| | |  | | Home » Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Discover how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios by applying power-user techniques from the world's most successful producers. Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is a down-to-earth primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 100 famous names, this entertaining guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. On the way, you'll unravel the mysteries of every type of mix processing, from simple EQ and compression through to advanced spectral dynamics and "fairy dust" effects. 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. - Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes.
- Find out where you don't need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count.
- 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 . . .
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Mike Senior | | Paperback:
| 352 pages | | Publisher:
| Focal Press | | Publication Date:
| March 11, 2011 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0240815807 | | Product Length:
| 9.1 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.4 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.8 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.13 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.48 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.87 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 95 reviews |
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
63 of 63 found the following review helpful:
Best resource on mixing, hands down.Mar 16, 2011
By Benji Socket
"the thinking man's loser"
I've been mixing my own music for nearly 30 years now, when I got my first cassette four-track! I've read so many books and manuals on recording, mixing, mastering, etc. I subscribe to Sound On Sound, Tape Op, etc for several years. I have been posting on Gearslutz (music production forum) for a decade now...
I feel like this one book could replace all that.
Serious.
Every page is packed with amazing tips and tricks. Which makes sense considering this the man behind Mix Rescue in SOS. He gets so many problems thrown at them and he solves them in very elegant, practical ways. He is a professional audio problem-solver! Quite often I'll listen to the before and after mixes at Mix Rescue and think the 'before' sounds perfectly acceptable. Then I'll hear Mike Senior's mix and he's elevated it to a love of professionalism that just sounds classy.
I'm used to reading pretty dry manuals and reference books. This one is written in a very down-to-earth, readable style with a sense of humor as well.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who mixes professionally or casually.
34 of 34 found the following review helpful:
Must Have!Apr 06, 2011
By James Graves
"viewer"
Worth every penny. I have Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools by Roy Izhaki as well as The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, Second Edition. If you are mixing at home with a computer, Senior's book is all you need. I would buy Izhaki's book if you have the spare cash. Izhaki's book is more detailed and less aimed at the home studio but it is a mixing knowledge treasure trove. If you have both books you're pretty well equipped to put out a good mix.
If you're serious about mixing buy "Mixing Secrets."
If you are interested in mastering your own music you can take a look at Mastering Music at Home (Book). This book lets in you in on techniques to master your music using professional recordings as a reference. Mastering Audio, Second Edition: The art and the science is good to have but not essential IMHO.
The "pro's" will tell you not to mix and master your own music. Well, who has the money to hire a mixer and pay for a professional mastering job? I know there are online mastering services that will master your tracks for $50 a pop. I doubt they'll do a better job than I will at home.
The modern digital musician has to be self-sufficient. We can't wait around for record contracts to give us the money and tools we need to release our music.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
The book to buy if you really want to understand how to make great recordings.Mar 25, 2011
By Jason
"Revelation"
About Mike Senior: Mike Senior has written many articles in Sound on Sound magazine, including the famous Mix Rescue articles (go to [...] for more great articles from Mike). I have always been very impressed with his knowledge of the audio world, so I expected a lot from this book, thankfully I was not disappointed.
If I was going to sum up the book in one word, it would be this - Brilliant! This book is for the home studio owner who is starting out, who has some studio experience, and those like me who have over 20 years experience when not working my day job. I have read recording books before that talked about the basics and though helpful, they lacked meat. In the Mixing Secrets book, thankfully we don't have that problem. He talks about near field monitors, clears up a lot of misconceptions we hear on the recording forums, gets into building the raw balance, compression, and EQ. He does not just explain what compression and EQ is, but how to use them properly. He also discusses side chains, reverb, and stereo enhancements. He even offers you more information on his web site [...].
The next question you ask is, how is his writing style, is this a dry book that is hard to follow? The answer is no. I think with having written so many articles in Sound on Sound magazine, has helped him develop a style that keeps your attention and leaving you with wanting more. Another great feature is each chapter ends with a summary section (Cut to the chase) and even an assignment.
Is there anything I did not like in the book? No not really. It would have been nice to have color photos in the book (which cost more for the pub company), but the blue highlights help the book look better than just the black wording. The cover has some material on the paper to help it hold up after many hours of serious reading. Though the books is excellent, it will not answer all your questions about recording (what book does?). Sound on Sound web site has a search feature for specific information on things like recording acoustic guitars that you might also find helpful.
