The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps (Book & CD) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is really a treasure of information on Fender amps with enough pix to make you salivate.

The CD is ok but I expected more.Greg Koch's over the top playing (and commentary) can get a bit annoying.

Also, they just don't cover enough amps for my taste.No tweed pro, no tweed super, not enough time on the bassman.

The CD's are broken into two CD's.Vintage and Modern.

When they are talking about vintage deluxes, Koch decides to demo and spend most time onthe '57 Tweed Deluxe REISSUE!!!!!!!!!This to me dropped them a star since that should have been placed on the modern CD.

I guess there is not enough time to cover everything but I wish he did more.

The idea of a short clip of every Fender amp model ever made played with a tele, strat and LP makes me salivate ;).

This CD was an attempt to do that but falls short IMHO.However, it's better than nothing.

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Product Description:
From the same "dream team" that created The Fender Stratocaster Chronicles (Vintage Guitar magazine's 2004 Book of the Year) comes this new publication covering the other side of Fender's legacy, the instrument amplifier. Revered as much as one's guitar, the Fender amplifier gets its due in this full-color, richly illustrated book. Features over 400 images, including legendary guitarists such as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Robbie Robertson and Dick Dale, and two CDs featuring over 100 tracks that make terms and topics come alive.

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Voice Actor's Guide to Recording at Home and On the Road (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a book to explain how to record one's voice on a home computer.This very practical, easy-to-understand guide to voice-over recording comes through loud and clear, with excellent signal-to-noise ratio.Best of all, these guys "get" direct-to-computer USB recording, mixing software, the Internet, and other modern technologies, integrating them with timeless recording advice gathered in real careers.

Hogan and Fisher tell you what works, and why what you think might work, won't.Rather than showing off their geek-speak chops, they use regular English and even poke fun at the technical lingo in the process of demystifying it.Other home recording books lavish excessive technical verbiage on how to pad your walls.These guys offer practical solutions (including "move") and even show how to make a portable acoustic foam-lined mic box.You will discover exactly what you need to buy -- although theUSB-audio-interfaces section is surprisingly short -- and how to use it.They won't tell you exactly what mic to buy, though, and it's for your own good.

Warning: the jokes are abundant, mostly terrible and distracting, especially the comments from "Prunella," whose parenthetic remarks, although they mercifully trail off, are the editorial equivalent of lip smacks. (The full harshness of this comment will be appreciated upon reading the otherwise excellent text.)Failed humor notwithstanding, the tone ends up being warmly self effacing and encouragingly user-oriented.These guys take seriously the job of helping you, including a strong index and glossary, and plenty of URLs.

Chapter 12, Advanced Production Techniques, is alone worth the price of the book.Embedded in an economically worded step-by-step script for editing recordings are the exact frequencies to manipulate to address problems such as thin sound, dull recording, and sibilance.You end up feeling as though you have two buddies in the recording business; telling you every tip they know, and hammering on mistakes that could ruin your project.Don't let the light tone fool you: this is a seriously great book!

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Product Description:
For many years, recording voiceovers was the exclusive domain of commercial studios. Even a simple voice audition meant a trip to a studio, an ad agency, or an agent's office. Today voiceover actors are increasingly producing voice tracks for corporate narration, radio spots, animation, games, and other dialogue projects from their own home studios. Many have learned that to survive in this highly competitive field, they need to learn and master basic home recording production techniques. "The Voice Actor's Guide to Recording at Home and On the Road, Second Edition" shows both aspiring and established voiceover actors how to set up and effectively use their own inexpensive -- but professional-sounding -- personal recording studio to make professional-quality home recordings quickly and easily. Everything is covered to help you get auditions and jobs, from setting up your studio with the right hardware and software, recording at home, and production basics, to promotion, podcasting, and advanced production. This new edition of this bestselling bible for voiceover home recording has been completely updated to cover all the exciting new technology and delivery options currently available.

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Critical Listening Skills for Audio Professionals Book/CD Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book contains some clear and self explanatory audio exercises. I hate to acknowledge that most of the exercises could have already been performed by using a 'free' (computer) tone generator to explore the different frequency ranges. Beware, it will require time to learn to listen properly. I was very wrong to believe that by listening to the contents once, I was set. I would suggest to make copies of use a separate sheet of paper to answers the exercises. This way you can repeat it, over and over. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in improving his/her audio listening skills.

*PROS:
-Good and helpful exercises
-Nice correlation between the audio exercises and the freq. graphs on the book.
-If you have no patience to play with a tone generator, this book is well suited for you.

