Ableton Forum

In your opinion what are the absolute must read books dealing with mixing and mastering?

I'm looking for things particularly relevant for the home producer. I understand that big budget studios have people who only mix and engineers who only master. But for us home producers, we need to take on the jack of all trades role.

Also, are there certain books that cater specifically to electronic music, or at least are current and up to date? I don't want some washed up engineer who's golden days of producing/engineering were for an 80's rock band, and who's mixing/mastering mentality has stayed in that time period.

I am looking for something relevant to what I am doing, which is creating electronic music on a laptop using a DAW. I am not recording a 5 piece rock band on a huge 10 foot long studio mixer. To my young ears that didn't grow up with 70's and 80's dynamic recordings, "overly-compressed" electronic music sounds just as good if not better. Sometimes I enjoy absolutely squashing a bass line to achieve a specific sound. I need modern and up to date advice when it comes to getting my tracks to not only sounding good (with every instrument having it's own space), but also (and let's not get into loudness wars) to get them loud enough to compete on a professional level.

Thanks in advance

well it sounds like you've read some books already? care to list what you've read (i would ask why you didn't like it but your venting speaks volumes ... pun!!!!)?

I don't think you're going to find too much on the market that is really going to help you, the only thing i can think of is:

http://www.samplemagic.com/products/pro ... music.html

You have to remember that as a bedroom producer your job is vast, we're talking musician, engineer, mastering, producer, etc. These jobs would normally be a 10 man team so it's tough to say where you're lacking. Does your music suck? meaning can you actually write a piece? if not, you need a book to help you with song writing. Do your tracks lack ideas? do they sound uneventful? Then you need a book on production. Do your tracks SOUND like shit? Then you need a book on engineering. Does your finished product not sound up to par with the rest of the market? Then you need some help mastering.

Your venting doesn't indicate anything you're "struggling" with, if it's all of the above then you have a long road my friend and i'd SUGGEST you start learning some basic music theory and song writing.

it does seem as though you've either read some books or talked to people who have and didn't like them.

if you don't fully believe in tried and true mixing/engineering/mastering techniques... then maybe you should take the good parts and apply those to your own "modern" method. i don't think that there is any difference really. panning is still panning. gain is still gain. delay is still delay. you still have to compose. you still have to mix. you still have to engineer... THEN, you can squash the shit out of it by over compressing it or using limiters beyond their intended purpose etc. etc. but you have to have a track to 'make better'. if you polish a turd you, all you really have is a polished turd.

the modern day version of mixing and production is not pick sounds, arrange, slap a compressor on it and BLAM!! instant track. there are a million + home producers who think it is, or think it should be, but i think those with any tangible success just have a natural knack for it to the point that it might seem that easy... but i doubt they ignore the fundamentals of music production entirely... it's more like they challenge or bend the standards and rules. maybe they're unaware of how well they know that stuff since they learned them from their dad, brother, friend, mentor type person, googled it etc. so, ok, they sorta skipped a step, but in some way the techniques were learned. those same things the old 80's producers are trying to tell you in their books.

*shrugs*

remember, in the end... it's sound. it's not how you made it... it's how it... sounds.

H20nly wrote:it does seem as though you've either read some books or talked to people who have and didn't like them.

if you don't fully believe in tried and true mixing/engineering/mastering techniques... then maybe you should take the good parts and apply those to your own "modern" method. i don't think that there is any difference really. panning is still panning. gain is still gain. delay is still delay. you still have to compose. you still have to mix. you still have to engineer... THEN, you can squash the shit out of it by over compressing it or using limiters beyond their intended purpose etc. etc. but you have to have a track to 'make better'. if you polish a turd you, all you really have is a polished turd.

the modern day version of mixing and production is not pick sounds, arrange, slap a compressor on it and BLAM!! instant track. there are a million + home producers who think it is, or think it should be, but i think those with any tangible success just have a natural knack for it to the point that it might seem that easy... but i doubt they ignore the fundamentals of music production entirely... it's more like they challenge or bend the standards and rules. maybe they're unaware of how well they know that stuff since they learned them from their dad, brother, friend, mentor type person, googled it etc. so, ok, they sorta skipped a step, but in some way the techniques were learned. those same things the old 80's producers are trying to tell you in their books.

*shrugs*

remember, in the end... it's sound. it's not how you made it... it's how it... sounds.

+1

In other words, TTBOMK no new characteristic has been discovered about audio since. However, there are much more advanced tools around now that can assist us in our productions.

