How to Remix

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother.
Review: Any electronic music book with "How to..." in the title should be approached with caution and this one is no exception.

It begins with a section on getting started - not in remixing mind you,but what equipment you should get. If you had been producing for more than a month you would probably have this gear anyway. The information in it can be found in any book on music production, and there is very little information which is specific to remixing. There is a chapter dedicated to visual remixing, and this seems to be about the biggest chapter in the book (complete with a too long interview), and also the most irrelevant. Other chapters cover the basics of eqing, and how to loop sounds - all information which can be found in other books which are far better. When I first flicked through it there seemed to be a chapter dedicated to most aspects of remixing, but these are generally only 5 or 6 pages padded out with vague, and sometimes plain wrong and misleading statements. For example:

In the section on basic audio formats...

"Minidisc: A format that is slowly becoming an accepted medium for home studio producers, who favour the compression it employs."!

All audio engineers will tell you they DON'T use minidisc because of the compression it employs.

On eqing brass and wind sounds:

"A baritone sax is used for the bottom end - it's not just a clever name - while an alto sax occupies a toppier EQ level. Brass and other wind instruments, manwhile, have a similar tonal quality to vocals, and so similar treatments apply, since all three need to lie on top of the mix."

Basically a vague paragraph not really saying anything.

About 40 percent of the book is a glossary of audio terms - not what I bought a book on remixing for. All in all it seems to be written for someone who decided yesterday they want to be a producer for a month or two after hearing a song they liked on the radio.

If you already are a producer looking for something to give you a few new ideas, avoid this turkey - you won't learn anything new. If you are looking to get into electronic music production, avoid this turkey, there are far better books out there. By the way, it comes with a cd too. I haven't taken it out if its' cover. If it's anything like the book it's going to stay there.

Avoid.