Oct 1, 2006 5:03 PM

MUSIC SUPERVISION

Music Supervision: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games & New Media, written by Ramsay Adams, David Hnatiuk and Mix's New York editor, David Weiss, explores sound design, and features project-form templates and interviews with leading industry figures, including Adam Schlesinger (singer/songwriter for Fountains of Wayne), Jason Bentley (music supervisor for The Matrix), Budd Carr (music supervisor for Oliver Stone's films), Chuck Doud (music supervisor for Sony's videogames division), Doug Wood (president of Omni Music) and many others. Schirmer Trade Books, $17.95.

RECORDING

Fourteen-time Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Phil Ramone takes his unimpeachable skills from behind the board and onto paper. His Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music (Hyperion) memoir dispenses decades of professional experience and personal stories about working on such high-profile recordings such as Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, Billy Joel's The Stranger, Paul Simon's There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company and so much more. Making Records also delves into Ramone's non-studio work, such Midnight Cowboy and Flashdance films, as well as live events (Songwriter's Hall of Fame). As the producer says, “Wherever I go, I'm amazed by the curiosity that both casual and serious music lovers express for the marginalia surrounding the records they love.” This book was created to appeal to fans and audio pros alike.

Years in the making and now finally available in the U.S., Make Mine Music is written by the multi-Platimum, Grammy Award — winning, Hall of Fame engineer/producer who has worked with the likes of Quincy Jones, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Missing Persons, David Hasselhoff, Jennifer Lopez and on Michael Jackson's blockbusters Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous — among so many more. Swedien's folksy style makes for an entertaining read as he swings between reminiscences of his life and most memorable sessions and short essays on recording/mixing techniques and his favorite mics. As a bonus, the last chapter features Swedien interviewing two of his idols: Bob Moog and Roger Linn. Overall, it's engrossing and fun, and provides a fascinating look into one of the industry's true legends. MIA Press (dist. by Hal Leonard Books, www.musicdispatch.com), $29.95.

Andrea Pejrolo, music technology professor, MIDI programmer, sound designer, composer/arranger and jazz acoustic and electric bassist who is currently teaching at Berklee College of Music and The New England Institute of Art, has released her illustrated guide to audio sequencing, Creative Sequencing Techniques for Music Production. The book focuses on leading audio sequencers, including Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Cubase SX and Logic. Techniques are divided into basic, intermediate and advanced sections, with tips on groove quantizing, sound layering, tap tempo, creative meter and tempo changes, advanced use of plug-ins automation and advanced mixing. The accompanying CD includes examples of arrangements and techniques. Elsevier (www.elsevier.com), $39.95.

Jeff Touzeau's Making Tracks: Unique Recording Studio Environments includes hundreds of photos and interviews from a wide range of international recording studios and the personalities behind them. The book, available at www.studioenvironments.com, highlights 18 recording studios in places as diverse as France, The Bahamas and Big Sur, Calif. According to Touzeau, “My objective was to discover what made each recording environment special in its own right. I tried to cover the gamut in terms of location, music genre and personality. What quickly became apparent was that the studios often mirrored the personalities of the individuals behind them. There is an indelible and unmistakable personal signature apparent on each studio.” Schiffer Books, www.schifferbooks.com.

The Golden Moment by Keith Hatschek brings you inside the minds of numerous top engineers and producers, who relay anecdotes and tips from their careers through interviews and essays. Providing a new forum on mentoring, the book showcases such top producers as Bruce Swedien, Al Schmitt, Bob Rock, Jimmy Douglass, Mick Guzauski and so many others. Backbeat Books, $19.95.

Carl Fischer Music has released Playing With Drum Loops: How to Work With Drum Loops, Samples and Backing Tracks, which is not only geared for drummers, but also helps DJs and electronica creators add intricate layers to their sound and technique. Instruction is provided by Donny Greundler (Chris Murphy, Shuffle Kings, etc.), with additional examples and ideas provided on two accompanying CDs. $29.95, at www.carlfischer.com.

Pyramind Institute for Digital Audio Training co-founder Matt Donner has penned Pro Tools Overdrive!, an advanced book on Pro Tools (up to Version 6.7). Tips offered include automating Reason synths within Pro Tools, making higher-quality mixes through better gain-stage management, creating multiple headphone mixes for artists during recording, setting up 5.1 mixes, and saving sessions to travel with your client to another studio or to another application. Thomson Course Technology, $39.99; www.pyramind.com.

Tim Crich has released the second edition of his Recording Tips for Engineers, which is geared toward engineers of all levels who encounter a problem mid-session and don't have time to pore over manuals. Topics include mic choice, setup and placement; EQ and compression; recording drums, guitars and vocals; and advice on how to prepare and conduct recording sessions of different durations (three-hour, three-day, three-week, etc.). Focal Press, $29.95; www.focalpress.com.

In addition to interviews with Alan Parsons, Herbie Hancock, BT, Todd Rundgren, Steve Reich and Phil Ramone, among many more, The Art of Digital Music relates how digital technology has shaped how music is created and heard today. From producing “in the box” to software-based productions to using MIDI, remixes and relying on plug-ins rather than real instruments, co-authors Kelli Richards and David Battino also interview representatives from industry-leading manufacturers such as Ableton Software, Digidesign, Propellerhead Software, EastWest, Gracenote and many others. The foreword is by Stewart Copeland, who describes through personal anecdotes how technology has blurred the lines between artists, hobbyists and fans. Backbeat Books (www.backbeatbooks.com), $27.95.

