed in the exciting, but tough and confusing, music industry.

Covering all you need to know about the recording process, from the characteristics of sound to a guide to microphones to analog versus digital recording. Dittmar covers all the basics- equipment, studio acoustics, the principals of EQ/ compression, music examples to work from and when and how to use compression. FAQ's from professionals give you real insight into the reality of life on the industry... [more]

Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools, 2nd Edition
Roey Izhaki
ISBN: 978-0-240-52222-7

Your mix can make or break a record, and mixing is an essential catalyst for a record deal. Professional engineers with exceptional mixing skills can earn vast amounts of money and find that they are in demand by the biggest acts.

To develop such skills, you need to master both the art and science of mixing. The new edition of this best-selling book offers all you need to know and put into practice in order to improve your mixes. Covering the entire process—from fundamental concepts to advanced techniques—and offering a multitude of audio samples, tips, and tricks, this book has it all.

Roey Izhaki teaches you the importance of a mixing vision, how to craft and evaluate your mix and then take it a step further. He describes the theory and the tools used and how these are put into practice while creating mixes.

Packed full of photos, graphs, diagrams and audio samples, Mixing Audio is a vital read for anyone wanting to succeed in the field of mixing... [more]

Audio Production and Critical Listening: Technical Ear Training
Jason Corey
ISBN: 978-0-240-81295-3

Making decisions about how and when to apply sound processing effects and recording techniques can make or break your song mix. The decisions you make come down to your listening skills - what you hear and how you perceive it. Your ability to properly discern sound, identify a problem, and act accordingly - especially when the decision often needs to be made quickly - makes all the difference to the success of the final track.

Audio Production and Critical Listening develops your critical and expert listening skills, enabling you to listen to audio like an award-winning engineer. The interactive "ear training" software practice modules give you experience identifying various types of signal processes and manipulation - EQ, dynamics, reverb, distortion, delay, etc. The software sits alongside the clear and detailed explanations in the book, offering a complete learning package that will help you train your ears to listen and really "hear" your recordings... [more]

The Guide to MIDI Orchestration, 4th Edition
Paul Gilreath
ISBN: 978-0-240-81413-1

Since its initial release in 1997, Paul Gilreath's The Guide to MIDI Orchestration has been the premiere text on creating realistic emulations of a symphony orchestra using samplers and computer recording techniques. Now in its fourth edition, The Guide to MIDI Orchestration explains how to merge this ever-expanding technology with the artistry of orchestration to produce the most lifelike recordings possible. The book is written for composers, arrangers, and MIDI musicians of all levels, and will be helpful to game composers, film and television composers, traditional orchestral composers, teachers, instructors, and the serious hobbyist.... [more]

Logic Pro 9: Audio and Music Production
Mark Cousins
Russ Hepworth-Sawyer
ISBN: 978-0-240-52193-0

From initial track laying through to mixing, sound design, and mastering, Mark Cousins and Russ Hepworth- Sawyer bring you Logic Pro 9. By h ighlighting the relevant parts of each application, they take you through every step of the music creation and production process, giving you all the tips, tutorials, and tricks that pros use to create perfect recordings. The book has full- color screen shots illustrating the tools, functions, and the new look of Logic Pro 9, and the companion website has audio samples and loops. Logic Pro 9 covers more than just the software. It will help you make the most out of every recording session and will Illuminate and inspire your creative and sonic endeavors!... [more]

Creative Sequencing Techniques for Music Production: A Practical Guide to Pro Tools, Logic, Digital Performer, and Cubase, 2nd Edition
Andrea Pejrolo
ISBN: 978-0-240-52216-6

Student composers and producers need to be able to master and program all of the sequencers to have an edge on the competition. It is crucial to be comfortable with them to expand  work opportunity and take advantage of the specific features that are available to a particular application. Techniques are divided into basic, intermediate and advanced sections, allowing readers with different levels of expertise to access the book at the level appropriate for them. The advice covered includes groove quantizing, sound layering, tap tempo, creative meter and tempo changes, advanced use of plug-in automation and advanced mixing. The accompanying website includes examples of arrangements and techniques showing, for example, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to fix them when they occur... [more]

