Sound Studio, Seventh Edition: Audio techniques for Radio, Television, Film and Recording [Paperback]

Alec Nisbett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240519116 | ISBN-13: 978-0240519111 | Publication Date: September 12, 2003 | Edition: 7

This classic work has inspired and informed a whole generation of artists and technicians working in all branches of the audio industry. Now in its seventh edition, The Sound Studio has been thoroughly revised to encompass the rapidly expanding range of possibilities offered by today's digital equipment. It now covers: the virtual studio; 5.1 surround sound; hard drive mixers and multichannel recorders; DVD and CD-RW.

Alec Nisbett provides encyclopaedic coverage of everything from acoustics, microphones and loudspeakers, to editing, mixing and sound effects, as well as a comprehensive glossary.

Through its six previous editions, The Sound Studio has been used for over 40 years as a standard work of reference on audio techniques. For a new generation, it links all the best techniques back to their roots: the unchanging guiding principles that have long been observed over a wide range of related media and crafts.

The Sound Studio is intended for anyone with a creative or technical interest in sound - for radio, television, film and music recording - but has particularly strong coverage of audio in broadcasting, reflecting the author's prolific career.

* Provides encyclopaedic information on audio techniques - essential for both the audio practitioner and student
* Covers the philosophy behind the techniques - answering the question 'why' as well as 'how'
* Includes details on the latest digital audio computer-editing systems

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The standard work on the subject since Abbey Road was a two-track operation and mixing desks looked like recycled military equipment... its coverage remains unsurpassed.'
Music Tech Magazine

"Overall, The Sound Studio is a useful book for both the seasoned and novice audio technician...Mr Nisbett does manage to present practical and useful information with clarity, a rarity in most technical books on sound recording." - Computer Music Journal

Book Description

A much-anticipated revision of a classic text.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 7 edition (September 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240519116
• ISBN-13: 978-0240519111
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,475,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent new edition, March 22, 2004

By 

"mr_ian_from_hertford" (Hertford, Herts United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sound Studio, Seventh Edition: Audio techniques for Radio, Television, Film and Recording (Paperback)

As the satisfied user of an earlier edition, for me the big question was how much new stuff would there be in this update, given that at first glance the layout of the chapters is almost the same and subjects (such as microphones types and their uses, or studio acoustics) don't change very rapidly. But, dipping a bit deeper, that turned out to be deceptive. There really is a lot of new stuff in this one; it's also (even) more clearly written, and to get the extra material into the same space it is sharper, more concise. The content remains as authoritative as ever - the book really does deliver what it says on the cover - and without the irritating mateyness that so many books of this kind now impose on the reader.

Obviously the biggest changes are in chapters which cover processing, mixing and editing, where digital techniques have advanced most rapidly, but these are still made understandable by relating them to the analogue techniques they emulate (some of which are in any case still in use). A new reader is told not only what to do, but also why it's a good way to do it, and how to listen to and think about the result.

`The Sound Studio' has always been particularly strong on microphones and their placement. This incidentally was the subject of Nisbett's `Use of Microphones', which is now out of print but is, I think, better covered in the present work. The Seventh Edition includes much new equipment and lots of new wrinkles even in places where I didn't expect it. Clearly, it's the perfect choice for the newcomer - but is also a really good work of reference for the rest of us. I particularly like the comprehensive glossary, as well as having an index that really works.

So - whether you have and old edition or not - I second the verdict of Music Tech Magazine and really do recommend this new version of `Sound Studio'. Ian Middleton.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 3, 2008

By 

Marcis Berzins (Latvia, Europe) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sound Studio, Seventh Edition: Audio techniques for Radio, Television, Film and Recording (Paperback)

Grand personal experience, expressed carefully -- on full range of topics a studio operator, recording engineer could face. Not covered in very depth, but captured the essence. If one is interested in MUSIC production, there is more dedicated books than this.