*CONS
-The CD without the book or the book without the CD become useless.
-You need to read the book while you listen to the CD.
-The CD is in fact an MP3-CD, so you may not play it anywhere you want.
-I have the impression that the book is kind of expensive. Many of the exercises can already be performed by anyone using a (free) tone generator.
- The book is kind of bulky to take it anywhere.

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Product Description:
Audio productions are made or broken by the quality of the recording engineer's ears. The ability to properly discern sounds, identify subtle problems, and act accordingly to apply the necessary fix makes all the difference in the quality of the final tracks and master. The good news is that these crucial skills can be learned.The ability to instantly identify frequencies, hear hidden distortions, and instinctively reconcile conflicts in the EQ of instruments, audio elements, vocals and more are traits of those who have mastered the art of audio production. The best engineers have trained their ears to immediately recognize audio problems that the consumer and those new to recording arts would likely not hear, but that, if left unresolved, would result in an amateurish final product. For more than two decades, students of F. Alton Everest's Critical Listening and Auditory Perception courses have rapidly developed these skills by using the intense lessons found in this book and on the CD. Unfortunately the books and CDs included with the course were usually too expensive for aspiring engineers to purchase and were often available only in colleges, universities, or school libraries. Now for the first time these indispensable training sessions are available with this release of Critical Listening Skills for Audio Professionals. Through hundreds of illustrations and an accompanying disc containing high-resolution MP3 files with nearly five hours of narration of the entire course, you can acquire the audio discernment skills of a seasoned recording engineer by studying this course at your own pace, in your own home.

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Synthesizer Basics Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This old book is a series of articles primarily from the 1970's on synthesizers that were written back when the technology was young. However, at a little more than 130 pages it is a very readable introduction to the world of musical synthesis that still has some value. Chapter one introduces the subject in a general way. Chapter two is a great introduction to how synthesis works both from an electronic block diagram standpoint and from a musical one. Chapter three explains the MIDI standard brilliantly in a few dozen pages. Chapter four, on sound systems and components, shows its age more than the first three chapters. However, it has some interesting points to make on the signal processing that takes place in a synthesizer. Chapter five on recording electronic music is pretty much obsolete at this point, but is well written and interesting from a historical perspective. If you have a firm foundation in music and would like an accessible read on the subject of synthesis before diving into the more complex books on the subject, this is a great start, especially considering the low price. I would normally give it five stars, but I felt I had to subtract one star because of the age of some of the material. If you like this book, you might want to pick up another old favorite next - "Musical Applications of Microprocessors" by Chamberlain. It is much more technical than this book.

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Product Description:
Here is the fundamental knowledge and information that a beginning or intermediate electronic musician must have to understand and play todayÕs keyboard synthesizers. This basic primer, newly updated from the classic original edition, offers step-by-step explanations and practical advice on what a synthesizer is, the basic concepts and components, and the latest technical developments and applications. Written by Bob Moog, Roger Powell, Steve Porcaro (of Toto), Tom Rhea, and other well-known experts, Synthesizer Basics is the first, and still the best, introduction available today.

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Live Sound (Performing Musicians) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you are new hand for sound reinforcement / recording / live mix or Sound fans, this is a good book for you.
The book introduces you many basic principles by the way of detail, logic and easy-understanding, anduse the plain english if you are overseas out of US or UK.
The authorwill tell you what he think about the method professional used, and theconfusion lot of people has.

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Product Description:
This is a practical guide to equipment and sound for small to medium sized gigs. It covers everything from choosing PA equipment and back line amplification, to selecting the right type of microphone and finding your way around a typical live sound mixer.

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Keep the Peace! The Musicians Guide to Sound Proofing (Softcover) (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)The book is fine for what it is aimed at: people who want to have a recording facility in a residential building.
However, if you do a lot of music and want detailed information about the minimum soundproofing specs in an apartment building about to be built (so you don't end up at war with neighbors)this isn't the book."Noise control manual for Residential Buildings" by David A. Harris is heavy going, but certainly presents the complexity of the issues in a professional manner.

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Product Description:
Every musician could benefit from having a soundproof place to practice their art. Keep the Peace! provides practical suggestions for creating just such a space. So if you're a guitarist who'd like to unplug the headphones from your Rockman and crank up that Boogie, or if you're a drummer who'd like to work on a new lick but it's past your daughter's bedtime, or if your band is on a first-name basis with the local police because of your neighbor's complaints, then this book is DEFINITELY for you.

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Careers in Audio (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)the book was in good condition as my son was the one who told me, and he will be the one to use it @ school. thank you!

