Producing Great Sound for Digital Video

Amazon.com

Producing Great Sound for Digital Video educates beginning and experienced filmmakers on the intricacies of creating an outstanding soundtrack, from preproduction planning through the final mix.

The entire book is fascinating: it's absolutely packed with useful information and tips. Most of us remember learning in high school physics that sound travels about 1,100 feet per second, but besides gauging the location of a lightning bolt from how long it takes for the thunder to reach our ears, we never found it useful. Imagine, however, shooting a scene from about 90 feet away with a camera-mounted microphone. In this scenario, the audio will lag behind the image by about three frames--not much, but it's certainly noticeable. The problem gets worse as the distance increases. The workaround is to put a microphone next to the subject or slide the audio track so that it syncs with the images.

The book presents other solutions to showstopping problems that, because of lack of experience, a filmmaker wouldn't realize until getting to the editing room. Other critical issues such as preproduction planning, the art of production and recording (including environmental factors and microphone setups), and post-production editing and effects are also discussed.

The advent of low-cost, high-quality video production equipment has ushered in the birth of AV producers and AV presenters who have grand intentions but negligible experience. Digital cameras, inexpensive computers capable of capturing and playing back high-quality digital video, and full-featured editing software offer all kinds of ways to create visual eye candy, but embryonic filmmakers don't always realize that the picture is only half the story. Producing Great Sound for Digital Video explains how the other half works, what to watch out for, and how to achieve professional results. --Mike Caputo

Book Description

Producing Great Sound for Digital Video is a complete audio training guide as well as a quick problem-solving resource for the working pro. The author explains hundreds of real-world techniques to use from preproduction through the final mix. Readers get how-tos, tips, and time-savers, plus tutorials on key skills such as dialogue and music editing. This edition features deeper coverage of location techniques, including choosing the right mic, in-camera sound recording, getting sound into the camera cleanly, calibrating the camera to location sound equipment, working with mic booms, using separate recorders, and digital wireless. It also includes updates on working techniques, including new software categories for postproduction and new interchange standards.

Producing Great Sound for Digital Video is packed with hundreds of real-world techniques that range from pre-production through the final mix--including tutorials, tips, and tricks to make great tracks with any computer or software.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-01-19

for anyone that wants to have a professional approach to digital video this is a good book.

If you only buy one book on sound.. This is it.......2006-09-09

Where do I start? In a nutshell, this book *IS* the only book to have on sound if your only buying one. No lie. My background... 20 years ago I used to be the "The Amp Dr" fixing commercial PA systems, amps, etc. I have a much better background on sound than most, I was an electrical engineer after that, designing power supplies, and other analog interfaces to digital equipment. Most of that has been dormant for the last 20 years, but I recently decided to make documentaries, and as two of my first projects deal with music, sound seemed pretty important. I got several books on sound, I figure buy six, one has to be good. You can save your money, this book was the one in six.

Knowing audio but NOT audio for video, one of the most important things I discovered is that a professional quality product (video) can only be made with good sound.. If you think you $2 -$10K pro-sumer camera is going to deliver it with the standard mic turn on "auto level", you're really wrong. Half of good sound is the absence of sound, or at least the absence of unintended sound. Insuring good sound is more work than it sounds, but the quality and impact of what I am shooting now is significantly better than before. Otherwise, its' all like home videos, maybe pretty shots and cleverly edited, but still seems like home videos. It all becomes much clearer after reading this book.

When I picked up this book, it was a mental orgasm. Not only does this guy know his stuff, even more importantly, he knows how to communicate it. The way it was written, I was easily able to skip over the stuff I didn't want to review, and go straight for the meat. It is meaty. Almost EVERYTHING I wanted to know was here. I did end up going back just to see how he explained the basics.. great! One of the things I liked about his style, is some authors will tell you something is bad or wrong, with no explanation.. Jay give you good examples.. the CD recording with the book is worth it's weight in , he give examples of proper recording and bad recording (with explanations). You can actually hear it as oppose to read an explanation and take it on faith. Borrow money if you have too.. but buy it.

My message to Jay:
If you read this Jay, I have a few requests. (1) Don't let this book go out of date. Please do you SNR and distortion measurements on some of the new HD cameras. Given the bit resolution is now even less with HDV (12 bits (HDV) vs 16 bits (DV)), I think dual systems are even more important to cover in greater detail. (2) Update with some of the new digital recorders that are replacing DATs (3) Thanks for a great book!

A rare 'how to' book that delivers actual content!.......2006-01-05

I've often been taken in by large reference books that promise to be a comprehensive guide to a subject, but turn out to be a lot of filler (screen shots of PC applications, or an excuse for the author to give lots of less-than-useful anectodal stories, etc.)

Not so with Jay Rose's 'Producing Great Sound for Digital Video' book. This informative guide covers a lot of ground, including sound theory, equipment explanations and use, and techniques for sound production including NLE tips, audio mixing, mic use etc. The great thing about this book is it is written with the expectation that your sound production values should be professional, but it's still accessible to hobbyists and those on a budget.

While I think novices to the field of sound engineering (like myself) probably benefit most from this work, I think a lot of the material here is useful to the video production community as a whole. I learned a lot from this, great work.

A Top Resource for Anyone who does Serious DV Recording.......2005-04-23

This book is a top shelf resource. It is useful to both novices and those with more experience. Starting with the very basics, and that does involve some physics, it works its way through virtually all aspects of sound production for digital video.

Do not be fooled. You are not going to learn much to improve the built in recording that comes with your camera. The author is unapologetic in his broad condemantion of the built-in stuff in terms of both quality and usablility. He goes into the reasons and gives a bit of advice on making the most of what you have but this is not what the book is about. Instead, it is about exactly what the title claims. Unfortunately, this is seldom if ever achieved with the built in stuff.

After going over some of the basics of sound and recording, different types of equipment are described in terms of suitability to task and cost. After that, the actual use of this equipment is considered in a variety of situations. The book is not just concerned with equipment and its use, however. There are chapters on editing and even on the use of prefessional talent. In short, the assumption is that you want to get good quality audio for your video production. The author then describes how to do exactly that in a variety of settings. Unfortuately, doing the job sometimes takes a bit more effort than just pushing the record button on the camera. It also take a bit more money although it does not have to take a great deal more. It depends on what type of sound is needed and how you are going to use it.

If all you want is to catch the background sound in a home video, spend your money on something else. If you want to learn how to get the best possible sound for your particular need and preserve that sound to use with video, you need this book.

You will understand sound after this book.......2005-03-02

Audio is really important, and this book will make sure you get incredible sound at every shoot. I really recommend this book!

