I have read some old books about the whole recording process from the beginning to the end (tracking -> mastering). Currently I am studying for a certification exam in Software Engineering (MCPD distributed applications, .NET 2005) and I am reading this really well written reference book (written in 2006) that also has a real-world approach on the subjects in the book. It's really thick and the information has been revised by many professionals. I would love to read a recording book with the same amount of value, which really has a real-world approach and try to reveil the secrets behind doing successul recordings and where the writer understands what the reader wants to read about and get knowledge in and what he himself writes about, so that it would work as a reference book as well with really high quality and modern content. The last book I read was "A Mixing Engineer's Handbook" by Bobby Owsinski, which I thought was good and interesting but didn't contain any information about psychoacoustic sound effects that are very important for a good sound and image, how to enhance musical vibe in a mix, the sound quality difference between hardware and software, how to mix for loudness/clearity, how to deal with gear choice, examples of what bad monitoring results in, thoughts about the current trend and what it might look like in the future etc. The approach of interviewing people was great, if they would have said the same thing... heh But then when different professionals say different things or the same thing in different ways it gets frustrating to read.

So, have you read any book that you think I might like, where the writer is like a monster on the subject? If it sounds good, I'll buy it... heh

Bob Katz: Mastering Audio, The Art & The Science

It's all in there...

Thanks, can anybody beat foxyloxy's advice? I have read Bob Katz's short marketing e-booklet and it was very interesting to read, though very mastering oriented...

It would be nice if the book is not very narrow in subject, but rather goes deeply into the things that are most important to make a good sounding recording.

Have you done any Recording Book Toplist?

total recording by david moulton
rellay thick book with everything in there, lots about psychoacoustics and how we hear and stuff...worth the money!

http://www.moultonlabs.com/index.php/full/product03

and very insteressting is this one:

mixing with your mind
rather thin, but with interessting ideas and concepts
http://www.mixingwithyourmind.com/

There are twenty different ways to do anything. The challenge is picking the right one for the situation before the performers go past their best performance.

The only way to learn this I know of is by interning.

Bob Katz: Mastering Audio
others which are enjoyable and good
Bobby Owinksy: Mixing engineer's handbook
Recording engineer's handbook
Mastering engineer's handbook
etc.
Regards Tamas Dragon

Lots of superlatives around here lately.

Best book of all time, worst popular single, best record ever made...

How about the George Martin book?

Thanks tenderboy! Great advice! Currently I am sitting here with a cup of coffee reading the following really well written article:

http://www.moultonlabs.com/index.php...igital_anyway/

anything by John Eargle.

The Mic Book
Sound Recording
The handbook of recording engineering

Thanks for all your great advice! It seems like Total Recording is what I'm looking for. It contains audio examples and the writer seems to know a lot of stuff, it is not too old (2000) and it is expensive! Well, the last thing was maybe not too good, 100 $?! But maybe I'll get what I pay for, or maybe not...

While not that kind of recording book, "The Daily Adventures of Mixerman" should be on everyone's list.

http://www.mixerman.net/

The already mentioned "Mixing With Your Mind" by Michael Stavrou is a good one in that it has a lot of ideas that are outside the box so to speak.

http://www.mixingwithyourmind.com/index.htm

It's a little out of date but the John Woram book (I believe it's called Sound Recording) has excellent detailed coverage of the fundamentals.
I would second "Mastering Audio" and anything by John Eargle. Excellent stuff.

Martin's "All You Need Is Ears" is great. That, along with Fletcher's "Reader's Guide To Vintage Gear", made me throw everything away and start over. Should send the authors a bottle of Mums.

you're joking, right?

They're old, but unless you want digital theory I can't think of any reason not to own any of these:

1-- Audio Cyclopedia by Howard Tremaine [hard to find, but worth it if you want to dive deep]

2-- The Sound Recording Handbook -- John Woram

3-- The Microphone Handbook -- by John Eargle

They are all business and there is no bully-pulpit nonsense or opinion-as-fact writing like some of the more recent books can be.

JP

Wow, I get so many good advice from you! Thanks a lot guys!!

heh

I personally got a heck of a lot from Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter.

it's an old book and it's not really about recording (though one section is definitely about playback), but it changed the way I think. And therefore changed the way I think about recording...

I like "Mastering Audio," opinion-heavy as it may be. : )

My 'top 3' exactly...

This really is more of an electronics book but if you want to know about the insides of vintage gear there is a lot of information here, much of it probably difficult to find anywhere else. Lots of stuff on acoustics and microphones too.
I got a copy in the early seventies and its still with me!

Another great book is "Stereo Microphone Techniques" by Bartlett.

If you want to dive into digital "The Art of Digital Audio" by John Watkinson is
excellent. Ditto for "Digital Audio" by Ken Pohlmann.

The older versions of "Modern Recording" by Runstein are pretty good too.

I really liked "Recording Tips for Engineers" by Tim Crich.

The book has a humorous tone and lots of good problem-solving info.

best book of all time


"Lots of superlatives around here lately."

I really liked, "Behind the Glass".

Good read.