Digital medium (CD, DVD, …): no
Paid downloads/streams: yes
Analogue medium (vinyl): yes
Printed books: yes
e-books: no
The above-shown statement is my personal attitude. Would you agree with some points? Maybe you do, since it could represent quite precisely my generation - maybe an expert can analyse this "jumbled" likes and dislikes - I can’t, at least for now. If you ask me, books always need to be printed even if they are later used as dust catcher or absorbing acoustic element in your project studio. The important aspect is that you internalise the knowledge of this medium. Nothing else matters! ;)
Sure, after a long day at work there are various more enjoyable activities than reading in your free time. But on the other hand, reading a book can be very relaxing and comfortable besides extending your knowledge.
Today I will present you 7 objects of this old-school medium, classified by myself into 3 levels of difficulty: beginner, medium and professional. All of these books solely relate to audio engineering and music business topics. Some of them were used for my term papers at the university; some were read in my free time just because of my personal interests. Enjoy!
All You Need to Know About the Music Business
[Professional]
Industry legends like Quincy Jones and Rick Rubin decorate the blurb with their lauding critiques. As Adam Levine (Maroon 5) says, "If you want to be in music, you have to read this book.“ I completely agree with him.
Social Media Promotion For Musicians
[Beginner]
The book goes through the basics and good practices of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogs, as well as websites and newsletters. It covers all aspects to start growing your audience and optimising your content of your music business online presence.
The Mixing & The Mastering Engineer's Handbook
[Beginner]
"The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook“ shines a light on the mixdown process where you basically adjust the individual components of a song into a nice sounding, completed recording.
"The Mastering Engineer’s Handbook“ deals with the final step in the audio production process called mastering. At this stage of the production, the engineer is polishing the final mix and preparing it for the release and its distribution.
But it is not only about the basic process of mixing and mastering but rather introduce you many of available tools (analogue and digital) to work with. In summary, it can be said that these books are a nice resource for beginners or self-taught audio engineers.
Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science
[Medium]
In his book, Katz is focusing on the mastering workflow proving a step-by-step guide. In addition, he discusses restoration and noise reduction techniques and also covers the surround mastering topic as well. I would say that this literature is more suitable for advanced and professional people.
Handbook for Sound Engineers
[Professional]
Keep in mind that this piece of literature is not written for the layman. Rather it comes without the effort to provide the reader easy answers. This is no disadvantage - just a little reason to think twice about it before buying the book. If you are a professional in the field or a serious nerd, this scientific book is simply magnificent!
Master Handbook of Acoustics
[Medium]
Maybe, I was able to catch someone’s interest regarding certain topics and the here listed book recommendations. See you next time - on Sunday 6 pm Central European Time. (UTC +01:00) :)