Sinatra. Streisand. Dylan. Pavarotti. McCartney. Sting. Madonna. What do these musicians have in common besides their super-stardom? They have all worked with legendary music producer Phil Ramone. For almost five decades, Phil Ramone has been a force in the music industry. He has produced records and collaborated with almost every major talent in the business. There is a craft to making records, and Phil has spent his life mastering it. For the first time ever, he shares the secrets of his trade. Making Records is a fascinating look "behind the glass" of a recording studio. From Phil's exhilarating early days recording jazz and commercial jingles at A&R, to his first studio, and eventual legendary producer status, Phil allows you to sit in on the sessions that created some of the most memorable music of the 20th century -- including Frank Sinatra's Duets album, Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. In addition to being a ringside seat for contemporary popular music history, Making Records is an unprecedented tutorial on the magic behind what music producers and engineers do. In these pages, Phil offers a rare peek inside the way music is made . . . illuminating the creative thought processes behind some of the most influential sessions in music history. This is a book about the art that is making records -- the way it began, the way it is now, and everything in between.

Working as a recording engineer presents challenges from every direction of your project. From using microphones to deciding on EQ settings, choosing outboard gear to understanding how, when and why to process your signal, the seemingly never-ending choices can be very confusing. Professional Audio's bestselling author Bobby Owsinski (The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, The Mastering Engineer's Handbook) takes you into the tracking process for all manner of instruments and vocals-- providing you with the knowledge and skill to make sense of the many choices you have in any given project. From acoustic to electronic instruments, mic placement to EQ settings, everything you need to know to capture professionally recorded audio tracks is in this guide.

Recounts the stories of the music world's most notable recording studios and of history-making records that were made at each, from the John Coltrane sessions in Rudy Van Gelder's living room to Frank Sinatra's recordings at Capital Records.

(Berklee Press). Learn what it takes to be a great mix engineer! Mix Masters is a collection of 27 interviews with platinum engineers by Mix magazine writer Maureen Droney. Discover how music engineers, using the same arsenal of tools, can create such unique works from artist to artist, even track to track. You'll find practical and informative behind-the-scenes, behind-the-glass insight into the art of mixing by the industry's most in-demand engineers across all genres pop, rock, country, classical and film. Covers: how to set up a mix that has power and impact; mic placement; how to record and mix multiple vocal tracks; tips and tricks using effects processors; EQ techniques; and more.

"A life recording hits with the Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, the Faces ..."--Jacket.

Chairman at the Board is an intimate, funny, and absorbing look at the music business by an insider who has recorded a host of the greatest musical artists from the 1970s to today. Bill Schnee takes the reader inside the studio--behind the curtain--and through the decades with a cavalcade of famous artists as he helped them realize their vision. After his high school band was dropped by Decca Records, Schnee began his quest to learn everything he could about making records. Mentored by technical guru Toby Foster, mastering guru Doug Sax, and recording legend Richie Podolor at his American Recording Studio, he immediately began recording the top acts of the day as a freelance engineer/producer in Hollywood. Clive Davis soon hired him to work for CBS where he partnered with famed music producer Richard Perry. Schnee went on to record and/or mix many of Perry's biggest albums of the '70s and '80s, including those by Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Art Garfunkel, and The Pointer Sisters. With his deft personal touch with musicians, he continued to engineer and/or produce the likes of Marvin Gaye, Thelma Houston (the Grammy-nominated, direct-to-disc album I've Got the Music in Me), Pablo Cruise, Neil Diamond, Boz Scaggs, the Jacksons, Huey Lewis and the News, Dire Straits, and Whitney Houston. With over 125 gold and platinum records, and two Grammys for Steely Dan's Aja and Gaucho, Schnee has been called a living legend--recognized and respected in the industry as the consummate music man with an incomparable career that he lovingly shares with his readers in humorous detail.

Learn the basics of digital recording, each step of the signal path, and everything from microphone placement to mixing strategy through the eyes and ears of "The Immortal" Roger Nichols, master engineer and eight-time Grammy-award winner. From scientifically analyzing the differences between condenser, ribbon, and dynamic microphones to sharing his secrets to an amazing mix, Nichols delivers something for everyone interested in the science and art of audio engineering---no matter what your experience level is. The Roger Nichols Recording Method offers you the unique opportunity to learn directly from Roger Nichols himself---exactly as he would have taught at one of his famous master classes. The book is excellent for beginners but is still full of information for seasoned pros who want to know how Roger always managed to get that sound. Included are links to Pro Tools session files, personally set up by Roger, to give you hands-on training. Covers: * How to plan your recording sessions like a professional engineer and producer * Choosing the right microphones and how Roger would place them for a session * Test microphone patterns; learning about critical distance placement and the 3 to 1 rule * Understanding digital audio and how it really works to choose the right format for your sessions * Learning about the signal path from microphone/instrument levels, channels strips, and plugins * Recording multiple takes, overdubs, punch-in techniques, and gaining insight on editing digital audio files * Roger's personal tips for mixing, using automation, creating your final mix, and more!