Review of Sonar 7 Power!: The Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

I recently purchased Sonar 7 Producer Edition, which was my first Digital Audio Workstation software purchase.The developers at Cakewalk have really created a wonderful piece of software, and I found it very easy to navigate and use even without reading the supplied manual.But after a few days I came to realize that this was a Monster of a program, and that I would need a reference book to learn all it's capabilites.

I purchased Sonar 7 Power! and was really impressed by how easy it was to read (not dry like most reference manuals) and how informative it was.I was just halfway into Chapter 3 when I realized that the book had already paid for itself with all the information it had given me on how to customize Sonar.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the ins and outs of this awesome piece of software.

Product Description
Covering both Studio and Producer Editions, Sonar 7 Power! is the seventh edition of the best-selling Sonar Power book series providing detailed training for Cakewalk's Sonar 7 music recording software. Written for both new users and veteran upgraders alike, Sonar 7 Power! walks you through all of the features of the software with step-by-step instructions and exercises.New users will start at the beginning and learn everything they need to know to use Sonar 7 for recording, editing, producing, mixing, and bringing their music to the masses. Upgraders will learn about all the new features in Sonar 7 as well as enhancements to existing features that may affect their current production workflow.New topics covered include: Flexible PRV Tools, PRV Microscope Mode, MIDI Data Lanes, EQ Settings Copy, Step Sequencer, CD Ripping/Burning, Sidechaining, Using External Hardware, Boost 11 Maximizer, Linear Phase EQ, Linear Phase Compressor, Dimension LE, Rapture LE, DropZone, Z3TA+, and more.

About the Author
Scott R. Garrigus (www.garrigus.com) has been involved with music and computers since he was 12 years old. After graduating from high school, he went on to earn a B.A. in music performance with an emphasis in sound recording technology at UMass, Lowell. In 1993, he released his first instrumental album on cassette, entitled "Pieces Of Imagination." In 1995, he began his professional writing career when his first article appeared in Electronic Musician magazine. In 2000, he authored his first book, Cakewalk Power! This was the first book to deal exclusively with the Cakewalk Pro Audio, Guitar Studio, and Home Studio software applications. Since then he has authored a number of other titles including Sound Forge Power!, SONAR Power!, SONAR 2 Power!, Sound Forge 6 Power!, SONAR 3 Power!, SONAR 4 Power!, SONAR 5 Power!, Sound Forge 8 Power!: The Official Guide, and SONAR 6 Power! Today, Garrigus continues to contribute articles to a number of print and online publications. He also publishes his own music technology e-zine, called DigiFreq (www.digifreq.com), which provides free news, reviews, tips, and techniques for music technology and home recording users.

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Review of MP3 for Dummies (Paperback)

Andy Rathbone has written a fine book for MP3 devotees, MP3 for Dummies, that provides the very basic of information that people need to get started on this fast booming craze. Rathbone offers his readers an extraordinaryamount of information that the average person on the street can make useof.

MP3 has become hot news! Websites have opened up for businessand offer the latest files, players and programs are being produced, thenumber of court cases involving copyright infringement are on the rise, onelocal university has blocked student access to one file distribution sitedue to bandwidth problems, and yes, some books have been written on thesubject.

MP3 for Dummies provides detailed information about buying,downloading, creating, sharing, and selling MP3 files. Readers will learnabout a number of places where they can buy and download MP3 files andwhere they can have customized CD's created for distribution. Readers alsohave the opportunity to create their own CD's provided that they have theright equipment to do so.

Speaking of equipment, readers will learnabout the latest and the best MP3 players and storage devices on themarket. Furthermore, they will be able to choose and use portable MP3players and learn how to hook them up to home, office, and car stereoequipment for easy listening!

Other helpful information in the bookincludes the debunking of certain MP3 copyright and piracy myths, choosingand using MP3 utilities, finding Websites that distribute MP3 files,learning how to compose your own kind of music, and a variety of tips. Theaccompanying CD contains Windows, Linux, and Mac shareware versions ofpopular MP3 players, a bunch of MP3 sample tunes, and live links toWebsites that distribute MP3 files!

The information in this book isfirst-rate! The cartoons, humor, and wit are great too! Readers will learnto experience the cool sounds of MP3 and chuckle at the same time! The bookwill also contribute to their better understanding and appreciation for Webdevelopment and computer technology. This is a great beginner book for theMP3 community!



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Review of The Future of the Music Business: Music Pro Guides (Hal Leonard Music Pro Guides) (Paperback)

After reading these reviews and taking Anna Lee's very sage advice to try it via the library first, now I understand.It looks as if Mr. Gordon had several of his friends jump in and write reviews to get Ms. Lee's unfavorable review off the front page.Being the suspicious type, I checked out these reviewers, and they have all written only one review each, all giving Mr. Gordon five stars for his book, all within days of each other.

