Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Sound On Sound Presents...) 2nd Edition

The first clue this book is valuable is the star ratings versus the used book price. Why do you think used copies sell for nearly as much as new? And what's the percentage of 5 stars? Those two indicators led to my purchase. Admittedly, I thought the price was steep but after reading I think it's a steal.Senior's book has a very logical flow and seems to consider absolutely every challenge mixers face. You will get the most from this book starting at the beginning and working your way through it, cover to cover. It's a very concise book and will require time to read because it never let's up giving you valuable information.I am a little at a loss for words in trying to explain how great the book is. All I can say is I've been writing music for over 15 years and have gotten better mixes through a lot of painful, time-consuming trial and error. I know what doesn't work because of MANY failures. But then I start reading this book and see Senior knows those same failures and offers the same logical solutions that worked for me. Even simple things like color coding tracks to quickly get around your mix can shoot the inexperienced in the foot, but here it is called out for you. The tips are endless and, again, the value of this book is somewhat immeasurable. Senior could make a fortune giving endless seminars just touching single chapters.My take from the book, and this will not sit well with some newbies, is that mixing is still a very hands-on, labor intensive art in its' own right. We live in a world where programmers offer us a bewildering array of affordable equipment past engineers would have sold their house for and could only dream of. Many new to mixing assume the software is the solution in and of itself and blame the programmers when things don't go as dreamed. Some keep buying plugins and add-ons looking for the golden sound solution and when those don't work they believe that if they only could afford what the pros work on their mixes could compete with commercial studios, but the fact is, again, human skill still has the edge. It's painful to know you can't just turn on auto tune and let it run unminded to correct a pitch. It's painful to know your expensive monitors leave you with nothing exciting if you don't know what you're listening for. It might also be painful to realize some songs, no matter who the mixer, can't be fixed because the arrangement is boring, confusing, not musical or too busy. But that's where this book is a Godsend. Rather than tinker at a problem until you lose your hair you can read this book which clearly spells out what you can do, what you probably can't and what you'd be a fool to undertake. Even better, the advice can be applied to a wide variety of set-ups and budgets.I've read the handful of low ratings and I see the same pattern- readers with unrealistic expectations and not enough patience to mix. That said, I'm not sure how anyone could rate the book so low and expect commercial (or even slightly good) mixing results. The book won't move the faders for you. To them I'd say they might be better off hiring a professional mixer.A million 'thank you's' to Mike Senior for this comprehensive and immensely helpful book. Seriously, if you're reading this I want you to know you've set the (very high) standard for this topic and I owe you a drink.Another million thanks to the editor (very succinct, great flow) and to the publisher for bringing this work to us.

This is by far the best book I've read on mixing. I have read a couple of other books on mixing and mastering and hundreds of magazine articles on the subject. Mike Senior tells you not only what problems to look for but gives you multiple detailed solutions for fixing them! A lot of other books will go into long winded descriptions of the problems you may face, but rarely explain them in a way as easy to understand and most often they don't give you clear instruction on how to fix them. And, other resources are often DAW specific whereas Mike Senior gives you the tools regardless of the DAW you're working in.Let me tell what this book is not. It's not a manual for recording. This book assumes that you already have your project recorded (often from the perspective that you're working on someone else's project) and that you're ready to start mixing. It does not discuss proper micing technique, effects during recording, or basically anything to do with the recording process. This book also does not cover mastering in any form. Senior goes to great lengths to explain exactly how to get a commercially viable mix completed that's ready for mastering. Look elsewhere to learn about mastering.This book was a pleasure to read. While there is no lack of specific technical explanation, Mike Senior keeps it at a minimum for need to know topics only. Actually most of the technical jargon will be during the first 80 pages when he is explaining why it is so important for your monitoring environment to be up to par. But, I wouldn't recommend skipping over the beginning even if you think you know all about having the proper treatment for your mixing room. There is tons of excellent info in this section and Mike even calls it the most important part of his book. Otherwise, he often tries to throw in a few jokes and some witty banter to help keep it light. And, all of his advice is backed up by quotes from some of the top names in the recording industry.I'd like to mention that Senior also recommends a bunch of free plugins that can help you achieve the results he is. So, don't think that this is going to be a lesson in "you don't have the cash to get the gear necessary to get the job done."Seriously, if you've read my entire review then you're ready to click add to cart and check out. You can forgo reading any other source about mixing. Everything you need to know is right in this book. From monitoring, to timing and pitch, arrangement editing, and every type of plugin processing. Honestly, I didn't know there were so many different uses for reverb.FYI: I've been home recording, mixing, and mastering as an enthusiast for over 15 yrs. From techno to hip hop, and now rock with a live 6-piece band. We record 20 tracks simultaneously in our home bedroom studio. Since finishing this book my mixes are already 10x better than before and I've barely scratched the surface on implementing the techniques detailed in this book.