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The Daily Adventures of Mixerman
The Daily Adventures of Mixerman, 2004. Literary documentary. Hardcover with dust jacket, 396 pages, published by Mixerman Multimedia, Inc.
- GenresMusicNonfictionHumor
396 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
16 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Mixerman
8 books36 followersFor most of his career, Mixerman, aka Eric Sarafin, was known as a Gold and Platinum record producer, mixer, and recordist. He has worked with numerous nationally and internationally known acts in multiple genres, including The Pharcyde, Ben Harper, Barenaked Ladies, Lifehouse, Foreigner, Pete Murray, and Spearhead to name a few.
In 2002 Mixerman gained widespread notoriety in the Music Business when he anonymously published online his work titled The Daily Adventures of Mixerman--a cutting satire of the way things were in the early aughts, in an industry carried away with record profits, and a marked disdain for the consumer. The book is often cited by readers as hilarious and entertaining. Mixerman and his Producer Aardvark also created a fully produced audiobook in the style of Firesign theater, complete with music, leitmotifs, character performances by well-known Producers, foley, and sound FX. You can read (and hear) a significant portion of The Daily Adventures of Mixerman online:
Between 2010 and 2014, Mixerman wrote three technical books on Hal Leonard (Zen and the Art of Mixing, Zen and the Art of Producing, Zen and the Art of Recording, which read more like self-help philosophy books than dry and ineffective how-to manuals. Throughout the Zen Series Mixerman addresses the thinking behind effective record-making. He is often praised for his no-holds barred, cut to the chase style, in which he relays the lessons he's learned over the course of his record-making career in a pithy and entertaining manner.
In 2014, Mixerman released digital versions of all three of his Zen and the Art of titles, which include hours of supplemental video instruction and demonstration of various recording, mixing, and producing techniques.
In 2015, Mixerman wrote #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent, his second satire of the Music Business, this time through the broader prism of current American politics. Much of #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent can be found online.
Both the hardbound book and the audiobook of #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent will be available for purchase in July of 2016.
In 2002 Mixerman gained widespread notoriety in the Music Business when he anonymously published online his work titled The Daily Adventures of Mixerman--a cutting satire of the way things were in the early aughts, in an industry carried away with record profits, and a marked disdain for the consumer. The book is often cited by readers as hilarious and entertaining. Mixerman and his Producer Aardvark also created a fully produced audiobook in the style of Firesign theater, complete with music, leitmotifs, character performances by well-known Producers, foley, and sound FX. You can read (and hear) a significant portion of The Daily Adventures of Mixerman online:
Between 2010 and 2014, Mixerman wrote three technical books on Hal Leonard (Zen and the Art of Mixing, Zen and the Art of Producing, Zen and the Art of Recording, which read more like self-help philosophy books than dry and ineffective how-to manuals. Throughout the Zen Series Mixerman addresses the thinking behind effective record-making. He is often praised for his no-holds barred, cut to the chase style, in which he relays the lessons he's learned over the course of his record-making career in a pithy and entertaining manner.
In 2014, Mixerman released digital versions of all three of his Zen and the Art of titles, which include hours of supplemental video instruction and demonstration of various recording, mixing, and producing techniques.
In 2015, Mixerman wrote #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent, his second satire of the Music Business, this time through the broader prism of current American politics. Much of #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent can be found online.
Both the hardbound book and the audiobook of #Mixerman and the Billionheir Apparent will be available for purchase in July of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 16, 2010
I read this book 400+ page book in 3 sittings. The first 2/3rds I read online at mixerman.net. After that I just had to give this guy my money and find out how it ended.
It's hilarious, and I imagine Mixerman to be a Louis C.K. type character (as of this writing, I'm pretty sure Louis C.K. is the greatest living comedian). The stories are honest and insightful to the world of band dynamics, music and recording. Some of the digressions are not very funny or relevant, and close to the end, the story loses steam, but only because it's based on real life.
Recommended to anyone who's ever been seriously involved in any aspect of making modern music.