Pro Tools 9: Music Production, Recording, Editing, and Mixing
Mike Collins
ISBN: 978-0-240-52248-7

Prepare yourself to be a great producer when using Pro Tools in your studio. Pro Tools 9 is the definitive guide to the software for new and professional users, providing you with all the vital skills you need to know. Covering both Pro Tools HD and LE, this book is extensively illustrated in color and packed with time- saving hints and tips. It is a great reference to keep on hand as a constant source of information. Detailed chapters on the user interface, the MIDI and scoring features, recording, editing, signal processing, and mixing blend essential knowledge with tutorials and practical examples from actual recordings.... [more]

The Art of Music Publishing: An Entrepreneurial Guide to Music Publishing and Copyright for the Media, Film and Music Industries
Helen Gammons
ISBN: 978-0-240-52235-7

Gammons’ The Art of Music Publishing is the gateway for those looking to pursue a career in the lucrative and exciting area of music publishing, which is the complicated business of acquiring and registering copyrights for musical compositions and promoting and authorizing the use of these compositions in recordings, radio, television, motion pictures, live performances, print, or other media. This title, along with a supporting website featuring video interviews and podcasts with music business legends, offers a hands-on perspective so readers will understand the role of the publisher, copyright, managing rights, income streams and contracts as they enter into the exciting, high-risk, high-reward music business... [more]

Artist Management for the Music Business, 2nd Edition
Paul Allen
ISBN: 978-0-240-81501-5

Artist Management for the Music Business provides clear, in-depth information on what to do as an artist manager and how to do it, preparing the reader for the realities of directing the careers of performers in the risky but rewarding music business. The book prepares the reader for a successful career looking at the application of classic management theory to artist management, featuring profiles of artist managers, an exclusive and detailed template for an artist career plan, and samples of major contract sections for artist management and record deals. Updated information including a directory of artist management companies is available on the companion website. Artist Management for the Music Business is written for record industry employees who want to know both what to do as a professional artist manager and how to do it as well as for all students studying music business or industry programs... [more]

Mix Smart: Pro Audio Tips for Your Multitrack Mix
Alexander U. Case
ISBN: 978-0-240-81485-8

After you've recorded the perfect song, you're only halfway there! Mixing is where the magic really happens and getting the perfect mix is a challenge. One of the most elusive arts of the recording practice, mixing can take a lifetime to master—this handbook jump-starts skills and fast-forwards progress!

Breaking the mix down by different effects—EQ, distortion, compression, expansion, pitch shift, delay, reverb, and more—and applying them to some of the most important instruments in pop music, Mix Smart shows the skills and techniques needed to tap into musicality and express it through multitrack mixing, putting true professional quality mixing within reach... [more]

What Is Music Production?
A Producer's Guide, the Role, the People, the Process
Russ Hepworth-Sawyer
Craig Golding
ISBN: 978-0-240-81126-0

To complete an album, a producer needs to know what goes into capturing great music and teasing out inspirational performances from artists. As a producer, you are guiding not only the music, but also the business and the technical aspects of an album. What Is Music Production? is a guide to this guidance.

Formed from a blend of solid information extracted from detailed interviews, the book focuses on the process of music production, providing insight into the producer's work and activity.

As a student, What is Music Production? explains what you need to know—from working with artists, songs, pre-production, mixing, and mastering to the finance and budgeting, to glean a professional result. Combining the "how to be" with online assets and interviews, this book arms you with a vital insight into the business of being a music producer... [more]

Practical Recording Techniques: The Step-by-step Approach to Professional Audio Recording, 5th Edition
Bruce Bartlett
Jenny Bartlett
ISBN: 978-0-240-81144-4

