Keeping up with the audio engineering industry can be challenging
As an instructor for Omega’s audio production school, I like to share great books I’ve read with my audio engineering students. Not that they read all of them, but they read a lot of them. Here are my top book recommendations for seasoned audio engineers, music production students, and aspiring audio production engineers. Happy reading!
1. Modern Recording Techniques – by David Miles Huber
A well-written and organized textbook on audio recording and production. This book is more than just a starting point for the novice and can teach even a seasoned engineer a thing or two.
2. The Sound Reinforcement Handbook – by Gary Davis
This old standby by Yamaha is the standard reference guide for all aspects of Live Sound Reinforcement and is so broad reaching it will benefits not just live sound engineers, but studio engineers as well.
3. Assistant Engineers Handbook – by Tim Crich
This informative, yet entertaining reference book details the role of the assistant engineer in the modern recording studio and is a must have for everyone still early in their audio engineering career.
4. Behind the Glass – by Howard Massey
A collection of first hand interviews with 37 of the world’s top record producers brings insight and real world accounts of the recording industry to anyone interested in the process of making a record.
5. The Daily Adventures of Mixerman – by Mixerman
An engineer recounts his story of working on a debut album with a huge recording budget and a famous producer and in the process reveals some the quirky realities of the recording industry.
6. This is Your Brain on Music – by Daniel J. Levitin
Rocker turned neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin connects music, science, and the brain to bring a fresh new perspective to the art of music.
7. How Music Works – by David Byrne
Musical artist David Byrne (The Talking Heads) details his views on the process of music creation and the various factors that influence that process.