It's hilarious, and I imagine Mixerman to be a Louis C.K. type character (as of this writing, I'm pretty sure Louis C.K. is the greatest living comedian). The stories are honest and insightful to the world of band dynamics, music and recording. Some of the digressions are not very funny or relevant, and close to the end, the story loses steam, but only because it's based on real life.
Recommended to anyone who's ever been seriously involved in any aspect of making modern music.
March 15, 2015
Mixerman is a audio engineer who began anonymously blogging about his adventures recording an album for a major label with a new band and unlimited budget, exposing the infighting, nepotism, greed and stupidity behind producing music – in short, discussing all the things which conspire against making a good album which a good recording engineer must resist. He vents anonymously on the internet because he thinks it would be an interesting project and he wants to test his talents as a writer, but also because if he really told people the people he was working with what he was thinking and how he felt about them, it would be impossible to work with them and he’d probably be fired.
Mixerman's life is one headache after another. The drummer, “Cotton”, a.k.a. “Dumb Ass,” sucks. Mixerman realized this when he brings in a rental kit to try to get a better sound and it was still awful. He initially thought the problem was with the kit and had him use a rental. When the sound is still awful, he attempts to artfully suggest hitting the symbol lighter and not like it was the guy who raped his sister, and not hitting the toms “like a pussy,” tough of course not in those words. He likens the sound to a galloping horse, going slow at the beginning of a measure and then speeding up at the end.
The producer has a wild idea of using a P.A. system to get a “big” sound from the drums and although this seemed like a stupid idea, Mixerman is desperate to get a better sound out of the drummer. “Mountain Mike” shows up the next day and moved the mics he had painstakingly spent 10 hours arranging the previous day – a cardinal sin and breach of professional ethics in the industry. You do not move someone else’s mics without taking to them. This leads Mixerman to talk to traffic manager “Magnolia’s” and make it clear that no one is allowed into the studio without him or assistant Lance being there. Not only did Mountain Mike move the drum mics, he set up his equipment in the place where the lead singer was, too. Later on, when producer Willy Show (dubbed because of his conspicuous absence from sessions despite a reputation as hands on) listens to the P.A. take, he doesn’t like it and says he liked the initial set-up – one which is now gone.
Things get worse when Willy brought in some of his favorite CDs, some made with samples and none of which he had worked on. He wants a conglomeration of sounds from them – the kick from one and the snare from another – all insanely loud and bright. Mixerman rents an EQ that was good at brightening things and gets a sound he was happy with after painstaking hours of work. Then Willy finally admits the drum track still sucks and tells Mixerman to go to work slicing and dicing the drum track with Pro Tools, dubbed “Alsihad” by Mixerman, ostensibly to avoid promoting it but most probably to avoid a lawsuit because he hates using it and would prefer cutting tape or using another DAW. Cotton, a.k.a. Dumb Ass, perhaps at some level realize he’s bad and is petrified of being “edited” and “made to sound like a robot” and shows up expecting to hang out and watch Mixerman edit him.
Mixerman actually spends a coupe of hours editing tape with a razor blade because he is going to have to do so much editing, there is going to be sonic degradation. But he throws in the towel after realizing how long this is going to take. The drummer sucks so badly, sonic degradation is going to be the least of his problems. The drums finally sound in time, but the they have no “feel.” Cotton’s worst fears are realized – he sounds like a robot. Mixerman finally takes tape he’s spiced and puts it into Radar. It still sounds bad but the producer is nervous about replacing Cotton with a studio musician and the band is against it, even though – or perhaps because – they treat Cotton as a scapegoat for all their problems. Then Cotton gets a bug about recording timbales and a wood block and other percussion, which doesn’t go with the sound at all and has to be convinced of this by Willy. They are both resigned to replacing him but then he actually starts playing well enough to save his position… and promptly trips over a cable and breaks his wrist. So, they have to hire a session drummer anyway.
