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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, a book that ties all the loose ends, May 29, 2005
This review is from: The Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys and Techniques (Paperback)
I haven't been able to put this book down since receiving it from Amazon. Wow. I've bought quite a few books on music theory, production and mixing techniques, programming guides, etc, in addition to reading all the major electronic music mags out there (EQ, EM, Keyboard, Sound on Sound, Future Music, etc). Basically all that yielded was a lot of disparate information that seemed helpful but you have no idea how it all ties together. This book is the solution to that. I'm not sure I would recommend this book for an absolute beginner...it could be pretty heavy if you're unfamiliar with music (esp electronic music) terminolgy. However, if you have an interest in electronic music (not just dance music) and you're one of those people who has read music production books and routinely reads the music mags, this is the book for you. Trust me, you'll find yourself saying "Oh, *that's* how that works" and you'll start to see how everything fits together. I found this especially true in the "Basic Synthesis" and "Programming Theory" chapters. You can do a thousand tutorials in Computer Music Magazine to program a synth without ever understanding why or what you're doing. This book helps you understand the underlying concepts of waveforms, oscillators, envelopes, etc. There are fantastic tips on sound design and how to create your own unique "sound". Indeed, there is a great discussion on sound itself and the physics that are employed. There is also a chapter devoted to different genres of dance music, everything from trance to hip-hop to house. Perhaps one of the more useful tips is a typical "map" of a club-ready dance track. I could go on and on, just get the book if any of this sounds interesting to you. The price is very reasonable and there's a CD included with examples and software trials. In fact, my only complaint about the book is that I wish it indicated the exact file names on the CD when it references them. You can usually figure it out, but it would be quicker to have the actual file name listed. All in all, I don't think you'll find a more comprehensive book for modern electronic musicians. It'll make you a better informed, and perhaps even a better, musician. And that is the endgame, after all, isn't it?
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
true professional material for grownups, June 1, 2006
This review is from: The Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys and Techniques (Paperback)
I first saw this thing about a year ago, and held off because of negative reviews. ignore that noise. this guy has remixed Underworld. the book isn't perfect, no book is, but it's thorough, deep, and excellent. the publisher is Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann -- I have other books from them, top-notch professional materials on studio technique, and grad-school textbooks on artificial intelligence techniques. this is not some litany of obvious platitudes copped from an article some wannabe DJ wrote for "Remix" in between drug binges. this is the real thing. pretty much any relevant topic is covered. I have plenty of criticisms -- the section on web design seems totally superfluous, and there's a section on trip-hop but no section on drum and bass -- but overall, it's well worth the read.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive Guide to Electronic Music, May 4, 2006
This review is from: The Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys and Techniques (Paperback)
I can't believe some of the reviews on here. I purchased this book about a year ago, and ever since then I've been using it as one of my main references. There are many detailed guides that you can find on the internet, but none which are so comprehensive and easy to read as this. There is no Holy Grail to writing music, but this comes damn close to being one.
This book covers every subject regarding electronic music production. Forget the name "Dance Music Manual" -- it covers hip hop and ambient, and is an overall guide to making music via electronic equipment in general.
From the first chapter, on music theory, Snoman guides you through sound synthesis, sampling, sound routing, effects, software vs. hardware arguments, reviews and analysis of basic equipment (modern equipment (!) like the Access Virus, and many popular plugins), electronic music genres, promotion, copyright laws, and basically everything you would want or need to know, with audio samples and recommended listening (very fun!).
I made the mistake of first giving everything a brief read-through; this book is just soaked with information. Be sure to have instruments in front of you and a lot of time to experiment if you want to fully understand everything Snoman is talking about. Snoman always emphasizes what is commonly used versus what can be experimented with, so he leaves the reader with knowledge of not only where to experiment from, but what to experiment with, and always stresses deviation from his standards as the key to pushing the boundaries of music genres.
Want good tips on programming a techno bass? House bass? Trance bass? It's in here. Want to learn how to build a 909 snare from scratch? An easy paragraph covers it.
Even his short but comprehensive analysis of electronic musical styles and history is a very interesting and good read.
If you're an expert at producing music, then you should buy this book. If you aren't an expert, then you NEED to buy this book. Forget all the Google searches, forum queries, and Sound on Sound free articles, and embark on Dance Music Manual 101 =)
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