With this guide, you’ll learn how to compare studio-in-a-box, computer-based, and stand-alone recording systems and choose what you need. You’ll gain the skills to manage your sound, take full advantage of MIDI, mike common instruments, do overdubs and replace missed notes, understand the mastering process, and prepare your music for duplication. You’ll also discover how to:

• Put together all the things your home recording studio should have
• Perform multitrack recording and venture into MIDI sequencing
• Clean up your tracks by becoming an expert at mixing and editing
• Choose the gear that suits your project
• Add computers and software to your recording tools
• Set up microphones and connect electronic instruments
• Edit tracks, mix, master, and distribute your songs
• Work with MIDI and electronic instruments
• Get the most from guitars, horns, pianos, and vocals
• Enhance your sound with professional editing tips

Whether you’re a beginning musician or a pro, Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies teaches you home recording basics so you can begin recording music at home and create great CDs.

Unless you've gone to college as a sound engineer, there is something useful for you in this book !


The best begginer recording book ever...   May 17, 2008
EJ (New York)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I have used dummies books for just about everything I need to learn about that I don't already know. They have always been found to be helpful and full of information that I would have otherwise either not understood or had no clue about.
I have been messing around with recording myself for quite some time. I recently purchased Cakewalk Sonar Producer edition for my laptop to do some home recording for a demo I am producing. I purchased the venerable Power Books on the subject, as well as used the online Help. All of which are fine for the program, but if you really want to learn what it takes to record a great sound, you need this book. It covers all the topics, in a simple, straight forward way, for an amateur musician to understand all the concepts, hardware and processes involved in getting that great sound out of your hard work. There is no frustration here trying to figure out what it all means. No lengthy babbling about what, how and why.
If your a pro, well, Dummies books certainly aren't for you unless you need a reference, however, if you just simply want to learn how to do it, this is the book for you.
With all that being said, I have already cut three songs that I previously recorded without using this book and the sound is light years ahead of my original recordings.
If you are going to school to study Sound or Sound reinforcement, then reading this book will give you a hedge in your classes.
Stop trying to do it yourself without learning the basics and get this book. It will save you a lot of frustration and time and have you produce that sound you've always been looking for!