Mixerman's life is made a little easier by “Fast Fingers” a self-described “Wegro” with a goatee and spiky died blond hair who talked like a rapper from the hood. But he was unbelievably fast and efficient at the Pro Tools alternative he dubs “Radar.” Even more helpful is “Rod,” an assistant hired late into the sessions after producer’s nephew Lance gets the daughter of a foreign dignitary pregnant and drops out.
Character issues and interpersonal conflicts within the band make Mixerman's life miserable. The singer, narcissistic and obsessed with his hair, is a decent singer but a terrible guitar player and wants to play guitar. And he doesn’t like the lower key they are doing one of the songs in. The bass player wants to sing but has no talent. The guitar player is chronically depressed. They all drink and smoked dope, including the producer, who brings the dope. The lead singer gets arrested for DUI. The bass player takes off in a limo without the driver and disappears and is then wanted for grand theft auto. The band is constantly fighting amongst themselves and have years of baggage to deal with. They bring in their girlfriends, who incessantly chatter in the control room and play with the talkback button while Mixerman is trying to listen and concentrate. The band’s new manager brings decides they need to film the session and brings in a camera crew with lights that heat up the studio, break the sound seals on the iso doors with cables and waste studio time with setup.
Another thorn in Mixerman's side is Penny Pincher. She continually harps on expenses because money was being wasted to freely early and the project is deep in the red. So she fixates on comparatively small expenses, such as hotel and plane fare, going on expletive and even racist rants, screaming at the top of her lungs. Then she books studio time and her position, “winning personality” and terrible negotiating skills would lead to overpaying and actually costing the production as much as $500 a day more. The best part about her is that she inspires Bitch Slap’s best song to date - recorded in a record 12 hours!
This book makes you realize that the music business is looking for the next bit hit and everything is driven by that, because hits mean millions of albums and songs sold, which means millions of dollars for the label. To get those hits, the label will engage in a bidding war with a sound they think is hot and throw millions of dollars at the band, even if one of the members is weak. Often they will replace him with a studio musician or expect that it will be “fixed” by the recording engineer in the studio. Trying to make money by following trends, placating idiots who have managed to get positions of power via connections as opposed to talent or skill, all work against doing a musically good album. It also means that the big money is actually not in recording or producing but in writing. One of the reasons the band members argue about song authorship is that that is where the money is. A band can sell a lot of records and still end up broke, but every time a song is played or recorded by another artist or used in a commercial, the writer gets a cut. This makes me think that producing competent demos of my own songs that are “good enough” to sound professional might be all I need to do to pimp my own stuff.
Another take-away is that being a recording engineer can be a thankless job. You are anonymous. You are responsible if something does not sound good. You are expected to just “fix it.” Because you are a subordinate employee, you might not get much respect. You have little authority but all the responsibility. You might get stiffed for your fee if you don’t get a deposit up front and get fired early on, and if you piss off a band member, one of the band member’s girlfriends, the producer, the producer’s nephew or an expense Nazi, you could find yourself out of a job. But if you keep your head down and are competent, it’s steady, good-playing work.
This was a very entertaining and eye-opening look behind the music working at a recording studio.
Mixerman's life is one headache after another. The drummer, “Cotton”, a.k.a. “Dumb Ass,” sucks. Mixerman realized this when he brings in a rental kit to try to get a better sound and it was still awful. He initially thought the problem was with the kit and had him use a rental. When the sound is still awful, he attempts to artfully suggest hitting the symbol lighter and not like it was the guy who raped his sister, and not hitting the toms “like a pussy,” tough of course not in those words. He likens the sound to a galloping horse, going slow at the beginning of a measure and then speeding up at the end.
The producer has a wild idea of using a P.A. system to get a “big” sound from the drums and although this seemed like a stupid idea, Mixerman is desperate to get a better sound out of the drummer. “Mountain Mike” shows up the next day and moved the mics he had painstakingly spent 10 hours arranging the previous day – a cardinal sin and breach of professional ethics in the industry. You do not move someone else’s mics without taking to them. This leads Mixerman to talk to traffic manager “Magnolia’s” and make it clear that no one is allowed into the studio without him or assistant Lance being there. Not only did Mountain Mike move the drum mics, he set up his equipment in the place where the lead singer was, too. Later on, when producer Willy Show (dubbed because of his conspicuous absence from sessions despite a reputation as hands on) listens to the P.A. take, he doesn’t like it and says he liked the initial set-up – one which is now gone.