Average customer rating:

Only buy if you're taking the course
Best material for Pro Tools beginners
Great Book
good straight ahead manual.
Its a Manual

Pro Tools 101: Official Courseware

Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Pro Tools | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Entertainment | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1598631543

Book Description

Digidesign's Official Pro Tools 101 Courseware takes a comprehensive approach to learning the fundamentals of Pro Tools/HD, Pro Tools LE, or Pro Tools M-Powered systems. Now updated for Pro Tools 7 software, this new edition from the definitive authority on Pro Tools covers everything you need to know to complete a Pro Tools project. Learn to build sessions that include multi-track recording of live instruments, MIDI sequences, software synthesizers and samplers, and audio looping with REX files through hands-on tutorials, develop essential techniques for recording, editing and mixing. The included DVD-ROM offers tutorial files and videos, plug-in installers, and Pro Tools sessions. Developed as the foundation course of the official Digidesign Training and Education program, the guide can be used to learn on your own or to pursue formal Pro Tools certification through a Digidesign-authorized school. Join the ranks of audio professionals around the world as you unleash the creative power of your Pro Tools system. For more information on Pro Tools and other training available, visit www.digidesign.com.

Customer Reviews:

Only buy if you're taking the course.......2007-06-27

Not really worth the purchase unless you're taking the Digi course. If you are, then it's required so you might as well get it here.

Best material for Pro Tools beginners.......2007-04-01

I would have to say this book is what you want when starting out in your pro tools voyage. Very easy to read and very informitive. The only problem is it is soley for beginners (as well as a great reference manual), you will not find anything to in-depth here. But if you wish to know all the essentals of basic pro tools operating this is your avenue.

Great Book.......2007-03-08

I originally got this book while preparing for the Pro Tools 101 class I was about to take. I went through most of it (chapter by chapter) in about a week, and got up to Chapter 6 (There are 10 chapters). Truthfully, the Pro Tools 101 Class is the best way to go. I think even in the book somewhere it says something that "while you can do at-home studying, hands-on experience is the best way to fully enjoy/learn this book." That statement is VERY true. The book has a great way of simplifying things down, and makes it, for the most part, fairly easy to understand anything. While this book was GREAT, I would recommend taking the Pro Tools 101 class anywhere you can.

good straight ahead manual........2007-02-17

I had to get this book for a protools class at school.This book is well writen nononsense manual.The only problem is the dvd that comes with it doesnt play in my dvd player or computer.The dvd isnt a big part of the book so get a used copy and save.

Its a Manual.......2007-02-13

Its basically a pro-tools manual, advising what specific menu functions do what and where they are located, but not really teaching any techniques or providing much real life usage explanations.
If you want a digidesign pro-tools manual, get it... If you want to learn more about actual use of functions for recording, mixing, and editing, get something else.
The included dvd was of little to no use other than the inclusion of the Xpand midi modules which is pretty cool but I believe Xpand is available as a free download from digi or elsewhere anyway.

Average customer rating:

Lots to learn in Auditon 2
. . . for the cautious
EXASPERATING BUT INDISPENSIBLE

Adobe Audition 2.0 Classroom in a Book
Adobe Creative Team
Manufacturer: Adobe Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Recording & Sound | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Acoustics & Sound | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Entertainment | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0321385500

Book Description

The most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Audition 2.0!

Classroom in a Book, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does--an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

Adobe Audition 2.0 Classroom in a Book contains thirteen lessons and a bonus CD with lesson files. The book covers the basics of learning Adobe Audition, and countless tips and techniques to help you quickly become an Audition expert. You'll learn how to work and edit in a multitrack mixing environment, create audio effects and original soundtracks with loops, restore poor-quality audio, export to CD and MP3, and more. You'll also learn about Audition 2.0's new features, including low-latency mixing with unlimited tracks, ASIO support, audible scrubbing, analog-modeled Multiband Compressor, recordable parameter automation with external hardware support, and more. You can follow the book from start to finish or choose only those lessons that interest you.

Customer Reviews:

Lots to learn in Auditon 2.......2007-03-09

A great book and cd of data. Because of not the greatest help files and no tutorials that came with Audition 2.0 this program while very powerful can be quite intimidatiing. Classroom in a book is very helpful in getting started and learning how to use the program.

. . . for the cautious.......2007-02-18

Could be considered a waste of time by many who are more experienced with applications of this sort. The difficult part is sticking to the tutorials and not wandering off on your own. Everything covered here can be accessed via the help files and user guide. Adobe might want to consider putting a little more effort into features such as a midi sequencer than reiterating itself.

EXASPERATING BUT INDISPENSIBLE.......2006-09-21

Above all, make sure the version of Audition 2.0 Classroom in a Book IS FOR YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM. Also understand that you must have the program to make sense of the manual.

Classroom in a Book is a good guide, but it has two omissions.

Anyone is in their rights to expect that a guide of this sort would have at least a few passages about live recording---but there is exactly one passing sentence in the entire manual about live recording. In Multitrack View the tracks have a panel wherein (among a great many other virtual dials and buttons and such) there is an "M" button, a "S" button, and an "R" button. "M" is for mute, which is explained more than once (even more than twice over the course of the book). "S" is for "Solo", which is also explained to its death over and over again. But as for the "R" button there is only one sentence regarding it.

"R" is "Armed for Record".

Now, maybe someone with a background in audio-editing software knows full well what "Armed for Record" means. Even for a rank beginner like me it wasn't that hard to figure out, I'll admit, but still for a book to go on and on about the other two buttons and to just mention the third term without any further comment seems to me a fundamental lapse. In my case it made for the beginning of a series of exasperating stumbles.

Going at it blind, I simply clicked on "R" and got a message informing me that the best recording was achieved by switching to ASIO. I knew that ASIO meant "Audio Stream In/Out" and had something to do with the new sound card that I had installed. The old sound card that had originally come with the computer was still in there, but apparently from what the message said I would only get mediocre results if I didn't switch by going to Edit and clicking on Audio Hardware Set-Up and following instructions from there on. Needless to say, this was easily done, and in seconds I had switched the program to my new audio card, which any intermediate or advanced user would have known to do from the get-go. Why install the card and not make sure the program was set to it? Ordinarily I would not even admit to anybody that I had to be told to do this; it's embarrassing; but still Audition is a very involved program; there's a lot to learn; and I was just very new to this whole business.

Anyway, I switched, and that should have been the end of it, but sadly the minute I switched my "R" buttons went gray and became inoperable! What's that? Maybe there's no problem on a Mac; I wouldn't know. All I know is that I'm a Windows XP Home Edition guy as I write this; and I lost my "R" buttons!

