This is a concise and insightful piece of popular music scholarship, analyzing the creative processes behind some very familiar hit singles from the 1960s. "Hits and Misses" examines a selection of songs and recordings through the lens of textual criticism and delineates the creative process as it unfolds from the initial conception of a song to the final mix presented on disc. The book takes as its subject top 40 singles released between 1963 and 1971 in the USA, Britain, and Canada, and considers the songs themselves and their transformation in the studio. Robert Toft studies the methods by which recordists (songwriters, arrangers, band members, producers, and engineers) impart their ideas to audiences. The first part of the book concentrates on songs and examines lyrics and the strategies songwriters employ to develop a story, as well as the music that enhances the telling of those stories. The second part of the book investigates the sonic surface of recordings and considers how recordists fashion musical material into effective musical discourse. "Hits and Misses" will be an invaluable text for all those who are studying the sound, craft, and context of pop music.

The acoustics of a space can have a real impact on the sounds you create and capture. Acoustics and Psychoacoustics gives you an essential grounding and understanding to how real music sounds behave in different spaces whether during a performance or a recording and how they are perceived by performers and listeners.

With their clear and simple style, Howard and Angus address both theory and practice by addressing the science of sound engineering and music production, the acoustics of musical instruments, the ways in which we hear musical sounds, and the application of these concepts to music spaces to create professional sound. Real-world examples and audio clips are included, providing practical materials to work with.

The new edition uncovers the acoustic application for today's recording industry. The accompanying CD provides audio examples to help readers gain a clear understanding of the many concepts discussed in the book
The website is packed with audio clips, questions and answers, a calculation facility as well as links and resources.

"Behind the Glass, Volume II" presents another prime collection of firsthand interviews with the world's top record producers and engineers, sharing their creative secrets and hit-making techniques - from the practical to the artistic. In these pages you'll find Daniel Lanois ("U2", Bob Dylan) discussing the future of digital recording; T-Bone Burnett (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) sharing his unique view of creating complex low end; and Hugh Padgham ("Police", "Genesis") analyzing the state of the business today. For real-world advice on everything from home recording to mixing to coaching a nervous singer, check out author Howard Massey's conversations with Mark Ronson ("Amy Winehouse"), Tony Brown ("Reba McEntire"), Gus Dudgeon ("Elton John"), John Simon ("The Band"), Russ Titelman ("Steve Winwood"), Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson), Rodney Jerkins (Mary J. Blige), Simon Climie (Eric Clapton), Matt Serletic ("Matchbox Twenty"), and more.

Everybody wants a platinum record. *Don't just wait around to get your music placed on albums that may never be released! Make your money now by scoring music for high priced tv commercials. Advertising is a billion dollar industry. Learn how to position yourself to make 30 grand in the 30 second field of advertising!!

Sample This (Third Edition) is your opportunity to learn about sampling directly from the professionals. This book is for both the established musician who wants to develop a greater understanding of what sampling can do to help them make music, as well as the musician who is taking their first steps in sampling. Sample This contains hundreds (literally) of tips from professional musicians with years of experience of sampling, sound design, and creating large sample libraries. It is a resource you will want to return to again, and again. In addition, purchasers of the book will also receive TSW-X VST, a sample-based synthesizer (Windows PC (XP) compatible) together with a wide range of sample material from Back in Time Records (after submitting proof of purchase).

Success in the music industry is not just about great music; it's about working smarter and knowing the business. Drawing on their many years of experience in the high-tech, rapidly changing music industry, authors A. J. Grant and Lo Rene give aspiring musicians, songwriters, and managers the practical information and expert advice they need to make it big in music.

Musicians, songwriters, and co-owners of an entertainment company, Grant and Lo Rene offer a realistic, insider view of the industry and show you how to develop and sell your "whole package," including talent, image, communication skills, and business know-how. Recommended assignments and projects help you build self-esteem, set achievable goals, network effectively, endure the pressures of a highly competitive business, and perfect the kind of stage presence that impresses an audience (and any key music executives who might be in it).

