Pre-Owned Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Paperback) by Mike Senior

I've been recording audio in one form or another for about 15 years. Mixing Secrets is without question the best book on the subject of mixing that I've found in that time. Mike Senior has been writing the well-liked "Mix Rescue" column in Sound On Sound magazine since 2006, so he's an expert at taking a sometimes lackluster recording and crafting it into a mix that's something far greater than what it was before. With all of that experience comes a wealth of practical knowledge on mixing. Some of the many highlights of this book include his lengthy discussion of monitoring, mix preparation (the work you should do BEFORE you mix), how to achieve a balance in your mix using dynamics processing and EQ, and sweetening with effects. Mike also writes with a very humorous and entertaining style that constantly reminds you that mixing is fun! You're not reading a textbook here. He also includes a "Cut to the Chase" section at the end of each chapter that sums up the most important points, and gives you an assignment for that chapter, so you'll have some homework to do (did I say this wasn't a textbook?). In conclusion, this is the book that I WISH I had when I first started recording and mixing. If you're new to mixing, get this book. If you're not new to mixing, get this book--you'll still learn a lot.

The title of this review says it all. This is one of the best, most enjoyable and concise instructional books I've ever read about any subject. To be honest, mixing is a pretty dry subject. This book actually makes it fun! But more importantly, it covers very minute and important details regarding frequencies, compression, reverberation, parallel compression....etc..etc in a very easy to understand AND in depth manner. I'll be honest, I hated mixing and really didnt have a natural aptitude for it. After reading this book, I look foreward to it and have a lot more confidence in my ability to tackle a lot of problems and issues that would have completely stumped me before. Buy this book, it is, in every sense of the expression, a no brainier if you want to learn more about mixing your own recordings.