To say this upset me and got me mad is an understatement. The next morning I was in a better frame of mind and logically went over the steps and saw that there was a pattern to what was happening. For some reason switching to ASIO will gray out the "R" buttons, but if you close the program and go back to it you'll have your "R" buttons back and still be in ASIO.

It's that simple, but there's no mention of it in the book.

Of course, "Armed for Record" must be followed up by clicking on the circular red button on what is called the "Transport Panel" at the bottom of the screen. You're left to guess this, but anyone who has operated a ghetto blaster or a VCR knows what that red circle is; but still it would nice for Adobe to spell this out for us intimidated newbies.

The other big omission gets back to the same lapse as the other one. The book does not bother to point out that switching to ASIO in Multitrack View will not carry over to Edit View. It may not seem like a big deal, but I freaked out when my stuff sounded so weak in Edit View. I couldn't figure it out. The louder I got it in Edit View the more obnoxiously deafening it became in Multitrack View because the two "views" were coming at me through two entirely different sound cards!

Finally I realized what the problem was. Duh . . .

On the positive side in the last analysis it's actually very nice that the two windows can have different settings to let me know how the same file will sound on different computers. My thing with this will be podcasting, and podcasting is about posting on the Net, so one should be aiming at a happy medium that accommodates ordinary cards and quality cards alike. I'm getting better and better at it. The quality will never be a sound stage level thing, but I'm fast approaching the same smoothness of an FM radio commercial.

So go with this book, yes, but keep my comments in mind as you go.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, 3rd Edition

Average customer rating:

Great Purchase
A must have
pretty good stuff for an IPod beginner
Great!
Easy to understand, well written, highly recommended

Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, 3rd Edition
Brad Miser
Manufacturer: Que
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MacOS | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Handheld & Mobile Devices | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Macs | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iPods | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iTunes | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Recording & Sound | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0789736276

Book Description

Since the inception of iTunes, the iPod (the best-selling portable digital music player), and iTunes Music Store (Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2003), Apple has taken the world of digital music by storm. The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, Third Edition, provides all the information that music and media fans need to get the most out of these amazing digital devices and tools. From the basics of listening to audio CDs to advanced customization of music on an iPod, this book equips even those who have never explored digital audio to master their digital music by using these awesome tools. The book covers both Windows and Macintosh platforms to reach the broadest possible audience. The book is organized into two major parts, with each focusing on an element of the iPod, and iTunes and finally a third part focusing on the iTunes Music Store. Along the way, it explains how all of these tools work together and shows readers how to get the most from them. It progresses from very basic topics in a logical manner to lead even absolute beginners on the path to musical mastery.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part I The iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Touring the iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Getting Started with an iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3 Controlling an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4 Listening to Music on an iPod or iPod nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5 Listening to Music on an iPod shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

6 Building an iPod’s Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

7 Using an iPod to Listen to and Watch Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

8 Using an iPod to Listen to Audiobooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

9 Using an iPod to Store and View Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

10 Using an iPod to Watch Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

11 Taking the iPod Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

12 Configuring an iPod to Suit Your Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

13 Maintaining an iPod and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Part II iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

14 Touring iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

15 Getting Started with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

16 Listening to Audio CDs and Internet Audio with iTunes . . . . . . . . . . 231

17 Building, Browsing, Searching, and Playing Your iTunes

Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

18 Labeling, Categorizing, and Configuring Your Music . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

19 Creating, Configuring, and Using Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

20 Subscribing to and Listening to Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

21 Working with iTunes Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

22 Burning Your Own CDs or DVDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

23 Sharing iTunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

24 Maintaining iTunes and Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Part III The iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

25 Touring the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

26 Configuring iTunes for the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

27 Shopping in the iTunes Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

28 Working with Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

29 Solving iTunes Store Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Download Description

Apple has taken the world of digital music by storm with iTunes, the iPod (the best-selling portable digital music player), and the iTunes Music Store (Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2003). And with the recent release of iTunes and the iTunes Music Store for Windows, all of these amazing tools are now available for both Windows and Macintosh users.The Absolute Beginner's Guide to iPod and iTunes, provides all the information music fans need to get the most out of these digital music tools. From the basics of audio CDs to advanced customizing of music on an iPod, this book equips even those who have never explored digital audio to master their digital music using these tools. The book covers both Windows and Macintosh platforms to reach the broadest possible audience. The book is organized into two major parts, with each focusing on an element of the iPod and iTunes and finally a third part focusing on the iTunes Music Store. Along the way, it explains how these tools work together and how to get the most from them. It progresses logically from very basic topics to more advanced ones, leading absolute beginners on the path to musical mastery.

Customer Reviews:

Great Purchase.......2007-09-08

Because of the reviews of others on Amazon I decided to take a look at this book and then I purchased it. Filled with tons of information. Easy to read, understand, explained well and enjoyable. You cannot go wrong with this book. I doubt even the inexperienced will have any problems using an iPod after reading this.

A must have.......2007-06-09

As with any other piece of hardware, you can blunder through, but after spending a lot for the i-pod, get a good guide, as thi is it.

pretty good stuff for an IPod beginner.......2007-05-13

Easy to follow along with your ipod in hand. Everything that I wanted to know about getting up and running with my iPod, and quite enjoyable too

Great!.......2007-02-08

I just purchased a used iPod, and this book is much better than the manual. I just got the book, so am just starting to look through it, but I kn ow I'll refer to it many times. Highly recommended for an absolute beginner like me.

Easy to understand, well written, highly recommended.......2004-12-11

I highly recommend this book to get a grasp on all the features of the fabulous Ipod. The author obviously has a good grasp in writing technical manuals. Well organized, easy to understand, bits of appropriate humor....this book will leave you with a great understanding of the workings of the Ipod, and well on your way to becoming a power user.

The Book of Nero 7: CD and DVD Burning Made Easy

Average customer rating:

States the obvious on usage of an inferior product
One star or less
OK for a beginner
Learner
Not very useful

The Book of Nero 7: CD and DVD Burning Made Easy
Wallace Wang
Manufacturer: No Starch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1593271107

Book Description

Ahead Software's Nero program is the most popular CD and DVD burning software in the world. While it seems like it should be easy to burn CDs and DVDs, doing so can be much more complicated than it appears, and many users reach high frustration levels after burning multiple coasters that don't work.

This simple, task-oriented, step-by-step book covers the entire Nero program suite, including audio CD burning, data backup, managing photos, DVD video burning, designing CD/DVD labels, editing sound, creating a virtual drive and CD/DVD data disk, and playing audio and video. This updated revision to the bestseller (nearly 20,000 copies sold), has been completely rewritten to focus on the tasks that most people perform with Nero 7.

