Customer Reviews

TechTV's Secrets of the Digital Studio: Insider's Guide to Desktop Recording

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm the author of this book, so I know it's unusual to write a review, but I have to respond to a review that someone posted. Someone wrote that the book uses "smary hip lingo". What? Like "plug-in" or "data compression" or "omnidirectional"? The terminology I used is the terminology I learned in 15 years as a professional audio engineer.

The person also says "about a third of the space is devoted to product placements...there must have been a pay-off". That's totally wrong. I received no payments for the gear I recommended. I put a lot of photos in so people could see the gear while I talked about it, for educational purposes. I also called a lot of audio pros to get their reccomendations, so I included them too. It helps the text quite a bit I think.

The book is NOT just for beginners, although I wrote it to be clear and easily understood by everyone. For example, I included two long and very detailed chapters about mixing that goes through the whole subject in the way that enables you to give your music a professional sound. I really poured my years of experience into this book, and I think it's a good purchase for anyone considering a home-based audio studio.

Thanks!

James Maguire

This book is the first of it's kind in the sense that it's printed in the human language. I'm 22 and relatively smart, but so many books are filled with jargon. Having been involved with music for most of my life and computers for a while, I still find myself lost in many magazines and books. I compliment the authors and editors of this book for going far into detail without going far into the dictionary. The book is filled with references, websites, hints, and humor that keeps you into the subject and not wandering off in thought. It begins with basic explanations and examples that lay a foundation for anyone who might not be already invoved. It leads into a little more complicated issues in production, but it superbly explains these issues in normal words. It covers all aspects, from home to professional recording, of production. No matter what type of work in music you may be interested in, this book covers it. The book remains non-biased to companies and methods, while adequately explaining and suggesting what may be best for your needs as a producer, songwriter, or interested PC/Mac user. I definitley urge you to purchase this book above all others, because no matter what you are looking to do with music and a computer, it will help you immensely. Not to mention that it is very up-to-date with all of todays programs, hardware, etc. and comes with a cd that gives anyone with a computer the ability to experiment with some of what you're learning. No matter whether you're an aspiring producer/ songwriter, a pro studio musician, or a guy with a PC and a curiosity, "TechTV's Secrets of the Digital Studio" is an essential tool of learning and computer production. Thanx to the guys behind all of this.

I have some experience with digital recording but still consider myself a novice. I own and highly recommend the classic 1990 text on recording studios: Sound Advice, the Musician's Guide to the Recording Studio by Wayne Wadhams and have found it incredibly useful (you may have to buy it used). As for Secrets of the Digital Studio: James Maguire has a fun, hip writing style that motivates you to learn more. I have had it checked out from my public library (KCLS) and have found myself totally drawn into it. It is a good compliment to the Wadhams book and moves us toward the latest in digital technology. Maguire is very in-depth at the right times and helps to sort out priorities among the vast options available. I use a Yamaha digital workstation (AW16G) instead of a desktop computer setup. Yet I find that even though this book is geared more toward the desktop computer, there is a still a tremendous amount of info that easily translates to any type of digital recording setup. Plus, the sheer number of useful web resources sprinkled throughout the book is astounding. He is very wise to insist that an internet connection is vital to anyone involved in digital recording. Many of the resources mentioned in the book are free to use. So I am now compelled to actually buy Secrets of the Digital Studio to keep as a reference that I will undoubtedly turn back to many times while recording and mixing, as I do with the Wadhams book. After all, it is due back at the library soon...

I've bought a bunch of these book because I make music at home, and this one makes the technical stuff the most clear. The chapter on mixing was really complete, and the stuff about tweaking your sounds was much deeper and heavier than some of the books I've seen. I also like the sound library that comes with it.

This book contains an enormous amount of material, clearly explained and well organized. It was published a few years ago, but it's as helpful to me now as it was when I bought it. I'd guess that an advanced desktop-audio engineer already knows most of what's in it. To a novice or intermediate user, though -- I'm somewhere between -- it's an excellent resource.

I've been very happy with this book. I've wanted to start doing audio recording, editing and publishing on computer and had been disappointed by other books I'd browsed that were out of date or left out big areas.

This book covers a broad landscape (from acoustic fundamentals to surround technology) in enough detail and with enough references to other material to get a good foundation for digital audio work. With it (and other research) I'm confident that when I get my hands on the hardware and software I've been researching I'll be successful and I won't have to flounder too much.

This is not a step-by-step tutorial for how you go from opening a package to listening a polished CD.

The cutesiness in some parts can be a little annoying. There is lots of white space and browser screen shots that make the book thicker than it needs to be. Those are minor issues that detract little from this very useful book.

Maguire's book scans over the entire field of desktop recording. Where the desktop is some machine affordable to the average audiophile. He talks about the assembling of hardware and software, to make a system you'll be proud of. There is an emphasis on getting the most for your money. Cheaper and better, as one chapter's title succinctly puts it.

Throughout the book, he puts links to recommended companies. And advice about common parts, like microphones. Ideally, there is enough advice in the book for you to construct an entire recording studio in your home. And to be able to record and make a CD of your local bands.

The book concludes with a good summary of p2p issues in the music world. Something that you should be acutely aware of, if you intend to build not just a recording studio, but also to put out your own label. After all, if you're doing the former, isn't the latter always implied, at least as a possibility?

Maguire's book is well written, informative, and packed with real world information that would be of great help to anyone considering entering into the world of digital studio work. I sure wish a book like this was available when I was coming up through the ranks - it would have saved me a lot of time by placing all the information in one place rather than having to learn a whole lot of stuff piecemeal.

I recommend this book highly to anyone with interest in this subject.

I am just getting into the home recording game and was looking for some texts to get started. This book fell woefully short of my expectations. It reads like a report written by a student the night before the report is due. There are literally hundreds of "Hot Links" with half page screen shots of the associated site scattered throughout-every other page at least. I would say that easily a third of the material in this book is these links and screen shots, and they are injected between the sections of text in such a way that it seriously impairs the flow of the material. There are some great tidbits of information and insights, but the mass of "Hot Link" filler makes it hard to recommend buying this. Just do a web search for "home recording" to get the links for free and spend your money on a better text.

Music is really undergoing some changes, with the PC as a great tool to make music. I'm amazed at what I can record and mix at home. And this book helps out. It lists the gear, explains the gear, talks about ways of doing things, goes into a lot of areas, the software, MIDI, the beats, putting your music on the Web, editing. I am major into the music/PC/sound thing, and I especially liked the digital samples that came with the book's CD-ROM disc. Animal noises and everything.