But no matter.Typical lawyer tactics don't impress me and neither did this typical lawyer's book.Having spent most of my adult life in the music industry in NYC and elsewhere, I have experienced just about everything in this business, and I am only sorry that Ms. Lee and so many others had to listen in person to this gentleman's spiel, as that's what The Future of the Music Business turns out to be: a spiel.

Yes, he has the requisite case studies with "indie" artists giving it a go on their own as an attempt to add cred to his manuscript, but Mr. Gordon (or perhaps his ghostwriter) knows nothing about digital technologies, that is apparent, nor does he offer his readers any new solutions.He is very much from the old school where the only game in town was the nearest major label that pulled all the purse strings.Now that the Internet has obliterated that, formerly holier-than-thou industry types are finding themselves at a real loss as for how to deal with it, and we see plenty of old dogs with half-a$$ed new tricks to push on the public.

The only advice I have for those in this new music industry, and it's free:Carve your own niche instead of trying to fit the ones sculpted by the suits.In these strange times where Kelly Clarkson, et. al., are unbelievably considered punk rock, we are definitely due for some big changes.The markets are changing with the emergence of India and China, not to mention a European Union with over 450 million people.Add the Internet to this mix and you have the opportunity for many niche markets to evolve without the current major label system as a constituent.The Internet is integrating into and changing the very nature of TV and radio as we know them, and amen to that.

Mr. Gordon deserves credit for one thing and one thing only: his book is no better or no worse than anything else out there.

Product Description
Updated classic on the ever-changing music industry. New technologies are revolutionizing the music business. While these changes may be smashing traditional business models, eroding CD sales, and creating havoc among the major record companies, they are also providing new opportunities for unsigned artists, independent labels, and music entrepreneurs. This book provides a legal and business road map as well as practical tips for people looking to sell music online, develop an online record company, create an Internet radio station, open an online music store, use peer-to-peer networks to promote and sell music, take advantage of wireless technologies, and much more. This revised 2nd edition is the most up-to-date and thorough examination of current trends. The accompanying CD-ROM includes an entire audio course as taught by the author at the New School for Social Research, plus hundreds of links to web resources, including continuous updates so this book will never be out of date.

About the Author
Steve Gordon is an entertainment attorney. His clients include Microsoft. Steve served as Director of Business Affairs, TV/Video for Sony Music from 1991 to 2001. He is a frequent contributor of articles on entertainment and copyright law to Entertainment Law and Finance.

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Review of Shaping Sound in the Studio and Beyond: Audio Aesthetics and Technology (Paperback)

This is a fabulous book about acoustics and recording theory. What sets this book apart from any others I have read is that it deals with the artistic/aesthetic perspective of sonic perception, which anyone who works in recording studios, professional or amateur,would agree is a crucial element for a successful product.

Product Description
Audio, in all its forms, is a combination of aesthetics and technology. An audio engineer without any sense of aesthetics could successfully run current through a console, but would be unable to judge if the resulting sounds were effective for the application. Similarly, someone with a well-developed aesthetic sense who possesses no technical knowledge would fall short trying to make great audio, since he would have an idea in mind but be unable to execute it. Shaping Sound in the Studio and Beyond takes a unique approach to teaching audio by presenting both the aesthetic and technology elements of recording audio in one text-- it helps you understand the technology while helping you train your standards of what good sound really is. No other book on the market takes this unique and comprehensive view to teach audio production. Topics covered include basic audio theory, microphones, speakers, amps, digital audio, MIDI, audio editing, signal processing, mixing, sound design, and much more. There's also a chapter that defines recording industry jobs available and offers helpful tips about how to get them and keep them. Exercises at the end of each chapter help reinforce the concepts learned. This is an ideal introduction to studio recording and audio production for anyone interested in pursuing these careers, as well as for home recordists and practicing audio engineers and musicians who want to make the most out of their equipment, or improve their communication skills in the studio.

About the Author
Longtime music business professional Gary Gottlieb refers to himself as a music generalist. A professional musician since age 13, he worked in radio on and off for 25 years, and was a music critic for 9 years. As a recording engineer and music producer in New York, Gottlieb's long and distinguished career includes work with numerous Grammy Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. His credits as a sound designer include off-off-Broadway productions, along with community and college theatre productions throughout New England. Along with his history as a music critic and entertainment writer for the Deerfield Valley News in West Dover, Vermont, and a disc jockey for WEQX, a major modern rock station in Manchester, Vermont, Gottlieb owned and operated a mobile DJ service and was a Venue Director for numerous X Games and Winter X Games for ESPN. In 2002 he accepted a position as Professor of Audio Production at Webster University in St. Louis, where he now runs the Audio program. In 2007 Thomson Publishing released Gottlieb's Shaping Sound in the Studio and Beyond, the definitive introductory textbook in audio.