Customer Reviews:

States the obvious on usage of an inferior product.......2007-07-05

If you have no clue on how to use Nero, and somehow managed to get it cleanly installed (in itself not a fun process) then this book will re-state the obvious. All in all, given the horror of trying to install Nero 7, if you might have benefited from this book, you'll never get far enough on the software install to make the book worth buying.

One star or less.......2007-05-22

If you're an absolute newbe, this is probably a good book for you.

If you have any experience at all, pass on this one.

OK for a beginner.......2007-05-12

This book is pretty basic, but gives you the information you need to get started. If you need anything more than the basics, then best to download and print the voluminous manuals available at the Nero website.

Learner.......2007-01-31

This publication is one of the best that I have ever tried to work from. The author is vvery conversant, understandable and above all, organized. I would recommend this to anybody

Not very useful.......2007-01-15

The one part of this book I found helpful was the editing of audio files. This subject is not treated with much detail on the Nero website, but this book helps make some, not all, of the terminology understandable.

But for all other subjects, the information was not very useful. It was far too elementary and didn't delve into the difficult parts of the program.

I can't recommend this book.

Average customer rating:

Perfect iPod Reference
VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
iPod: The Missing Manual
A very helpful manual/ Should come with the Ipod.
A Must Have!!!

iPod: The Missing Manual
Jude Biersdorfer
Manufacturer: Pogue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

MP3 | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iPods | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iTunes | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596529783

Book Description

With iPod and iTunes, Apple's gotten the world hooked on portable music, pictures, and videos. One thing they haven't delivered, though, is an easy guide for getting the most from your sleek little entertainment center. Enter iPod: The Missing Manual, 5th Edition-a book as breathtaking and satisfying as its subject.

Our latest edition thoroughly covers the redesigned iPod Nanos, the video iPod, the tiny Shuffle and the overhauled iTunes 7. Each custom-designed page sports easy-to-follow color graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance on the most useful things your iPod can do. Topics include:

Out of the box and into your ears. Learn how to install iTunes, load music on your iPod, and how to get rid of that dang, flashing "Do not disconnect" message.
Bopping around the iPod. Whether you've got a tiny Shuffle or a big-screen model you'll learn everything from turning your iPod off and on to charging your iPod without a computer. Special coverage for iPod owners with trickster friends: How to reset the iPod's menus to English if they've been changed to, say, Korean.
In tune with iTunes. iTunes can do far more than your father's jukebox. Learn how to pick and choose which parts of your iTunes library loads onto your iPod, how to move your sacred iTunes Folder to a bigger hard drive, and how to add album covers to your growing collection.
The power of the 'Pod. Download movies, play photo slideshows, find cool podcasts, and more: this book shows you how to unleash all your iPod's power.

iPod is simply the best music player available, and this is the manual that should have come with it.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect iPod Reference.......2007-06-27

'iPod: The Missing Manual' by Jude Biersdorfer is the perfect reference for all iPod fans, users, and geeks alike. With 200+ pages of material spread out over 11 chapters, you will learn all the ins and outs of your iPod and iTunes better than ever before!! From the basics like general usage of your iPod to learning how to use iTunes to import music and add to your library to creating playlists and working with photos and videos, this truly is a gem. Unlike other 'Missing Manual' books, this one is a smaller format and is presented in a glossy, stylish package that meshes perfectly with your 'i' collection!!

If you want to get the most out of you iPod and/or iTunes and want to have fun doing so, pick up this wonderful sidekick to your Apple world and enjoy!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!.......2007-06-21

Are you getting the most out of your iPod? If you're not, then this book is for you. Author J D Biersdorfer, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that has easy to follow graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance of the most useful things your iPod can do.

Biersdorfer, begins by showing you what lies underneath all of the menus on your iPod or iPod Nanao and what each item does. Then, the author focuses on introducing you to iTunes most basic and useful tools. Next, she shows you how to make playlists of songs you've added to iTunes. She also looks at how much you will spend in the iTunes store. The author then spotlights the video side of iTunes. Then, she shows you even more ways to use your iPod. The author continues by explaining the simple procedures for playing your iPod songs through the woofers and tweeters in your life. Then, she explains what to do if your iPod's acting weird. Finally, the author kicks it up a notch and gives you some ideas of what else you can do with iTunes and the iPod besides just watching and listening.

In this most excellent book, you'll learn how to install iTunes. Perhaps more importantly, this book will show you everything from turning your iPod on, to charging your iPod without a computer.

iPod: The Missing Manual.......2007-05-28

Great book! I never knew the iPod was so versatile. A must read.

A very helpful manual/ Should come with the Ipod........2007-05-20

I am so pleased with this book. My son bought it from my wish list and it is great. Is shows what a person can do with an Ipod. Very easy to use and seems to cover everything that can be done with an Ipod. I wondered how to put pictures and video on the Ipod and this explains how to accomplish those tasks.

A Must Have!!!.......2007-05-12

This is a great book for any Ipod owner, seeing how what you get with your new Ipod is very little. It shows how much more than listening to music that these little guys can do!

Sound Recording Handbook (John Woram audio series)

Average customer rating:

Great Reference
Required reading/reference

Sound Recording Handbook (John Woram audio series)
John M. Woram
Manufacturer: Financial Times Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Recording & Sound | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Applied | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0672225832

Customer Reviews:

Great Reference.......2007-10-04

I snagged a used copy back in early 2003 and I'm very glad that I did. It's still, to this day, one of my "go to" reference books.
The information is not limited to just those involved in recording. Anyone doing live sound or needing a basic understanding of acoustics or understanding the electronics will benefit, etc., etc.
It was a great find then and still is today. Very recommended!

Required reading/reference.......2001-01-03

Regrettably out of print for a number of years, this textbook is a must-have for both the aspiring and the experienced recording engineer. Although the technology is now somewhat dated (for example, there is a notable lack of information on digital audio). Others have tried to fill the gap this book left in the past 10 years - none have succeeded.

Book Description

On October 23, 2001, Apple Computer, a company known for its chic, cutting-edge technology -- if not necessarily for its dominant market share -- launched a product with an enticing promise: You can carry an entire music collection in your pocket. It was called the iPod. What happened next exceeded the company's wildest dreams. Over 50 million people have inserted the device's distinctive white buds into their ears, and the iPod has become a global obsession. The Perfect Thing is the definitive account, from design and marketing to startling impact, of Apple's iPod, the signature device of our young century.

