Sound and Recording, Fifth Edition: An Introduction (Music Technology) [Paperback]

Francis Rumsey (Author), TIM MCCORMICK (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240519965 | ISBN-13: 978-0240519968 | Publication Date: January 11, 2006 | Edition: 5

This best-selling book introduces you to the principles of sound, perception, audio technology and systems. Whilst offering vital reading for audio students and trainee engineers, this guide is ideal for anyone concerned with audio, sound and recording, beginners and professionals alike.

Comprehensive and easy to understand, this fifth edition is bang up to date, with expanded information on digital audio principles, systems and applications, as well as an extensively updated chapter on MIDI and synthetic audio control.

* Provides a thorough introduction to the subject in an easy to read, clearly illustrated form
* 'Fact Files' give succinct information on the areas covered, address key points and aid learning process
* Covers the latest digital audio technology, including MP3, networking and file formats

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the previous editions:

From Book News, Inc.
Rumsey (sound recording, Univ. of Surrey, England) and McCormick (a professional in audio electronics and theater sound) provide a textbook for audio engineering students, and a review for working engineers that is broad in theory and coverage but focused on the principles of audio recording and reproduction. In addition to conventional topics such as MIDI, digital audio and time code, comprehensive coverage of commonly misunderstood subjects such as the decibel, balanced lines, reference levels and metering systems is included. The fourth edition offers updated chapters on surround sound, spatial perception, DVD-A, SACD, Direct Stream Digital, MiniDisc, assignable digital mixing consoles and distributed-mode loudspeakers.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

'I rate the book very highly and use it regularly when teaching. It excels in explaining the technical side of sound recording and is a must-read for beginners and professionals alike.'
Ian Hu, Principal, School of Sound Recording, Manchester (UK)

'Not one day has passed when I haven't turned to this book. It should be renamed "Sound Recording Bible".'
A reader, Amazon.co.uk

'As a self-taught sound engineer and technician, I found the book extremely well written, easy to understand, and not biased towards a single application (such as PA or music). It has certainly helped to fill some gaps in my knowledge, particularly of why things are done in a certain way, rather than just how to do them.'
A reader, Amazon.co.uk

'Definitely the best book on recording matters I have ever read... Something more than simply an introduction, it may be of great interest to everyone concerned with audio, sound and recording.'
A reader, Amazon.co.uk

'A comprehensive and contemporary work that is eminently readable but never lightweight.'
Pro Sound News

'I can recommend that students should stay up past bedtime reading it.'
Ken Pohlmann, AES Journal

'This book will provide a vital source of information for those students or trainee engineers entering music recording.'
Studio Systems

'It provides clear and simple explanations for the basic concepts needed to understand the processes involved in recording. It also addresses most of the recent developments in surround sound and digital audio.' Jay Kadis, lecturer, Stanford University, USA

Book Description

A clear and accessible introduction to recording, now in its fifth edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 570 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 5 edition (January 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240519965
• ISBN-13: 978-0240519968
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Francis Rumsey was Professor at the Institute of Sound Recording, University of Surrey (UniS) until July 2009 and was a Visiting Professor at the School of Music in Piteå, Sweden from 1998-2004. He was appointed as a research advisor in psychoacoustics to NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories, Tokyo, in 2006. Professor Rumsey was the winner of the 1985 BKSTS Dennis Wratten Journal Award, the 1986 Royal Television Society Lecture Award, and the 1993 University Teaching and Learning Prize. He is the author of over 100 books, book chapters, papers and articles on audio, and in 1995 he was made a Fellow of the AES for his significant contributions to audio education.

Francis is actively involved with the Audio Engineering Society, as chair of the Regions and Sections Committee, and as Staff Technical Writer for the AES Journal. He is also an organist, accompanist and choral singer in the Surrey area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a beginner's text at all!!!, February 27, 2007

By 

J. Douglas Benson (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sound and Recording, Fifth Edition: An Introduction (Music Technology) (Paperback)

I teach a recording technology class at a community college, and we selected this book as a text based on the claims that it was a good beginner's manual. It is quite the opposite-- by the second page, the authors are already throwing in equations to represent the relationship between the frequency and wavelength of a sound-- crazy! The book is written by engineers, for engineers, and assumes that the reader is already well-read in electronics, physics, and advanced math! Also know that the work is British, so much of the terminology is different than what we use in the States. For example, proximity effect is "bass tip-up". Shotgun mics are "rifle mics". TRS plugs are "GPO" plugs, etc. The discussion of mixing boards zooms in immediately on features found only on very high-end studio boards, rather than the equipment to which a beginner might have access. The discussion of impedance focuses on how to represent values mathematically, rather than clearly explaining what is meant by "impedance" and why it is important. This book has ended up being absolutely useless as a beginner's text, and the publisher should not be representing it as such. We are abandoning it for something more beneficial to beginning students.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheaper newer, March 9, 2007

By 

Alvaro Bofarull "Alvaro" (Barcelona, Spain, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sound and Recording, Fifth Edition: An Introduction (Music Technology) (Paperback)

When most of the class was buying spain's IORTV translated fourth edition at retailed price 32 euros I recieve it from New Zeland just beneath my feet a few thosand miles away and upside down, the 38 euros fifth edition. Simply outstanding, these days the latest edition matters, specially on Sound and Recording.