Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X [Paperback]

Cliff Truesdell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470102594 | ISBN-13: 978-0470102596 | Publication Date: April 2, 2007 | Edition: 1

This comprehensive guide shows you how to integrate a variety of production tools for the Mac OS X platform into all stages of audio production so that you can create and produce music. From single applications to complete suites, you’ll discover the software toolsets that are best for you and then discover how to incorporate them into a coherent workflow. Featuring best practices, real-world examples, and interviews with audio professionals, this book pulls together all the programs and tasks you need.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Create and Produce Music with Mac OS X

In today's digital studio, audio engineers blend loops, effects, and many other tools from multiple programs. This comprehensive guide shows you how to integrate a variety of production tools for the Mac OS X platform into all stages of audio production. From single applications to complete suites, you'll discover the software toolsets that are best for you based on your skills, budget, studio resources, and music genre and how to incorporate them into a coherent workflow.

Including best practices, real-world examples, and interviews with audio professionals, this book pulls together all the programs and tasks you need, whether you already have a complete studio or are just setting one up.

Coverage includes:

• Optimizing Mac OS X for music production

• Composing a new song with Propellerhead Reason

• Getting the most out of Ableton® Live, Pro Tools®, and GarageBand

• Mastering AU, VST, and RTAS plug-ins

• Choosing the right MIDI keyboard for your needs

• Exploring virtual amplifiers, drums, and other virtual instruments

• Using Apple Loops and creating your own

• Exporting finished sessions and mastering file formats

Valuable Companion DVD with Extras

The DVD is packed with more than 50 products for the Mac digital studio, including trial versions, freeware, virtual instruments, loop libraries, and plug-ins. You'll find popular applications, demos, samples, and loops, including:

• SONiVOX multisamples, loops, and plug-ins

• FXpansion BFD and Guru

• Zoyd

• Bias Peak Pro and Peak LE

• iDrum virtual drum machine

• Audacity

• SoundToys TDM Effect Bundle

• Native Instruments Reaktor, Absynth, and Battery

• Destroy FX

• Camel Audio CamelPhat, Cameleon 5000, and more

Master the Tools and Tasks of an Integrated Studio Workflow, Start to Finish

Discover Best Audio Practices and Key Techniques on Mac OS X

Gain Insight and Inspiration from Real-world Examples and Interviews with Studio Pros

Unleash Your Creativity and Explore Your Own Musical Stylings

Create Professional Quality Audio — at Any Level, on Any Budget

About the Author

Cliff Truesdell is a recording engineer, producer, and musician at Take Root Recording Studio in San Francisco. He also has recording credits as an arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. Cliff cofounded the punk rock band Black Furies, which has released three CDs to date and continues to record and tour extensively. Cliff's original music has appeared in a variety of media, including video games and professional skateboard videos. Among his recent credits is a contribution to the soundtrack for Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 591 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (April 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470102594
• ISBN-13: 978-0470102596
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cliff Truesdell is a musician, songwriter and recording engineer. He is the author of "Mastering Digital Audio Production" and "Introducing Reason 4." Cliff's credits as a musician, composer and producer include multiple CDs with the band Black Furies, as well as original music for television, movies and video games.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a good friend sitting next to you explaining it all., April 27, 2007

By 

Master of Cats "book. lover." (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X (Paperback)

This is a very smart, yet very un-nerdy treatment of otherwise very technical subjects...The author has a wonderful, down-to-earth writing style. And he's funny, too. It's like having a cool friend sitting next to you explaining it all.

It's an exceptional book, I'm learning a lot from it, and I'm not even a Mac guy. And the book is a lot of bang for the buck....it's almost 600 pages, and the text is smallish (but still readable), so it's as much info as most 800 page books, and all golden.

The author does a podcast too, which is weekly (or so) companion the book. [...]

MWD

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers a lot of stuff, April 16, 2007

By 

B. Hillebrandt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X (Paperback)

I've been using this book for a couple of weeks now and it's totally got me excited about doing music on my computer again. I know a bit about some of the programs covered in the book (Logic, Reason, Garageband) already, but it gave me more of an idea of how to use those programs more effectively. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about other programs I have been wanting to use. Plus there's just a ton of information about the different software and plugins that are available, some really cool stuff (especially the free stuff). There's also sections that provide "real world scenarios" that I found immensely helpful. These sections gave me ideas of how to use the tools in new ways. The DVD that comes with the book has some great stuff too, freeware, loops, plugins, etc. Super cool.

Overall it has a wealth of information that is relevant to beginners as well as people like me who already have some knowledge of Mac music production. The book is laid out really well and the writing is engaging and well thought out. I can't say enough good stuff about it. I'm sure I will go back to it frequently. Good stuff!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed!, December 28, 2007

By 

A.C.E. (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X (Paperback)

This is just an amazing book. I'm still kind of in shock that it even exists. I've been a life long musician, but have never taken the plunge into digital audio. It just seemed like such a big, scary world. Well, it was until I found this book. I don't know how much it would benefit others, but to me, it was a total godsend. I now feel really familiar and comfortable with the entire WORLD of digital audio, not just one program. I now understand plugin formats, virtual instruments, and I also know all sorts of great secrets on where to get them for free, and which freebies are especially awesome. I would have paid triple the price for the knowledge in this book. Thanks to the author for this awesome and needful book.
Speaking of the author, he does a really fine job here. Yes, there are some things I feel were left out, but there's bound to be some stuff missing in a book that undertakes such a massive task, as this one does. Even though I'm not an expert, I feel so much more educated as to why I would want to use Logic vs. Reason vs. Ableton Live vs. Garageband (I've never been interested in Pro Tools, although it's also covered in the book).
Also, to any potential Windows users, this book can also be really beneficial for you as well. You won't have Garageband or Logic, but other than those two chapters (and a little bit of info about customizing the Mac for digital audio production), all this stuff applies to you as well. I'm a recent convert to the Mac platform, and I can use this info on either platform. I also plan on purchasing this book as a gift for some friends of mine on Windows.
This review is just too long, and I apologize. But I'm just so happy with it. Remember that it doesn't get deep. At all. In any regards. But it's just what I needed: a huge, sweeping overview of the entire digital audio world. Thanks again to the author for such a gem!