Audio Made Easy. Or How to Be a Sound Engineer Without Really Trying

Customer Reviews

Review by Krazy_B

2008-08-25
A great primer for those new to sound. Topics are placed in simple terms with light hearted comparisons to plumbing.

Highly recommended

2008-07-04
I found this book to be extremely valuable.
Ira White presents a comprehensive overview of audio for both live and recording applications. Some of the topics I found especially helpful were microphone types - including wireless, micing techniques, eq, levels, delay, echo, reverb, compression and considerations for live theater. The CD includes examples of eq settings, speaker phase, digital effects and more.
The book is great for the beginner, or for someone with limited experience who needs to round out their knowledge. It is the closest you will get to sitting with a pro and picking his brain.

Helps one understand the goal

2008-01-02
I bought this book to help me work with the sound system at my church. I really helped me know some of the capabilities of the system and what is possible. The CD that comes with the book was very helpful for ear training. I liked it.

Buy this book!

2007-12-26
I am the volunteer sound 'engineer' for my church. I have searched for years to find a book to teach me how a sound system (especially the mixer) works and what all the terms mean. This book gave me some ideas about routing output and setting EQ that suddenly make several things clear. The CD is great for the examples given.
I highly recommend this book.

Audio Made Easy

2007-02-20
Easy to read, great for the average musician who wants to enhance or troubleshoot the bands sound.

A Must have for success w/o being a genius

2004-05-22
Now updated to cover digital mixing and signal processing, this established beginners guide to live sound has been the first book for many students and self-taught sound technicians. Ira White presents information in a very accessible, casual, down-to-earth way. This handy manual for musicians, studio engineers and audio pros contains valuable information on using EQ, speaker specifics, mics, and techniques for recording, live recording, club and concert sound, church sound, theatrical sound and much more, without page-filling formulas or mind-boggling abstractions. Includes lots of helpful diagrams, an index, and a CD so you can hear the techniques demonstrated in the book.

A darn good book.

2003-05-16
I've run sound at church and play in a Christian rock band, but I never quite grasped the concepts of sound design and how the equipment works until I read this book. I may not be able to walk into Carnegie hall and EQ the room as well as a seasoned pro, but I understand the basics: how Ohm's law works and why it's important, what channel inserts do, and why sometimes there's a fourth dial on a 3-band EQ. White has a good sense of humor and kept me laughing through most of the book. That's more than I can say about most technical manuals.

Wrong Approach for Beginners

2002-02-05
It seems that "made easy" in the title refers to how brief and shallow the author has covered much of the topics in this book. There are a few gems but not enough to justify using it to teach beginners about sound systems. The author also bumps into some very technical topics after just a few pages of introduction (which has too much tongue-in-cheek humor).
Need I say it- I was disappointed!

It was alright

2001-10-01
It wasn't quite what I expected, but a decent book. I can't say I would recommend the book to anyone.

Great book for beginners or people who need the basics

2001-08-11
I use this book to train sound people for our church. It won't give you the gift of being able to hear subtle differences in music, or teach you the all the science behind sound systems. It will teach you how a sound system works, what all the terms mean, and what you need to know to set up your own system and run it well enough to get you going. It won't scare people away like most of the other books designed for serious students making this a career.