Recording Secrets for the Small Studio (Sound On Sound Presents...)

This book was apparently written as a response to the growing trend of a lack of apprenticeship in the recording realm. I am certainly a member of the generation that had just enough cash to build a modest setup and started turning knobs with zero formal training and next to no mentoring aside from some quick comments here and there in passing. In that role, this book is tremendously helpful, almost too much so. It covers s very wide swath of material in a relatively short time, extending beyond most anyone's expected practice. However, no knowledge is bad knowledge here.The book reads like a textbook, so don't expect engaging narrative. It's up to you to stay attentive, because you won't get any help from the text. But for anyone who's self-taught in the world of audio recording, there's enough mandatory information here to satiate. After stumbling and bumbling for 15 years on my own, I found that I had already developed many of the basic habits spelled out here, but I could've skipped years of mistakes if I had this book earlier. And regardless, I filled in countless cracks in my knowledge with the shared information.Highly recommended for novices, and a worthy supplement for experienced folk as well. Not easy to get through, but it will give you what you came for.

I'm a songwriter who decided to become my own recording engineer due to the high costs of studio time for demo sessions. But setting up my own studio presented a real challenge. I bought Mike Senior's "Mixing Secrets" and discovered in the first few pages that my studio set-up was all wrong! I studied his book from cover to cover and I was on my way into the world of recording. I learned so much from Mike's suggestions that when his newest book appeared, "Recording Secrets for the Small Studio" I did not hesitate to get it into my hands. This book contains serious training for achieving superb vocal tracks as well as cool mic techniques for capturing the rich tones of an acoustic guitar. Concepts like "Comb-Filtering" at first glance, can be a bit scary to a songwriter, but Mike demystifies these concepts. He even talks about using Compression in a way that makes perfect sense to a non gear head. And the diagrams are terrific tools. After you buy this book and you wake up in the middle of the night kicking yourself because you spent money on that Crumhorn that you will never learn to play, know that your wise investment in Mike's book will offset that expense along with the Accordion gathering dust somewhere in your studio.Cool Crow

If you buy only one book on how to make an audio recording, this should be it! Not only does Mike know his stuff inside and out, he knows how to teach what he knows. His writing comes across in a way that feels more like you're having a chat with a really cool guy who happens to be an expert in his field as opposed to being lectured to by some stuffed shirt prima donna. His previously published book, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio, literally transformed the way I approach a mix. The first project I mixed following the road map he laid out was productive, focused, fun, and one of the best-sounding mixes I've ever done.Recording Secrets for the Small Studio presumes a certain level of know-how from the get-go, so rank beginners may do a bit of head-scratching from time-to-time. Similarly, if you've been recording for a while there will be sections you'll be tempted to skim over or skip entirely. Don't do it! There are nuggets of engineering wisdom on nearly every page.Very highly recommended.

Top quality advice from an expert I respect. I use this as an instruction and desk reference for studio setup and studio problem-solving.

I would say that this book is spot on accurate in all of its information. I recommend this book to someone who already has an understanding of mixing and mastering. Myself, after working with many clients and recording artists you'll find yourselves in similar situations as being vocalized and come to a solution. I love that one of the first topics he discusses are even things like creator-comforts, RCA cables and wires, and my favorite topic framing a session. Obviously this book has tremendous value to spend that won't come as surprising to a lot of intermediate or even beginners but I think this book is definitely speaking to intermediate level at very least.I'm on 50th page**

This is a very good book. Lots of well organized and useful information!This is the second book I have read by Mike Senior, also read "Mixing Secrets", both books are very informative and will be kept close at hand.This is not a quick read as it goes into depth with examples and suggested exercises; but stick with it, and you will be enlightened.To get the most out of it, definitely plan on doing his suggested exercises.I can definitely recommend this book.

I purchased this after I had purchased and read MIXING SECRETS. RECORDING SECRETS is another winner! Both of Mike Seniors' books should be required reading for anyone trying to get better results from their home studio recording work. Clear explanations of the technology and practical, useful advice make both of Mike's books great values. In addition to great hands on recording information, I especially enjoyed and benefited from the numerous useful tips on working with singers and players. I have already applied a number of ideas from this book, which has definitely improved my workflow and the quality of my recordings.

Now i have a much better understanding of the recording process

I've never written an Amazon review before, but I feel pretty strongly about this book - the £20 you spend on this book could save you a pretty serious amount in unnecessary mic purchases.As someone with a thorough background in music performance (professional performer w/bachelor's degree from a conservatoire) who'd previously thought "what can be so hard about recording acoustic music?" and started stabbing in the dark with budget microphones in my house, this was the perfect resource to slap me round the face and make me get my affairs in order.Fundamentals of recording setup/mic technique from the ground up, along with thorough explanations of all the subjects you've come across and glossed over wondering 'yeah, but how important can that be?' (e.g. phase cancellation, DIY room treatment, etc). It turns out really, really important, so if you haven't delved into recording theory previously, this book should be your first port of call.The way Mike writes is really engaging and (more importantly) really clear, and his website (with audio illustrations of everything he touches on in the book) is outrageously good. Can't recommend highly enough

Perfectly targeted and very readable mine of technical information, practical advice and real world home studio experience.

As a full time guitarist with a home studio set up this has been a fantastic source of information and has made a real difference to the quality of my recordings.

Informative and a good read. Good to have on hand for references to different mic techniques, and stats like polar patterns of various popular mics.

Mainly written for those using DAW and has a lot of useful information. In fact it is a very comprehensive and in depth study of studio recording.