Customer Reviews

Recording Tips for Engineers, For Cleaner, Brighter Tracks, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tim Crich does an amazing job of laying this book out intuitively. He touches on information overlooked in many of the books I've read in the past. As someone seeking information in audio recording mixing, you search for tips and "reliable" hints to utilize when recording and mixing. You end up reading a ton of opinionated garbage in the process. This is the book to go with.

There are tons of useful tips in this book. All bases are covered, from mic placement to mixing tracks, these are tips you will be using in practice.

I actually e-mailed Tim Crich with a question about recording and he responded within a few days' time, which both shocked and pleased me.

Great book with great writing and humor!

This book is excellent! I've been recording since 1998 and I have had to stumble my way through learning new techniques through trial and error. I wish I had read this book the first day I started; it would have saved me a lot of time and gained me a lot of understanding and know how. Although, in the author's intro, he says that the book is intended for the guy that knows a little more of what he's doing, and not the beginner, this book is great for both the beginner and the experienced engineer. He offers a lot of recipe's for getting great sounds but also reminds the reader (with "maybe's") that these are all just good starting points and you have to make adjustments as you go, according to the music and the situation. The book is packed with a lot of advice from beginning to end. It is a very fun read; he has a lot of humor in it along with superb advice so you'll be constantly intrigued to continue learning and reading more. A lot about compression, eq, mic placements, studio set up, respecting the instuments, studio courtesy and organization and on, and on, and on- from technical to personal to musical- it's fantastic! Whether you're new at recording, or a seasoned engineer, you'll benefit somehow from this book, and for under $20 don't even think about it, just buy it. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

This book is a very different one. It does not have the technical and geeky feel to it , yet delivers all the required tips and tricks for a better recording experience on apart of the recording engineer, well almost.
From the book I could definitely say that tim is involved mostly on acoustic bands of the rock genre. That is good but what about dance bands, electronic acts and the like...these genres ahave a very different approach to recording, production, arrangements and mastering. For example, he writes that a drum fill should be different in verses and choruses and that different elements of a drum kit should be utilised as much as possible to keep the sound varied. What about a two bar loop of a blistering hip hop track? That would be so minimalistic but still that contributes to the overall feel of the track and the repitition is required. What about an IDM track that has precision breakbeats that vary every bar? That would be an overkill wouldnt it?
The mixing techniques explained are avery basic but definitely eye opening. And he tries to summarize mastering in one page....

Overall a very informative and humourous writing that keeps the readers entertained.

This book is full of practical tips for Engineers... Just as one might suspect from the title. If your finding yourself wondering what settings to use for bass compresssion or how to get paid, get this book.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in gaining instant knowledge for high quality sound recordings. Tim's approach is stratight forward, easy to understand, practical set up's which deliver immediate results. A "must have" book for project studio recordings as well as professional engineers.

Tim Crich does an outstanding job at explaining the do's and don'ts of the recording world, as an engineer who makes the magic happen.

Tim explains that being an engineer is much more than just "setting up a mic and hitting that shiny red button". He makes it a point to explain that as the Engineer, YOU are responsible for the whole recording process, the final cut, and the final impression that you leave on the band as the head of their project.

Tim's sarcastic sense of humor keeps things interesting and keeps you on your toes. This book is not the typical paragraph after paragraph, line after line, yawn-inducing technicalities that most recording and engineering books carry. Bold headings for each tip make things stand out; and each tip does not go on endlessly into the next dimension. Tim keeps it short and sweet, yet bringing enough information to the reader for the facts to really hit home.

Comments like "In this book, you will find that the studio is just a tool. Often so is the studio manager, but that's another story" left me busting a gut and laughing a good one...because it can be so true!

Tim also encourages us to "Shut up already" (sarcastically) and to just do your work. He explains that you don't need to announce to your clients every twist of the knob that you're performing, like an airplane pilot on take off. Ranging from direct hardware and software tips, to things like staying healthy, having good hygeine, and knowing when to kick your feet up, and when to perk your ears up, this book is sure to please the fellow reader or serve as a quick reference guide to the engineer on duty.

May I also say that this book is packed with over 1,000 humerous, truthful, tactful tips; with no filler material. This book is an ideal guide for anyone who is planning on making audio engineering a destination in their career journey.

I must say, Tim, you did a great job on this one. I commend you, and RECOMMEND you!

Loved it...from cover to cover. I learned several tricks that I will be applying from now on. Plus....it's interesting and entertaining and humorous.

I just bought that book from a local bookstore and not from amazon.com,the price though in amazon is much cheaper(almost half price).
Im studying sound engineering,im working at a studio,and ive been playing for many years as a musician with many bands.
Tim Crich explains everything in depth in the most excellent and funny way...his experience with bands like KISS or BRYAN ADAMS mean a lot to fellow sound engineers and producers.
The book has cool tips not only for sound engineering but for maintaining instruments,tuning, many "patenets" to achieve better recordings and sound results!
I bought the book after searching a small "library" with sound books etc...i bought it 'cause its worth the money and everything!
Buy it in any case!Its great!

I am mystified by the 5-star ratings here. For me, this book was a disappointment.

If you've ever spent more than a day in a recording studio it's unlikely there is enough meat here to justify the cost of the book. Most of the tips are either dated or painfully obvious.

I kept waiting for the meat. But after I'd made it to the last page I realized that there wasn't any.

I give it 2 stars rather than 1 because of the writing quality. It's written in a lighthearted style that acknowledges the subject isn't rocket science. I'd love to hang out with the author and talk shop, but I can't recommend his book.

This book has some good tips but assumes you're working in a pro studio. Some of the material seems a bit dated. They should offer an alternative book for home studios.