There’s certainly nothing wrong with that approach, but as I get older and now have several music projects being worked on, I’ve come to the conclusion that ignorance isn’t necessarily bliss.

So during a recent trip to my favorite Barnes & Noble, I picked up this little gem of a book called Big Studio Secrets for Home Recording and Production by Joe Dochtermann.

My goal? To start my recording, engineering, and production education way too late in life. Here are my thoughts on the book and whether or not it is a good place to start.

The first thing that struck me was that I really like Dochtermann’s writing style. Very direct yet funny, and not overly-technical. You can actually learn about recording and production without being mired in hundreds of confusing terms and concepts.

The book is very well thought out, starting with a chapter on honoring those who came before us. Dochtermann gives us a quick history of a few engineering pioneers, including Les Paul, Phil Spector, and the Mowtown sound. The book then works its way through audio basics, the microphone and mic’ing techniques. Everything from studio setup to EQ, effects, and arranging information is also included.

My favorite part of the book – and I certainly haven’t absorbed (pun intended) everything the book has to offer – is the section on how to build different sound absorption traps in the “Setting Up Your Studio” chapter. Have you ever thought to use a metal trash can as a bass trap? I bet you haven’t; but Dochtermann shows you how!

Also of note, which I don’t see a lot of in the few recording books I’ve checked out, are chapters on music production and arrangement. Dochtermann covers them both, and they are welcome additions. The book also comes with a CD-Rom containing audio examples. I admit that I haven’t dug into this yet, so I can’t comment on what you get. But, the book in and of itself is well worth the price. There is a ton of well-written information that beginning audio production students can learn from.

If you want to get started down the road of recording and production and don’t know where to begin, I highly recommend this book.

Big Studio Secrets for Home Recording and Production (Book) is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Build Your Own Microphone Isolation Box is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.