Things get worse when Willy brought in some of his favorite CDs, some made with samples and none of which he had worked on. He wants a conglomeration of sounds from them – the kick from one and the snare from another – all insanely loud and bright. Mixerman rents an EQ that was good at brightening things and gets a sound he was happy with after painstaking hours of work. Then Willy finally admits the drum track still sucks and tells Mixerman to go to work slicing and dicing the drum track with Pro Tools, dubbed “Alsihad” by Mixerman, ostensibly to avoid promoting it but most probably to avoid a lawsuit because he hates using it and would prefer cutting tape or using another DAW. Cotton, a.k.a. Dumb Ass, perhaps at some level realize he’s bad and is petrified of being “edited” and “made to sound like a robot” and shows up expecting to hang out and watch Mixerman edit him.
Mixerman actually spends a coupe of hours editing tape with a razor blade because he is going to have to do so much editing, there is going to be sonic degradation. But he throws in the towel after realizing how long this is going to take. The drummer sucks so badly, sonic degradation is going to be the least of his problems. The drums finally sound in time, but the they have no “feel.” Cotton’s worst fears are realized – he sounds like a robot. Mixerman finally takes tape he’s spiced and puts it into Radar. It still sounds bad but the producer is nervous about replacing Cotton with a studio musician and the band is against it, even though – or perhaps because – they treat Cotton as a scapegoat for all their problems. Then Cotton gets a bug about recording timbales and a wood block and other percussion, which doesn’t go with the sound at all and has to be convinced of this by Willy. They are both resigned to replacing him but then he actually starts playing well enough to save his position… and promptly trips over a cable and breaks his wrist. So, they have to hire a session drummer anyway.
Mixerman's life is made a little easier by “Fast Fingers” a self-described “Wegro” with a goatee and spiky died blond hair who talked like a rapper from the hood. But he was unbelievably fast and efficient at the Pro Tools alternative he dubs “Radar.” Even more helpful is “Rod,” an assistant hired late into the sessions after producer’s nephew Lance gets the daughter of a foreign dignitary pregnant and drops out.
Character issues and interpersonal conflicts within the band make Mixerman's life miserable. The singer, narcissistic and obsessed with his hair, is a decent singer but a terrible guitar player and wants to play guitar. And he doesn’t like the lower key they are doing one of the songs in. The bass player wants to sing but has no talent. The guitar player is chronically depressed. They all drink and smoked dope, including the producer, who brings the dope. The lead singer gets arrested for DUI. The bass player takes off in a limo without the driver and disappears and is then wanted for grand theft auto. The band is constantly fighting amongst themselves and have years of baggage to deal with. They bring in their girlfriends, who incessantly chatter in the control room and play with the talkback button while Mixerman is trying to listen and concentrate. The band’s new manager brings decides they need to film the session and brings in a camera crew with lights that heat up the studio, break the sound seals on the iso doors with cables and waste studio time with setup.
Another thorn in Mixerman's side is Penny Pincher. She continually harps on expenses because money was being wasted to freely early and the project is deep in the red. So she fixates on comparatively small expenses, such as hotel and plane fare, going on expletive and even racist rants, screaming at the top of her lungs. Then she books studio time and her position, “winning personality” and terrible negotiating skills would lead to overpaying and actually costing the production as much as $500 a day more. The best part about her is that she inspires Bitch Slap’s best song to date - recorded in a record 12 hours!
This book makes you realize that the music business is looking for the next bit hit and everything is driven by that, because hits mean millions of albums and songs sold, which means millions of dollars for the label. To get those hits, the label will engage in a bidding war with a sound they think is hot and throw millions of dollars at the band, even if one of the members is weak. Often they will replace him with a studio musician or expect that it will be “fixed” by the recording engineer in the studio. Trying to make money by following trends, placating idiots who have managed to get positions of power via connections as opposed to talent or skill, all work against doing a musically good album. It also means that the big money is actually not in recording or producing but in writing. One of the reasons the band members argue about song authorship is that that is where the money is. A band can sell a lot of records and still end up broke, but every time a song is played or recorded by another artist or used in a commercial, the writer gets a cut. This makes me think that producing competent demos of my own songs that are “good enough” to sound professional might be all I need to do to pimp my own stuff.
Another take-away is that being a recording engineer can be a thankless job. You are anonymous. You are responsible if something does not sound good. You are expected to just “fix it.” Because you are a subordinate employee, you might not get much respect. You have little authority but all the responsibility. You might get stiffed for your fee if you don’t get a deposit up front and get fired early on, and if you piss off a band member, one of the band member’s girlfriends, the producer, the producer’s nephew or an expense Nazi, you could find yourself out of a job. But if you keep your head down and are competent, it’s steady, good-playing work.
This was a very entertaining and eye-opening look behind the music working at a recording studio.
December 30, 2020
One of the funniest Audiobooks I've ever listened to. Could not stop.
November 9, 2018
Great insight on the world of recording studios. Thanks, mixerman. Stfu, cotton.
February 14, 2010
Hilarious!!! I got quite a few looks while reading this in my dorm due to hysterical laughter. Somewhat educational and enlightening as well.
About 2/3 is readable online at http://www.mixerman.net/
A small sample:
"Recording vocals with the bass player was more arduous and more torturous than recording guitars with the singer. I couldn't help but think to myself, Perhaps everyone should just shift over one musical station, pick up whatever instrument happened to be there, and then start recording the album. It would give a whole new meaning to the game musical chairs. The way I figured it, there would be a one in two chance that whoever sat on the drum throne would be a markedly better drummer than Dumb Ass. For a moment, I started to wonder if I were showing signs of my age in thinking that players in a band should actually play the instrument on which they are most proficient for the purposes of recording an album."
About 2/3 is readable online at http://www.mixerman.net/
A small sample:
"Recording vocals with the bass player was more arduous and more torturous than recording guitars with the singer. I couldn't help but think to myself, Perhaps everyone should just shift over one musical station, pick up whatever instrument happened to be there, and then start recording the album. It would give a whole new meaning to the game musical chairs. The way I figured it, there would be a one in two chance that whoever sat on the drum throne would be a markedly better drummer than Dumb Ass. For a moment, I started to wonder if I were showing signs of my age in thinking that players in a band should actually play the instrument on which they are most proficient for the purposes of recording an album."
April 29, 2014
I actually listened to the audiobook version. Its narrated by Mixerman himself. All the different characters from the story have their own voice and theres an added element of sound effects that add to rhe experience. For those that read it and found it hilarious, I encourage you to find an audiobook version and be doubled over with laughter.
February 6, 2011
if you are a musician and you haven't read The Mixerman diaries you must do so immediately! an entertaining read even if you aren't a musician.
November 14, 2011
One of the most poorly written books I've ever read. EVER! Arrogant, self-aggrandizing and cliche riddled. Avoid it at all costs...
May 11, 2016
Brilliant!
May 5, 2016
Fricking hilarious! Like laugh out loud, hurt my belly, people be side-eyeing me laughter.
January 14, 2021
Mixerman provides a tell-all about what sounds like a nightmare of a recording session. It's absolutely fascinating to get a firsthand view into a sessions (whether you believe these stories are from a single session or cobbled together from his experiences in different sessions over the years). I laughed out loud in several sections due to the sheer absurdity of what was happening.
As someone who has been a musician on several professional sessions but never in the situation of a band that makes it big, I can only imagine how the professional studio environment clashes with big personalities in a band. Mixerman's writing brings this all to life, and the writing is incredibly evocative. I can close my eyes and imagine these guys sitting in front of me with all of their idiosyncrasies. Mixerman's day-by-day journal format draws you in as a reader and makes you beg for more when it's all over. This is one of the hardest to put down books I've ever encountered.
