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Rating: 
Summary: My new hero!
Review: First of all, I want to review Garrigus' book and tell you how it really has helped me better understand my SF 6.0 software.Secondly, I wanted to comment on the fact that Garrigus himself came along and set someone else straight on his book! That was pretty cool. Yes, this book is for the beginner and that's okay. I purchased SF 6.0 the weekend it came out, and to that point had used about 40% of it's functionality. About 2 months ago, my wife ran across this book for me and brought it home. It sat in my studio (becoming a drink coaster & the like) and then one day I became very frustrated about a few functions and I remembered the book. The chapters are well thought out, the book makes seemingly difficult features easy to understand but here's the shocking part.....I feel like musicians WILL read it.
We're notorious for trying to make everything in our studios, "plug 'n play" no matter what! LOL....then we wonder why we have thousands of dollars worth of software and use about $100 worth of it's full potential! My goal for 2004 is to fully be able to use all my music-based software, and I would hazard a guess that anything Garrigus writes would help me do so! Great work Scott, do you have an Acid 4.0/FL Studio book too?
Rating: 
Summary: Reply to whomeverwhatever review
Review: I am the author of this book, and this message is made in reply to the review left by the person calling themselves 'whomeverwhatever.' Your review is totally off-base. First of all, there are a number of practical examples provided in the book. There may not be as many as you would like, but this book was written to help readers understand how to use all of the functions of the software. And yes, this book is for beginners and intermediate users. There is plenty of information provided about audio basics. All of the functions of the software are covered and are explained in detail. What they are, why you would use them, and how to use them. I have no idea where you get the idea the book is better for people using MIDI. Sound Forge provides very few MIDI functions. Most of the information in this book deals with how to record and edit digital audio. Sound Forge is a digital audio editing application. And as far as the EQ example that you talked about is concerned, you must have read it wrong. I said that EQ can be used as a simple means of reducing noise in audio. It is not meant as a total solution. And yes, by reducing high frequency content, you can reduce noise. I happen to have a college degree in sound recording technology from UMass, one of the best schools in the USA. It sounds to me like YOU are the one who needs more schooling. The next time you decide to review someone else's work, it might be a good idea for you to do some thinking before you do any actual typing.
Rating:
Summary: Computer Music
Review: Scotts book makes this application come alive. If your serious about doing music on your computer then you need this software and if you serious about this software you need this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Bad book but Not a Good One - Either
Review: The Author dutifully documents almost every option within the program. However, often you'll wish for a bit more clarity and/or depth in his coverage of the powerful options within Sound Forge. Sadly, the author rarely provides practical examples of when and where certain program options are useful. Equally frustrating, is that the author rarely bothers to share his personal experiences and his recommended settings within the many powerful options this program offers. The manner in which this book was printed is also frustrating. The screen shots are always a bit too small for most eyes. The black and white format is a poor choice compared to a color one. This book is NOT for beginners because there are almost no audio basics discussed. Amazingly, the author even states that decibles (db) are too complex to discuss (not the case). Sadly, an overview of what tasks Sound Forge is useful for is not even provided!!! This book is better than what comes with Sound Forge but not by a wide margin. The author is most comfortable with the subject material when it is applied to MIDI Instruments. Many examples are provided and it's pretty clear the author uses this program with some kind of Midi Instrument. If that's your intended usage, I'd buy this book. Overall, what you get in this book is a rigid and less than insightful discussion of every option within Sound Forge. Better than the manual but not by much ---- unless you own a Midi Instrument. This book is almost certainly written by a musican with a very good but less than perfect understanding of the technical aspects of audio. While, in general, the book provides very little practical advice based on experience, what little advice that is provided, can be just wrong. For example, the author suggests using a filter (EQ) that removes frequencies above 18KHz to remove hiss from a recording. Now, 18KHz is above the hearing limit of most adults (beyond the age of 30) and certainly, even for younger ears, has little or nothing to do with hiss. I suspect such lapses are in areas the author has little practical experience. Still, the book is better than the manual, although not by a wide margin. There's not enough basic information to help beginneers, so they should pass on it. Intermediates will gain some information but not alot. Advanced users can pass. Those with the most to gain are MIDI users. Addendum: Feruary 2004 - Since Mr. Garrigus, the author, choose to respond to the comments I posted, I'd like to take this opportunity to rebute him. I was, for many years an AES member (Audio Engineering Society). I'm sorry Mr. Garrigus viewed my comments as a personal attack, as opposed to constructive criticism. The errors I noted in his text, as in his suggestion of reducing hiss in a recording by inserting a 18KHZ filter, are quite simply --- just wrong. There is not anyone competant in audio who would endorse such a solution. So little audio information is contained in the bandwith above 18KHZ that removing the frequencies above that point will never have any meaningful effect on "hiss". Sadly, based on the author's latest comments, this is someone who does not know what he does not know.
Rating:
Summary: Quality
Review: This book is a must have and big thanks to Scott for writing it. I knew I had only scratched the surface of Soundforge's power and this book reaffirmed that. This book is only eclipsed by the genius of the software itself. Niice!
Rating:
Summary: Quality
Review: This book is a must have and big thanks to Scott for writing it. I knew I had only scratched the surface of Soundforge's power and this book reaffirmed that. This book is only eclipsed by the genius of the software itself. Niice!
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