Best 7 Books on Studio Mixing and Engineering

22-Nov-2023

Though practicing is the best way to improve, sitting down and studying the theory sometimes is also helpful. Many great minds are worth paying attention to if you are unsure of where to get a firm foundation in knowledge about music production. Here is our list of audio engineering books you must read, regardless of whether you want to learn about the technical aspects of recording, mastering, or mixing or the philosophy behind creating good music.

1. The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinki

Bobby Owsinski's The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is a classic guide for those just starting in music mixing. Starting from scratch and progressively increasing your knowledge of music mixing, this audio engineering book will give you some fundamental knowledge.

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook has been a valuable resource for mixing enthusiasts for over 20 years. It is excellent for beginners because it has several studio pieces of advice.

This book includes basics, sophisticated advice and methods to help you mix better. It has everything, including EQ settings, effects, and even self-mastering tracks!

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2 Mastering Audio: The Art and Science by Bob Katz

This is one of the most comprehensive texts on mixing and mastering that addresses every topic. Many audio engineers begin their formal education with this textbook.

The technical puzzles that frequently found audio engineers are solved in this audio engineering book. In his enlightening and entertaining manner, Bob Katz explains the technical details of the subject while providing helpful advice and real-world examples.

Although occasionally a bit dense, this book contains every nuance you could want to know about mixing and mastering.

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3. The Recording Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinki

The Recording Engineer's Handbook is the second book in Bobby Owsinki's trilogy on music production, which is now a standard text in music production courses in several universities across the globe.

Similar to its counterparts, this text concentrates on drum miking techniques for recording any musical instrument.

In addition, Owsinski talks about the craft of studio recording and offers advice for getting the best performance possible from a vocalist and achieving the best sound without using expensive equipment.

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4. Mixing and Mastering in the Box by Steve Savage

The next book on our list is by Steve Savage, a jazz and rock music producer and active songwriter who also teaches music at several universities. If you're a beginner in mixing and mastering, you should probably save this audio engineering book for later since it is an excellent choice for intermediate to advanced mix engineers.

The book's condensed text is packed with helpful tips on both the craft of mastering and music mixing. This is especially helpful as more producers choose to do their mastering, but frequently don't take the time to fully understand the procedure.

This book is for you if you want to be able to release the finished product and you have some experience mixing music.

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5 . Rick Rubin: In The Studio by Jake Brown

The book explores the legendary music producer's working methods and studio trade secrets.

Author Jake Brown provides a glimpse into Rubin's early years as well as his lengthy and successful career, which includes collaborations with many of the biggest artists in the world.

This book is a great place to start if you want to learn more about Rick Rubin's thinking process and where his distinctive recording philosophy comes from.

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6. Step By Step Mixing: How to Create Great Mixes Using Only 5 Plug-ins by Bjorgvin Benediktsson

The goal of this audio engineering book by music producer Bjorgvin Benediktsson, is to teach you everything there is to know about the five effects that are most frequently used when mixing music: compression, EQ, saturation, reverb, and delay.

In this book, he explains the whys and hows of employing each of these effects as well as how to combine them to produce a finished track that sounds polished and accomplished.

Aspiring artists and pros both can use this book because as an artist, there is always something you might have missed, which you can find here. Moreover, it contains some really good pieces of advice. It is recommended because you will learn everything you need to know about the fundamentals of music mixing from scratch. Every page of the book contains only sound advice; there are no text bloats.

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7. Mixing with Impact

Mixing with Impact is one of the best books on music mixing, where Wessel Oltheten explores many practical aspects of mixing. Additionally, the author of the audio engineering book also combines his expert knowledge with useful, artistically minded advice.

As an artist, you must understand that mixing is an art and a science. Accordingly, Oltheten provides a balanced perspective on the topic in the book.

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Conclusion

Thus, the list will help you decide which book to study for sound engineering. These audio engineering books have useful information on music production and are recommended both for a professional working in a studio or a simple beginner.