FOCAL PRESS Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science

Oct 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Myles Boisen

           
 

Bob Katz imparts the wisdom of the masters in his highly informative book Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science, published by Focal Press.

Grammy Award winner Bob Katz is one of the most uncompromising and respected mastering engineers in the business. His book Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science ($39.99) is not so much a how-to manual for do-it-yourself mastering engineers as a thorough introduction to the unique procedures and technical issues involved in mastering.

This book is poised to become the authoritative text on audio mastering. Because most of the top mastering engineers are unwilling to divulge their secrets to the masses, Katz's book is indispensable for anyone interested in mastering as a profession.

Beyond this admittedly narrow topic, Katz offers his personal perspective on rarely discussed topics such as critical listening, the monitoring environment, depth and clarity in recordings, and digital-audio specifics (such as dithering and jitter). To his credit, Katz is also generous with informed opinions on the myths that permeate the often misunderstood world of mastering, including his cause célèbre, the uses (and abuses) of compression.

Mr. Science

Divided into five parts — Preparation, Mastering, Advanced Theory and Practice, Out of the Jungle, and Appendices — Mastering Audio begins with the basics. Part one offers an overview of mastering philosophy and gear, along with useful tutorials on listening, monitoring, and the fundamentals of bit rates, dithering, and decibels.

Part two continues to lift the veil of secrecy that often obscures the mastering engineer's practices. In this section, Katz delves further into the art, science, and philosophy of mastering, as well as the practical applications of equalization, dynamics processing, noise reduction, and other types of mastering processes. In addition, he offers opinions on some of his favorite high-end mastering gear and manufacturers.

Don your pocket protectors for part three, as Professor Katz gets technical on the topics of jitter and clocking, high-sampling-rate recording, monitor calibration, multichannel audio, miking techniques, and acoustics. The chapter titled “How to Achieve Depth and Dimension in Recording, Mixing, and Mastering” will appeal to recordists at all levels of expertise, as will a grab bag of insider tips and tricks related to a variety of analog- and digital-recording issues. This section also includes several deluxe color plates and a detailed explanation of the K-System approach to standardized metering and monitoring.

Having convincingly played the role of Mr. Science, Katz shows his philosophical side in part four with a short essay titled “Out of the Jungle.” Here, the author addresses quality control, standards and the need for industry-wide education, and the thorny topic of mastering audio in nonprofessional or personal studio facilities. He also includes a poetic meditation on the future of audio as he envisions it.

Part five collects useful information into appendices, including technical specs, short papers, charts, a bibliography, and bios. The book also includes a handy foldout chart that equates musical pitch to frequency (in hertz), referenced with the notes of the piano keyboard and common instrumental and vocal ranges.

Master of Audio

With the strong academic focus of his writing, Katz succeeds at being the college professor we all wish we could have had. At the same time, he never loses sight of the importance of listening, the value of experience, and the enjoyment of music as the ultimate goal of mastering.

By maintaining this careful balance, Bob Katz is an inspiration to anyone wishing to improve their recording projects and become, in Katz's words, “a master of audio.” As a mastering engineer and recording instructor myself, I would recommend this book without reservation to anyone in any sector of the audio industry.

Overall EM Rating (1 through 5): 5

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