EDUCATION RESOURCES

Below are some helpful links about audio, as well as some websites I visit for gear, discussion, or further reading!

GENERAL AUDIO PRODUCTION

Audio University on YouTube
Izotope on YouTube
SonicAcademy on YouTube
TapeOp - A Free Magazine about Audio Recording
Sound On Sound - Recording/Production/Gear Reviews

GENERAL RECORDING, MIXING, & MASTERING

Mix With The Masters on YouTube
SonicScoop on YouTube
The Mix Academy on YouTube
iZotope Academy
DPA Microphones - Mic University

Total Recording by Dave Moulton - Abe Books / U. Rochester Library
This is my personal handbook for recording. Everything you’ll ever need to know about the basic practices of recording are contained within. Grab a used copy — the new copies are really expensive.

The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook by Bobby Owinski - Amazon / U. Rochester Library
Another great book about engineering! Highly recommended for those just starting out in the field.

Mastering Audio by Bob Katz - Amazon / U. Rochester Library
An advanced book about audio mastering. Incredible insight into the practice.

Recording Unhinged by Sylvia Massey - Amazon
One of the best books about creative practices in the studio. Miking things in weird ways, mixing techniques to get odd sounds — it’s all there.

ONLINE AUDIO COMMUNITIES

Hey! Audio Student! - Facebook Group
Reddit - r/audioengineering
Reddit - r/acoustics

BOOKS ABOUT RECORDING SESSIONS AND ALBUMS

Temples of Sound by William Clark and Jim Cogan - Amazon
A fantastic book about legendary studios (most of which are no longer around) and the albums that were made there.

Studio Stories by David Simons - Amazon
Incredible book and stories about studios in New York City between 1950 and 1980.

On The Record by Al Schmitt - Amazon
Want to know about recording and producing Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Diana Krall, Neil Young, Steely Dan, and others? Read this book. Great stories from one of the greatest engineers.

The Producer As Composer by Virgil Moorefield - Amazon
Have you ever asked, “How did they make that sound in the studio?” This book details specific sounds and albums/songs that contain those sounds. A great resource for anyone emulating a particular sound.

Making Records by Phil Ramone - Amazon
Phil Ramone recorded and produced the likes of Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Alice Cooper, Paul Simon, Chicago, and others — his list of credits is incredible and he offers great insight into his production and working with those artists.

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions - Amazon
Incredibly detailed notes on every song, every session, and every microphone used by The Beatles.

Here, There, and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick - Amazon
Geoff Emerick was responsible for the sound of The Beatles from Revolver until Abbey Road. He defined what a “creative engineer” could do.

Sound Man by Glyn Johns - Amazon
Glyn Johns recorded The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, and more recently Ryan Adams and Band of Horses. He helped usher in the “independent engineer” who was not tied to a specific label.

The Roger Nichols Engineering Method by Roger Nichols - Amazon
Roger recorded everyone from Steely Dan to Gloria Estefan. He was one of the preeminent engineers of the 1970’s to the 1990’s.

Kind of Blue: The Making of the Masterpiece by Ashley Kahn - Amazon
There aren’t many mentions of mics or specific engineering practices, but this tells the story of one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album by Ashley Kahn - Amazon
Creating Coltrane’s A Love Supreme presented itself with challenges of musicians becoming clean of drugs, or still using, and bringing their humanity into the recording.

BASIC EAR TRAINING SKILLS

iZotope Pro Audio Essentials
Audio Production and Critical Listening Web App - This is a supplement to the book Audio Production and Critical Listening by Jason Corey

REALLY NERDY EAR TRAINING SKILLS

Zildjian Cymbals - Listen to how different cymbals sound when you change the size, type, physical makeup, and where the cymbal is struck.

INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENT PRODUCTION & RESOURCES

STRINGS

STUDIO PRACTICES AND ADVICE

In the Studio with George Massenburg - In The Control Room Pt. 1
In the Studio with George Massenburg - In The Control Room Pt. 2
In the Studio with George Massenburg - In The Control Room Pt. 3

SPECIFIC SONG PRODUCTION

Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
Thriller - Michael Jackson

PRO TOOLS

AVID - Getting Started with Pro Tools
Sweetwater - Pro Tools Quick Start Guide
Production Expert Website
Production Expert on YouTube

LOGIC

WhyLogicProRules.com - A great website on Logic, run by my friend Chris Vandeviver, based right here in Rochester!
iZotope - How to Mix in Logic Pro

GEAR WEBSITES

Reverb - Best for used gear!
Sweetwater - Best for new gear!
Craigslist - Rochester - Musical Instruments - Maybe you’ll get lucky

PLUGINS

Sweetwater - Which Plugins Do I Need for My DAW? - Read this handy guide before downloading every free plugin! Certain DAWs only work with special plugin extensions!

FREE

KVR Audio - Free AAX Plugin List - AAX Plugins work with ProTools
KVR Audio - Free AU Plugin List - AU Plugins work with Logic Pro
KVR Audio - Free VST/VST3 Plugin List - VST/VST3 Plugins work with FL Studio, Abelton Live, Digital Performer, Cubase, and Studio One.
PluginBoutique - Free Effects Plugins
PluginBoutique - Free Instrument Plugins
PluginBoutique - Free Studio Tool Plugins

PAID

AberrantDSP - Started by two AME grads! Really creative and fun plugins.
Arturia - The V Collection is the best analog synth emulation pack out there. There isn’t a song I’ve made in the last 5 years that doesn’t have something from this on it.
AudioThing - Really fun plugins, particularly the FogConvolver reverb.
Eventide - One of the longest running audio effects companies, with absolutely killer plugins for every need.
FabFilter - A more modern take on many common signal processing effects.
iZotope - The RX suite is the only one you’ll need for audio restoration. A leader in all things AI-audio, as well as mastering plugins.
McDSP - Robust and reliable plugins that do the job exactly as needed.
Melodyne - The most versatile auto-tune plugin on the market.
Soundtoys - The best creative plugins for delays, distortions, and weird effects. At least one of their plugins is on every session I do.
Universal Audio - Meticulous recreations of classic hardware. Sometimes expensive, but worth every penny.
Valhalla DSP - Their reverb is a staple in every studio now.
Waves - The classic plugin company. Not the best stuff, not the worst stuff, just reliable and predictable.

DEALS

AudioBazooka - A searchable scraper that details the price history of plugins, alerts you of free ones, and deals.
A running list of current plugin deals is at PluginBoutique. I always head there to see what sales are going on.

AUDIO PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Audio Engineering Society
Acoustical Society of America
The Recording Academy (Grammys)

HANDY APPS FOR YOUR PHONE

NIOSH Sound Level Meter - iOS Only - The best dB Meter app. Only works with iOS because they are able to get a consistent mic calibration for Apple products. There are too many brands/mic differences for Android phones to calibrate properly!
Audio Spectrum Analyzer Pro - iOS / Android
SpectrumView - iOS