Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science 3rd Edition

Amazing book with a lifetime of knowledge. One i will be studying for years. Worth the price.

Even if you don't mix and master your own tracks, this book is filled with so much useful information that you will get a lot out of it, whether you are a beginner hobbyist or advanced professional audio engineer. I thought that I was a relatively advanced user but this book has made me rethink a lot of assumptions. I can clearly hear the difference in my own productions after just reading a few chapters of this book. While this book is ostensibly about mixing and mastering, it really covers the whole range of essential audio processing tools in-depth without any filler. Any DAW or other audio tooling user should have this book on their shelf.The wide format makes sense, but it is a bit awkward ergonomically sometimes. The binding makes it a bit difficult to lay the book flat. I have considered rebinding the book with a spiral. But this is the only place where there is any room for improvement.

Having made and highlighted my own favorites for checklist out of this books advice is so well appreciated. Basing my checklist on my budget for quality helps balance out a great mix from sounding amateur to sounding like I’m up to speed with the other industry professionals in music recording artistry.

Very detailed information. Like that a beginner or expert could pick the book up and still learn something.

I don't want to crap on the book for what it's not, but I do wish the ad/referral I saw for it was more specific that it's more about how the author does his job as a music mastering engineer, and not about the science of waveforms and samples. The book is written for professional music engineers, and it is very well written for them. But I'm a voice actor and armchair engineer, so much of the book was over my head and irrelevant. For what I'm after, I'm hoping Steiglitz's 'A Digital Signal Processing Primer' will hit the mark. I should have read the description more closely before buying, but I feel the title and cover could have been misleading.

Ok. The author is a "somebody" in the world of high-end audio. I recognized his name from articles appearing in Stereophile magazine, most recently in the January 2015 issue. He knows more about the recording process than most anyone. He communicates his ideas very well, but, most importantly, he address the most relevant subjects and issues.This is a great book for an audiophile to read because it examines the details of source origination -- the recording process -- and relates it directly to the playback process. The chapters on mastering are must reading, especially the discussion of loudness, monitor quality, and monitor setup. Oh, and don't forget the chapter on jitter. This term is thrown around in audio equipment analysis as if everyone knows what it is. The discussion is so confusing elsewhere, one might be thinking it has something to do with insects dancing inside a USB cable (jitterbugs). Read what Katz has to say. Very informative.I loved the book, and will keep it as a reference. Too bad it didn't come with a hard cover, or a better cover. The cover paper is really cheap quality, but I won't subtract a star for that.

Bob's Technical and artistic as well as unselfish expertise, knowledge and wisdom , makes this book a unique and invaluable book that has a depth no other in the field has shared or written. Most mastering engineers would never release their knowledge and years of experience that will eventually vanish and most will never know, realized or learn.If you are serious about Mastering, this is a must to own and buy. It will move you ahead in time in many aspects about the career and open your mind to what you might learn in 20+ years in the profession. This book encompasses 30+ years of solid experience nowhere to be found.Simply a fact.

Over the past 10 or so years I have read all three editions and there is always something new and fresh to Bob's writings. I have also read most (if not all) of other writings regarding the subject and feel that Mastering Audio is the clearest and most concise (not short, but as concise as can be) manual offered. Not for the technically faint of heart, but most who pick this up know what they are facing. I personally appreciate the foresight and contributions Bob K has offered the entire audio community from seminars, online class in addition to these great books. Keep them coming...Well done.