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Product Description:
Whether youÂ're thinking about a career in audio but arenÂ't sure where to start or youÂ're already working in the audio industry and looking to advance your career, this book has all of the information you will need to get your audio career on track! Careers in Audio is the definitive career guide for the rapidly growing (and evolving) audio industry. It details job descriptions and career paths, while providing suggested entry avenues and growth opportunities within these paths. Each section includes information on salaries you can expect, potential risks for a given career path, work/life balance, traits and skills valued in the industry, and much more. Best of all, each section includes interviews with successful audio professionals in that field who relate their real-life experiences for your benefit. The book also includes an extensive list of educational facilities, published works, websites, discussion boards, and professional organizations to help you make your audio career search as easy as possible.

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Sonar Insider (Omnibus Press) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been buying Craig Anderton's books for many years now.Any book of his has been valuable to my growth as a home studio enthusiast and Cakewalk user.He is a premier expert on Cakewalk products and well known for presenting complicated concepts in an easy-to-read manner.Novices and experienced users will find this book extremely useful.

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Product Description:
If you're a sonar user, this is the book you've been waiting for. Regardless of your level of experience, these tips and techniques-from one of the world's leading authorities on Sonar and musical technology-will improve your music-making, streamline your work flow, and put you in control of the power this program offers. Presented in an easy-to-read, technically-savvy manner and packaged with illustrations, the Sonar Insider isn't just a rewrite of the manual. It represents the knowledge gained through years of experience working with this popular program. Get the most out of your musical potential. Streamline the recording, editing, and mixing experience. And gain a competitive edge with these expert tips Written by industry expert, Craig Anderton

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Live Sound Practice and Theory (Book) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)No doubt about it, Mark Amundson is an audio god among us mere mortals, I just cant help feeling that a lot of this material has been re-hashed from his FOH articles, and he could have given us who are so hungry for his knowledge and insight a fresher bit of info to pull from.

Albeit, he does 'fess up to this at the beginning of the book--you just have to buy it first!

None the less, it is an excellent refresher and a must-read for newbies, so over all it doesn't disappoint.

I'm a 15+ year audio vet, 9 with IATSE and I certainly won't be asking for a return.

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Product Description:
Troubleshooting tips from a seasoned sound engineer. Real live sounds engineers swim in a reality of time pressure, troubleshooting, non-technical individuals and limitations of money. This book provides practical advice pulled from the articles the author wrote for the live sound industry leading magazine Front of House. Topics include equipment storage and handing, speaker positioning, speaker and amp matching, power distribution, signal processing, handling wireless mics, and other daily operational topics that are important to national touring crew technicians and engineers.

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Modern Rock Drum Beats and Loops (Sound Library) Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoyed the modern drum loops so much I ordered the classic one too. Great studio and composition tool.

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Product Description:
Great for amateur recording musicians as well as professional recording studios, this pack includes all of the building blocks necessary for composing and recording a complete drum part in a variety of styles. 101 basic beats are featured, plus hundreds of variations, such as intros, fills, accents, endings and a complete set of "one-shots" on CD-ROM. Files are in standard .wav format for use with any looping program, including Sonic Foundry's ACID and Fruity Loops. As a bonus, packs also include an audio CD with 99 tracks for demo and play-along, and a book with standard notation.

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Behind the Glass, Volume II: Top Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent book. Would have appreciated a bit more tech, but still excellent. Read the first volume several times and this one measures up to Volume 1 very well. Looking forward to the next installment.

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Product Description:
Behind the Glass, Volume II presents another prime collection of firsthand interviews with the world's top record producers and engineers, sharing their creative secrets and hit-making techniques - from the practical to the artistic. In these pages you'll find Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan) discussing the future of digital recording; T-Bone Burnett (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) sharing his unique view of creating complex low end; and Hugh Padgham (Police, Genesis) analyzing the state of the business today. For real-world advice on everything from home recording to mixing to coaching a nervous singer, check out author Howard Massey's conversations with Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Tony Brown (Reba McEntire), Gus Dudgeon (Elton John), John Simon (The Band), Russ Titelman (Steve Winwood), Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson), Rodney Jerkins (Mary J. Blige), Simon Climie (Eric Clapton), Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty), and more.

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Basic Effects & Processors Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Sometimes I see people give this series of books "so so" reviews. This book, and others in the Pual White "Basic" series are made to be a small reference book. These books are about the size of a pocket dictionary, plus it only cost 8 bucks. If you are looking for something that has every detail on the subject just keep looking. If you need something that gives a good overview and makes a good book to throw in a gig bag, this is the book you are looking for.

