Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Computer Music Reference
Review: No one in the music business should be without this book! As the editor-in-chief of Computer Music Journal, Curtis Roads has compiled the ultimate reference.Musicians will learn to appreciate the interface concepts found in almost all applications today. Engineers are given detailed descriptions of several types of synthesis.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Some parts are a bit arcane, but this book mostly succeeds in explaining mathematical principles of audio synthesis to the musician who doesn't know much math. It's a bit dense at times, but overall a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Encyclopedic and Fascinating
Review: The only thing keeping this book from being /perfect/ bedtime reading is that it's a bit hefty. But so you'll develop strong forearms. And I can honestly say this is the FIRST book I've ever seen that could serve as the textbook for a year's course on computers and music, just as well as just being an interesting on-one's-own read for the merely curious, like myself. At points, this book is only detailed enough to just give you a taste of what, say, a given music computer-language looks like, so that in many ways it's /not/ a good reference (but on some subjects it is). It reminds me of an encyclopedia, a good encyclopedia, in this way.
Rating:
Summary: Theoretical Foundations of a Continuously Evolving Art Form
Review: The rich history of electronic music technology teaches us that today's particular hardware and software designs will soon become obsolete. If there is to be any continuity discovered for musicians practicing within this medium, then it will have to be sought within the foundational theory that makes each product possible. For it is the foundational theory that will, once again, lead to the birth of the next generation of hardware and software.
With 1996's "The Computer Music Tutorial", Curtis Roads has written what may now be considered to be the most comprehensive introduction to the science of digital music currently in print. Beginning with the basics of digital audio and music systems programming techniques, the text then goes on to describe the major sound synthesis methods. The concepts are introduced with a minimum of mathematics so that the widest range of readers may come to understand the principles behind each technique. Enough detail is provided, however, to make the text of benefit to more advanced and demanding practitioners.
Some 264 pages are devoted to the theory of mixing, spatialization, an overview of pitch & rhythm recognition and a tutorial on spectrum analysis. Almost 25% of the book's 1,234 pages cover the musician's interface as it relates to controlling sonically important characteristics. Interfaces such as input devices, performance software, editors, music languages and composition systems are all discussed. Another 138 pages are devoted to digital signal processors, the MIDI protocol and system interconnections.
John W. Gordon closes out the tutorial with an introduction to the use of psychoacoustics in computer music.
"The Computer Music Tutorial", being a foundational text, will be of interest to many. This encyclopedic work will perhaps best serve the future software and hardware engineers of the music industry. Since the text is written in an accessible style, however, it will also be important reading for smart electronic musicians seeking to understand, in detail, the basics of their medium. After digesting this thorough text, the manuals for a range of current software and hardware products will be more easily comprehended and applied to musical purposes.
Rating:
Summary: A complete reference manual for all computer musicians
Review: There are hundreds of computer books out there for every application from graphics to databases. If, however, you want some useful information on music applications you may be out of luck. I've found only a few books most of which are skimpy and filled with nothing that I have'nt figured out myself. Then I stumbled across this book and was blown away. It covers every possible angle from the basic elements of sound synthesis to advanced programming. In addition it is quite easy to follow and filled with entertaining history. I would suggest it to anyone who uses their computer to make music.
Rating:
Summary: The Enhanced Bible For Computer Music
Review: This book contains enormous amount of important information for any computer music researcher, composer, programmer. It covers all the computer music related subjects in a very unique manner. The writing is superb. I have learned a lot about Digital audio concepts, Digital mixing, filtering and dozens more issues. With this book, you can start developing a software synth, Audio Effect Plug-In and other computer music related software. You can enhance your knowledge about every aspect of computer generated music and making music with computers. This is a book both for beginners and advanced professionals. A Must !
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to Computer Music
Review: This book is a perfect introduction to Computer Music for anyone who has a basic understanding of computer technology. It's huge, but the writing is fairly straightforward and it certainly kept my interest. This book's coverage of modern synthesis techniques is the best I have seen in a single text. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the diverse musical applications of computer technology.
Rating:
Summary: Good reference book
Review: This is a very good "reference book," but not really a good textbook because it covers a lot of materials which might not be good for teaching purpose or self-learners who want to learn MIDI or computer music. Still, this is a very good book, highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value for the money
Review: This is the best book on the field of computer music I have seen to date. It's a huge book (1200 some pages) covering just about everything in the computer music field, in a clear, easy-to-read style. Signal processing, input devices, editors, music languages, DSP, fourier analysis, it has it all. The bibliography at the end of the book is huge, and makes a great reference. Best of all, this book doesn't cost much more than the average computer book with 1/10 the content. This is a great book!
| 