If you buy this book and Bob Katz Mastering Audio 2nd edition, you pretty much have everything covered.
Real Life Application: So far the book has helped my drum mixes sound better, and I have a deeper understanding on using reverb, EQ and compression. So many on the audio forums ask, what is better Product A or Product B? Then they go on for pages and argue which piece of gear is better. By reading this book, you will learn the big question it not what gear is better, but are you getting the best sound you can with your current equipment. (He does get into quality of gear as well) With full time jobs, many home studio owners don't have enough time or knowledge to make great recordings. They tend to just buy higher end gear that they think will make their recordings better. To some extent the higher end gear can help, like upgrading your sub $1,500 or less monitors with Focal Twins or PMC TBII's. However understanding the Mixing Secrets explained in this book will help you out even more. A simple thing like using good acoustic panels and bass traps in your studio will make much more of an improvement than replacing your Audio Technica 4033 with a Neumann U87i microphone.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
"I didn't know that!"Jul 04, 2011
By R. Cowan
I've been recording my own music for a long time, at home and in studios both professional and otherwise. It was always fun...until it got to the mixing. Even professional engineers got it wrong sometimes. Why? Not because they didn't know what they were doing, but because I didn't. Reverb? Sure. Uh, what kind? Blend, size, tone, sustain, or spread? Artificial or convolution? You can use some, all, or none. ("I didn't know that!") Delay? Sure. Uh, what kind? Blend, size, etc., etc.... ("I didn't know that!") Balancing? Room treatments? Monitoring? I'd go into the million-dollar studios and they've got these teeny, cheesy, awful-sounding speakers right on top of the console. Right where everybody can see! Do I want to hear my mix through those...things?! Hell, no, put it through those $50K jobs I see up on the wall! Auratones! What the hell's going on with that? (..."Oh! I didn't know that!")
In fact, just about every page of this relatively (300 pages of text) modest tome demanded that I stop reading, go into my studio, and find out just what the heck this guy is talking about. ("So that's what a gate's for. I didn't know that!")
And this is WAY before you get to the incredible -- and usually unique -- solutions detailed in every Mix Rescue on his SoundOnSound magazine page. (A massive archive that stands on its own, I might add.)
Watch out, though. Mike is a big fan of freeware -- and there's a LOT of it out there. (I counted almost 100 compressors in my VST folder last week -- most of them free or nearly so. Mike uses a lot of them. And that's just compressors. I say again: there's a LOT of stuff out there, most of which you don't even have to look very hard for. EQ's, delays, reverbs, synths (a LOT of synths). Again, free. Then you get to the audio mangling. (Mike is not above this, either: Glitch Girl? Say no more.... Except there's 20 other free plugins on this page. What does this one do?....) Mind you, some of these referenced apps are dated (incompatible with Windows 7) or currently unavailable, but for every one of these, ten more are filling the niche it vacated.
The material presented here is informative, as well as informed by Mike's not-so-dry British wit (my favorite: "Now, as everybody knows, the best processing for slap bass is that button labelled 'Mute'"...).
I have lived a long and happy life filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But before I started reading Mike Senior's book, it had never contained so many consecutive 4 a.m. bedtimes.
Excuse me, I have to stop writing now. I have to check something in my studio....
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
The most practical book on mixing etc that you will ever buyApr 15, 2011
By Damien W. Kelly
Having read most of Mike Seniors Mix Rescue articles in Sound on Sound magazine, I kind of knew what to expect with this book - it is absolutely packed with top tips for audio probelm solving, getting the most from your environment and equipment and general advice on various areas that all small studio owners will be familiar with. Its extremely well written, very approachable and Mike has a way of putting across his point that has you thinking " oh yeah, i never thought of that..."
I would approach this book almost as a course - you need to read a bit and then put it into practice to get the most out of it. The online resources are excellent, giving you audio examples and files to use on your own DAW.
I think that this book, along with Bob Katz Mastering Audio and David Miles Huber Modern Recording Techniques, is going to become a go-to book for students, semi-pros and pros in the future.
An excellent book!
dk
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