Whether you're looking to land a recording agreement, a publishing deal, or just some more lucrative gigs, you will find this resource invaluable for building a rewarding and lasting career in music.

""With the practical and easily approachable teachings of this book, the new artist will place themselves in a direct position for faster progress and possibly even greater success."" --Germaine "Kingdomchild" Moody, CEO, Moodtyme Entertainment and Corporate

Producing Hit Records takes a behind the scenes look with today's top record producers at what it takes to sit in the big chair. Producers talk about how they got into the field, how they continue to get work, how they motivate artists to come up with that great take and what it's like to work in an industry that's constantly changing.

The Ultimate Source of New Ideas for High-Tech Enthusiasts!

Produced in conjunction with CNET, the Web's most popular technology portal, the CNET Do-It-Yourself series offers computer, gadget, and software users exciting and innovative projects to help get more enjoyment and productivity out of the latest high-tech products. This book features: 24 self-contained projects; easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions; and hundreds of clear photos and screen shots.

The Def Jam legend shares his secrets. Under the leadership of Kevin Liles - the highest ranking and youngest African-American executive in the record industry - Def Jam Music grew from a fledgling million-dollar boutique label into a multi-million-dollar brand that transcends demographics and is recognized around the glove. Liles has worked with the biggest names in hip-hop, including Jay-Z, Diddy, Method Man, and Ja Rule. And now he's sharing the wealth, the wealth of knowledge and expertise he's gleaned from fifteen years in business. Full of eye-opening real-world anecdotes from Lile's life, the "Ten Rules" plan advises readers on: how to find something that you want badly enough to make you work harder than you ever imagined possible; how to strategize and look ahead; how to embrace the hard-knock life and learn from failure, and more.

King lays out the steps one must take to learn the art and craft of hip-hop production. He begins with a brief history of the genre, explains the roles of a producer and beat-maker, how to build a studio, assemble a production team, and promote the music. He also reveals invaluable information about how advance-against-royalty deals work.

Echo and Reverb is the first history of acoustically imagined space in popular music recording. The book documents how acoustic effects--reverberation, room ambience, and echo--have been used in recordings since the 1920s to create virtual sonic architectures and landscapes. Author Peter Doyle traces the development of these acoustically-created worlds from the ancient Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus to the dramatic acoustic architectures of the medieval cathedral, the grand concert halls of the 19th century, and those created by the humble parlor phonograph of the early 20th century, and finally, the revolutionary age of rock 'n' roll.
Citing recordings ranging from Gene Austin's 'My Blue Heaven' to Elvis Presley's 'Mystery Train, ' Doyle illustrates how non-musical sound constructs, with all their rich and contradictory baggage, became a central feature of recorded music. The book traces various imagined worlds created with synthetic echo and reverb--the heroic landscapes of the cowboy west, the twilight shores of south sea islands, the uncanny alleys of dark cityscapes, the weird mindspaces of horror movies, the private and collective spaces of teen experience, and the funky juke-joints of the mind.

Everything you need to know to make it big and take it all the way to the top, from the Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, musician, record exec, and American Idol judge.
So you wanna be a superstar? You want the fans? The glitz? The glamour? The money? The bling? American Idol judge Randy Jackson has been the man behind the star-making machine for the past 25 years, producing, recording, managing and performing with the biggest names in the music industry, including *NSYNC, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Destiny's Child, Bon Jovi and Journey, among many others. If anybody knows the music biz, it's Randy.
Now for the first time, Randy reveals his secrets--and those of the industry's top experts--to making it big in the music industry. With his cool, hip, straightforward style, he's going to break it all down for you in layman's terms. He's going to help you find your musical style and how it can mean the difference between scoring a record deal--or going nowhere. He'll give you the 411 on how to land gigs, network with the industry's power players, make a blazing hot demo and snag the all-important record deal--all while staying true to yourself.
So if you think you have what it takes to be the next Beyonce, Justin Timberlake or 50 Cent, or even the next American Idol, read What's Up, Dawg and let's see if you got What's up

