Customer Reviews

Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Very rarely do I find a book which stimulates my interest throughout its every page, and even more to the point, very rarely do I find a "technical" book which yields the same result. Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science, delivers.

Bob Katz has come to be known as "The Guru" regarding mastering audio. Bob has steadily carved a niche for himself in both his dual profession of mastering and writing. This book was inevitable in many ways as "keeping a lid" on one's knowledge of this calibre is almost impossible. Bob Katz comes across as a genuinely "open" guy, and naturally his generosity and openness is evident in his writing style.

So often technical writers simply miss half their audience, or rather leave them cold and baffle them with unnecessary technicalities or bore them with verbose banalities. Even worse, writers in the audio industry can often leave little room for the reader to reflect and establish their own opinions on the text. Bob Katz is one of the few writers who are able to take a complex subject, riddled with difficult concepts and present those concepts for the layman to absorb, in a non-arrogant and cheerful manner.

Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science is a paperback book of 319 pages that teaches the reader all there is to know and explore regarding mastering audio.

Mastering audio is often considered a "black-art", and a visit to any number of online audio forums will indicate that it can also be considered a highly subjective Science/Art. Bob Katz reinforces that in his text and assumes the reader has a genuine interest in the subject and will therefore experiment and train herself to hear the ideas Bob has spent a lifetime nurturing. Bob has composed catch phrases that should become mantras for "newbies" such as: "Make passive ear training a lifelong activity" and "A monitor which makes everything sound beautiful must not be accurate". Phrases such as these are "gems" for any newcomer and can open a whole new approach to the subject.

The text is presented in a friendly and playful manner with two columns per page interlaced with a fair amount of diagrams that really do paint a thousand words. Never will the reader find the book hard going or too tough, providing they are reading to learn. The book is not written to be a "10 quick tips for mastering your audio"; Bob Katz is way beyond that. What you will find is a textbook that will teach you and guide you through a complex area. This book is sure to become the "Industry Bible" on mastering audio. Highly recommended.

Bob Katz knows his stuff. I thought I was an experienced engineer and knew quite a bit already, but Bob goes into details here that I have hitherto not explored. However, Bob is a little on the snobby side when it comes to his opinions (which are never stated as such) on certain technologies. So take what he says with a grain of salt. Also, be advised that Bob is well-known in the industry for mastering audiophile recordings - a very small segment of the market that doesn't quite represent the typical approach to mastering that others use. Having said that, Bob can teach any mastering engineer a thing or two when it comes to cleaning up either analog or digital signal paths.

I think this book is meant for advanced engineers, and will likely confuse those who are amateurs or just getting started in the audio engineering field. It's chapter order is somewhat random, and he doesn't quite seem to know just who his audience is. He assumes different levels of prerequisite knowledge on different subjects... The man is obviously more an engineer and less an educator and writer.

It contains very valuable knowledge - just be prepared to tread water occasionally. :-) For those looking for a more entry level treatment of mastering, check out Bobby Owinski's "The Mastering Engineer's Handbook." While the title is a bit ostentatious, it gives a much broader and well-written overview of the Mastering profession than Mr. Katz does. Then, you'll probably be better able to glean useful information from "Mastering Audio."

I've acquired many books about audio over the years, but this book is definitely in my top five list. I would recommend this book to any hobbyist or professional, without hesitation.

The author addresses his subject with enthusiasm, clarity, and balance. What strikes me the most about this book is its emphasis on quality. Everything, from the book's design, to the writing itself, to the principles engendered, is high quality.

Too many books are thrown together (it seems to me) using a combination of notes, spec sheets, opinions, and other miscellany, without proper regard for overall cohesiveness, comprehensiveness, and quality. The results are far too often mediocre.

This book, "Mastering Audio" by Bob Katz is an example of a high quality effort, attention to detail, and a passion for the subject matter. This author did not settle for writing a mediocre book. After I bought it and read, I felt I got more than my money's worth!

The book achieves a nice balance between theory and practice, though it is mostly about practice. The color plates, diagrams, pictures, etc, are very enjoyable and instructive. Again, quality seems to be at the heart of this work.

(I can't see this guy doing anything in a mediocre way, whether it is recording, mastering, or writing. I'd love to tour his recording studio and watch him at work work).

The other thing I like is the writing style, the sense of humor, and the straightforward manner the author has. He cuts through a lot of cruft and says things lucidly without pretention.

