Review of Musician's Guide To Home Recording(mclan) (Paperback)

(Note: I'm a home recording studio beginner. Take my review accordingly.)

There are several chapters about analog tape recording which are outdated.It's not that the information is inaccurate -- my sense is that his overview on tape recording is very, very good --- but that the current cost/benefit of digital recording just overwhelms any need to know about tape.

That said, those 3-5 chapters (out of about 15-20) can simply be ignored and you'll still get a good run for your money on this book.The real value in this book is the (beginner level) guide as to how to really use a mixing board, and the individual chapters for each instrument family (guitar, acoustic piano, synths, drums, drum machines) on best-practices recording techniques.The entire book is very nicely technique oriented, with appropriate backgrounders for basic theory.

The "updated" chapters on digital recording and MIDI (another 2-3 chapters) are just tacked on, and not terribly valuable -- not his fault perhaps, as it was updated a couple years ago, and digital music (especially recording) technology is just changing so fast.

So despite almost half the contents of the book being out of date, what remains is quite timeless -- even in the face of digital mixers and self-contained recording units like the Korg D-16 and Roland VS series.If you want to learn about how to use a mixer (as something a lot more than just a patch bay) and especially EQ, I really recommend this book.

Summary of Favorites:

1) Mixing console as center of studio,

2) EQ (suggested ranges/levels for each instrument)

3) Mic placement and room acoustics (for each instrument)

4) How to design/improve your home studio room acoustics

Product Description
Updated edition includes advice on creating great demos, secrets to using 4-track Portasound cassette decks, tips for assembly and best use of 16-track home studios, a buyerÂ's guide to new and used equipment, hints from studio musicians, and more.

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