From gopher to gold records. This book is your complete reference for technical careers in the recording studio. Whether you're still in high school, enrolled in a college of music or recording program, or about to embark on your first studio internship, you'll refer to this manual again and again. You'll find real-world advice every aspiring recording engineer / producer needs to land a studio gig and keep it. First-hand stories and advice from the top engineers and studio managers in the United States. Descriptions of the various technical jobs that are available in the recording industry. Hefty resource section packed with essential information...everything from a comprehensive list of educational facilities to resume and cover letter tips.

Advances in audio industry technology have opened up tremendous, new creative options. Musicians can now bend, shape, mold, stretch, tune, distort, and restore with an ease only imagined 10 or 15 years ago. Today, if you can imagine it, you can create it. The S.M.A.R.T. Guide to Mixers, Signal Processors, Microphones, and More covers the essential ingredients in audio recording -- core equipment, the building blocks of the entire technical and creative aspects of audio recording -- and includes an impressive DVD with more than 100 video and audio demonstrations that enhance and clarify the concepts in the book. You will cover specific techniques designed to improve the overall quality of your audio recordings, enabling them to viably compete with the music on your favorite professional recordings. Study recording examples that fit real musical situations, and learn solutions to common problems that will help you enhance your music. Put each new principle and concept into practice, combine it with your own creativity and imagination, and start cranking out the hits!

Obsessed or possessed? Tara C. Dance-House chanteuse spins a tale of music, sex, violence and intrigue. Check it On the road to success, it's ride or die and in Honey's world you have to make your own moves Striving to create a thriving music career as an unsigned artist tackling inner demons while maintaining control for inner peace struggling to stay focused amidst every thing that seems to be working against you while laying the foundation for stardom and that hit record. This is Walk Honey's odyssey of debauchery, lust and mayhem. The truth keeps you reeling as she name drops on celebs, rappers, singers and talents of the 'Whose Who in the entertainment industry. You know it aint a lie, cos any one in 'The Biz will have to recognize the obsessed, the driven or the so many others that come into their world to play at the price of use and abuse. No matter the outcome it's ineffable. It's Murder in Music Land Every artiste has a story. This is Honey's. This contains adult content and extremely sensitive material.

This highly entertaining book is packed with insights from the most successful music producers and full of revealing anecdotes about the business and the stars. (Music)

Wired for Sound is the first anthology to address the role of sound engineering technologies in the shaping of contemporary global music. Wired sound is at the basis of digital audio editing, multi-track recording, and other studio practices that have powerfully impacted the world's music. Distinctions between musicians and engineers increasingly blur, making it possible for people around the globe to imagine new sounds and construct new musical aesthetics. This collection of 11 essays employs primarily ethnographical, but also historical and psychological, approaches to examine a range of new, technology-intensive musics and musical practices such as: fusions of Indian film-song rhythms, heavy metal, and gamelan in Jakarta; urban Nepali pop which juxtaposes heavy metal, Tibetan Buddhist ritual chant, rap, and Himalayan folksongs; collaborations between Australian aboriginals and sound engineers; the production of "heaviness" in heavy metal music; and the production of the "Austin sound." This anthology is must reading for anyone interested in the global character of contemporary music technology.
CONTRIBUTORS: Harris M. Berger, Beverley Diamond, Cornelia Fales, Ingemar Grandin, Louise Meintjes, Frederick J. Moehn, Karl Neunfeldt, Timothy D. Taylor, Jeremy Wallach.

