There are quite a few books on the market that profess to help the non-professional, like myself, to become a better engineer. Understanding Audio by Daniel M. Thompson is one of those. Like other books of this type, Understanding Audio covers a fairly narrow scope of information – essentially skills and knowledge that Mr. Thompson thinks an experienced non-professional might benefit from. And, like similar books, this is not a one-stop, learn-it-all resource. But, that being said, it is a useful addition to a project studio bookshelf.
One thing that sets Understanding Audio apart is that it was written by a Berklee College of Music faculty member, who states in the introduction that this book is intended for both the “musician setting up [their] first Pro-Tools studio” and the “seasoned professional recording engineer or producer” who wants a one volume resource to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. While that is a pretty ambitious agenda for such a short book (354 pages), there is wide spectrum of information covered. In sixteen chapters and two appendices the books moves from pre-1920s recording technology, though analog tape recording, the MIDI revolution, and on through to the modern digital recording studio. Each of these topics are given sufficient space to do them minor justice, but as Thompson writes in the preface, “[t]his is not a book about recording techniques” – as the title suggests, it is a book about audio in the broadest sense of the term.
So what can you expect to learn from Understanding Audio? First, let’s put aside the first three chapters, which are a review of how signal moves through a recording studio environment, and how the signal is manipulated at each stage. Chapter 4 is a useful and fairly in-depth look at how signal moves through a recording console. The chapter begins with an overview of console architecture then moves step-by-step through the various signal paths available on a typical recording desk – either analog or digital. This chapter would be very helpful for any dedicated novice who wants to begin recording outside of the “box” (i.e., solely within a DAW like Pro Tool, Logic, etc.) by adding a stand-alone recording desk. This chapter can definitely help in unraveling the mysteries of any console, short of top-shelf pro-studio stuff (but if you’re reading this, that’s probably not you – unless you’re looking for a good chuckle).
Chapters 5-10 are a pedestrian tour of the physics of sound and psychoacoustics (the human perception and interpretation of sound). It’s not a bad place to someone start their studies in this area, but it certainly is a bad place to end them. This is a pair of topics that are best explored in a separate book, like Harry F. Olsen’s Music, Physics, and Engineering (reviewed below). But if you’re only going to read one book, this will get you started. It should be said that Understanding Audio does have a section on the differences between analog and digital signal metering, which nicely supplement Olsen’s, Music, Physics, and Engineering, which was written before the widespread use of digital audio.
Chapters 12 and 13 look at analog gain staging and the science of analog recording via magnetic tape. It also includes a cool section that describes exactly how tape machines work and how sound is captured on tape itself. For those still hankering to dabble in the tape world, this should be useful and informative.
More useful for the electronic musician are the last three chapters. Chapter 14 is an excellent mini-treatise on the science of digital audio. This is particularly important for any novice recording engineer, since in certain respects, analog and digital signals, and the conversion process between them, is an inversion of the purely analog process – for example, in contrast to analog recording, the danger of digital distortion and signal break-up exists at several stages of the recording process – including very low recording levels. Someone setting up their first digital studio could save themselves a few headaches by reading this first. Chapter 15 is a mediocre review of MIDI technology. It enough to make it clear that MIDI doesn’t transmit sound waves per se, but there is not enough information to get a would-be MIDI musician up and running. Again, MIDI is something that should be studied in separate book dedicated to the topic. The book closes with a chapter on control room acoustics, which seems particularly helpful, since most non-professional recording is done in rooms built for other purposes. There is some good advice on how to gain some control over the sound waves bouncing around a room that may interfere with a more precise listening and mixing experience.
Understanding Audio is a useful addition to a project studio bookshelf. As a single, comprehensive volume, it provides a quick reference to complex concepts in more-or-less understandable language. It is the type of book you might crack when adding a new set of monitors to the studio, so you can determine the best placement for them, or when adding a piece of outboard gear to an otherwise digital system. In that regard the book is worth the price. But don’t expect to buy this book and “understand audio” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). This isn’t a stand-alone, one-shot deal. But, as an addition to other books of its type, it is recommended.
One thing that sets Understanding Audio apart is that it was written by a Berklee College of Music faculty member, who states in the introduction that this book is intended for both the “musician setting up [their] first Pro-Tools studio” and the “seasoned professional recording engineer or producer” who wants a one volume resource to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. While that is a pretty ambitious agenda for such a short book (354 pages), there is wide spectrum of information covered. In sixteen chapters and two appendices the books moves from pre-1920s recording technology, though analog tape recording, the MIDI revolution, and on through to the modern digital recording studio. Each of these topics are given sufficient space to do them minor justice, but as Thompson writes in the preface, “[t]his is not a book about recording techniques” – as the title suggests, it is a book about audio in the broadest sense of the term.
So what can you expect to learn from Understanding Audio? First, let’s put aside the first three chapters, which are a review of how signal moves through a recording studio environment, and how the signal is manipulated at each stage. Chapter 4 is a useful and fairly in-depth look at how signal moves through a recording console. The chapter begins with an overview of console architecture then moves step-by-step through the various signal paths available on a typical recording desk – either analog or digital. This chapter would be very helpful for any dedicated novice who wants to begin recording outside of the “box” (i.e., solely within a DAW like Pro Tool, Logic, etc.) by adding a stand-alone recording desk. This chapter can definitely help in unraveling the mysteries of any console, short of top-shelf pro-studio stuff (but if you’re reading this, that’s probably not you – unless you’re looking for a good chuckle).
Chapters 5-10 are a pedestrian tour of the physics of sound and psychoacoustics (the human perception and interpretation of sound). It’s not a bad place to someone start their studies in this area, but it certainly is a bad place to end them. This is a pair of topics that are best explored in a separate book, like Harry F. Olsen’s Music, Physics, and Engineering (reviewed below). But if you’re only going to read one book, this will get you started. It should be said that Understanding Audio does have a section on the differences between analog and digital signal metering, which nicely supplement Olsen’s, Music, Physics, and Engineering, which was written before the widespread use of digital audio.
Chapters 12 and 13 look at analog gain staging and the science of analog recording via magnetic tape. It also includes a cool section that describes exactly how tape machines work and how sound is captured on tape itself. For those still hankering to dabble in the tape world, this should be useful and informative.
More useful for the electronic musician are the last three chapters. Chapter 14 is an excellent mini-treatise on the science of digital audio. This is particularly important for any novice recording engineer, since in certain respects, analog and digital signals, and the conversion process between them, is an inversion of the purely analog process – for example, in contrast to analog recording, the danger of digital distortion and signal break-up exists at several stages of the recording process – including very low recording levels. Someone setting up their first digital studio could save themselves a few headaches by reading this first. Chapter 15 is a mediocre review of MIDI technology. It enough to make it clear that MIDI doesn’t transmit sound waves per se, but there is not enough information to get a would-be MIDI musician up and running. Again, MIDI is something that should be studied in separate book dedicated to the topic. The book closes with a chapter on control room acoustics, which seems particularly helpful, since most non-professional recording is done in rooms built for other purposes. There is some good advice on how to gain some control over the sound waves bouncing around a room that may interfere with a more precise listening and mixing experience.
Understanding Audio is a useful addition to a project studio bookshelf. As a single, comprehensive volume, it provides a quick reference to complex concepts in more-or-less understandable language. It is the type of book you might crack when adding a new set of monitors to the studio, so you can determine the best placement for them, or when adding a piece of outboard gear to an otherwise digital system. In that regard the book is worth the price. But don’t expect to buy this book and “understand audio” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). This isn’t a stand-alone, one-shot deal. But, as an addition to other books of its type, it is recommended.
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