Besides being one of the most successful consumer products in decades, the iPod has changed our behavior and even our society. It has transformed Apple from a computer company into a consumer electronics giant. It has remolded the music business, altering not only the means of distribution but even the ways in which people enjoy and think about music. Its ubiquity and its universally acknowledged coolness have made it a symbol for the digital age itself, with commentators remarking on "the iPod generation." Now the iPod is beginning to transform the broadcast industry, too, as podcasting becomes a way to access radio and television programming. Meanwhile millions of Podheads obsess about their gizmo, reveling in the personal soundtrack it offers them, basking in the social cachet it lends them, even wondering whether the device itself has its own musical preferences.

Steven Levy, the chief technology correspondent for Newsweek magazine and a longtime Apple watcher, is the ideal writer to tell the iPod's tale. He has had access to all the key players in the iPod story, including Steve Jobs, Apple's charismatic cofounder and CEO, whom Levy has known for over twenty years. Detailing for the first time the complete story of the creation of the iPod, Levy explains why Apple succeeded brilliantly with its version of the MP3 player when other companies didn't get it right, and how Jobs was able to convince the bosses at the big record labels to license their music for Apple's groundbreaking iTunes Store. (We even learn why the iPod is white.) Besides his inside view of Apple, Levy draws on his experiences covering Napster and attending Supreme Court arguments on copyright (as well as his own travels on the iPod's click wheel) to address all of the fascinating issues -- technical, legal, social, and musical -- that the iPod raises.

Borrowing one of the definitive qualities of the iPod itself, The Perfect Thing shuffles the book format. Each chapter of this book was written to stand on its own, a deeply researched, wittily observed take on a different aspect of the iPod. The sequence of the chapters in the book has been shuffled in different copies, with only the opening and concluding sections excepted. "Shuffle" is a hallmark of the digital age -- and The Perfect Thing, via sharp, insightful reporting, is the perfect guide to the deceptively diminutive gadget embodying our era.

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing read on iPod and its impact .......2007-06-27

Why do people ask for an iPod when they want an MP3 player? Other players hold as many or more songs, and play them just as well. Owning an iPod is more about music than about keeping up with the latest trends. That is why the iPod still holds the top spot in MP3 player sales. Author Steven Levy explores how the iPod came to be and how it earned its status as a cultural icon. Even the book's iPod-looking cover could evoke emotion from an iPod fan. We recommend this book to iPod lovers who will relish its story. Businesspeople, trend spotters and marketers also will gain insight into the way Apple made millions from selling music, machines and coolness.

Insightful and Absorbing Read on iPods, Apple, Innovation and Marketing.......2007-05-31

The iPod has that certain something that leads its users to adore it like nothing before. People want nothing but an iPod. No substitutes even when the non-iPod has more memory, comes in your favorite color and costs over $100 less than an iPod. So how did the iPod earn this special treatment and the ability to compel people to say, "Cool" when they hold one?

A book cover in the disguise of an iPod, albeit on paper, still manages to ooze coolness though it isn't the real thing. Scroll your finger over the cover's button and scroll wheel and you can feel the smooth button extend slightly above the scroll wheel. Apple has established itself as a company that goes all out when creating a product, but there's much more to the iPod story than people realize. The Perfect Thing explores many aspects of the story.

While reading The Perfect Thing, I couldn't help but order an iPod Nano straight from Apple's Web site complete with my name engraved on its beautiful red skin -- as a replacement for my stolen iPod video. I also bought a cover to protect the iPod as I don't like it when my gadgets get marks on them. But then I reached the part where Steve Jobs took offense to seeing Levy's iPod covered up. Because of that, the beautiful red color and the way the aluminum felt -- I took off the cover for good.

The chapters, like iPod's shuffle feature, are independent and don't go in a specific order except the first chapter. I don't know if that's true, as I haven't seen another hard copy of the book.

"Perfect," goes behind the scenes of iPod's launch in October 2001, not the greatest timing after 9/11. "Download" covers the revolution of downloading and digitizing music including codec, MP3s, WinAmp, Napster and the record companies suing. "What makes an item cool?" sets the tone for the chapter titled, "Cool." Can there be a formula for coolness? This chapter teaches great marketing lessons from Apple's design, packaging and advertising of the iPod.

"Origin" returns to the iPod's roots on its development and the things that came before iPod that affected the iPod's creation. There's a reason we use the word podcast instead of audiocasts when referring to audio feeds. "Podcast" visits the formation of citizen broadcasting from CB radio to podcasting.

People judge each other by the clothing they wear, they do the same by the playlists they carry in their iPods as "Identity" delves into the fashion statement of playlists. No one expected Apple to make a comeback, not even when Steve Jobs returned in 2000, and "Apple" touches upon the comeback and how Apple surpassed the market's expectations. The iPod attracts thieves and the earbuds send a message to the public "to leave me alone" as the "Personal" chapter looks back at the Sony Walkman, the white earbuds, hearing loss and how users personalize their iPods.

The shuffle feature scrambles music hence the name for the cheapest and smallest iPod Shuffle. The feature is simple, yet the chapter on "Shuffle" offers fascinating insight into the possibility of a conspiracy behind the shuffle formula. Some people swear that some songs, artists and whatnot get more attention than others do. But everyone at Apple, including the engineers, says shuffle works randomly. Intriguing stuff anyway.

Marketers, iPod lovers, Apple lovers, Mac lovers, business people, technology people, gadget people. The book will appeal to all of them. After all, Levy writes, "The iPod is a pebble with tsunami-sized cultural ripples."

Cool Device: search wheel, no on switch, the LCD, video, iPhones, fireware, g4, and iTune.......2007-03-08