Practical Recording Techniques is a hands-on practical guide for all aspects of recording, ideal for beginning and intermediate recording engineers, producers, musicians and audio enthusiasts. Filled with tips and shortcuts, this book offers advice on equipping a home studio (both low-budget and advanced), with suggestions for set-up, acoustics, choosing monitor speakers, and preventing hum. This best-selling guide also tells how to judge recordings and improve them to produce maximum results. Two extensive glossaries clearly explain audio jargon and sound-quality descriptions…[more]

Sound and Recording, 6th Edition
Francis Rumsey
Tim McCormick
ISBN: 978-0-240-52163-3

This popular and best-selling text introduces trainee engineers and music recording students to the principles of sound, perception, audio technology and systems. Vital reading for anyone entering music recording, broadcasting and associated industries. Throughout there are invaluable fact files that make key information easily digestible. This sixth editionis up to date, with expanded information on digital audio principles, systems and applications and digital mastering with DAT and digital audio C... [more]

Modern Recording Techniques, 7th Edition
David Miles Huber
Robert E. Runstein
ISBN: 978-0-240-81069-0

As the most popular and authoritative guide to recording available, Modern Recording Techniques provides everything you need to master the tools and day-to-day practice of music recording and production. The sixth edition has been expanded to cover the latest digital audio technology and features a new section on surround sound. For those who are just starting out or are looking for their next job in the industry, this edition also provides essential advice on career options and networking... [more]

The MIDI Manual: A Practical Guide to MIDI in the Project Studio, 3rd Edition
David Miles Huber
ISBN: 978-0-240-80798-0

The MIDI Manual, 3rd Edition is a complete reference on MIDI, written by David Miles Huber, a well-respected sound engineer and author. This guide provides a clear explanation of what MIDI is, how to use electronic instruments, what sequencers are, and how to use them. Your students will learn how to set up an efficient MIDI system to get the best sound from their music.

The MIDI Manual is also packed full of useful tips and practical examples on sequencing and mixing techniques, illustrated throughout with helpful photos and screengrabs... [more]

Sound FX: Unlocking the Creative Potential of Recording Studio Effects
Alexander U. Case
ISBN: 978-0-240-52032-2

Sound FX introduces today’s up and coming musician to the fantastic creative potential of the most popular instrument today- the home studio. Explaining the basic and advanced signal processing techniques used in professional music production (EQ, compression, delay, reverb etc), using real world popular music examples and an emphasis on the perceptual results and musical value of these effects, Sound FX teaches the recording musician how to achieve professional production standards and maximize their creative potential... [more]

Understanding and Crafting the Mix: The Art of Recording, 2nd Edition
William Moylan
ISBN: 978-0-240-80755-3

Understanding and Crafting the Mix gives you clear and systematic methods for identifying, evaluating, and shaping the artistic elements in music and audio recording. The exercises throughout help you to develop critical listening and evaluating skills and gain greater control over the quality of your recordings.

William Moylan takes an inside look into a range of popular music, including recordings by The Beatles, offering you insights into making meaningful sound judgements during recording. Sample production sequences and descriptions of the recordist’s roles as composer, conductor and performer provides you with a clear view of the entire recording process... [more]

Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science, 2nd Edition
Bob Katz
ISBN: 978-0-240-80837-6

Written by an award-winning, highly respected professional, Mastering Audio gives you a thorough introduction to the unique procedures and technical issues involved in mastering.

Suitable for all levels of students and professionals, it is ideal for anyone who wants to increase their mastery of digital and analog audio: musicians, producers, A&R, mastering, recording and mixing engineers.

Fully updated to cover the latest technologies, Mastering Audio discusses audio philosophy and art: sequencing, leveling, processing; how to make a record album radio-ready; mixing as it relates to mstering. Divided into 5 parts, the book begins with the basics—monitoring, mastering techniques, useful tutorials and the fundamentals of dithering and decibels and moves on to more advanced concepts - jitter and clocking, monitor collaboration as well as multi channel audio, miking and acoustics. Leading-edge audio concepts are explained in an easy-to-grasp holistic style....[more]

Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 4th Edition
David Howard
Jamie Angus
ISBN: 978-0-240-52175-6

With a unique approach covering both acoustics and psychoacoustics from a musical standpoint in one volume this book is ideal for students taking courses in: music technology, studio recording popular/film/video music, composition, electronic/electroacoustic composition, media arts.