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Product Description:
Further titles in this exciting new pocket sized series, designed to make music technology simple.

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Basic Mastering (The Basic Series) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is extremely small, but still, it could have been shortened into a few concise paragraphs.
The first third of the book is a repetitious litany on how to splice tape, label boxes and use a DAT. It haphazardly hints at the numerous steps one most go through to prepare the audio for reproduction. Then states that if you're going to burn a Red book CD, none of this is necessary. Good then, let's skip it.
The second third is about how to cut and paste digital audio using editing software. If you've ever used audio software then you can skip this part too. Actually if you even have audio software, you're better off just playing around with it, so you should skip it also.
The last third is a glossary. Yes, an entire third of the book is an appendix. It gives the definition of many useful industry terms. For instance, STEREO, WAH-PEDAL, TRACK, and VOLT.
Example:
VOLT,
A unit for measuring electricity.
I would skip it.

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Product Description:
Further titles in this exciting new pocket sized series, designed to make music technology simple.

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DJ Styles Series: DJ Mixing & Remixing Review

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(More customer reviews)Nice tips and trics in this one...

All you need to know about beats and dj stuff :)

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The DJ Styles Series covers three of the most important techniques and skills today's DJs need to learn to stay on top of the music. Featuring the industry's top working DJs -- DJ KNS and DJ Gerald, with a special appearance by UCADA -- these titles will

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How MIDI Works (Teach Master) Review

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(More customer reviews)How MIDI Works by expert Peter Alexander is now in a fully updated and expanded sixth addition. Ably edited and deftly illustrated by Carol J. Whitear, this "user friendly" introduction and guide assumes no prior experience or expertise on the part of the reader. The text is written in straight forward English and covers all aspects of mastering the MIDI including understanding the MIDI workstation, MIDI language of musical performance, computer language of MIDI, control changes, controllers for keyboard operations, the mixing board, recording features, sequencing, hard disk audio recording, the computer as the hub of a MIDI studio, sequences and recording MIDI and digital audio. A complete course in MIDI technology and operation, How MIDI Works is a essential reading for all who aspire to create music in this particular forum and would be a core acquisition for professional and music school reference collections.

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Product Description:
The revised 6th edition of this easy-to-use book is written in simple English and assumes no prior background with MIDI. Starting with the computer, How MIDI Works takes readers all the way through MIDI, sequencing and digital audio recording, and features chapter summary questions to ensure understanding. Topics covered include: the computer language of MIDI, controllers for keyboard operations, the mixing board within, hard disk audio recording, and many more. This text is a mainstay at colleges and universities across the nation.

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Make Mine Music (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)He certainly know what he is talking about. The book was interesting, but a little repetitive. Bruce Swedien is an icon in the recording indusrty. He gives up stories about recording several greats throughout the last 40 or 50 years. He also gives info on miking all types of instruments in the studio. I would have liked a few more studio stories, but it is worth reading. He talks lots about his work with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.

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Product Description:
Ever since his father gave him a disc recorder at the tender age of 10, Bruce Swedien has known what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. The names of the people he has worked with are too many to list, but when one mentions musicians like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Eddie Harris, Quincy Jones, Jennifer Lopez, and even Michael Jackson, a great deal is immediately understood. In this book, Swedien generously gives away detailed information from his lifetime in the studio-from a musical, technical, and very personal perspective. This book has something for everyone who is interested in music, especially those curious about the stories behind the scenes of some of the best music to ever come out of the recording studio.

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Basic Microphones (Music Technology Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book delivers what it promises. It would be of little or no use to a recording engineer of someone who already knows a lot about recording but that is not the target audience of this little tome. The target is people who want to learn more about microphones but who know little or nothing to begin with.

The book starts off with a little bit of basic information on sound and then turns to a discussion of different types of microphones. The pros and cons of each type are briefly reviewed. This is in terms of directionality and in terms of type of recording elements. From there, the book moves on to discussion of how best to mic different situations like vocals, strings, piano and drums. My one complaint is that there is nothing on wind instruments.

One peculiarity of this book is a result of it coming from Britain. That means that some terms may not be familiar to American readers. Condenser replaces capacitor and valve replaces tube. This should not cause any problem but it may throw some people at first.

For many people, this may well be the only book ever to be needed on the subject of microphones. At the very least, it is a good introduction at an excellent price.

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Product Description:
The experience of decades in a few pages: how microphones work, what the various types do, and how to use them in just about any musical situation.

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