H20nly wrote:it does seem as though you've either read some books or talked to people who have and didn't like them.

if you don't fully believe in tried and true mixing/engineering/mastering techniques... then maybe you should take the good parts and apply those to your own "modern" method. i don't think that there is any difference really. panning is still panning. gain is still gain. delay is still delay. you still have to compose. you still have to mix. you still have to engineer... THEN, you can squash the shit out of it by over compressing it or using limiters beyond their intended purpose etc. etc. but you have to have a track to 'make better'. if you polish a turd you, all you really have is a polished turd.

the modern day version of mixing and production is not pick sounds, arrange, slap a compressor on it and BLAM!! instant track. there are a million + home producers who think it is, or think it should be, but i think those with any tangible success just have a natural knack for it to the point that it might seem that easy... but i doubt they ignore the fundamentals of music production entirely... it's more like they challenge or bend the standards and rules. maybe they're unaware of how well they know that stuff since they learned them from their dad, brother, friend, mentor type person, googled it etc. so, ok, they sorta skipped a step, but in some way the techniques were learned. those same things the old 80's producers are trying to tell you in their books.

*shrugs*

remember, in the end... it's sound. it's not how you made it... it's how it... sounds.

+1

In other words, TTBOMK no new characteristic has been discovered about audio since. However, there are much more advanced tools around now that can assist us in our productions.

Bob Katz' book, "Mastering Audio, the Art and Science," is a great book for any audio engineer to check out. Although Katz is known as a mastering engineer, the book is full of very useful information on digital audio in general, and certainly applies to anyone who is involved in digital audio production, not just mastering engineers. In particular, for the "bedroom producer," I think this is a really valuable source of information - highly recommended!

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-S ... 255&sr=8-1

i just read Mixerman's 'Zen and the Art of Mixing'. its definitely catered to people who mix bands and such, but there are a lot of great ideas in it.

Check out this thread dude! There are tons of links to various books on everything audio.
Also, this is a great forum! Some are downloadable some are books to buy, but lots of good stuff!

http://www.idmforums.com/showthread.php ... production

Oh ya, a few off the top of my head:

The Dance Music Manual by Rick Snoman

Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook,.

^ thanks for the props there Shel. glad to see you back around. been missing good peeps like you.

ShelLuser wrote:Second; IMO an absolute must read when it comes to mastering is Tarakith's guide to mastering (link).

I'll even go as far by stating that I think you should read and consider / ponder over that article before proceeding.

definitely! - good start, modern electronica making author, doesn't cost a dime... AND he is available for questions if you have them.

I’m hoping this discussion also touches on room treatment, reflection hazzards, and humidity levels. Unless you perfect those aspects your mixes will be shit. Start there.

I agree with evon and H2Only, mixing and mastering concepts are the same regardless of the kind of music you are working on.

I have the Snoman book and think it is OK, although it has numerous technical errors and spends much of the book discussing subjects other than mixing and mastering.

A better book on mixing is Mixing Audio by Roey Izhaki (yes, that's a real name). Comes with a CD full of examples to listen to.

I think there can be some pretty important differences in mixing and mastering among various genres, especially when it comes to how "bassy" the end result can be. In general the same basic ideas hold true: make sure everything can be heard, don't distort unintentionally, focus on the end medium, etc. But some of the finer details definitely can vary depending on what kind of music it is.

Here's the link to my mixing guide, since the mastering one was linked already:

http://tarekith.com/assets/mixdowns.html

I definitely think that Master Audio by Bob Katz is worth reading, it's not just about mastering, but digital audio in general. He has a very interesting way of working, but it's something that I think anyone can gain something from.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I actually haven't read any books regarding these subjects, but I know that a lot of what is out there pertains to recording rock bands. I know that most of the techniques are the same, but was just wondering if there did happen to be any books that were specifically aimed at electronic production. I will definitely check out the Bob Katz book, I remember seeing his name pop up on this or another forum.

Tarekith, I've actually read your guides, several times in fact, and was basically looking to expand on the types of things you were talking about.

To the first poster: to be more specific I have no problem creating the music. I even feel like I have a good ear for adjusting levels in the mixdown. What I have a problem with is really getting each instrument to have it's own space. I'm getting better at it, and I know that things like panning help, but I want to learn things like EQing out certain frequencies so that instruments don't compete for space or muddy up the mix, how to appropriately use limiters, EQs, compressors, etc etc.

I know that I can find alot of what I am looking for by browsing forums and the internet but I get sort of scatterbrained and overwhelmed. It would be nice to have things presented in the clear and organized manner that books have.

well, if you're actually interested in reading a book... i recommend Bob Katz as well. i learned a lot from him. Tarekith is the man though, no doubt. so pay heed when he speaks. wise words... dirt cheap.