Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording - The Book

Audio instructional book based on the award-winning DVD set

Alan Parsons should need no introduction to anyone interested in recording studios and engineering. Trained at the world famous Abbey Road Studios in London where he served as a tape op (assistant engineer) on Let It Be and Abbey Road by the Beatles and later as the engineer behind Pink Floyd's legendary The Dark Side Of The Moon LP and numerous number one hit records, he also made the rare transition to the other side of the glass as an artist with the successful, chart-topping Alan Parsons Project. With a career and background like that, he obviously knows quite a bit about the art and science of sound recording, and his latest project is a book named exactly that - Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording - The Book.

What You Need To Know

• Co-written with musician and author Julian Colbeck, who also co-produced the DVD videos by the same name, Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording is inspired by and covers similar subject matter as the DVDs (an extensive review of which can be found right here), but is not merely a duplication of them; it is an extension of the material covered in the video series. The two mediums compliment each other, and the strengths of each format are well-utilized, making the book a good companion to the DVDs, and vise versa.

• The book is filled with tons of useful tips and technical information but it is written in an easy to understand and straightforward manner, with a minimum of "tech speak", making it easy for recording enthusiasts of all levels to understand.

• Starting with the basics, including a Brief History of Recording and winding up with a discussion about Dealing With Disasters, it covers a wide range of sound recording related subjects with chapters on microphones, acoustics, consoles and controllers, MIDI, effects like reverb, compression, delay and EQ, as well as digital audio, computers and monitoring.

• Chapters covering a wide range of instruments are also included, including drums, bass, guitars and keyboards, as well as vocal-specific chapters and information about live recording approaches, tracking a band, and even Internet recording.

• There's plenty of information included about mixing, as well as the personal and interactive aspects of studio recording and how to act professionally with all the other people you'll encounter in the recording studio.

• Alan Parsons' The Art & Science of Sound Recording - The Book is also well illustrated, which further clarifies some of the principles and concepts being presented, as well as giving the reader glimpses of some rare equipment and into some very nice studios as well.

• Of course there are tons of personal recollections and anecdotes from Mr Parsons' long and distinguished career as you might expect, but also many quotes and comments from several other famous artists and producer / engineers, which gives the reader further valuable insights and even greater depth to the topics under discussion.

• While you can read it from cover to cover and get a great overview of the author's recording methods and approach, the included and helpful glossary of terms and index also make it a useful research and study tool for specific techniques and topics you want to learn more about.

Limitations

• As I mentioned previously, you'll probably want to budget for the DVD as well as the book - not that the book can't stand on its own, but the two compliment each other very well and while they cover similar material, they do so in different ways, with the book offering more depth and detail, and the DVD a more visual approach with audible examples.

Conclusion

Whenever you have the opportunity to learn from an expert and true studio legend it's highly beneficial, and Alan Parsons certainly qualifies on both counts. If you're into recording, you'd have to be crazy not to want to soak up everything you can from someone with his level of skill and experience, and we're fortunate to have these videos and this well-crafted book available so that today's engineers and future ones as well can benefit.

Whether you're new to recording or a seasoned studio veteran, you'll find plenty of gems in this book. Entertaining and informative, it belongs in the personal library of everyone who is interested in making better recordings.

Resources

Alan Parsons' The Art & Science of Sound Recording

Hal Leonard Books

$49.99 (US)

Inventory #HL 00333735

ISBN: 9781458443199

UPC: 884088654863

Width: 8.75"

Length: 11.25"

272 pages

Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording (3 DVD set $149 MSRP, $139.99 "street")

http://www.artandscienceofsound.com/