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Review of MIDI Editing in Cubase: Skill Pack (Paperback)

This is a well-written and very helpful book. I am a musician of many years, however I was fairly new the world of MIDI until a few months ago. It's amazing how far it's come, and I played with it in the early days and didn't think much of it. As far as it's come, MIDI has become very sophisticated and complex. I purchased Cubase several months back, and I expected to get a handle on MIDI editing quickly. Nothing doing. What I discovered is: You can be a great musician, have spent years studying composition and arranging in a traditional sense, and none of that will necessarily help you when it comes to advanced MIDI operations and MIDI editing. Cubase has a very, very extensive and complex set of features and thoroughly understanding them is no easy task.

The Cubase manual is helpful. But, I soon discovered, it's a bit like learning to drive a car by reading the car's manual. What I realised is that I really needed a book that would walk me through various MIDI editing situations and help me get acquainted with those features in Cubase. Then, I found this book by Steve Pacey, which is exactly what I was looking for.

I just picked up the book. Having browsed through it, read the intros, and the first chapter, I can tell you it's well written. Pacey appraochs topics in a straightforward way, and his explanations are really clear. I'm going to be spending an hour or two each day to work through the book sequentially, and I think it will really pay off. If you learn best from books, then you'll really like this book. If you're taking a course in a similar topic, then I imagine this book will probably help you a lot, too. Unfortunately, music technology was nothing like it is today back when I was in school.

MIDI editing is a fairly advanced topic in my mind, and this book goes into depth. You should be generally familiar with Cubase, and you should have a reasonably good knowledge of music fundamentals. (Not to scare people away, just that if you don't know what time signatures are, for example, you might have trouble in the Quanitizing section of the book.) In this book, Pacey also covers related topics, such as score editing. He doesn't go into depth---which makes sense becuase it's a topic worthy of its own book---but, he does tie those other features of Cubase to the MIDI editing, which really helps to round out the instruction.

On a technical note, the book is written with reference to the PC version of Cubase 4. If you're using the Mac version of Cubase 4, you'll probably notice some superficial differences with the book. If you're using a previous version of Cubase, such as SX3 (which I am using on a PC), then 95% of the book will still apply to your version. (You could probably use the OEM "LE" version of Cubase and still find this book helpful.) Have the Cubase manual handy while you're working with this book so that you can cross-reference (which is something the author recommends anayway). The included CD has demo files which are specific to Cubase 4. You can't use them with a previous version of Cubase, but not a big deal---you can still work along using your own MIDI file. I'm not saying there's no value to the included demo files, just that you can easily get along without them, if need be. Don't hesitate buying this book if you're just worried that you don't have Cubase 4.

I am surprised that a book devoted to MIDI editing in Cubase hasn't come out until now. Thank you to Pacey and editors for recognising that gap.

A Table of Contents is published at the Thomson Course Technology website. I am copying it here for reference. I hope that is permissible:

Table of Contents
A Quick Look at the Key Editor
The Tool Buttons
The Toolbar
The Controller Lanes and the Line Tool
The MIDI Menu
Working with MIDI in the Project Window
The In-Place Editor and the Edit Menu
A Closer Look at Quantizing MIDI
Working with MIDI Effects and Modifiers
The Drum Editor
The List Editor, Logical Editor, and Project Browser
The Score Editor
Now That You Know Everything There Is to Know about Editing MIDI in Cubase
Working with Multiple MIDI Tracks in an Editor
More Shortcuts
Index

Product Description
MIDI editing might seem one of the most complicated tasks of any DAW, but it's one of the most important. It's also a function that Cubase® is particularly well suited to handling. Intended for those who use Cubase but want to better understand its immense MIDI editing capabilities, as well as those new to Cubase and MIDI in general, this Skill Pack will show you how to edit MIDI in every possible way using Cubase. It covers MIDI notes and events, using MIDI effects, creating a MIDI score, quantizing MIDI, and how to export your MIDI as digital audio and as a MIDI file.The Skill Pack series provides a unique book/CD-ROM learning experience that helps readers focus on a specific skill they want to learn. Unlike other books with companion discs, the source files on your Skill Pack CD-ROM are an essential part of the book's tutorials. You'll learn by applying the skills you've been taught through hands-on exercises that will take you from the novice stage to a true expert. By the conclusion of the book, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of the design and philosophy behind MIDI editing in Cubase, you'll be able to work more efficiently, and you'll know how to avoid the most common mistakes.

About the Author
Steve Pacey has held an interest in music since he was a child. His desire to learn more about music took him from piano lessons, to playing trombone in the grade-school band, to writing songs, to rapping and learning how to beat box, to playing keyboards and singing in a rock band, to attending a specialized music school, to owning and working in recording studios, to writing music for theater, TV, video, and film, to producing bands, to editing music-technology books, and writing this book. He has been a devoted Cubase user since 1990 and is currently writing and producing music for several TV shows, including the television series The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS. He's a member of ASCAP, NSAI, and owns his own music-publishing company (Spot On Music) and recording studio. Pacey lives in Nashville, TN.

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