×

  • Home
  • News
  • Clients
  • Services
  • Releases
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • About
  • Contact
Tweet
  • Home
  • News
  • Clients
  • Services
  • Releases
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • About
  • Contact
AlbrechtProductions

Audio & Music Business Books You Should Read

Audio & Music Business Books OG Image
Taste it
|
May 21, 2017
|
Benjamin Albrecht
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

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]

The Los Angeles Times calls this book "the industry bible“ - with good reason! For more than 20 years it informs musicians, songwriters, publishers or managers about the rapid transformation of the music industry and its structure. The longstanding experience of the veteran music lawyer Donald Passman allows a very detailed insight into the world of deals and contracts including their must-haves and no-goes.

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]

If you are a newbie in the fields of marketing, "Social Media Promotion For Musicians“ can be a good match for you. Bobby Owsinski, who is one of the best-selling authors in the music recording industry, explains you the wide world of social media.

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 following two books are also a part of Bobby Owsinski’s 23-part book collection, which he wrote until now. Both follow the same general structure and combine tips and techniques with interviews of well-known audio engineers/producers sharing their insights and philosophies about mixing and mastering.

"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]

Another mastering book including practical tips and real world experiences, written by Bob Katz. He is a well-known mastering engineer in the industry, who mastered 3 Grammy Award-winning albums and one nominated album. Moreover, Katz has his own plugin, which he developed in cooperation with Universal Audio for their UAD system. The so-called "K-Stereo“ is the world’s first Ambience Recovery Processor (patented).

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]

At first view, it is a huge amount of money for a book - I agree. But honestly, this "handbook“ is the most comprehensive reference available yet and a must read for audio professionals. Presented by the Audio Engineering Society (AES), it contains very detailed sections about acoustics, microphones, speaker types & placement, audio amplifiers and professional recording.

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]

The "Master Handbook of Acoustics“ guides you through architectural acoustics principles and practices. It fits for designing and construction high-quality home theatres, project studios and large recording studios. This book also features numerous room designs that can be recreated or adapted to your personal needs.

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) :)


Related Posts

  • Spotify Playlist "Funk Ya Soul"
    Taste It! - My "Funk Ya Soul" Spotify Playlist
  • Power Rock Hooks Spotify Streaming Playlist
    Streaming - Break Habits & Try Something New

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

facebooksoundcloudspotifyyoutube
Imprint | Privacy

Copyright © 2016-2019 AlbrechtProductions®. All Rights Reserved.