100 Best Music Production Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best music production books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
James AltucherWhen a writer or an entrepreneur, or a manager, or an employee, or a…whatever…sits down to get to work, he or she is often met by “the resistance”. The excuses that come up: I can’t do this. I am too old. I don’t have enough money. I’m scared. “The War of Art” is the guide to getting through that block. The comfort zone is papered up and cemented shut by our excuses. Learn to blast through that... (Source)
Seth GodinAlso hard to find on audio. I find Steve's voice to be fascinating, and even before I knew him, I was fascinated by listening to him speak his own work. The War of Art is one of those books, at least for me when I finally was exposed to it, I said, 'Why wasn't I informed? Why did it take this long for this book to land on my desk?'... You need to be clear with yourself about what you are afraid... (Source)
Brian KoppelmanTalks about resistance. (Source)
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... more
Now available in a... more
Andi DumitrescuThe Recording Engineer Handbook and The Mixing Engineer Handbook. These are the books that helped me record music at the level I hoped for. For years I lived frustrated that Romania doesn’t have even one sound engineer that could rise to the level of Western ones and this frustration pushed me to learn recording techniques which are, in my opinion, the most important steps in producing an album.... (Source)
How Music Works is David Byrne's incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form, from its very inceptions to the influences that shape it, whether acoustical, economic, social or technological. Utilizing his incomparable career and inspired collaborations with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and many others, Byrne taps deeply into his lifetime of knowledge to explore the panoptic elements of music, how it shapes the human experience, and reveals the impetus behind how we create, consume, distribute, and enjoy the... more
Seth GodinBreezy and fun and yes, scary. Scary because it calls your bluff. (Source)
Ryan HolidayPart of ambition is modeling yourself after those you’d like to be like. Austin’s philosophy of ruthlessly stealing and remixing the greats might sound appalling at first but it is actually the essence of art. You learn by stealing, you become creative by stealing, you push yourself to be better by working with these materials. Austin is a fantastic artist, but most importantly he communicates... (Source)
Chase JarvisSuper small, fast read. (Source)
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Written by David Pogue--Missing Manual series creator, New York Times columnist, and Emmy-winning tech correspondent for CNBC, CBS, and NPR--this update shows you everything you need to know about new iPhone features and the iOS 13 user interface. Pick up this beautiful full-color book and learn how to get the... more
Recording Secrets for the Small Studio is an intensive training course specifically designed for small-studio enthusiasts who want a fast track to release-quality results. Based on the backroom strategies of more than 200 famous names, this thorough and down-to-earth guide leads you through a logical sequence of practical tasks to build your live-room skills progressively from the ground up. On the way,... more
• Are our musical preferences shaped in utero?
• Is there a cutoff point for... more
Vinod KhoslaFascinating though older book. (Source)
Justin BoretaGoes into the evolutionary thinking behind why music does what it does. (Source)
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Get ready for an in-depth exploration into the aesthetics of what makes a great mix! David Gibson's unique approach to mixing gives you a visual representation of the dynamics of the sounds involved in creating a musical mix. Through this three-dimensional, colorful explanation, you are introduced to a framework that will help you understand everything that an engineer does enabling you to not only recognize what you like, but how to achieve it in your studio. Expand your recording techniques by learning what your recording equipment does and how it all works together in a simple, visual...
moreThe most complete and current guide to architectural acoustics principles and practicesDesign and construct audiophile-quality sonic environments of all sizes--from home theaters and project studios to large-scale recording studios. Thoroughly revised to include new acoustical design techniques, Master Handbook of Acoustics, Sixth Edition, explains the art and science of room acoustics and... more
Here you'll find real-world advice and practical guidelines for every aspect of your soundtrack: planning and budgeting, field and studio recording, editing, sound effects and music, audio repair, processing, and mixing. Rose's combination of solid technical... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Section one explains the parts of an analog synth in detail using harmonic and waveform analysis to make clear exactly what each synth parameter does.
Section two is probably the most important section added to the new edition and it explains through examples how to use freely available harmonic and waveform analysis software to analyze and recreate patches from other synths, sounds found in songs, and the synthesis of... more
more
Andi DumitrescuThe Recording Engineer Handbook and The Mixing Engineer Handbook. These are the books that helped me record music at the level I hoped for. For years I lived frustrated that Romania doesn’t have even one sound engineer that could rise to the level of Western ones and this frustration pushed me to learn recording techniques which are, in my opinion, the most important steps in producing an album.... (Source)
Ryan HolidayI've been meaning to read this book for a while, and after I did I bought copies for everyone at my company (since we produce books and other kinds of content). In the book, Seabrook explains how just a few men and women are responsible for producing nearly every hit song you hear on the radio, see on YouTube or listen to on Spotify. He explains the economics of the music industry in a way that... (Source)
Curtiss King: Producer. Rapper. Mentor to thousands of aspiring artists and entrepreneurs through his YouTube channel. His production credits include Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, E-40 and MURS, and giants like MTV, VH1, and VANS.
