What do you think?
Rate this book
Sound Check: The Basics of Sound and Sound Systems
Sound Check is a simplified guide to what can be a tricky getting good sound. Starting with an easy-to-understand explanation of the principles and physics of sound, Sound Check goes on to cover amplifiers, speaker hookup, matching speakers with amps, sound reinforcement, mixers, monitor systems, grounding, and more. Includes many diagrams, lots of illustrations, and a glossary of audio terms.
- GenresNonfictionMusic
104 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1994
5 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 5, 2007
A good place to start for those looking to understand the very basics of sound and sound systems. I suggest upgrading to Yamaha's Sound Manual if you're intent on really understanding PA systems, Mics, and the like.
October 13, 2011
Nothing you couldn't find online.
July 10, 2013
I thought this was a pretty good book for beginners getting into the audio field.
I disagree with some of the comments like, "Well, you can find all this information on the internet." Unlike random material on the internet from people who come out of nowhere, this guy brought up his background in music, sound, and/or audio in the introduction to the book.
The problem with stuff on the internet is that a lot of the material can easily bypass verifiable standards.
Say, for example, you're a medical student and you need to find some information. If you look on the internet you can run into a lot of problems. There are different medications with almost the exact same spelling or pronunciation and they can be easily confused. Taken in combination with certain specific combinations or at too high a dose, these prescriptions can be lethal.
It's very similar with audio (except the comparison to audio invovles a much greater sense of humor and you don't have to make "life or death" decisions with a patient in an operating room). A lot of microphones aren't "good" or "bad"- just different. They can be "good", "bad", or "horrible" in terms of what kind of audience a DJ or musician or narrator wants to reach- but absolutely perfect when placed in a different medium.
So, because the author was a credible source I rate this book a bit higher for those who don't know much about audio or recording processes.
I also am reminded of how sometimes an introduction to the material is not such a bad thing. I remember when I was much younger, all the books I read on drawing started from a fairly intermediate level. I thought, "What gives??" I just was never taught how to draw or learned how to draw. Some people have been around audio a lot more and can blow you away with knowledge about recording just from off the top of their head. Just because "Sound Check" is a book that emphasizes the fundamentals, doesn't make it better or worse in my opinion. A lot of people weren't born "magically" knowing everything about everything about audio. (I know at least I wasn't that lucky. Haha!) So, I do think the author of this book was good at achieving his goal of reaching audiences with no basic knowledge of the fundamentals of audio- and I think he did that in a very concise and down-to-earth writing style.
Those are the reasons why I would recommend this book for anyone just starting to learn about audio. I do agree, though, that the book would be a waste of time for anyone who already has a very basic foundational knowledge of audio concepts and audio theory. If you might just happen to be getting a Master's degree in audio recording, look at some of the books and magazines published by "Tape-Op"! They're a publication that's always had some helpful knowledge to give to people interested in audio, and they gear a lot of their writing and articles towards newbies and big-time audio enthusiasts alike!
I disagree with some of the comments like, "Well, you can find all this information on the internet." Unlike random material on the internet from people who come out of nowhere, this guy brought up his background in music, sound, and/or audio in the introduction to the book.
The problem with stuff on the internet is that a lot of the material can easily bypass verifiable standards.
Say, for example, you're a medical student and you need to find some information. If you look on the internet you can run into a lot of problems. There are different medications with almost the exact same spelling or pronunciation and they can be easily confused. Taken in combination with certain specific combinations or at too high a dose, these prescriptions can be lethal.
It's very similar with audio (except the comparison to audio invovles a much greater sense of humor and you don't have to make "life or death" decisions with a patient in an operating room). A lot of microphones aren't "good" or "bad"- just different. They can be "good", "bad", or "horrible" in terms of what kind of audience a DJ or musician or narrator wants to reach- but absolutely perfect when placed in a different medium.
So, because the author was a credible source I rate this book a bit higher for those who don't know much about audio or recording processes.
I also am reminded of how sometimes an introduction to the material is not such a bad thing. I remember when I was much younger, all the books I read on drawing started from a fairly intermediate level. I thought, "What gives??" I just was never taught how to draw or learned how to draw. Some people have been around audio a lot more and can blow you away with knowledge about recording just from off the top of their head. Just because "Sound Check" is a book that emphasizes the fundamentals, doesn't make it better or worse in my opinion. A lot of people weren't born "magically" knowing everything about everything about audio. (I know at least I wasn't that lucky. Haha!) So, I do think the author of this book was good at achieving his goal of reaching audiences with no basic knowledge of the fundamentals of audio- and I think he did that in a very concise and down-to-earth writing style.
Those are the reasons why I would recommend this book for anyone just starting to learn about audio. I do agree, though, that the book would be a waste of time for anyone who already has a very basic foundational knowledge of audio concepts and audio theory. If you might just happen to be getting a Master's degree in audio recording, look at some of the books and magazines published by "Tape-Op"! They're a publication that's always had some helpful knowledge to give to people interested in audio, and they gear a lot of their writing and articles towards newbies and big-time audio enthusiasts alike!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews