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Zen and the Art of Producing
In this companion book to Zen and the Art of Mixing, Mixerman discusses the art of producing records. Mixerman lays out the many organizational and creative roles of an effective producer as budget manager, time manager, personnel manager, product manager, arranger, visionary, and leader, and without ever foregoing the politics involved in the process. As Mixerman points out, Producing is an art in which reading and understanding people nearly always trumps any theoretical knowledge - whether musical or technical in nature. Whether you're currently positioned as musician, engineer, songwriter, DJ, studio owner, or just avid music fan, Mixerman delivers you a seemingly one-on-one, personal lesson on effective producing.
- GenresMusic
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
162 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 30, 2021
Similar to Zen and the Art of Mixing, this has the same style and tone, though the focus is on the communication and project management skills required to effectively produce an album. Perhaps the most impactful moment here for me personally is the following quote:
"The art of compromise from a leadership position is to agree when a decision makes no difference, to offer other viable alternatives when it does make a difference, and to stand firm when all viable alternatives have been exhausted."
There are a great many moments like this throughout, making it essential reading for anyone interested in making music collaboratively.
"The art of compromise from a leadership position is to agree when a decision makes no difference, to offer other viable alternatives when it does make a difference, and to stand firm when all viable alternatives have been exhausted."
There are a great many moments like this throughout, making it essential reading for anyone interested in making music collaboratively.
May 29, 2018
lots of useful information about music production in a conversational style.
March 10, 2024
It’s a little dated as music production has evolved very fast. Eric Sarafin (Mixerman) is the author, and if you can sidestep his arrogance and narcissism, his books aren’t that bad. You just have to take half of what he says with a grain of salt. An old school engineer who may not fit in super well in a modern production environment but still has some good advice. It’s a short book. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews