GET SMART

Feb 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Geary Yelton

             

PEACHPIT PRESS

Part of the Apple Pro Training Series, Logic 6: Professional Music Creation and Audio Production ($44.99) is a textbook and an in-depth tutorial. You begin by getting to know Emagic Logic 6's user interface and progress to mixing sessions in 5.1 surround sound. In between, you'll learn how to customize Logic Environments, import and record audio and MIDI tracks, and use instrument and effects plug-ins.

The book emphasizes hands-on applications and learning by actually assembling music using Logic's various tools and windows. It's great for self-study or classroom use. Authors Martin Sitter and Robert Brock have divided the sequential tutorials so that each lesson builds upon the others. The beginning of each chapter specifies what you will need, what you will learn, and how long each lesson should take. When you finish the book, you can qualify for official certification by taking an exam at an Apple Authorized Training Center.

Included with the book is a CD-ROM with all the audio files, MIDI sequences, and other materials you'll use during the lessons. The disc also contains a full installation of Logic Platinum 6.1. After installing the software, you can request a hardware key with a 30-day license from the publisher at no extra charge. Peachpit Press; tel. (800) 283-9444 or (510) 524-2178; Web www.peachpit.com.

MIT PRESS

Although women have long been involved in creative pursuits using machines, Women, Art, and Technology ($39.95) is the first book to focus exclusively on their historical contributions. The 571-page book is an anthology of writings by musicians, poets, critical theorists, engineers, computer scientists, videographers, choreographers, graphic artists, and interactive installation designers. Some chapters are classic white papers, and some were written especially for the book. It was compiled by Judy Malloy, editor of “NYFA Current,” an online publication of the New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org).

Women, Art, and Technology is the result of a project sponsored by the Leonardo series of scholarly publications. The project originated in 1993 to encourage women artists of all ages to write about their work, and thus provide historical and personal perspective on the ongoing intersection of art and technology.

Perhaps most fascinating are the book's multifaceted observations about the symbiotic relationship of media such as modern dance, sound, video, and computer programming. MIT Press; tel. (800) 405-1619; e-mail mitpress-orders@mit.edu; Web http://mitpress.mit.edu.

MUSKA & LIPMAN PUBLISHING

Almost anyone making the move from analog recording with a portable multitrack to digital recording with a Windows-based PC can learn something from Guitarist's Guide to Computer Music ($24.99). Robin Vincent, author and Carillon Audio Systems' technical director, recounts his journey from being a PortaStudio jockey to mastering all manner of computer-based recording tools, from sequencers and amp modelers to virtual drum machines and audio interfaces.

A bundled CD-ROM provides freeware, shareware, and demo versions of all the software that Vincent discusses. The heart of his virtual studio is Steinberg Cubase SX, which he explores in some depth over the course of the book. He explains VST effects and virtual instruments and explores how to use loops in Sony Acid and Cubase. He looks at control surfaces, keyboards, and other useful hardware (but, surprisingly, he never mentions MIDI guitars). The book is lavishly illustrated with plenty of screen shots and photos of desktop music equipment. Muska & Lipman Publishing/Course Technology; tel. (888) 270-9300; e-mail ct.retail@thomson.com; Web www.courseptr.com.