The Art of Mixing: A Visual Guide to Recording, Engineering, and Production

by David Gibson

David Gibson uses 3D visual representations of sounds in a mix as a tool to explain the dynamics that can be created in a mix. This book provides an in-depth exploration into the aesthetics of what makes a great mix. Gibson’s unique approach explains how to map sounds to visuals in order to create a visual framework that can be used to analyze what is going on in any mix.

Once you have the framework down, Gibson then uses it to explain the traditions that have be developed over time by great recording engineers for different styles of music and songs. You will come to understand everything that can be done in a mix to create dynamics that affect people in really deep ways.

Once you understand what engineers are doing to create the great mixes they do, you can then use this framework to develop your own values as to what you feel is a good mix. Once you have a perspective on what all can be done, you have the power to be truly creative on your own – to create whole new mixing possibilities.

It is all about creating art out of technology. This book goes beyond explaining what the equipment does – it explains what to do with the equipment to make the best possible mixes.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Ben Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

great guide for people getting into mixing

[Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book!

[Jeno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why it says 999 pages as the printed version has around 250 ;)
Lot's of pictures, I liked the way he presents fattening, volume and frequency in space on a picture.
It is much easier to see the difference between some jazz records or 90's rap compositions in no time.
An interesting intro into mixing in the studio - how to work with the band, how to record the instruments and where in space should you out them i.e. pan it right or left to make a better effect.
Some things were useful, a lot of ideas are questionable even for a layman.
I have bought a different book of the same era - the one written by Izhaki (600 pages or something).
Will see what insights can be drawn as a DJ.

p.s. I really like the tip of listening to the mix in your car - a different space, confined space with lower quality speakers your mix is going to be played in; hm, he even played boomboxes or used local stores to 'test' the audio :D
not bad at all

[Ian Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this guide to those who think visually (some argue that Gardner's notions of multiple intelligence is bunk, but they live south of the border). In fact, this guide taught me to listen to how recording engineers place sounds inside the cathedral of my listening mind and to virtually "see" where each musical voice is arranged in a good mix, front to back, side to side, and top to bottom. Clearly, there is more to recording than hanging mics and hitting "record".

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on audio mixing I have ever come across. The visual representations are genius, the explanations thorough and comprehensive. Beginners will find both their knowledge and understanding highly accelerated while seasoned experts will both nod their heads and find it's methods astonishingly clarifying in helpful ways. This book could easily save anyone hundreds of hours or thousands of dollars.

[James Acey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read that helps visualize the mix of a song in a more spatial sense.

The author frames complex audio issues in simple terms in a non-dogmatic way and it helped me better grasp all the things that go into making the best sounding mix possible.

Recommended for bedroom producers like myself !

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the most useful book I've read on mixing. While most others go in depth about using the tools, this one is focused on setting down the foundational perspectives behind producing great mixes, now and in the future. If you're just getting into music mixing, I highly recommend you start with this book.

[Rogelio Marín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect
The best book for learning what you need to know about mixing, after reading this book you will hear things in a different way.

[Henrique Alves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginners with practical takeaways

[Sachin]

I am interestee in mixing

[McBean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and very helpful. Recommend to any aspiring music producer. It's very comprehensive. Do know, it's no a how to use a DAW, for that you should read the manual

[Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book exactly after I came from miami last month.. It teaches me so much about shapeing sounds and mixing and making my music sound more powerful...It gives you a direct visual presentation which makes every aspect of sound and mixing very easy to understand..It also teaches about balanceing and panning and how to mix in surround or stereo...Ive read it in full in 2 days and I still read it up to today....its a very good book for aspiring producers and sound engineers...

[Ivonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for any music mix fan. If you are a producer or Sound Engineer, you will understand a lot about music with this book, seriously worth it, even though it is old, many techniques are still applied.

And you can also perform exercises from the explanations you read in the book. It can be complement with the DVD video that the book brings, I repeat, a bit of the last century, but very useful.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

the author has some pretty revolutionary ideas and observations. the only drawback is that his own (nearly impossible to acquire) method of visual mixing is the only way in which to fully utilize his ideas. however, anyone who can work a console (or DAW) at all should walk away from this with some creative and practical thoughts.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't totally get into the whole picture thing. However, the concrete, informed descriptions of how various changes to audio (EQ, effects, loudness, etc.) affect a listener's perception are cool. The page and a half on how various frequency bands are perceived was worth getting the book (from the library) all by itself.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was actually interesting. its almost basically a documentation of how we tend to perceive sound visually and how this relates to our mixing techniques in regards to panning, reverb, delay, and other effects. i didn't love it but it is actually very interesting and well put together.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book worked really well for me. The principles of audio mixing suddenly made complete sense when represented as 3D visuals. Now, whether I can put that into practice... we'll see!

[Fernando Benavides Roldan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(En ingles) un libro que se debe leer si quieres saber los secretos de la mezcla en el audio pero sobre todo para saber visualizar el sonido. Increible trabajo

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outdated, but some technical aspects reviewed in the book were worth to read. Illustrations were also useful to get a better idea of sound/effect organization in a mix.

[Ezri Baedeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

consume this s-tier content in its far superior video format.