The intention of this book is to make accessible to many people involved in the daily use of recording studios information which is locked away in many textbooks. The majority of people working in modern music recording studios have not had the necessary formal education in mathematics, acoustics and electronics to make the textbooks appear as anything other than cold print. Largely, also, the days are gone when the majority of studio staff received formal training in the studios themselves, spending years learning under the watchful eyes of previous generations of recording engineers.

This book is not intended to replace the textbooks, but to accompany them, in order to put many of the principles which they define into the context of modern recording studios, in a way which may help to give more meaning to the bare facts. The practical examples given cannot cover the almost infinite range of possible combinations of techniques, but if the examples can be well understood, then they should help the reader to interpolate the data sufficiently to have a reasonable ability to determine for themselves the likely outcome of other approaches. Inevitably, in a book of this size, there will be a certain amount of overlap and repetition. However, where this occurs, it has been left in for reasons of clarity, emphasis of importance, or for the ability of a chapter to stand alone, without the need for unnecessary cross-referencing. Whilst the language used is as plain as possible, there is an extensive glossary at the end of the book to help to explain any unfamiliar terms, and whilst only a minimum of simple mathematics is involved, nevertheless the contents of the book are intended to be as rigorously factual as possible.

"Whether you're going to spend thousands or millions of dollars getting into the recording game, I would seriously urge you to spend the $80 on this book and read it thoroughly before dropping serious cash!! I'm a former studio owner. If I'd known then what I learned after reading this book, I could've saved countless headaches and untold amounts of money. The practical information in this book will really help open your eyes to a critical subject that's very much neglected in today's recording studios."

"I think this is the best book on studio design I have ever read. It covers basically everything that you need to know. I have only two objections:

1: Remarkably many of the references and titles in the bibliography is written or co-written by the author him self! I don't know if this is some sort of hidden advertisement, or if there are not that many other books on the various subjects, but from a scientific point of view, I would hold the words of an author how read more of other peoples findings higher in regard, than one repeating his own past articles.

2: The theoretic part is a little bit thin. There are not many formulas for calculating absorber frequencies, room response, and other mathematical methods. This makes the book easy to read, so it is not that hard to have it as bed time reading, without pen, paper and calculator. But I think this easy reading could still be achievable buy just adding the formulas in separate columns instead of putting them in the text.

Bottom line; I doubt that there is a more complete, well written, easy to read book on studio design out there! But I do look forward to the next version, hopefully enhanced with the complete mathematical background... "

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Jeff Cooper is one of the world's leading authorities on studio design and construction. After earning four degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he started Jeff Cooper Architects in 1976. As head of his firm, Cooper has been an acoustical consultant and architect for some of the most state-of-the-art studios ever constructed. Cooper's clients have included Polygram, Capitol, EMI Records, MCA Universal, and Warner Bros., as well as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews from Amazon

"Cooper's book is an excelent source of practical tips on studio design. He covers all aspects of soundproofing (isolating the studio from sound transmission) as well as improving the acoustics of interior of the studio and control room. Particularly useful are the illustrations showing different ways to construct the walls and flooring. I use these as examples in courses that I teach in Acoustics. The book is highly readable, without a lot of unnecessary formulas and theory that one commonly finds in bools on this topic. I highly recommend this book to someone interested in building a home, project, or even a commercial recording studio. The small investment made in purchasing this book is worthwhile compared to the expense of having to correct acoustical problems down the road."

"As someone unfamiliar with construction techniques, this book was a god send to me. The writing is clear and straightforward, and it contains a series of easy to understand illustrations showing construction details. From my simplistic laymen's perspective, I can say that after reading this book, I was able to have intelligent and informed conversations with architects and contractors regarding my studio. I'm sure readers who know how to swing a hammer will feel prepared to do a lot more than just talk."

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