But once upon a time Curtiss was broke, struggling--and crafting beats on a video game console on his grandma's patio. The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer charts his rollercoaster ride to success from these... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Millions of people are cutting the cord on old-fashioned cable TV plans, and choosing more modern, efficient, and cost-effective ways to watch their favorite programming and movies. My TV for Seniors is an exceptionally easy and complete full-color guide to all the services and hardware you'll need to do it. No ordinary "beginner's book," it approaches every topic from a senior's point of view, using meaningful examples, step-by-step tasks, large text, close-up screen shots, and a full-color interior designed for... more
The Most Complete CTS-I Exam Study SystemPublished with InfoComm International, CTS-I Certified Technology Specialist-Installation Exam Guide provides comprehensive coverage of all exam objectives on the leading internationally recognized certification for audiovisual installation professionals. Each chapter features learning objectives, best practices, diagrams, photos, and chapter review... more
instructions with callouts to Google Chromebook photos that show you exactly what to do
Help
when you run into Chromebook problems or limitations
Tips and Notes
to help you get the most from your Chromebook
Full-color, step-by-step tasks walk you through doing exactly what you want with your Chromebook. Learn how to Set up and configure your new Chromebook Personalize your Chromebook's desktop and other settings Use your Chromebook with the touchpad, keyboard, or touchscreen Browse and search the Web with the... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
In Volume 1, Loy presents the materials of music (notes, intervals, and scales); the physical properties of music (frequency, amplitude, duration,... more
This autobiography (as told to Greg Renoff) recounts Templeman's remarkable life from child jazz phenom in Santa Cruz, California, in the 1950s to Grammy-winning music executive during the '70s and '80s. Along the way, Ted details his late '60s stint as an unlikely star with the sunshine pop outfit Harpers Bizarre and his grind-it-out days as a Warner Bros. tape listener, including the life-altering moment that... more
Brian KoppelmanI read an advance copy of this book, and if you are at all interested in how records were made in the 60s, 70s, 80s, what a producer does, what it all feels like, this kills. Totally entertaining. Totally engaging. Great work, @GregRenoff https://t.co/plJn5eyPmK (Source)
The Sound of Music: The Making of America’s Favorite Movie is not only an unequalled tribute to this beloved movie musical but also the most complete behind-the-scenes account of the creation of this Hollywood classic.
Through... more
Using the book's downloadable lesson files and Logic Pro X, you'll begin making music in the first lesson. From there, learn to record audio and MIDI data, create and edit sequences, and master mixing and automation techniques such as submixing with track... more
At the end of the book, you’ll apply everything you’ve learned by building an analog synthesizer, using the... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Key features of Dance Music Manual include:
How to create compelling, professional-sounding original or remixed dance tracks.
The differences between different genres and how to produce them.
How to expose your tracks to their chosen audience and equip you with the skills to develop your career as a... more
Experienced Logic users and newcomers alike will find invaluable methods for manipulating tempo and pitch, fine-tuning audio and MIDI tracks, processing MIDI data,... more
Written by Missing Manual series creator and former New York Times columnist David Pogue, this updated guide shows you everything you need to know about the new features and user interface of iOS 9 for the iPhone. This easy-to-use book will help you accomplish everything from web browsing to watching videos so... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
The book covers all the important details of the software including: recording, editing and arranging in the Project window; slicing and looping in the Sample editor; editing MIDI events in... more
Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists: Creating Music with ChucK offers a complete introduction to programming in the open source music language ChucK. In it, you'll learn the basics of digital sound creation and manipulation while you discover the ChucK language. As you move example-by-example through this easy-to-follow book, you'll create meaningful and rewarding digital compositions and "instruments" that make sound and music in direct response to program logic, scores, gestures, and other systems connected via MIDI or the network.
more
Learn how to sync and work on any file anywhere, on any device, with iCloud Drive
Use Family Sharing to circulate your calendars, photos, iBooks, and iTunes and App Store purchases with those closest to... more
The important stuff you need to know:
Fill it up. Load your iPod with music, photos, movies, TV shows, games, and ebooks.
more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
The important stuff you need to know:
Edit video like the pros. Import raw footage and add transitions, music, and titles using iMovie’s intuitive... more
CHEAT YOUR WAY THROUGH FL STUDIO: LEARN A LITTLE BUT UNDERSTAND A LOT
ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
"There are so many options, I just don't know where to start."
"I just bought FL Studio, but I have no idea what I'm doing."
"I love the idea of making my own songs, but this is way harder than I thought."
"Making music doesn't seem to be for me. I don't have a technical background."
"I'm working with FL Studio for more than 3 months now, but my songs still suck."
"FL Studio is so... more
Explore equipment and techniques for making top-notch recordings at home
You've picked a perfect time to start recording! From PC-based to studio-in-a-box, today's equipment lets you put together a professional quality CD right at home, if you know how to use it. This guide covers everything from microphone placement to multitracking and mastering, helping you choose the right tools and use them like a pro.
Discover how to:
Create a studio around your budget Direct signal flow to maximize your sound Apply the best... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
The Most Complete, Up-to-Date CTS Exam Study SystemPublished with AVIXA(TM), CTS Certified Technical Specialist Exam Guide, Third Edition provides comprehensive coverage of all objectives on the latest release of the AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist exam--the leading internationally recognized audiovisual (AV) certification. You'll get learning... more
This full-color introduction to the smart home has been written from the ground up with one audience in mind: seniors. No ordinary "beginner's book," My Smart Home for Seniors approaches every topic from a 50+ person's point of view, using meaningful, realistic examples. Full-color, step-by-step tasks-in legible print-walk you through making your home safer and easier to live in using smart technology. Learn how to:
- Control your home's lighting with smart bulbs... more
This book focuses on five topics that underlie the hardware and software in use today: Sound, Audio, MIDI, Synthesis and Sampling, and Computer Notation and Computer-Assisted Instruction. In addition, there is an appendix that covers necessary computer hardware and software concepts.
more
The important stuff you need to know
Learn undocumented tips and tricks. Get the lowdown on cool iPad secrets
Build and play your media... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Production books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.