Handbook for Sound Engineers, Third Edition (Hardcover)

by Glen Ballou (Author) "Most people get involved in the audio trade prior to experiencing technical training..." (more)
Key Phrases: multicast bundles, unicast bundles, automatic microphone mixers, New York, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The audio industry has seen many changes since the previous edition, particularly in the digital area, all of which are included in this edition." - audioXpress

HOWARD W SAMS & CO
The most complete audio information available! Ideal for all audio professionals. "Includes the latest technological advancements. Explains MIDI, cinema sound, transformers, and compact discs. Condenses years of information and technology to one source. Details sound system design and proper installation techniques for many applicati". --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. (this review taken off of Amazon)

From Book News, Inc.
Comprehensive desk reference on all aspects of sound recording. Covers fundamentals of sound and acoustics, electronic components, electroacoustic devices, electronic audio circuits and equipment, recording and playback, design applications, and measurements. Incorporates technical innovations such as digital circuitry, integrated circuits, and computer technology, and discusses specific concerns such as voice coloration, sound room design and construction, and audio broadcasting. Book News (taken off Amazon)

"There's a book out there called Handbook for Sound Engineers, Third Edition, and it pretty much explains everything...It's like the Bible. I keep it right under my bed."
Thes One, from People Under The Stairs - quoted in Remix Magazine -- Review

Review
"The audio industry has seen many changes since the previous edition, particularly in the digital area, all of which are included in this edition." - audioXpress

HOWARD W SAMS & CO
The most complete audio information available! Ideal for all audio professionals. "Includes the latest technological advancements. Explains MIDI, cinema sound, transformers, and compact discs. Condenses years of information and technology to one source. Details sound system design and proper installation techniques for many applicati". --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. (this review taken off of Amazon)

From Book News, Inc.
Comprehensive desk reference on all aspects of sound recording. Covers fundamentals of sound and acoustics, electronic components, electroacoustic devices, electronic audio circuits and equipment, recording and playback, design applications, and measurements. Incorporates technical innovations such as digital circuitry, integrated circuits, and computer technology, and discusses specific concerns such as voice coloration, sound room design and construction, and audio broadcasting. Book News (taken off Amazon)

"There's a book out there called Handbook for Sound Engineers, Third Edition, and it pretty much explains everything...It's like the Bible. I keep it right under my bed."
Thes One, from People Under The Stairs - quoted in Remix Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1552 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 3 edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240804546
• ISBN-13: 978-0240804545
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.1 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,322,494 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handbook For Sound Engineers, February 23, 2002

By A Customer

You MUST buy this book! Pretend you did not see the price and order this book. It is the most comprehensive book on the subject that I have ever run across. It contains more than 1550 pages of information, diagrams, schematics, and just about anything else you could ever think to need. Covers everything from Accoustic Theory to Zener Diodes (I don't know what they are either...I haven't read that far yet!). I am planning to use this as a refresher for myself (that is what my schooling is in) and for training more sound techs at my church.

Note: This is a book for intermediate to advanced level sound engineers. It would be way over a beginners head. There are a number of excellent books for beginners available through Amazon, though.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best Book on Audio, September 20, 2003

By	Charles John Gervasi (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the best book on audio I have seen. It covers a broad range of topics in great depth.

The book goes into great detail about the following areas:
a) human hearing and calculating the acoustic properties of rooms
b) PCB-level electronic components
c) system level components
d) storage media
e) bringing all of the above together into applications

The book assumes the reader has a good foundation in electronics but explains concepts in a very unpretentious way. It's nothing like reading a scholarly journal where you constantly have to look at other articles and review textbooks to understand. If you understand the basics of electronic circuits you will understand this book without consulting other textbooks.

Every audio topic I can think of is explored in this book. If you work on anything related to audio you absolutely should not be without this reference.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most authorative work I have seen., April 6, 2003

By	Leendert Dekker (Menlo Park, Gauteng South Africa) - See all my reviews

I have been playing around with amplifiers and recording equipment for a while now - never had formal education in audio engineering, but I do have some electronic background. This book has helped me a lot in refining my recording techniques, my audio system itself and furthered my understanding of audio systems from microphone placement to cabling, speaker placement, phono cartridge alignment to name but a few. Whatever subject I sought advice on, this book has so far provided me with the answers. I would go as far as saying that whatever this book does not cover is not relevant to audio systems. One word of caution though, this book is not like a "cookbook". You have to have an electronic background in order to make full use of the book - as the title rightly puts it, it is intended for engineers.