I have to recommend both books here: Music Theory for Computer Musicians and Harmony for Computer Musicians. A lot of theory books are hard to read. They’re either to convoluted, or simply too hard to follow along with. Michael Hewitt’s books are different. They’re written for the person who uses a computer to make music. Ableton music software, free download. Multimedia tools downloads - Ableton Live Lite by Ableton and many more programs are available for instant and free download. If your music is fundamentally about sound design, then it’s possible that notes and rhythms aren’t much of a factor in your work at all. In such cases, these techniques will probably just waste time. But if you’re a producer working in a less experimental genre, starting with simple sounds might help you get to better music.

It takes a lot of knowledge and knowhow to get better at music production, studying a few music production books can help.

Practicing is always the best way to get better, but sometimes it’s important to sit down and dive into the theory.

If you aren’t sure where to get a solid foundation in music production knowledge there are lot great minds in the production world that are worth paying attention to.

Whether you want to know about the technical aspects of recording, mastering, or mixing, or the philosophy behind making good music here’s our list of music production books you need to read this year.

1. Mixing With Impact

This book takes the number one spot because it was recommended to me by Al Isler our Senior Audio Engineer (make sure to check out his YouTube series).

In Mixing With Impact, Wessel Oltheten explorer many practical aspects of mixing but combines his expert knowledge with useful, artistically minded advice.

Mixing is as much an art as it is a science, and Oltheten provides a balanced by useful perspective on this topic.

Mixing is as much an art as it is a science, and Oltheten provides a balanced by useful perspective on this topic.

2. The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook

For a comprehensive look at mixing check out The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook by Bobby Owsinski.

This handbook is one part of a series of three music production books that cover Recording, Mixing and Mastering. No serial number in bios.

The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook contains an in-depth guide into modern best practices in mixing while blending in time tested techniques.

Owsinksi covers all the essentials by breaking down the mixing process into understandable lessons.

You’ll learn everything you need to know for different mix styles, arranging rules, mix building, EQ, reverb, layering, and more!

3. Mastering Audio: The Art and Science

The most comprehensive text that covers absolutely everything you need to know about mixing and mastering.

This is the textbook where many audio engineers start with getting a formal education.

This is the textbook where many audio engineers start with getting a formal education.

While it can be a little bit dense at times, you can find pretty much every imaginable detail about both mixing and mastering in this book.

4. How Music Works

While it’s not explicitly about music production, this New York Times best-selling book is a must-read for any musician, music producer, or artist.

In How Music Works music legend David Byrne takes a comprehensive look at what it takes for music to work.

Byrne walks through his unique views on how context, location, dance, set design, technology and more play a role in creating good music.

5. The Recording Engineer’s Handbook

The second installment in Bobby Owsinki’s trio of music production books is The Recording Engineer’s Handbook.

Much like its counterparts, this text focusses on miking techniques for recording any musical instrument with a special look at miking drums.

Owsinski also discusses the art of studio recording and outlays his tips for getting the best performance out of a vocalist and his secrets for getting the best sound without expensive gear.

6. Rick Rubin: In the Studio

Rick Rubin: In the Studio follows the legendary music producer around the studio to unearth his process and trade secrets.

Author Jake Brown gives a glimpse into Rubin’s early days and his long and successful career having worked with many of the world’s biggest artists.

https://devotedlyswimmingking.tumblr.com/post/632668872451964928/sword-art-online-hollow-fragment-english-iso. If you want to get inside the head of Rick Rubin and begin to understand where his unique recording philosophy comes from, this novel is an excellent place to start.

If you want to get inside the head of Rick Rubin and begin to understand where his unique recording philosophy comes from, this novel is an excellent place to start.

7. Behind the Glass

In Behind the Glass, Howard Massey sits down for interviews with a collection of high profile recording engineers and music producers.

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Massey expertly encourages guests such as Brian Wilson, George Martin, Phil Ramone and others to open up about their recording process, techniques, and philosophy.

This deep dive into the head of one of the world’s best is a great read for any music producer looking to expand their knowledge about music production.

8. The Mastering Engineer’s Handbook

The third and final Bobby Owsinksi book on this list is the Mastering Engineer’s Handbook.

Just like Owsinski’s Mixing and Recording Handbooks, this text focusses specifically on the ins and outs of mastering a track.

While today is possible to get great masters with automated AI software, learning the practice of mastering is still useful for music producers.

