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Behind the Glass - Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits (Softcover) [Paperback]

Howard Massey (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews) |
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Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000
In this prime collection of first-hand interviews, 37 of the worldÕs top record producers share their creative secrets and hit-making techniques - from the practical to the artistic. George Martin reveals the technical and musical challenges of working with The Beatles, while Phil Ramone, producer for such artists as Billy Joel, discusses studio wall treatments. Offering real-world advice on everything from mics to mixing to coaching a nervous singer, producers interviewed include Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin), Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Alan Parsons (Pink Floyd) and more.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Insightful overviews of the creative and technical process of sound recording." -- Steve Vai, guitarist

"The producers featured have made key contributions...music-business professionals and fans alike should find their observations invaluable." --Billboard, November 11, 2000

About the Author

Howard Massey, a veteran journalist and record producer/engineer, has worked with Elvis Costello, Roy Buchanan, Kraftwerk, Thomas Dolby, and other major artists at such world-class studios as Electric Lady and Trident. Formerly technology editor of Musician, he has written for Billboard, Keyboard, Guitar World and Electronic Musician, plus ten books on music technology. He currently is a contributing editor for EQ and reviews editor of Surround Professional. He also serves as consultant and technical writer for Sony, Korg, and other leading audio manufacturers.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Backbeat Books (September 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0879306149
  • ISBN-13: 978-0879306144
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Howard Massey Page
Howard Massey
Howard Massey is a music journalist, musician, and recording engineer/producer who was formerly an editor at Musician and Performing Songwriter magazines.

He is also the author of fifteen books, including two collections of interviews with record producers entitled "Behind The Glass" and "Behind The Glass Volume II." In 2006 he co-authored legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick's memoir "Here, There, and Everywhere." In 2009 he co-authored "When I'm 64," a book about retirement planning (for more information, visit www.whenim64.com). He is currently completing his first novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first saw BEHIND THE GLASS, by Howard Massey, I began turning its pages immediately. Publisher Miller-Freeman, it seems to me, has sort of seized the initiative in releasing great new music-industry titles that appeal to the targeted up-and-coming musician as well as veteran industry observers, teachers, and researchers. Author Howard Massey presents his material in interview format, sometimes with individual U.S. and British engineers and producers, and sometimes in a group setting (East coast panel, West coast panel, for example). He obviously has both great access to and an easygoing credibility with hit-making engineers and producers, because the questions are good, the answers are candid, complete, and casual. (If I sound vague about Massey, it's because I haven't bumped into him and the book contains no "about the author" blurb, a disappointing omission.) The book is being marketed briskly to college and trade-school recording programs, so--will this book teach you recording? No, you must still learn the basics from a good class setting, or a mentor, or in a self-directed experience with a different class of book than this (Runstein, Wadhams, and Woram are among the classic recording-text authors). But don't think I'm diminishing the value of this new book: it reads fast, and Massey brings all these legendary names into your living room, making them acquaintances, colleagues, friends--sharing shoptalk, suggesting both general methods and personal trade-mark techniques. Here's a bit of detail I gleaned from Behind the Glass: I bought James Taylor's Hourglass CD in Cape Town, South Africa a couple of years ago on a day when I needed to hear some mellow American music, and found myself entranced with the recording quality. I made a mental note to associate those great rich sounds with engineer Frank Filipetti. Later that same year Hourglass won a grammy as best recorded album-no surprise to me-but I honestly had no idea, until reading Massey's interview of Filipetti, that Hourglass was essentially recorded on hastily-assembled project studio gear on Martha's Vineyard. My respect for Filipetti went from huge to immense. Behind the Glass is excellent for prospective engineers or producers, for teachers of recording, or anyone with technical insight who is involved or interested in the recent history of pop music production. Ron Simpson, School of Music, Brigham Young University. Author of MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The other really good reviews tell you what you want to know about the logistics of the book. I want to talk about whether or not an up-and-coming musician/producer/composer can use the book in their daily work and professional lives to any useful extent.

My quick answer is absolutely. It's chockful of great interviews with unquestionable legends in the field. We always hear about the artists and get these clunky, chopped up interviews in magazines with them about what it took to make the record ("I had a dream", "My contract was about up", "It's an homage to field mice", etc.), but we rarely get such an in-depth look at who REALLY makes these artists SOUND they way they do. There's a ton of stuff about the gear they use, how they use it and why they use it.

