Streaming Audio: The FezGuys’ Guide
By Jon Luini and Allen Whitman
Luini and Whitman, better known as the FezGuys, have been informing audio pros on technical issues for years via their magazine columns and appearances at industry events. Their latest offering, Streaming Audio: The FezGuys’ Guide (New Rider Press, $34.99), takes readers through the entire streaming process, beginning with an in-depth explanation of authoring technology, tutorials on using major encoders, and case studies featuring real sites and scenarios. An Extra Credit section covers advanced audio optimization, authoring techniques and presentation, and a useful appendix with plenty of extras, including legal resources, links to shareware, demos and sources for online help. Visit www.newriders.com for more information.
The Art of Recording: Understanding and Crafting the Mix
By William Moylan
How does recording shape sound? What do audio processes sound like, and how can we learn to recognize and understand these sound qualities? Dr. William Moylan examines these questions and more in The Art of Recording ($29.99), a critical-listening and analysis resource for audio pros and students alike. The book’s techniques were developed by Moylan through more than 20 years of research and teaching at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he chairs the Department of Music and coordinates the Sound Recording Technology program. By examining the dimensions of sound in audio and explaining the unique sound qualities of audio recording and reproduction, the book presents a system to develop critical-listening skills to evaluate recordings and accurately describe sound. For more information, visit www.focalpress.com.
A Musician’s Guide to Pro Tools
By John Keane
Novices and experts alike can pick up valuable tips from A Musician’s Guide to Pro Tools, the first in a series of progressive guides for using this ubiquitous work-station. Written by producer and Pro Tools veteran John Keane, this $39.95 “anti-manual” provides detailed step-by-step lessons with illustrations to help users get the most out of tracking, overdubbing, mixing and editing. Bonuses? A lesson “session” CD-ROM, cut out cheat sheets and function key labels. It’s sort of like having your own private tutor, without someone hanging over your shoulder. For more, go to www.supercatpress.com.
Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World
By Bernie Krause
Krause has been a recording engineer for more than 40 years, and a bio-acoustician specializing in nature sounds since 1968. He shares his techniques in Wild Soundscapes (www.wildernesspress.com), a comprehensive guide to listen to, and record, nature. According to Krause, the tools to capture nature sounds are accessible to everyone, and he writes so that amateur naturalists, novice field recordists and musicians, as well as audio professionals, can learn to create their own natural sound libraries, or just gain more appreciation for the natural world. The $16.95 book explains basic concepts of bioacoustics, outdoor listening and observation skills, acoustic ecology and “Sound Safaris” — expeditions and experiments in nature. Also included is a CD, narrated by Krause, that features samples of a variety of natural sounds and examples of field techniques. Take this with you on your next outdoor adventure.
ArtistPro “InstantPro Series”
By Bill Gibson
New from ArtistPro.com is the “InstantPro Series,” a line of concise guides that focus on specific audio topics. Initial titles include: Sound Advice on Compressors, Limiters, Expanders & Gates; Sound Advice on MIDI Production; Sound Advice on Developing Your Home Studio; Sound Advice on Microphone Techniques; Sound Advice on Mixing; and Sound Advice on Equalizers, Reverbs & Delays — all 6×9-inch, small-format texts by noted audio educator Bill Gibson, author of the best-selling, three-volume Audio Pro Home Recording Course. As a bonus, each includes a CD of practical audio examples. Best of all, the books retail at $14.95, proving that books don’t have to cost more than a 1958 Les Paul Goldtop.
JBL Audio Engineering for Sound Reinforcement
By John Eargle and Chris Foreman
A new guide from John Eargle and Chris Foreman, JBL Audio Engineering for Sound Reinforcement covers everything from basics for beginners to the latest line array and digital signal-processing technologies. The 450-page, 29-chapter book discusses acoustics, psychoacoustics, electrical concepts and digital processing and relates those principles to the tasks of selecting system components and the practical side of system design. System layout, specifications, analysis and design are covered, with detailed descriptions of sound systems for tours, houses of worship, auditoriums, sports facilities, etc. Distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation, the $49.95 book is available at music and bookstores nationwide or through Music Dispatch (www.musicdispatch.com).