1. iPod will encourage the creation of virtual bookselves: music, movies, and books.
2. When Apple leaders began working on the iPod they saw the project as an enhancement of the Macintosh computer. Apples G4 cube significant reduced the bulky space requirements for desktop computers.
3. iPod changed Apple from a computer company to a consumer electronics company in four years and represented 60 percent of the income from the music related business.
4. Type "iPod" in google and you'll get a half a billion hits
5. By the end of 2005, Apple had sold 42 million iPods from $99 to $599 and had capture 75% market share; iTunes sold more than a billion songs at 99 cents, representing 85 percent of all legal downloads. Apple's stock had increased 700 percent.
6. When people encounter a machine that is easy and fun to use, they like it. The cool factor. IPod is cool.
7. iPod's success is the result of an uncanny alignment of technology, design, culture, and media thrust in the center of the digital age. Ipod makes a dull day come alive.
8. iPod initial capacity astounded consumer providing a 1,000 songs in the pocket.
9. Steve Jobs initial reaction to iPod was, "I haven't picked up any MP3 player that has made me go, `Wow, okay, I want to carry this everywhere I go. OK'. Everyone is going to want to have one of these."
10. Apple dispatched a pair of couier too hand delivered the iPod to a few select technical writers. On launch day the Apple couriers reached Newsweek.
11. Jobs relied on Firewire transfer speeds to make iPod feasible. There were seven and half million Mac users with firewire. Jobs said, "iPod will be a landmark product." Five to six minutes to rip a CD into iTunes and a few seconds to load to load an albums worth of songs into the iPod.
12. Playlist represent the character of the listener. We seem to be immersed in an age of musical voyeurism and musical exhibitionism.
13. Status comes from cool music libraries. "Such libraries distinguish one as a thinking person, a discerning individualist, a lover of fun, a blender of high and low culture, and a bird dog in unearthing undiscovered gems."
14. Learning through accumulation: "The ability to easily compile one's favorite songs in one place may make it easier to accumulate a collection of dazzling obscurities but also increase the capability of those libraries that are less than stellar."
15. At iPod's download headquarters, you can find more than a hundred celebrity playlists.
16. Reformulation: iPod circular scroll wheel search interface allowed searching of large lists, fast. It made the complicated digital music collection, easy.
17. iTunes software from Macintosh was built into iPod. IPod would sync effortlessly with a music library. "It was a recipe for something, well, perfect."
18. Cool is a term that is strong linked to iPod. Levy tells Bill Gates Tablet PC, Microsoft pen-based laptop, in spite of the technical virtuosity of many brilliant people was not cool. Gates replied, "It sounds to me like you're saying volume equals cool." Levy replied, "Profits are not necessarily tied to coolness". Gates challenged Levy to come up with an example of something cool that didn't sell well. Gates said, "In a sense, to be cool, you've got to have high market share. High market share is something that comes after hard work and making the hard decisions." Levy previously had showed Gates the iPod and Gates at the time thought the iPod would sale, but Gates tells Levy, "I knew the music player devices would sell well. And I knew as soon as they got this high volume, you would declare it cool. As night follows day."
19. iPod gives you a feeling your in the tribe.

Levy Nails It!.......2007-01-25

I didn't hold out much hope for Levy's latest effort, "The Perfect Thing". I had found his last Apple-based effort, "Insanely Great", to be decidedly less than, and strongly suspected this would be nothing more than a shallow Apple PR effort. How very wrong I was - forgive me Steven.

In what I think is his most effective, tightly written book to date, Levy combines a strongly personal narrative with great bits about the history of music media. Along the way he offers up a pretty darned comprehensive view of the various facets of the wide and complex subject of digital music - while at the same time painting a vivid, yet objective portrait of the iPod. I actually had to restrain myself from popping over to the nearest Best Buy and shelling out money I don't have to spend on one.

His gimmicky-sounding "shuffle" of the chapters (there are several editions of the book with the chapters in differing order, in a nod to the iPod's shuffle feature) did not become a distraction or a turn-off like I'd feared - although, I can't say it added much. I was struck, however, by how smoothly the book flowed despite the shuffle - which simply emphasized to me how well written the various essay-style chapters were.

I'll freely admit that I'm a big (BIG) Levy fan - but please don't let that fact turn you off. I simply can't find a weak spot in the whole package - and I'm typically pretty hard to please. This is really a remarkable book, that I strongly recommend.

Far From Perfect (But Still Pretty Good).......2007-01-17

People looked at me in a strange way when I told them I was reading a 300-page book about the iPod. "No, seriously. It's a whole book about the iPod!" Steven Levy, author of The Perfect Thing is senior editor and chief technology correspondent for Newsweek magazine and the author of five previous books. Levy is a technophile and over the course of his career has seen many products, many technologies, come and go. But I doubt any new product has aroused his interest like the iPod. Levy is absolutely in love with the iPod and with Steve Jobs, the man responsible for overseeing its creation. This book often reads like a hagiography of the man and his little technological marvel.

Interestingly, the book is "shuffled" so that different copies of the book will have the chapters in different order. While this is a neat idea, and a unique one that fits well with one of the iPod's most popular features, it means that there is no flow from chapter-to-chapter and also that there is some repetition. I can only imagine the logistical nightmare this represented for those who had to edit and proof the book!

In some ways it seems silly to write a biography of the iPod since it is, after all, only five years old (having released on October 23, 2001). It seems akin to writing a biography of an actress like Dakota Fanning. Sure she's a fantastic little actress, is highly sought after in Hollywood, and has already made her mark in Tinseltown (and we loved her in Charlotte's Web), but the fact remains that she is only twelve and her career is only beginning. Surely it would be too easy to write her biography. And surely it is too early to write seriously about the iPod. Then again, the iPod is not going anywhere soon and seems to be gaining both acceptance and prominence so perhaps a book is in order.

Despite displaying more than a little bias (how is this for hyperbole?: "The iPod nano was so beautiful that it seemed to have dropped down from some vastly advanced alien civilization. It had the breathtaking compactness of a lustrous Oriental artifact. It wasn't really much bigger than a large mint left on your pillow at a fine hotel.") this is an interesting and even an important book. The iPod is a significant device that has been accepted and embraced by countless millions of people. It may well come to define a whole generation. And if not that, it will surely speak volumes about a generation. It also represents a technology that Christians would do well to consider. After all, when we listen to our iPods we tend to tune out the world around us. In some ways I think the iPod is representative of the self-centered, individualistic culture we live in. By parking the little white buds in our ears, we can enter a little world all our own. We can turn off and tune in. We can listen to what we want to hear while ignoring everything around us. We can easily allow this good invention to become destructive to our relationships and even to our faith.

I was disappointed that the author spent the vast majority of the book looking at the past and the present with very little time dedicated to looking to the future and attempting to understand what the iPod's long term effects will be. Maybe a philosopher or historian or sociologist would be more qualified to attempt to predict how the iPod will be remembered ten or a hundred years from now. Is it a piece of technology that will be lost to history or will it be remembered as groundbreaking and as a product that changed the world? In the absence of such analysis, the most interesting chapters are those dealing with the history and development of the iPod. Ones dealing with identity, coolness and the personal nature of the iPod are also well worth reading.

One awfully tedious chapter deals with the "shuffle" feature and whether or not it is truly random (the answer being yes and no - no because computers cannot be truly random because they need to have some kind of a starting point, but yes because the songs are chosen as randomly as is possible). Levy decides, and this is true, I'm sure, that the human mind just doesn't cope well with randomness. Thus when our iPods seem to favor a particular song or artist, it is really just our minds playing tricks on us (which, of course, rings hollow when we hear a song for the third or fourth time in a day!).