The slant of the book is a little high-end, which is understandable, considering the professional level of the producers we're talking about here, so the average joe in their bedroom or basement studio may find the discussions about $10,000 microphones a bit overwhelming and useless, but the theories about how they're used and what environments (an aspect of recording SADLY bypassed by big and small name studios alike) they're striving to create are invaluable, and can be applied everywhere.

If you're an aspiring artist, get it because it will tell you where the lines are in your working relationships with these people, and help you help yourself instead of looking at the studio clock with 6 more tracks you'd like to lay. If you're a session musician, you'll probably find it useful when the discussions turn to getting good sounds out of your instruments in various environments. And if you're an aspiring producer, you HAVE to get it. It's your guide through ego, business and the nature of what you wish to do.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Learning From The Masters October 15, 2000
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
If you're a musician, an aspiring engineer/producer or are into any aspect of audio, you'll find this book absolutely fascinating. The author obviously knows his stuff (he's a producer and engineer himself, and a well-known writer in EQ magazine), and by asking probing and detailed questions, Massey has managed to get the world's top record producers to spill the beans about every aspect of how they make hit records, and he's also successfully captured the essence of their personalities. Each of the big names in the business -- George Martin, Brian Wilson, Alan Parsons, Phil Ramone, Arif Mardin, George Massenburg, even the usually reticent Geoff Emerick (who engineered Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road) get a full chapter, and there are two absolutely hilarious panel discussions as well. Equal time is given to top American and English producers, and I especially liked the section called "Young Guns," in which younger, up-and-coming producers (like Walter Afanasieff, Chuck Ainlay, Danny Saber and Sylvia Massy) get a chance to present their views. All in all, this is a truly exceptional, eminently readable book. If you've got a son, daughter, nephew or niece who's into music, this will make the perfect stocking stuffer.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good point of reference
It's always interesting to read what others have to say about the art of audio engineering and production. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Kevin King
Behind The Glass - A Review
This book is a good read if you want to know what different engineers / producers use for mic techniques, a few mixing tips and to remember the good ole' days. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mark
Truly captivating and inspiring
This book has turned out to be one of my best purchases in years. As an aspiring producer/engineer, this book not only provided inspiration, but also gave me great insight into the... Read more
Published on May 20, 2010 by C. Warren
great interviews
So well done I read it twice. Highly detailed technical descriptions of how well-known music producers choose and employ their equipment and deal with the people they represent. Read more
Published on December 27, 2009 by Ross R. Whitney
For upcoming producers and engineers.
This book is great and I also recommend "Music Producers and Engineers Bible" on Kindle
Published on November 11, 2009 by John D. Thomas
Great insights!
I am halfway through this book and am already amazed at the great stories and information given by the various producers. Who knew that Brian Wilson was such a genius? Read more
Published on October 26, 2009 by R. Marcil
behind the glass
good book, took forever for me to get it but the book is in good shape if you're ordering from this place definitely allot a lot of time before you need the book
Published on October 16, 2009 by Derrick Cheung
Very interesting book!
If you're interested in how modern music is made and recorded, this book gives a great deal of insight into the process. Read more
Published on September 30, 2008 by juniorspecial
I'd like to add...
I'd like to add this comment to the other reviews. Reading this book gave me a much better insight into all the things a good producer does. Read more
Published on June 25, 2008 by Pyrotechno
Great minds that influenced the world of recording.
This is a great book for hearing the people that have brought you the music that moves you. The timeless stuff. Talk about the creative process but also the business of music. Read more
Published on June 4, 2008 by Francis P. Biancamano III
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Get five producers in one room you'll get five different approaches to making records. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
room mics, bass drum mic, mit amps, mastering room, vocal mit, mit preamps, guitar mic, home recordist, stereo compressor, mit placement, tube gear, drum mics, tape saturation, kick drum, overhead mics, analog gear, inch analog, stereo bus, outboard gear, headphone mix, recording bass, tube compressor, one mic, guide vocal, vocal mic
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pro Tools, Abbey Road, George Martin, Warner Bros, Barbra Streisand, Beach Boys, New York, Celine Dion, Phil Spector, East Coast, Dark Side Of The Moon, Geoff Emerick, Jagged Little Pill, John Lennon, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Record Plant, Steely Dan, Glyn Johns, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Let's Dance, Norman Smith, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons
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Mix Masters by Maureen Droney
 

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