Playback is the first book to place the fascinating history of sound reproduction within its larger social, economic, and cultural context-and includes appearances by everyone from Thomas Edison to Enrico Caruso to Dick Clark to Grandmaster Flash to Napster CEO Shawn Fanning. In a narrative that begins with Edison's cylinder and ends with digital music, the ubiquitous iPod, and the file-sharing wars, this is a history we have all experienced in one way or another. From the Victrola, the 78, the 45, and the 33 1/3 to the 8-track, cassette, compact disc, DAT, and MP3, the story of Playback is also the story of music, and the music business in the twentieth century and beyond.

The prices of recording equipment continue to drop dramatically, giving musicians and sound engineers increasing opportunities to make quality-level recordings. The Ultimate Guide to Music Recording takes a unique approach to this growing market, giving readers two books in one: a concise, tutorial audio engineering text in Part One, and then a 'cut to the chase', how to record any instrument fast guide in Part Two. By carefully cross-referencing these sections, industry vet Shea has created the ultimate recording resource: a textbook where you can see immediately how basic principles are utilized in the studio, and a "how-to" guide that comes complete with all the background technical material one could need -- particularly when things don't turn out as planned. Covering the basics of studio recording technology, recording techniques for every major class of instrument, and a masterclass on mixing, this is the most complete guide to music recording ever written.

(Book). You may not have heard of them, but you have certainly heard their songs From the lo-fidelity origins of early pioneers to today's dazzling technocrats, the role of the music producer is as murkily undefined as it is wholly essential. Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings is an exploration of the influence of the often colorful, idiosyncratic and visionary music producers through popular music and the fascinatingly crucial role they have played in shaping the way we hear pop music today. Sonic Alchemy is nothing short of the secret history of the music producer.

Digital compression technologies such as MP3 and Napster are having an explosive impact on the way music is distributed. Every day, hundreds of thousands of music files are searched for, shared, recorded, and listened to by computer and Web users-all free of charge. It's a boon for consumers and a disaster for record companies, and the end result can be nothing less than a cultural and economic transformation. Sonic Boom is a fascinating narrative of the controversy that's sending shock waves through the music industry. It's the story of musicians such as the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, who are reaching fans without record company support; entrepreneurs who are distributing MP3 files without licensing agreements; and record-industry executives who are fighting for their business at every turn. It reveals how, even as the star-maker machinery of record companies remains in the hands of the old guard, innovators are finding ways to outsmart it. Peopled with a sensational cast of characters that includes rock stars, music moguls, teenagers, and Internet entrepreneurs, Sonic Boom exposes the recording industry's plight as a fascinating microcosm of the vast cultural, ethical, and legal issues that all industries face in the information age.

How the Chinese pop of the 1960s participated in a global musical revolution What did Mao's China have to do with the music of youth revolt in the 1960s? And how did the mambo, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan sound on the front lines of the Cold War in Asia? In Circuit Listening, Andrew F. Jones listens in on the 1960s beyond the West, and suggests how transistor technology, decolonization, and the Green Revolution transformed the sound of music around the globe. Focusing on the introduction of the transistor in revolutionary China and its Cold War counterpart in Taiwan, Circuit Listening reveals the hidden parallels between music as seemingly disparate as rock and roll and Maoist anthems. It offers groundbreaking studies of Mandarin diva Grace Chang and the Taiwanese folk troubadour Chen Da, examines how revolutionary aphorisms from the Little Red Book parallel the Beatles' "Revolution," uncovers how U.S. military installations came to serve as a conduit for the dissemination of Anglophone pop music into East Asia, and shows how consumer electronics helped the pop idol Teresa Teng bring the Maoist era to a close, remaking the contemporary Chinese soundscape forever. Circuit Listening provides a multifaceted history of Chinese-language popular music and media at midcentury. It profiles a number of the most famous and best loved Chinese singers and cinematic icons, and places those figures in a larger geopolitical and technological context. Circuit Listening's original research and far-reaching ideas make for an unprecedented look at the role Chinese music played in the '60s pop musical revolution.