The Sound Studio: Audio Techniques for Radio, Television, Film and Recording, Seventh Edition (review)

The Sound Studio by Alec Nisbett is centered on audio techniques for radio, television, film, and recording. The techniques discussed in the book are not centered on scientific, mathematical, or engineering concepts; instead, they are geared more toward practical application within a working sound studio. According to the author, it is not necessary to come to this book with a strong background in any of these matters, either, although, in my opinion, it would help the reader a great deal to have a basic understanding of acoustics and audio equipment, particularly when dealing with the newest additions to this 7th edition. These new topics include "the virtual studio," 5.1 surround sound, portable digital recorders, and multi-channel recorders.

The book is useful as a general reference guide, and covers a large range of topics such as basic studio set-up for various media, an introductory overview of acoustics, microphone design and use, and the practical use of post-production effects. One of the best things it offers is simplicity for the newcomer through the use of clear diagrams and well-written brief descriptions (see for example the explanation of microphone construction, purpose, and different types, and the detailed description of standard cable types in chapters 5 and 6).

One of the great things about this text is the insight Mr. Nisbett provides about working with speech and radio. Many books on audio technique frequently emphasize music, but fail to address the other audio techniques necessary for radio and television. The author devotes much of chapter 7 to a discussion on how to handle a basic radio set-up for one or two people at microphones, and how to set up to record multiple speaking voices for radio drama. This chapter also offers ideas on how to handle plosives (hard consonants in speech), and what techniques and tools may aid one to get the best and most "natural" recordings possible. Mr. Nisbett expands this discussion in chapter 8 with a special emphasis on handling microphones that are to be viewed by an audience, an important concept that is easily over-looked by sound technicians who are not visually oriented. Notably, this is one of the chapters in the book where it becomes quite apparent that the author is concerned not with technical and theoretical details, but with the actual art of audio technique.

Chapter 11, devoted to covering common filters and filtering techniques, is one of the best examples of Mr. Nisbett's ability to offer simplified and useful explanations of complex audio topics. Granted, it is by no means a comprehensive guide to filtering, but he is able to explain without a lot of detail what filters do, what the common iconography is for common filters, and a short explanation of what a graphic equalizer is and does. As the book focuses on mass media applications of sound, there is a small guide on using filters for effects that may be needed in dramatic works to help in creating a suspension of belief. Most extensively covered is the use of filters to create various telephone sounds.

Although Mr. Nisbett is successful in his goal of presenting techniques for the audio technician in a simple format (avoiding complex mathematics and science), this writing strategy leads to one of my major criticisms of this book: there is not enough detail about some of the more complex aspects of sound and audio techniques. For example, in chapter 2, on the properties of sound, the author describes "phase" in a section on directional perception in stereo as: "If the amplitude of the sound from one speaker is now increased and the other reduced, the signals combine at the ears as before, but the resultant signals differ from each other...