Despite a few less-than-stellar chapters which seemed to be little more than filler, this was a valuable read as I sought to understand the iPod generation. The Perfect Thing is far from a perfect book (you probably saw that line coming!). Still, it is interesting enough for the most part and raises some interesting questions and concerns. At the very least it helped me understand the incredible, growing phenomenon that is the iPod.

Average customer rating:

Well written! Well worth reading!!!
useful information...............
Virtually every facet of the latest technology being used to capture and edit music
Condescending yet opaque
Excellent book in terms of coverage and depth

Digital Audio Essentials
Bruce Fries , and Marty Fries
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Acoustics & Sound | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

MP3 | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iPods | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iTunes | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596008562

Book Description

Join the digital audio revolution! Tens of millions of users are embracing digital music, and with Digital Audio Essentials, you can, too. Nearly every personal computer built in the last few years contains a CD-burning drive; MP3 and other portable player sales dominate the consumer electronics industry; and new networkable stereo equipment lets you use your digital music collection to power your home entertainment system. Whether it's downloading music, ripping CDs, organizing, finding, and creating higher quality music files, buying music players and accessories, or constructing a home stereo system, Digital Audio Essentials helps you do get it done. An indispensable reference for music enthusiasts, digital archivists, amateur musicians, and anyone who likes a good groove, Digital Audio Essentials helps you avoid time-consuming, costly trial and error in downloading audio files, burning CDs, converting analog music to digital form, publishing music to and streaming from the Web, setting up home stereo configurations, and creating your own MP3 and other audio files. The book--for both Mac and PC users--includes reliable hardware and software recommendations, tutorials, resources, and file sharing, and it even explains the basics of the DMCA and intellectual property law. You may (or may not) already know the basics of ripping CDs or downloading music, but Fries will show you so much more--including advice on the multitude of MP3 players on the market, stereo options, file formats, quality determinations, and the legalities of it all. Both a timely, entertaining guide and an enduring reference, this is the digital audio handbook you need to make the most of your expanding digital music collection.

Customer Reviews:

Well written! Well worth reading!!!.......2006-04-23

I've made a spot on my bookshelf for Digital Audio Essentials from O'Reilly Publishing. Bruce and Marty Fries are authors par excellance. Rarely will you encounter the fine points of audio so eloquently expressed. I've read several books about digital audio. Typically, as the author attempts an failed explanation I find myself thinking, "Boy, if I didn't already fully understand that concept, I'd be totally stumped!"

Although I have several years of experience with analog and digital audio, I gained many insights from this book. It provided countless clarifications, a host of resources, and it resolved many of my "never fully answered" questions!

O'Reilly's Digital Audio Essentials should prove helpful for beginners too; however it's a probably a better fit for those already at an intermediate level with audio. At times the authors use lots of music/audio vocabulary, so Digital Audio Essentials might be a bit of a stretch for complete beginners. Otherwise I found it perfectly paced: it presents topics in an orderly and logical manner, it expertly escorts you to considerable depths, and most terms are clearly defined as they're introduced.

The book reveals facts oft' overlooked ... and I especially like its knack for clairvoyantly addressing questions that arise in the back of your mind. For instance, when it says, `Never attempt to remove dust from a vinyl LP with a dry brush,' it explains that rubbing a dry brush on your LP charges the vinyl with enough static electricity to suck the dust right back to its surface-with a grip tighter than before! (And to make matters worse, previously disinterested airborne dust now finds your LP distinctly attractive!)

Digital Audio Essentials is 340 pages in all. I've read several chapters fully and browsed most of the others.

Music digitization is a topic of continuing interest for many DVMUG members. To help convey the quality and depth of Digital Audio Essentials, I'll provide summary of chapter 14, which is all about digitizing.

Digitizing Your Records and Tapes contains 23 pages of articulate and up-to-date audio wisdom. It's packed with information vital for anyone new to digitizing music; this information is equally valuable to those interested in improving their workflow and the quality of their audio projects.

It begins with an interesting, detailed, historical account of the evolution of analog recording: i.e. Edison's cylinders, the Gramophone turntable, shellac and vinyl records, and tape. It discusses the original analog audio format wars (yes, those began long before VHS vs. BetaMax) and it chronicles the eventual rise of the 33 RPM LP ... and the once ubiquitous cassette.

The remaining 20 pages cover various digitizing topics. There's lots of thoughtful, sage advice and a list of things to know. Tips on preparing for analog recording: cleaning vinyl, choosing of turntable and stylus, demagnetizing tape playback heads. There also a discussion of noise reduction (when to apply) and a survey of methods for saving your work as individual tracks.

To avoid redundancy, the authors refer the reader to chapters 9 11 and 13, Digital Audio Format, Recording and Ripping, and Editing Audio. These provide a detailed introduction to hard disk recording, audio interfaces, editing principles, and editing software.

Other chapters include: an overview of music on computers, software audio players, music on the web, Internet radio, podcasts, etc. There's a three chapter section that introduces audio terminology and concepts, file formats, and there's a four chapter section on capturing and editing audio. (Chapter 14, jusst reviewed, is one of those.

This book is so good I almost hate to point out a couple of issues, but I found three in chapter 14.

1) The reader is told that they must remain nearby and attentive when recording from vinyl, so they can manually stop Peak - otherwise it will haplessly fill your entire hard drive with the sound the phonograph needle endlessly orbiting the LP's final groove. (Peak is made by bias-inc.com)

Actually, Peak has a built-in timer. Just set it for the play time of your analog recording ... plus a minute extra so it doesn't accidentally cut off too early. Then you can start recording and attend to other affairs. When you return, Peak will have captured a complete side of the recording and stepped automatically out of record mode.

For the record (pun retained), you may traumatize your stylus if you leave it circling the LP's the final groove for long ... I heard this is the case So after all, perhaps it's wise to stay nearby when recording from vinyl. However, when digitizing cassettes and the like with Peak, there's no need to baby-sit. Set the timer and go.

2) The authors advise us to record an entire side of an LP or cassette into a single audio file. I agree, this far more convenient than performing a "record-stop-save" scenario for each song. Plus there are significant advantages in keeping "album related" audio within a single file. For one, it's easy to apply operations to all tracks! You can more easily "master" your material because you can switch between tracks and audition them.

A "digitized album side" is a large audio file that contains several individual songs. However, if burned to a CD, or played in iTunes, it will behave like a single track that contains several songs. The book acknowledges this and provides a number of methods for manually splitting the file into "regions." It mentions automatic splitting methods as well.

