Customer Reviews
Not for everyone 
2008-01-22
This is a book of examples and exercises so don't expect to look up a particular function or problem that you are having, the Table on Contents is not up to that job. Again this is a book of simple examples and exercises directed to beginners that need to be lead completely from scratch but I found the text too drawn out and confusing with such items as references to a real bus to illustrate a mixer. The items that I was interested in were noted in the text that they would be covered later but no reference as to where in the text they would be covered. Obviously not a book for me, I have read and seen better.
Someone finally got it right! 
2008-01-18
This book is "the bomb"! I know I will sound over-enthusiastic by the end of this, but I simply cannot say enough good things about this book. First, I read a LOT of technical manuals and tutorials, and this book stands heads and shoulders above 99% of the books I've read.... and I'm not just talking about Pro Tools books, but ALL technical manuals and tutorials.
I already own two other Pro Tools books and a couple of expensive instructional DVDs, and NONE of them come close to providing the goods that this book does. As a live sound guy for the last 20 years I've been trying to learn Pro Tools on and off for the last eight months, but even with the stuff I've bought I never really felt like I had the fundamentals down and learned WHY Pro Tools works the way it does... the other books (and DVDs) are either too light in their coverage -- assuming too much and skipping over essentials for a newbie -- or they provide "expert" level information that makes no sense to someone just trying to learn the basics. But like Goldylocks I've found this book is Juuuuuust Riiiiight! :-)
Seriously, within a couple of pages of reading this thing I *knew* it was a different kind of book. With every page turn I became more and more impressed that someone had FINALLY managed to convey highly technical information in a way that is easy to understand, fun and entertaining.
The bottom line is that if you can't figure out how to use Pro Tools by reading this thing, you probably shouldn't be using Pro Tools at all. I can't recommend it highly enough, and hope for something else from Gina in the future!
This book is the best! 2008-01-07
I am a brand new user to Pro Tools and even though I have many years of experience using Cubase I was ready for the next step. This book definately breaks everything down and walks you through every step and leaves no stone unturned! It made Pro Tools very easy to navigate through for me. Much appreciated!
Good Book for learning the step-by-step basics 
2007-12-29
Gives a good set of step-by-step procedures for each learning objective. Definitely geared towards solo musicians and small bands looking to make nonprofessional demo recordings. Fant-Saez assumes you have basic musical knowledge and little or no computer knowledge. This book is missing discussions on what resources to lean from and use after the book is mastered. It also doesn't cover basic recording techniques, such as miking. The downloadable examples and samples used in the book leave something to be desired in terms of complexity and depth; something that shows off the capabilities of protools would have been a nice bonus.
THE GREATEST BOOK EVER! 2007-12-27
It seems like quite a claim to say that this is the "greatest book ever" but I really believe it is. Gina takes you step by step through every aspect of Pro Tools so you can learn the program correctly from the start. Make sure you do the exercises and follow along and you will be recording great sounding music in no time. I have owned several other books and several other recoding programs but I could never get them to work like the combination of this book with Pro Tools. She teaches you all the shortcuts you need to save time and focus more on making music rather than wasting time trying to figure stuff out. I am really very happy with this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to get into home/studio recording with Pro Tools no matter your level of experience. I am so thankful for this book!
Excellent way to get started in Pro Tools! 2008-05-26
This is a good book for getting started in Pro Tools. It covers pretty much what a musician would need to know to start making songs.
The author is really good at making complex concepts and procedures understandable. She even uses a blog where she will personally answer your questions if you get stuck.
That said...
The book is using Pro Tools version 7, and because I was using Pro Tools LE 7.4, there were quite a few discrepancies between what was presented in the book, and what I had in front of me, and the reader is required to extrapolate from time to time. All this will probably be fixed if the author ever revises the book. Then she can specify exactly what version is being used.
Also, in the revision, I hope she uses XPand, the free (and extremely cool) sampler from Digidesign, and not the $600 SampleTank, which you can only try for 10 days before buying.
Another thing I think would be very beneficial to new users and should thus be included in the possible revision. is a whole section of the book on creating your own loops, right from the beginning.
Thanx Gina
Lifesaver!!!!!!!! 2008-04-26
I have never felt compelled to write a review for any product I've ever purchased, but this is different!! I've been a home recording artist since the mid-eighties. Started with a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder, then to their 8 track version and then to Yamaha's AW4416 DAW. So I have a basic understanding for recording, but was never a techie at it. All I wanted was to lay my tracks and sound down.
I recently purchased Pro Tools Mbox2. For two straight weeks I muddled through what the hell all of the drop downs boxes, buttons and options meant. The manual explains each function in technical terms, but not how each is used in the context of recording and the big picture. I wanted to return the dam thing!!
I then began looking into different books and saw the positive reviews that "Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters" had and thought I'd give it a try... THIS BOOK IS FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!!! I felt like the author was sitting right there with me showing me exactly what all of the features were for and how to use them. Right from the very beginning of laying your tracks down to the finish product and a whole bunch of everything else in the middle!!!
DigiDesign, should include this book with every sales of Pro Tools. It's just that good!!!! ...and now I love Pro Tools!!!
WOW 2008-02-26
Amazing book very easy to read, follow along, comprend, and a must have for quick fun beginners guide. Provides refrences to other helpful software and throughly explained how-to's.
Great Tool 2008-02-08
I had a difficult time understanding how to begin working with ProTools until I bought this book. It's a great step by step tutorial that works through all the basic concepts and produces a finished music composition as an end result. I refer to it often as I write and record. Now when I refer to the ProTools manual for detailed info, I have a much better grasp on what I'm reading.
As an Amateur Musician - this is THE book 2008-01-31
I needed a book to get more out of Pro Tools; I don't want to be an engineer savant - just record my guitar and vocal tracks and add a touch of MIDI here and there.
Some books were terribly daunting, some so simple that they were of no use.
It's true - this book is laid out to work as lessons with tracks that can be downloaded from a website. But even if you're working on your own projects - the explanations here are simple enough, you should be able to apply them to your needs. Or heck, go through the lessons - if you wanna learn, put in the time.
Even without yet going through all the lessons, I've found two or three great tips that have made my mixes (and CPU usage) much improved; and for that alone it was worth the money I paid. Big clear pictures, the Table of Contents takes you where you need to go, and the author even makes herself available via her web blog, if you have a question.
A friend who has ProTools sat at my house and picked up the book and just flipped through some chapters and saw some relevant tips he took home with him to California (I'm in Utah). I'd bet he's bought a copy by now.
Will it detail every configuration of every plug-in - no. Is it "For Dummies" - no.
This is a five-star reviewed book - it's not for everybody, but if you're starting out and need some good clean answers, start here!