The Complete Guide to Remixing: Producing Professional Dance Floor Hits on Your Home Computer (Berklee Press, $29.95), authored by musician, producer and remixer Erik Hawkins, presents new ways to produce dance music with today's available software, including Pro Tools, Live, Logic Audio and Reason. The guide also explores the history, technology, craft and art of remixing, as well as locating and legally remixing tracks from major and indie recording artists. An audio CD with more than 50 tracks of remixing examples is included.

POST-PRODUCTION

Behind the Seen: How Walter Murch Edited Cold Mountain Using Apple's Final Cut Pro and What This Means for Cinema by Charles Koppelman is now available from Peachpit (www.pearsoned.com, $39.99). In conversations with Koppelman during post for the movie, Murch talks about the transformation of filmmaking from its late-19th — century origins to today's digital world, as well as speculates on the role of digital technology in the future of cinema.

The Emerging Film Composer finds Richard Bellis tackling the many issues that arise for today's film composer — from the art and craft of writing music to picture, the day-to-day life of a film composer to easily surfing the waters between creativity and business practicalities. Bellis is an Emmy Award-winning composer who also serves on the faculty of the USC Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program and has taught film scoring at UCLA Extension. He is a past president of the Society of Composers & Lyricists and has served on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The book is available at www.richardbellis.com.

Want to get more information about film composing from the composers themselves? Then check out Inside Film Music: Composers Speak, a collection of candid interviews with numerous top film composers, compiled by first-time author Christian DesJardins. Featured interviewees include John Barry, Jan Kaczmarek, Rachel Portman, Stephen Warbeck and Gabriel Yared. Silman-James Press (www.silmanjamespress.com).

MUSIC BUSINESS

In Lost Sounds — Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1890-1919, author Tim Brooks and co-researcher Dick Spottswood have spotlighted a epochal time in the recording industry. One particular highlight is a section on the life and career of George W. Johnson — believed to be the first black artist on commercial recordings. In all, the book covers the works of some 40 artists. University of Illinois Press, www.press.illinois.edu.

Gotta Get Signed: How to Become a Hip Hop Producer, by producer Sahpreem King (SWV, Wyclef Jean, Beenie Man, Eric Benet, Fat Joe), lays out a step-by-step process on learning the art and craft of hip hop production, beginning with a brief history of the genre and then explains what a producer and beat-maker does. Other topics include building your own studio, assembling a production team and promoting your music. Schirmer Trade Books, $14.95.

Just in time for the holiday season comes the perfect gift for all your Deadhead friends (and we know you've got some!) — Grateful Dead Gear, by Mix senior editor Blair Jackson. This book goes into great detail about the legendary band's technical side, including their musical instruments, live sound systems and recording techniques. It's all here in 300 pages and boasting more than 100 photos and diagrams, many previously unpublished. Backbeat Books, $34.95.

Mix contributing editor Heather Johnson has released If These Halls Could Talk: A Historical Tour Through San Francisco Recording Studios, in which leading Bay Area artists, producers, engineers and studio owners take readers on a guided tour through some of San Francisco's top facilities. To read an excerpt, visit www.out-word-bound.com. Thomson Course Technology, $29.99.

They do the math so you don't have to. The just-published fifth edition of Music, Money and Success (Omnibus Press/Schirmer Trade Books) explains — with case studies, contracts and formulas — how the music business pie gets divided. This new edition contains a detailed breakdown of royalty distribution for ringtones, videogames, music downloads and subscription services, as well as for indie- and major-label CD sales, and music for theater, commercials, TV and film. Music, Money and Success was written and updated by two brothers and former entertainment attorneys — Jeff Brabec, who is now VP of business affairs for Chrysalis, and Todd Brabec, VP of ASCAP — and is designed to help individuals in this business protect their rights and manage their own careers. >

SOUND REINFORCEMENT

Speaker Building 201: With 11 Completely Designed Speaker Systems Including a 5.1 Home Theater System
Written by Ray Alden (a math teacher at a New York City high school), this book offers both novices and intermediate builders the tools to design and build speakers. The book features a variety of speaker projects, many of which were tested by loudspeaker expert Joseph D'Appolito. Published by Amateur Audio Inc., $34.95. www.audioXpress.com.

Far more than a simple historical retelling, The JBL Story: 60 Years of Audio Innovation 326-page book — written by the late John Eargle — is packed with rare photos, advertising and brochure reprints, technical drawings and diagrams. Certainly, one of the strengths of the book comes from Eargle himself — a audio historian, design engineer, Grammy-winning engineer and producer of hundreds of records and JBL employee/consultant. After a foreward by Les Paul, the $29.95 book begins with the pre-JBL days of Lansing Manufacturing in 1927 on through the company founding in 1947 up to the present. Highlights include chapters on JBL innovations in consumer, studio, cinema and live sound, followed by spotlights of major installs. One of my favorite sections details the engineering of various key products, from the classic D130 woofer and the ring “bullet” tweeter up through today's Eon and VerTec systems. Dist. by Hal Leonard books; available from www.mixbooks.com and other retailers.