The book is peppered with interesting tidbits, facts, observations, and principles, called out in side-boxes, etc.

The author stresses the need for education (in this area and related areas). This is a welcome message, and something I agree with strongly, whether you're mainly a listener, a performer, or an engineer.

I have many books on my shelf, but there are a few that I consider "a cut above". This book is one of those books.

Highly recommended.

I relied upon the several positive reviews on this book but I was a bit disappointed. Yes, the book does have an incredible amount of information. It does explain very thoroughly all the concepts, acronyms and just about everything else. The only problem here is it's almost too much.

I purchased this book with the intention of learning how to master properly by using a compressor effectively, making my mix punchier, etc. This book talks about all of those things but in such a round-about way that it's far from a step-by-step guide to mastering. This is more of the history of mastering, how it has changed in the studio, and how you need to be extremely technically proficient to really even follow what he's saying half the time. For example, he breaks out into a long discussion comparing mastering on 24-bit versus 16-bit and how you need to account for differences mathematically, how changing the sampling rate from 48khz to 44.1Khz needs to be corrected,e tc. These are all very valid and useful things to know but I was not able to find any step-by-step tutorials. The reason why they don't exist here is because the author does not believe there is any one approach to mastering, and that there is no magical formula. I can understand that too, but I need something to point me in the right direction. For example, if he told me that cutting ##Hz frequencies and boosting ##Khz frequencies typically provide a "punchy" mix, at least I would have a reference point for what he's talking about. There is simply no such thing here. Maybe I'm asking too much but I really would have liked to have a CD-ROM with examples and explanations of the various tweaks he talks about.

Overall, this is a good book, but far from a "Mastering For Dummies" type of book.

Thank God - At least one book with a title that suggests the reader can 'master' something actually delivers the goods! As the title suggests "Mastering Audio" isn't something that you can check off the to-do list after a quick weekend read. Nor should it be. If it were that easy, everybody would be mastering engineers, and there wouldn't be a single square wave being passed off as high fidelity audio on today's digital audio products. But as many reviewers have already mentioned, for those with basic audio skills, this book is very likely to be overkill. And while there are already plenty of books in print that satisfy a basic audio learning curriculum, this book's title is dead-on accurate. Maybe it's the time we live in, where it seems more often than not the consumer is underwhelmed by boasts of expertise that ultimately doesn't satisfy, that when a book comes along with a title as explicit as this one, we're shocked when it doesn't talk down to us. Coming from someone who already owns dozens of audio engineering books and has dabbled with pro audio for 40+ years, I find it very refreshing to pick up a book without having to skip past the first few chapters of remedial topics.

If you have a sincere interest or desire (amateur, professional, it doesn't matter) in learning how to make your audio sound the best it possibly can, then this book is unique and well worth the money. If you are just starting out or want to learn what audio is, how it is recorded, etc., then you should probably keep looking. This is an advanced text and targeted towards an analytical approach to the science of audio engineering.

WARNING: This book is not for beginners or for anyone who wants a "how to" on mastering. This is a book for those already initiated to the art of recording who have at minimum a general understanding of digital and analog recording and processing.

That said, this book is AMAZING. When I opened it I just couldn't put it down until I read through it all. Mastering books usually suck because they try and tell you HOW to master and there's really no tried and true method to it. But there is a certain amount of science that most people gloss over (or provide inaccurate information!). This book deals with the science as well as debunks a lot of misconceptions and offers ways of defeating common technical problems. And it does so in incredible detail and accuracy that makes other audio books little more than coffee table entertainment. Anyone who cuts records for a living should buy this book and worship it. It's not just for mastering engineers, but is incredibly valuable for engineers, producer, and mixers. Most of the information is presented at the theoretical level, making it readily applicable to virtually all aspects of record making. The chapter on jitter (of which 95% of people, and books for that matter, get wrong) alone is worth the price. However, if you are a hobbyist or someone who ISN'T interested in eeking out that final 1.032% of quality in their recordings, this book is extreme overkill that will leave you mostly confused.

This is the Holy Grail of audio books. There, I said it.

This is one of the most comprehensive book on Audio Mastering ever. If you want to learn the skills of the mastering engineer, then read this book.

Personally, it's a book that has been a revelation to me. And, mind you, I don't have the $$$ equipment Bob has, but in my lowly home studio, I can experiment with the techniques I've learnt from the book and my songs really sound better now.