Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science [Paperback]

Bob Katz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240805453 | ISBN-13: 978-0240805450 | Publication Date: December 10, 2002 | Edition: 1

Mastering Audio explains leading-edge audio concepts in an easy-to-grasp, holistic manner, including an ear-opening investigation of the mysteries of jitter, dither and wordlengths, high sample rates, distortion, headroom, monitor calibration, metering, depth perception, compression and expansion, equipment interconnection and much more. Mastering Audio is for everyone who wants to increase their mastery of digital and analog audio: musicians, producers, A&R, mastering, recording and mixing engineers, and students.

*Outlines the steps taken in producing a compact disc, from creation to final pressing
*Provides insights to equipment, training, and the business of mastering
*Answers questions most frequently asked by audio engineers

Editorial Reviews

Review

In the books 22 chapters and 13 appendices, Katz presents a text that is clear and easy to understand with just enough mathmatics and "technical jargon" to explain the technology behind the theory, philosophy, and methodology of the mastering processes, but without overwhelming the reader." - Ron Streicher, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society

"The definitive work on mastering...an indispensable resource for anyone working with audio... If you only buy one book on audio, this has to be it - it should be required reading for anyone involved with recording, producing or mastering music."
Sound on Sound magazine

"Bob is a master of the technology changeover from analog to digital. His book covers areas that none other have touched." --George Massenburg,
producer/engineer, Nashville, TN

"Mastering Audio is one of those rare books where everything comes together perfectly: great information, beautifully presented, easy to understand, and satisfying to read." --Greg Simmons
Editorial Director, AudioTechnology magazine

"The first piece of equipment [you] should buy is Bob Katz's Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science." --Roger Nichols

"This book is sure to become the 'Industry Bible' on mastering audio. Highly recommended."
Christopher Hambly, www.audiocourses.com

"A terrific book... Bob Katz clearly knows his subject inside out and is a patient, enthusiastic teacher... The things I have learned in this book will immediately affect the way I work with audio right from recording, to editing, mixing and, of course, mastering."
Amazon.co.uk customer review

"...all you wanted to know about mastering in a well-written volume."
Lighting and Sound Magazine

"...what sets this book apart is the liberal inclusion of practical tips, real-world experiences, and knowledge gained from others during the course of a career dedicated pretty much to mastering. It is one of those rare books that manages to be authoritative without being didactic, and clearly indentifies opinions as opposed to verifiable facts...Even if you already do mastering, this book will help you do it better. And if you anticipate getting into mastering - start here."
EQ magazine

"...essential reading for anyone hoping to produce commercial music."
Music Tech magazine

"If you want to know what goes on behind the scenes in creating the music you enjoy, and learn more about digital audio, this comprehensive, insightful, and accessible book is without peer."
Absolute Sound Magazine, Oct. 2006

Book Description

Finalist in the 2003 Benjamin Franklin Awards competition!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (December 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240805453
• ISBN-13: 978-0240805450
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This has it all, June 28, 2003

By 

"measuringman" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science (Paperback)

Finally a book that answers all those weird little technical questions about digital audio that you've always wondered about. Obstensibly it is a book about the art of mastering audio. Bob shows you what tools the pros use and how they use them. It also doubles as a guide to mix enginners on how to prepare a mix for mastering. It does a superb job in that regard as well. What I find most impressive is his knowledge of the technical aspects of digital audio and his ability to explain them, and debunk any myths, in plain english. The only fault I can find in it is that the second half looses focus and is more a collection of articles, previously available on the web, than any coherent instruction. Otherwise this book has valuable information for anyone working with digital audio. I highly recommend it.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterful Book on Mastering from The Master, July 25, 2003

By 

Den Hollinden (Rosslyn, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science (Paperback)

Up until now, I've read books by authors who fall into one of the following categories: 1) musicians 2) traditional, primarily analog audio engineers 3) acoustic scientists or 4) audio computer applications specialists. Getting meaningful information from one of these authors requires my own extrapolation into the remaining areas--or at least taking the authors comments in those areas with a grain of salt. FINALLY I have in my hands a book written by someone who can put it all together into a meaningful whole. The book is a wonderful blend of descriptions of how things work that will take you to the next level along with some very valuable common sense advice-like how to effectively sequence songs into an album. I'll keep this book in my studio and refer back to it again and again. Probably the best (but also the most honest) thing I can say about the book is that I know I will sound better because of having read it.

53 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stay away from it if you are looking for hard-and-fast rules, July 1, 2004

By 

Nicolas Raddatz "Media Artist" (Montevideo, Uruguay) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science (Paperback)

I bought this book after reading many good reviews. After reading it, I would say that it is indeed a very interesting book, there are a lot of "obscure areas" that the author dares to tackle, with a remarkable "scientific" approach.

BUT, before you buy this book...It's not a "funny" reading, you should get this book if you are already familiar with all the technical subjects covered, the author seems to assume a certain previous knowledge, otherwise you won't go past chapter 1. AND, for all of you cookbook lovers, forget it, you are not bound to find those here.

That being said, I have it, and I like it. I'll probably re read it sometime in the future.