I haven't been able to put this book down since receiving it from Amazon. Wow. I've bought quite a few books on music theory, production and mixing techniques, programming guides, etc, in addition to reading all the major electronic music mags out there (EQ, EM, Keyboard, Sound on Sound, Future Music, etc). Basically all that yielded was a lot of disparate information that seemed helpful but you have no idea how it all ties together. This book is the solution to that. I'm not sure I would recommend this book for an absolute beginner...it could be pretty heavy if you're unfamiliar with music (esp electronic music) terminolgy. However, if you have an interest in electronic music (not just dance music) and you're one of those people who has read music production books and routinely reads the music mags, this is the book for you. Trust me, you'll find yourself saying "Oh, *that's* how that works" and you'll start to see how everything fits together. I found this especially true in the "Basic Synthesis" and "Programming Theory" chapters. You can do a thousand tutorials in Computer Music Magazine to program a synth without ever understanding why or what you're doing. This book helps you understand the underlying concepts of waveforms, oscillators, envelopes, etc. There are fantastic tips on sound design and how to create your own unique "sound". Indeed, there is a great discussion on sound itself and the physics that are employed. There is also a chapter devoted to different genres of dance music, everything from trance to hip-hop to house. Perhaps one of the more useful tips is a typical "map" of a club-ready dance track. I could go on and on, just get the book if any of this sounds interesting to you. The price is very reasonable and there's a CD included with examples and software trials. In fact, my only complaint about the book is that I wish it indicated the exact file names on the CD when it references them. You can usually figure it out, but it would be quicker to have the actual file name listed. All in all, I don't think you'll find a more comprehensive book for modern electronic musicians. It'll make you a better informed, and perhaps even a better, musician. And that is the endgame, after all, isn't it?
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