If you're at all a fan of music and want to get a look into how even the most polished record can go completely awry on the backend, this book is essential. It doesn't require much knowledge of how a recording session works to get into, and it's easily accessible to everyone.
As someone who has been a musician on several professional sessions but never in the situation of a band that makes it big, I can only imagine how the professional studio environment clashes with big personalities in a band. Mixerman's writing brings this all to life, and the writing is incredibly evocative. I can close my eyes and imagine these guys sitting in front of me with all of their idiosyncrasies. Mixerman's day-by-day journal format draws you in as a reader and makes you beg for more when it's all over. This is one of the hardest to put down books I've ever encountered.
If you're at all a fan of music and want to get a look into how even the most polished record can go completely awry on the backend, this book is essential. It doesn't require much knowledge of how a recording session works to get into, and it's easily accessible to everyone.
February 1, 2022
I was fortunate enough to read along as these diaries were being logged near-daily in real-time. This occurred a few years before the hardcover came out in, I think, 2009.
What I love about the story is it's so multidimensional. There's insight into the recording and mixing process. It's a good study of band personalities, egos, paranoia and dysfunction. It depicts a rock recording industry still thriving in excess, stupidity and corruptness. But, maybe most of all, it's the frustration over the process of making a damn record... and the sarcastic manner in which the protagonist depicts the crazy and colorful characters he's interacting with in attempt to get it done. Most of them are tagged with hilarious monikers that I still not only laugh at loud about over a decade later, but I can still envision them... their body language, tones of voice, etc.
This book gets into the weeds on some of the recording stuff so it's not for everyone. It is an interesting precursor to the lost art of making of great rock records with a huge budget... and all the players major labels often bring in to spend more and make the artists less.
Fascinating.
What I love about the story is it's so multidimensional. There's insight into the recording and mixing process. It's a good study of band personalities, egos, paranoia and dysfunction. It depicts a rock recording industry still thriving in excess, stupidity and corruptness. But, maybe most of all, it's the frustration over the process of making a damn record... and the sarcastic manner in which the protagonist depicts the crazy and colorful characters he's interacting with in attempt to get it done. Most of them are tagged with hilarious monikers that I still not only laugh at loud about over a decade later, but I can still envision them... their body language, tones of voice, etc.
This book gets into the weeds on some of the recording stuff so it's not for everyone. It is an interesting precursor to the lost art of making of great rock records with a huge budget... and all the players major labels often bring in to spend more and make the artists less.
Fascinating.
February 13, 2020
Mixerman!!!
humorous content...great insight regarding life in a recording studio.
Included lots of Interesting points in the music industry as well.
humorous content...great insight regarding life in a recording studio.
Included lots of Interesting points in the music industry as well.
November 6, 2022
Mixerman is hillarious and this book is a funny look at his experiences in the recording industry.
October 11, 2024
A very entertaining and well written story regarding the business of making records not long before the industry imploded and attempted to cannibalize itself.
July 24, 2011
This book is really really funny. It chronicles the daily tribulations of a major label band as they try to record a "hit" record despite the fact the band members hate each other, and none of them can play their instruments properly.
The book was originally released as daily journal entries on the Internet. It caused a lot of embarrassment for the author and the record company despite the names being changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
As a musician and occasional recording "engineer," I have often fantasized about having access to the limitless resources available to a band with a major label contract. Having never had that luxury, I know the likelihood of ever being able to create the type of record I really want to make is minute. I simply do not have the money, nor (more importantly) the time. Nonetheless, even if i did have the resources of a major label deal, it would come with the major label baggage, and I still would not be able to make the type of record I really want to make. I think the message of this book for me is that if I want to keep making the type of music I want to make, I better keep my day job.
"Why would a retard act like a retard?"