However the authors erroneously state that, if you want individual tracks, you must save each region to a separate file. This approach works, that's true, but it's time consuming, and it overlooks a great feature in Peak called PlayLists.

A Peak playlist is simply a collection of regions.

You can burn CDs directly from Peak's PlayList window. Additionally you can customize the playback order of the regions you've defined, omit various regions, setgain, and set gaps between tracks. Using V-Box (a provided plug-in) you can add effects such as equalization, reverb, and noise reduction ... all on a "per track" basis!

Then you can burn your play list directly to a CD, with effects if you wish. Alternately, with a single click you can export a series of individual files to the audio file format of your choice: Wav, AIFF, MP3. You can also save to JAM image file. You can always "bounce" the effects to make them permanent.

Yet none of these actions effect your original digital recording! In digital audio terms, this is called non destructive manipulation. Therein lies the beauty of Playlists - they handle all these effects and choices on the fly. And you can create multiple Playlists that you can use with a single audio document, essentially remastering the original.

3) The only other omission I encountered pertained to stereo system hookup. On stereo systems or music players without "line out" or "record out," you can run a cable from the headphone jack to the input of your audio interface or sound card. Granted, this routes the signal through the headphone amp, which may generate some noise, so if you have a line-level output or "record out," use it. In a pinch remember that you can tap the signal from any headphone jack. If the signal is too hot, simply lower your stereo system's or audio player's volume, or lower the input volume on your audio interface.

4) Assuredly, Recording and Ripping (chapter 11) was an overly ambitious undertaking, resulting in fairly a weak presentation. But then, how could anyone do justice to such a broad topic in just 13 pages? I don't doubt the author's opinions, rather I wish they'd provided a few more scenarios. That would have added a sense of the vast range of possibilities. On the other hand Chapter 13, Editing Audio, is a shining example of how much ground good authors can quickly cover.
??
I highly recommend this title for its overall clarity, its friendly non-nonsense tone, and the wealth of information presented.

John Blasquez
www.singingwood.com

useful information......................2005-10-09

the value of this text will ultimately be a function of one's mathematics background as well as the degree of familiarity with audio. personally, i found the book to be an excellent "update" to the previous text..!! keep in mind that the field of digital audio is changing SO RAPIDLY that it is virtually impossible to keep up with the changes ...from an authors standpoint........ be that as it may, most will derive more than satisfactory information from the revised edition.!

Virtually every facet of the latest technology being used to capture and edit music.......2005-09-05

Bruce and Marty Fries' Digital Audio Essentials shows how to legally download and share music, how to hook a PC or Mac to a home stereo, how to record music to hard drive: virtually every facet of the latest technology being used to capture and edit music. Newcomers in particular will appreciate clear explanations of digital audio features, tutorials which are easy to follow, and both hardware and software recommendations.

Condescending yet opaque.......2005-08-09

I didn't learn much from this book, and I don't think it was just me. I'm afraid it is one of those books written by knowledgeable people for a general audience, without much understanding of who are in that audience or what they might want to know.

Example: "Rumble is very low-frequency noise caused by acoustic feedback, tone arm resonance, motor vibration, and other problems in a turntable." How many readers need to know what "rumble" means but already know about "acoustic feedback" and "tone arm resonance"? And what are they meant to do with the information? The discussion ends there.

Sorry to have to contradict the generally good reviews. I notice, though, that they are mainly from other wizards who think somebody might benefit from the book -- not from people who actually have.

Excellent book in terms of coverage and depth.......2005-08-07

Every now and then you find a reference text that just seems to get it right. This is one of them. The authors cover the subject broadly, and at a reasonable and consistent level of depth. Unlike other books that simply cover the obvious, this book anticipates and answers the questions that one needs to get started and become self-sufficient with digital audio. It covers some of the more esoteric elements as well. Musicians and engineers should look elsewhere or expect to supplement this book with specialized material. However, the average PC user who understands Windows and MS Office well enough, but wants to get going with PC-based music and the like will be really happy with this book. You don't need another one. In addition, it is very well written - clear and succinct. A favorite of mine and a benchmark for "help book" writers.

Average customer rating:

Good book, need experience programming in C++
No Mention that you need Windows to use the code.

Audio Programming for Interactive Games
Martin Wilde
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Game Programming | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Recording & Sound | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Acoustics & Sound | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Entertainment | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0240519418

Book Description

Martin Wilde's cutting-edge exploration of the creative potential of game audio systems addresses the latest working methods of those involved in creating and programming immersive, interactive and non-linear audio for games. The book demonstrates how the game programmer can create an software system which enables the audio content provider (composer/sound designer) to maintain direct control over the composition and presentation of an interactive game soundtrack. This system (which is platform independent) is described step-by-step in Wilde's approachable style with illuminating case studies, all source codes for which are provided on the accompanying CD-Rom which readers can use to develop their own audio engines.

As a programmer with experience of developing sound and music software engines for computer game titles on a multitude of platforms who is also an experienced musician, Martin Wilde is uniquely placed to address individuals approaching game audio from various levels and areas of expertise. Game audio programmers will learn how to achieve enable even better audio soundtracks and effects, while musicians who want to capitalise on this shift in roles will gain a greater appreciation of the technical issues involved, so enhancing their employment prospects. Students of game design can practice these skills by building their own game audio engines based on the source code provided.

* Learn from an expert: the author brings a unique perspective to this subject from his experience as both a programmer and a musician
* Develop your own game audio engines: the book and accompanying CD-ROM provide easy-to-follow instructions and coding which you can apply to your own game and multi-media projects
* Keep up with the latest working practices in this rapidly evolving industry with this essential guide for both game audio programmers and audio artists

Customer Reviews:

Good book, need experience programming in C++.......2007-02-05

I've been looking for a book that would walk me through the process of creating a sound engine and this book does that but you need to know C or C++. For some reason it's not directly mentioned that you need programming experience in the editorial review or book description.
I don't think this is any fault of the author since it's assumed that if you are programming games you're probably using C or C++ already.

I'm a beginner programmer and I was looking for a book that would show a beginner how to make a sound engine. If you already know C or C++ than this would probably be a great book for you since it seems to be the only book ( at least what I could find) that shows you exactly how to create a sound engine, step by step.

No Mention that you need Windows to use the code........2005-04-07

I was impressed and excited with this book until I got to Chapter 3, where I discovered that I needed a Windows machine in order to build the "multi-platform", Soundtrack Manager. There was no mention on the cover, that in order to run the code on the accompanied CD, you need Windows.
I'm a composer/sound designer, and I happen to use a Macintosh like many other musicians, producers etc.
There is still useful informatio