The Mastering Engineer's Handbook (Mix Pro Audio Series) [Paperback]

Bobby Owsinski (Author), Sally Englefried (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872887413 | ISBN-13: 978-0872887411 | Publication Date: November 1, 2000 | Edition: 1

This perfect follow-up to "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" features detailed information on the critical areas of expertise for mastering engineers. Learn the professional secrets of mastering in stereo and mastering in surround. The book features in-depth interviews with hit-making, world class mastering engineers, a description of the various mastering tools currently available in the marketplace as well as their proper uses, and the techniques and methods of the major mastering engineers. Includes a detailed discussion of the newly emerging field of surround-sound mastering. Well-known mastering engineers discuss their methods and working environments making this book valuable to everyone from the novice to professional mastering engineers!

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Artistpro; 1 edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872887413
• ISBN-13: 978-0872887411
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,413,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A long-time veteran of the music industry, Bobby Owsinski has produced, engineered and composed for records, motion pictures and television shows along the way. Currently a principle in the content creator 2B Media, Bobby has also penned hundreds of articles for many popular industry trade publications and has authored several books that are now staples in recording programs in colleges around the world. A frequent moderator, panelist and program producer of a variety of industry conferences, Bobby has served as the longtime producer of the annual Surround Music Awards, and is one of the executive producers for the "Guitar Universe" and "Desert Island Music" television programs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read, but out of date and not very helpful, January 17, 2003

By 

Steven Bell (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mastering Engineer's Handbook (Mix Pro Audio Series) (Paperback)

This book does not outline the steps involved in the mastering process. It is just some interviews with different mastering engineers. Instead of talking about how they go about mastering a project or what they listen for, they brag about their cool customized gear and how little signal processing goes between the source and the final output. Yet at the same time saying how much they are improving the sound.

You get the history of mastering.
You get how they schedule their day.

I was hoping for more of a real "handbook".

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but not great, February 3, 2002

By 

Steve Keller "Steve Keller" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mastering Engineer's Handbook (Mix Pro Audio Series) (Paperback)

This is the companion volume to "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" by the same author. The format is the same, solid help for common problems and tasks, with interviews of many of mastering's top guns. However, compared to the mixing book, the advice here is a little less specific, a little more vague. It's helpful, to be sure, but there's more philosophy and less applied science.

Also, I was disappointed that a significant amount of material in this book was literally cut and pasted from the mixing book. I felt like I had bought only half a book, or that I had bought some of the same book twice, or something.

Despite these minor flaws, this IS a good book, and I'm not disappointed at all. And the interviews are wonderful.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth, August 17, 2005

By 

Jason L. Gordon "Axis audio" (Sanford, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mastering Engineer's Handbook (Mix Pro Audio Series) (Paperback)

The honest truth is that if you want a book telling you how to master and how to apply mastering to your work...THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU. YOU'RE BETTER OFF GETTING THE BOOK BY KATZ!!! For beginners that don't have a clue where to start this book is for you. Throughout the book Bobby O explains the entire mastering from how it's done to the equipment used, how the equipment works and precautionary measures to take before mastering your work. I see why people got pissed off with this book because they wanted to know how to master their project...but instead bobby o. tells you the theory behind mastering for example, how various equipment work, mastering for different media as well as what to buy what the equipment does and the effects they have on the mix. I would recommend this book to anyone that is hesitant about mastering or doesn't have a clue about it. This book will inform you of the process from how it's done to the equipment used and so on...so that in the end you can make your decision on whether or not you want to master your own projects. Awesome book.