Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Sound On Sound Presents...)

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User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries and assignments are perfect for school and college use. It's pretty awesome to stumble across a quarterly print 'zine that's "dedicated to increasing visibility for women working in live and recorded sound. I’ve read it several times, and maybe I’m missing something, but he seems to say one thing, contradict himself, then contradict himself again? Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio is a down-to-earth primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry.

I also liked the insight presented in the form of quotations by some of the very best in the recording business.moments where i found a common-sense practice that i hadn't thought about or had stupidly neglected. The final section comprises five chapters dealing with mix sweetening techniques, including the application of reverbs and delays, stereo processing and other effects, bus compression, and the use of mix automation. The 340‑page book contains 20 chapters grouped into four main sections covering hearing and listening, mix preparation, balancing, and sweetening.

He really explains all the different controls and parameters of compression, but then gives you no real idea how to use it on individual instruments, aside from generalities. Each month, he does a "makeover" mix of a reader-submitted song, explaining his decisions and techniques in detail.Burl Audio, under the direction of owner/designer Rich Williams, has developed some of the best new recording equipment over the last eight years. For a person with a limited budget who is willing to put in the time to work through Mike’s lesson plan, Mixing Secrets is an invaluable resource. Many good examples of current and popular CDs are given through this book to 'reference' each step in the mixing process. Author Mike Senior is well equipped with his experience as engineer, producer and journalist for Sound-on-Sound magazine to guide any reader, with an intermediate to advanced understanding of the studio recording and mixing process, through four main sections.

If you've never spent time working with seasoned engineers, or you haven't been mixing for long, this book is gold. This is a very well written book covering many issues faced by someone who wants to take his/her audio mixing to the next level. I FOUND AN EXCELLENT "MUST HAVE" for anyone pursuing music recording and mixing as a career and life-long hobby. In the good old days, new engineers learned to mix by interning or assisting; that's less and less the case these days.Additionally, reexamination of any chapter reveals situation specific tips that become increasingly relevant as the student gains experience. The text also expands on Mike's own wealth of experience and knowledge with numerous relevant quotes and opinions from over 100 of the world's best-known engineers and producers. This is what they've learned--their sage advice to impart on the next generation of engineers/producers. Part 1 of Mixing Secrets begins with a detailed discussion across four chapters on how to choose and use nearfield monitoring, including understanding and working around the limitations of budget equipment, optimising the listening environment, and 'self calibration' using commercial music reference material. If you've been figuring out everything yourself or piecing together your workflow based on internet forum posts, this book may bump your work forward by months or years.

Example, most books on recording will remind you to listen to your mixes from multiple sources (monitors, headphones, car, etc. Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 160 famous names, this entertaining and down-to-earth guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. Great stuff, this book is a very complete guide to start mixing your songs on a amateur home studio.The book concludes with a couple of appendices detailing his quote references and providing a thorough discography. And all the while, what he's saying is presented in a way that invites you to try his methods, all of which are quite sound (no pun intended, but there it is). Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Serban Ghenea, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Dave 'Hard Drive' Pensado, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark 'Spike' Stent, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, and many, many more. On top of that, Mike Senior has a very enjoyable writing style - his personality and humor definitely shine through.