The book was originally released as daily journal entries on the Internet. It caused a lot of embarrassment for the author and the record company despite the names being changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
As a musician and occasional recording "engineer," I have often fantasized about having access to the limitless resources available to a band with a major label contract. Having never had that luxury, I know the likelihood of ever being able to create the type of record I really want to make is minute. I simply do not have the money, nor (more importantly) the time. Nonetheless, even if i did have the resources of a major label deal, it would come with the major label baggage, and I still would not be able to make the type of record I really want to make. I think the message of this book for me is that if I want to keep making the type of music I want to make, I better keep my day job.
"Why would a retard act like a retard?"
September 24, 2014
I haven't had as much flat-out fun reading a book in a while as I did while reading this one. Maybe part of it is that I have experienced both wildly productive and wildly... not productive recording sessions as a musician, so I can totally relate to some of the craziness that happens when you throw musicians into a studio. Naturally, I've never been part of a session with unlimited time and money, so I imagine that must kind of mess up your shiz.
The only thing that could have possibly made this any better was if I had the slightest clue of who the band was (though I'm sure I will have never heard of them... I hope). This book is such a perfect description of what can possibly go wrong in the music business, it's like watching a car wreck in slow motion, but I'll be damned if I could stop turning the pages!
The only thing that could have possibly made this any better was if I had the slightest clue of who the band was (though I'm sure I will have never heard of them... I hope). This book is such a perfect description of what can possibly go wrong in the music business, it's like watching a car wreck in slow motion, but I'll be damned if I could stop turning the pages!
November 19, 2016
Warning: This is an Audiobook review:
First things first. I love the voice of the narrator. I am still not sure about how much of this plot is real , but his narration makes it more than real enough for me to ignore anything surreal.
This book stands out for me w.r.t to other audio books i have read mainly due to the number of voice actors used. I would highly recommend this version to anyone who likes to listen to books. The fact that this is also a book on mixing music and audio record sessions had me expecting some good music , and it did not disappoint. I was looking for some demo on mixing techniques employed ,but i guess it was ignored mostly because this was a "blog" and not really a movie version of events.
Overall , one book i will remember for a long time.
First things first. I love the voice of the narrator. I am still not sure about how much of this plot is real , but his narration makes it more than real enough for me to ignore anything surreal.
This book stands out for me w.r.t to other audio books i have read mainly due to the number of voice actors used. I would highly recommend this version to anyone who likes to listen to books. The fact that this is also a book on mixing music and audio record sessions had me expecting some good music , and it did not disappoint. I was looking for some demo on mixing techniques employed ,but i guess it was ignored mostly because this was a "blog" and not really a movie version of events.
Overall , one book i will remember for a long time.
January 23, 2010
This gets four stars simply because I suspect Mixerman might be my Tyler Durden-esque alter-ego. He's a miserable writer, though. (e.g., I've never seen so many consecutive sentences in the form of ", which was nothing short of .") I get the feeling that when they decided to publish his diary/blog as a book, an editor was not part of the process.
Still, if you've spent time in $2,000-a-day studios on major label sessions, it's hard not to love this book. You'll definitely recognize all the characters and laugh out loud more than once.
All hail Alsihad. :)
Still, if you've spent time in $2,000-a-day studios on major label sessions, it's hard not to love this book. You'll definitely recognize all the characters and laugh out loud more than once.
All hail Alsihad. :)
December 25, 2011
Apparently, I needed to read a bit about a car wreck after finishing my previous book. This book started life as an online diary that I read back when it was originally posted. It wasn't finished at the time, so when I found out that it had been completed and published, I decided to pick it up. It's probably most enjoyable to people who have had some experience being in a band. It does get a bit technical from time to time, but Mixerman does a good job explaining the ins and outs of a recording session for those that need more background.
September 30, 2013
Anyone that has been involved with or around the music industry will get a kick out of this book. Even if you haven't, it is a great raw look into the world of recording and the music industry. Based on the blog posts of an undisclosed recording engineer on a project with an unknown "next big thing" band. I really loved the aliases that he gave to everyone (and even products) and the meanings behind them. This will make you understand what is wrong with the music industry today and with the major record labels in general. It will also make you laugh your ass off.