With the Mastering Engineer’s Handbook you get all the knowledge and knowhow to create great sounding masters on your own.

9. Temples of Sound

Temples of Sound looks famous music studios from past eras.

From the hallowed halls of Sun Records to the state of the art facilities in the Capitol Records building, William Clark and Jim Cogan tell a story about 15 distinct production studios.

Get a never before seen look into a few of the most legendary studios in music history with exclusive pictures and in-depth interviews.

10. Oblique Strategies

Alright, this isn’t really a book per se, but it is a useful resource to have around the studio if you find yourself or the people you work with struggle with finding creativity.

Oblique Strategies is a set of 208 cards designed by Brian Eno to help artists create boxes and limitations to stimulate creativity.

Oblique Strategies is a set of 208 cards designed by Brian Eno to help artists create boxes and limitations to stimulate creativity.

Each card contains phrases that ask the artist to take specific actions, consider key thoughts, or use specific limitations in their creative process.

The card set is a great tool for settling disputes between band members or reducing deadlock in the studio and has been used by the likes of MGMT, Coldplay, and others.

11. Music, The Brain, and Ecstasy

Robert Jourdain takes a deep dive into why music sounds so good to human ears and how different sounds trigger such a variety of responses.

This is a great book if you’ve ever wondered about the physiological reasons for why a wailing Oboe can bring someone to tears, or why a specific song can make you feel amazing.

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In understandable language, Jourdain dives into the neurological and physiological science behind what gives us our uniquely human appreciation for music.

Read, retain, and return to your art

Getting your knowledge up is an excellent way to get better at music production.

Getting your knowledge up is an excellent way to get better at music production.

But remember, your knowledge is only good once you start putting it into practice.

Always keep learning but don’t get too bogged down with theory.

Keep your creation workflow open and don’t let anything stop you from making cool tracks!

On top of extending the duration of time you can spend learning about music production, books don’t need to trim all the fat to increases view counts in the way that YouTube videos do. When you pick up a book, there’s a good chance that you’re looking to immerse yourself in a new world. A book that delves deep into the world of music production is going to provide you with one of the most profound levels of understanding that you can achieve.

This list includes seven of my top recommended books that all music producers must read. I’ve listed these books in the order that I think most people should read them, assuming they have no background in music whatsoever. Additionally, the prices are listed for the paperback version of each book, but many of them are available as eBooks as well.

As essential as it is to seek out new information, it’s just as important to put what you learn into practice. Many people like to use the 20/80 rule of thumb, which states that you should split your time into 20% active learning, and 80% practice. It’s when you practice that the information you’ve acquired manifests itself inside your long-term memory.

‍1. Modern Recording Techniques (Audio Engineering Society Presents) ($50)

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If you’re looking for an in-depth overview of how songs are taken from start to finish at a professional level, Modern Recording Techniques (Audio Engineering Society Presents) by David Miles Huber and Robert E. Runstein is the book for you. It provides excellent insight into the process of recording, production, mixing, and mastering. By the time you finish reading this book, you won’t be wondering which way is up anymore, and you’ll have exponentially improved your music production and audio engineering vocabulary.

When you work professionally as a music producer, not knowing about the technical side of things can really hinder your ability to communicate with other people in the industry. I highly recommend this book for beginners, as well as more seasoned producers and engineers who want to fill the gaps in their production knowledge. This book provides foundational information that all of the other books on this list will gracefully compliment.

Out of all the books on this list, Modern Recording Techniques (Audio Engineering Society Presents) will probably take you the longest to read. At over 600 pages, it is quite lengthy, but the pure saturation of content is what will keep you occupied; not the page count.

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2. Making Music: Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers ($30)

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While a large number of people reading this blog, do in fact produce electronic music, Making Music: Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers by Dennis DeSantis contains useful creative tips for all kinds of musicians and producers. It addresses 74 different creative problems that you’ll likely face at some point throughout your music career and provides insight into how you can overcome these challenges. This book is structured in a way that lays out a particular problem, and then offers a clear solution, or a number of solutions, that you can use to continue effectively writing music.

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Some examples of the content within this book include how to improve your productions by actively listening to music, overcoming placing arbitrary constraints on yourself, and dealing with procrastination using timeboxing. These are just some of the topics covered in-depth that you probably won’t find in a technical textbook on music production and audio engineering.