This new updated edition covers a broad range of topics providing a thorough and essential grounding in the introduction to acoustics and psychoacoustics, including: Principles of sound, Sound transmission and interaction, Human hearing, Psychoacoustics Musical timbre, pitch and loudness perception, Noise induced hearing loss, Harmonics and overtones, Tuning systems and temperament, Consonance and dissonance, Sound generation in string, brass and percussion musical instruments, The pipe organ, The singing voice, Sound in different environments (architectural acoustics), Reverberation Processing sound electronically... [more]

Sound Synthesis and Sampling, 3rd Edition
Martin Russ
ISBN: 978-0-240-52105-3

Sound Synthesis and Sampling provides a comprehensive introduction to the underlying principles and practical techniques applied to both commercial and research sound synthesizers. This new edition has been updated throughout to reflect current needs and practices- revised and placed in a modern context, providing a guide to the theory of sound and sampling in the context of software and hardware that enables sound making. For the revised edition emphasis is on expanding explanations of software and computers, new sections include techniques for making sound physically, sections within analog and digital electronics. Martin Russ is well known and the book praised for its highly readable and non-mathematical approach making the subject accessible to readers starting out on computer music courses or those working in a studio...[more]

Acoustic and MIDI Orchestration for the Contemporary Composer: A Practical Guide to Writing and Sequencing for the Studio Orchestra
Andrea Pejrolo
Richard DeRosa
ISBN: 978-0-240-52021-6

Get complete guidance on both traditional orchestration and modern production techniques with this unique book. With effective explanations and clear illustrations, you will learn how to integrate the traditional approach to orchestration with the modern sequencing techniques and tools available. You will discover how to bridge the two approaches in order to enhance your final production. The accompanying CD includes a comprehensive and wide selection of examples, templates and sounds to allow you to hear the techniques within the book. By covering both approaches, this book provides a comprehensive and solid learning experience that will develop your skills and prove extremely competitive in the music production business... [more]

Record Label Marketing, 2nd Edition
Tom Hutchison
Amy Macy
Paul Allen
ISBN: 978-0-240-81238-0

Record Label Marketing provides clear, in-depth information on corporate marketing processes, combining marketing theory with the real world "how to" practiced in marketing war rooms. This industry-defining book is clearly illustrated throughout with figures, tables, graphs, and glossaries. Record Label Marketing is essential reading for current and aspiring professionals and students, and also offers a valuable overview of the music industry... [more]

Web Marketing for the Music Business
Tom Hutchison
ISBN: 978-0-240-81044-7

Interested in promoting, selling and distributing music online, got the website but not sure what to do next? is Web Marketing for the Music Business designed to help develop the essential internet presence they want and need.

Looking at how the web has developed, providing instructions on how to set up a website as well as how to use the Internet to promote the artist and the website. The book includes information on maximizing websites to increase traffic, online grassroots marketing tactics that will advance an artists career and social networking sites such as MySpace. There is also a dedicated website with online resources for web support to give the information needed to confidently market music online....[more]

Pro Tools for Film and Video
Dale Angell
ISBN: 978-0-240-52077-3

This step-by-step guide for editing sound to picture using Pro Tools starts by explaining the Pro Tools systems and covers all key audio topics, including equipment, sound, music, effects, output and mixing tools, to give users the skills needed to work on any project from big budget feature film to amateur DV video in mono, stereo or surround sound.
Clearly set out and thorough in coverage, the book takes a practical real world approach, a live 35mm film project runs through the chapters illustrating how different functions are added to a film providing the real detail of how to apply it to an edit. Extensively illustrated in color and packed with time-saving hints and tips, the companion website, http://booksite.focalpress.com/Angell., contains the various Pro Tools sessions of the project film as it moves through audio editing, ADR, mixing and final 35mm release prints....[more]