November 16, 2013
I became addicted to these chronicles years ago. Then Mixerman disappeared. I finally got my hands on the book. It's a page turner but not for the faint of heart. It's unbelievably frustrating to read about this major label debacle when the money they kept spending on this one band could have been spent on many. Then a dozen indie bands could have toured and put out 3 albums each for what the label spent on Bitchslap. And the record industry wonders why they're in trouble. Anyways a worthy read makes me feel even better about being an indie musician.
July 19, 2016
A quick and amusing read for anyone who has been inside a professional recording studio, or marveled at the antics of hardly talented rock musicians who accidentally write a good song or two and get to squander enormous amounts of money in hopes of repeating the trick.
The endless technical hair-splitting and superstition that goes into commercial multi-track recording is equally entertaining and the whole thing paints a picture of L.A. rock-star culture that underscores the fact that no sane person would want to be a part of it.
The endless technical hair-splitting and superstition that goes into commercial multi-track recording is equally entertaining and the whole thing paints a picture of L.A. rock-star culture that underscores the fact that no sane person would want to be a part of it.
June 25, 2021
A fantastic read for anyone interested in the music recording industry. Be it fact or fiction, this book offers plenty of insight into the crazy and not-always-as-it-seems world of professional music from the perspective of the technical staff.
While I did enjoy the entire book and found it hard to put down, the end is slightly disappointing. There is a feeling that it should have ended a certain way but alas, it didn't. That's fine, it is a great ride and one worth taking right to the end.
While I did enjoy the entire book and found it hard to put down, the end is slightly disappointing. There is a feeling that it should have ended a certain way but alas, it didn't. That's fine, it is a great ride and one worth taking right to the end.
February 2, 2010
Compiled from his blog and horribly written, a studio sound mixer's sometimes hilarious accounts of the trials and tribulations of working with stupid, temperamental, untalented, obnoxious musicians and their managers/producers. Mixerman likes chocolate muffins and has an ego the size of Texas. Still, I couldn't put it down. Even though it is a big book, I read it over the course on 2 days at the dog park. Its that kind of book.
September 25, 2010
Consolidated from Mixerman's postings on the ProSoundWeb forums, this book chronicles the author's experiences working with a famous producer on the debut album of an unknown band with a seemingly-infinite recording budget. Far from a simple chronicle of events, the narrative breaks off into discussions of the science and technology behind recording music, or the business aspects of the music industry. You'll never look the same way at your favorite album again after reading this!
September 10, 2012
Hilarious! Could be a bit tedious for the non-technical reader but spot-on for those who already know about working in the studio and with bands. The ever-present music biz politics and frustrations that cloud the whole process of creating great music is shared with Mixerman as he attempts to do his job with so many unseen forces taking president over the most important focus: making a great record. Very, very funny!
June 5, 2015
I really enjoyed this true account of a recording session in L.A. The book was recommended to me by one of my very favorite local musicians, which made it all the more interesting. I am amazed that in the age of the internet it seems to still be a mystery as to which band exactly the author is describing. My local singer/songwriter and his buddies have their own theory, so I'm going along with that one...
August 2, 2010
You'll never listen to music the same after reading this book. Although it's unclear whether the characters are just an amalgam of personalities the author has known during his recording career or an actual band, this is quite insightful into what happens from a recordist's perspective in making music. Granted, it's the most disfunctional version you'll ever find, bur insightful nonetheless.
November 12, 2011
This is one of the very best books about rock music, ever. And it's hilarious, one of the few books that has made me laugh out loud.
It's a book about work, which already makes it unusual. If you've ever collaborated on a team, you'll feel real resonance with characters, scenes, and stories.
Recommended!
It's a book about work, which already makes it unusual. If you've ever collaborated on a team, you'll feel real resonance with characters, scenes, and stories.
Recommended!
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