The Complete Guide to Remixing: Produce Professional Dance-Floor Hits on Your Home Computer Reviews

• Appropriately Titled.

  
  By A2O5U24V10VB2H on 2005-09-20
  This book truly covers every aspect of remixing, from finding songs to remix, to getting a bar code for your CD, and author Erik Hawkins does an admirable job of touching on every relevant topic in between.
  
  As can be expected the sections of the book that refer to specific computer hardware and software are already not completely current but thankfully the real treasure in this book is found in the sections dealing with production, and this will certainly be valid for many years to come. There's excellent advice given about targeting a style and setting up your sequencer to begin remixing including essential facts about time-stretching and time-correcting remix elements. The chapter on working with lead vocals and micro-editing is particularly eye-opening and useful far beyond the context of remixing.
  
  Perhaps the coolest thing about this guide is the included CD which allows you to hear the production techniques being described. For example, no matter how well a "stutter edit" is described in words, nothing compares to actually hearing it for yourself, and this is as simple as cueing up the CD to the track boldly listed at the beginning of the corresponding section. A number of advanced production devices are presented this way along with a step by step description of how the effect was achieved, these alone are worth the price of the book. Additional production tips are contributed by remixing heavyweights BT, Dave Audé, Thunderpuss, and Deepsky.
  
  The references to chords and chord progressions are overly simplified and contain at least one glaring error but this isn't really the focus of the book and this information can easily be found in other resources. As a guide to remixing and electronic music production in general, this book is a solid hit.
  
  

• A Must have...

  
  By ATCIEVP9DVLNM on 2005-12-26
  With all books from Berklee Press the beginner and the advanced alike will learn something new. And this book is no exception. Remixing is very hot these days and everyone wants a piece of the pie. But there are only a select few who can pull off remixes that move people. With this book an aspiring DJ can get a few steps closer. Not olny does it start with the basics such as what gear you will need, it walks you through the different aspects of remixing. For the beginner, knowing what makes the genres of dance music different helps you to focus on the type of remix you want for a song. For the seasoned Remix artist it will give you the basis to expand your horizons into different types of dance music. The CD that comes with it is a great tool to actually hear the technique the author explains in step by step instructions.
  
  Remixing is an art, but you gotta start somewhere.While there is no subtitution for actual practice, you can't go wrong with this book.
  
  

• excellent

  
  By AJJRBB7RG1J9T on 2005-07-24
  some good tips for remixers. i wasn't impressed at first, but by the time i was half way through i had picked up enough tips to last me a year.
  
  

• great introduction to remixing

  
  By A29OEYBWGU74ST on 2006-02-27
  
  Great buy if you're looking specifically at remixing. The book does not dive into specific programming techniques for synthesizers at a detail enough to become a professional, but it is short enough that it became a quick reference for me on certain techniques. Very good read for the aspiring producer.
  
  

• Quick Review

  
  By A37AT504X9Z7TM on 2006-07-24
  This is one of the better books I have read up to date. If you have a basic foundation of music production knowledge it will be extremely helpful - if you dont it will still be helpful. Great Book!!
  
  
• Mix It Up
  By AZW2W5I0KCCUL on 2005-02-01
  As an aspiriing DJ I found this book extremly helpful. Not only does it provide tips and techniques for using sofware such as Pro Tools, Sonar and Reason, it also provides tips for legally obtaining tracks from major artists. There are chapters that discuss creating your own style, using lead vocals, mixing, and promoting yourself. The accompanying CD provides the opportunity to see how specific techniques discussed in the book are used to rearrange specific songs. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in discovering techniques to remixing music.
  
  
• THIS BOOK ROCKS!
  By A3PDW6KQ3BFCA0 on 2005-05-19
  This book is awesome!! "The Complete Guide to Remixing" by industry pro Erik Hawkins is the most informative book on remixing I've ever read. Hawkins examines every aspect of remixing and really gets you comfortable enough to create your own remixes and get them sounding good. I always really wanted to get into remixing but I never really had exactly the right gear and wasn't sure what would work best. In this book Hawkins examines some of the most popular software and remixing gear,which really guided me in the right direction. Another thing that set the book apart was the great Audio CD it came with! The CD allowed me to listen to different samples, from start to finish and really observe the process of creating a remix. I'd say my favorite thing about the book was the balanced ratio of technical specifics to musical and creative specifics. On the technical side, Hawkins really dives into subjects like programming beats and basslines, awesome mixing and mastering techniques, and how to perfect key aspects of the remix like lead vocals. Musically, Hawkins keeps the book exciting and informative by fully explaining the characteristics of different dance styles, and how to emulate and base your remixes off of these styles. Hawkins takes you step by step in creating a remix and provides musical and technical explanations along the way that really make it easy and fun to do. I also really appreciated the overall creative and inspirational tone of this great book. I think many people believe that there is a standard way to remix a song, the thing I liked about this book is that it promotes creativity and doesn't weigh you down with restrictions and limitations. It informs the reader on how to make a successful remix and how to get it sounding good and powerful, and it goes even further to inspire the reader to get creative with these tools and truly be unique. This book answered all my questions on remixing and really provided me with a vast knowledge on dance music and how to create moving and exciting remixes. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is interested in remixing!!
  
  
• Remixing must buy
  By ADMQA9EMUJ5BT on 2005-06-19
  This book lives up to everything that it promises and is a must buy if your looking for a book like this. I have searched for books on remixing and the techniques behind it and have not found one better than this one. 5 stars without a doubt.
  
  
• Excellent for the intermediate/advanced producer
  By A2GO88PY4JAQX0 on 2006-02-27
  This book cuts right to the heart of techniques that you can build off of to form your own tricks and styles. It really helps to reveal the added capabilities you can get out of your existing sequencer and FX along with inspiring some discovery.
  
  
• THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE
  By A1DMLJCTJF1RE2 on 2007-12-17
  THIS BOOK MIGHT BE GREAT FOR SOMEONE WHO ALREADY HAS SOME EXPERIENCE IN REMIXING, BUT NOT FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER DONE IT. AS THE AUTHOR HIMSELF WRITES:
  
  "...it's crucial that you at least understand a digital audio sequencer's basic operations."
  
  HE GOES ON SAYING THAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO RECORD A TRACK, SEQUENCE A MIDI PART, QUANTIZE A PERFORMANCE, AUTOMATE AN EFFECT, ETC., ETC.
  
  WITHOUT THIS BACKGROUND YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY. THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE ABSOLUTE NOVICE AND I WISH THEY WOULD LET YOU KNOW THIS BEFORE YOU PURCHASE THE BOOK, BUT THEY DON'T. TO ME THE BOOK SHOULD BE TITLED "THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO REMIXING FOR THE INTERMEDIATE TO THE ADVANCE LEVEL REMIXER", OR AT LEAST AKNOWLEDGE THIS SOMEWHERE IN THE COVER. I STILL GIVE IT 4 STARS BECAUSE LIKE A SAID THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR SOMEONE WHO ALREADY HAS SOME EXPERIENCE.
  
  

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