If your loved ones are asking you for gift ideas then you may have missed this list we compiled from members of the community over the years. It has some great books on there including some of our favourites.

If you have read any of them then please feel free to add your favourite audio and Pro Tools book recommendations ideas in the comments, just text please and not links.

Al Schmitt on Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques

In Al Schmitt on Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques, legendary producer and engineer Al Schmitt takes us into the studio and shares his process of selecting a microphone and shows us how to get the best sounds. Considerations such as song style, instrumentation, and the recording space itself are taken into account when making mic choices and determining the best placement for each. Schmitt demonstrates how to achieve the best sounds for a number of instruments including drums, bass, piano, guitars (both acoustic and electric), organs, and horns across many genres of music. Drawing on decades of experience in the studio, Schmitt brings a unique and invaluable perspective to not only making mic choices and their placement, but also the importance of interacting with musicians taking their vision and preferences into account to create the most comfortable and effective recording experience for all involved. Also featured in Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques is an interview of Schmitt conducted by fellow METAlliance producer and engineer Ed Cherney.

Al Schmitt on the Record: The Magic Behind the Music

Ever wonder what goes into the creation of some of the best music ever recorded? Ever wonder how someone becomes an iconic professional who is universally admired and respected? Al Schmitt on the Record: The Magic Behind the Music reveals answers to those questions and more. In this memoir of one of the most respected engineers of all time, you'll see how a very young boy - mentored by his uncle Harry in New York - progressed through the recording world in its infancy, under the mentorship of Tom Dowd, in its heyday, becoming one of the all-time great recording engineers. And now today Al continues as an unstoppable force at the top of the recording world with his name on mega-hits from the likes of Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, and Dylan. Al's credits include a veritable who's who of the music world. Reading the compelling accounts of Al's life in the studio, you'll see how he has been able to stay at the top of his game since the '50s, and you'll experience what is was like behind the scenes and in-the-studio during of many of his historic, impactful recordings. Schmitt also shares many of the recording techniques and creative approaches that have set him apart, including his approach to microphones, effects, and processors, and he even shares setup diagrams from many of his highly-lauded recording sessions!

Zen and the Art of Recording: Mixerman

In this book, the third in the Zen and the Art Of series, Zen and the Art of Recording Mixerman distills the inescapable technical realities of recording down to understandable and practical terms. Whether musician or self-taught recordist, whether at home or in a full-blown studio complex, you'll discover a definitive blueprint for recording within the current realities of the business, without ever losing focus on the core consideration the music itself. As Mixerman writes: "The moment you start to think in musical terms, your recordings will improve a hundredfold." This enhanced multimedia e-book edition brings recordists deeper into the concepts covered in the text. It features over an hour's worth of supplemental videos in which Mixerman demonstrates various recording techniques in a number of recording spaces. The clips provide invaluable insight into what to listen for when choosing gear and placing mics, and Mixerman walks us through all of this in well over an hour of clips. This multimedia eBook is an absolute must-have for anyone who enjoys recording music and wants to get better doing it.

Perfecting Sound Forever: The Story of Recorded Music - Greg Milner

From our CD collections to iPods bursting with MP3s to the hallowed vinyl of DJs, recordings are the most common way we experience music. “Perfecting Sound Forever: The Story of Recorded Music” tells the story of recorded music, introducing us to the innovators, musicians and producers who have affected the way we hear our favourite songs, from Thomas Edison to Phil Spector. Exploring the balance that recordings strike between the real and the represented, Greg Milner asks the questions which have divided sound recorders for the past century: should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? What does the perfect record sound like? The answers he uncovers will change the way we think about music.

Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust: Ken Scott and Bobby Owsinski

Turn on any classic rock station and you’ll soon hear a song that Ken Scott worked on. As one of the preeminent recording engineers and producers of the 20th century, Ken has garnered Gold, Platinum, and Diamond record sales awards; multiple Grammy nominations; and even a Clio Award (for his recording of the classic Coke ad I d Like to Teach the World to Sing ). Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust:  shares Ken Scott s intimate memories of working with some of the most important artists of the 20th century, while crafting a sound that influenced generations of music makers. Ken's work has left an indelible mark on hundreds of millions of fans with his skilled contributions to Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album. As a producer and/or engineer of six David Bowie albums (including the groundbreaking Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars), as well as other timeless classics, the sound Ken, crafted has influenced several generations of music makers that continues to this day.

All You Need Is Ears

All You Need Is Ears is the story of George Martin, the man who spotted the Beatles' talent, who recorded and produced them from the start, and who brought their musical ideas to life. In this witty and charming autobiography, he describes exactly what it was like to work in the studio with the Beatles, from the first audition (and his decision to scrap Pete Best on drums) to the wild experimentation of Sgt. Pepper (complete with sound effects, animal noises and full orchestras in evening dress at the direct request of Paul McCartney).

This is a singular look at the most important musical group of all time, and how they made the music that changed the world: No other book can provide George Martin's inside look at their creative process, at the play of genius and practical improvisation that gave them their sound; it is an indispensable read for Beatles lovers and anyone interested in the music world.

Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits - Howard Massey

In this prime collection of first-hand interviews, Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits. 37 of the world’s top record producers share their creative secrets and hit-making techniques from the practical to the artistic. George Martin reveals the technical and musical challenges of working with The Beatles, while Phil Ramone, producer for such artists as Billy Joel, discusses studio wall treatments. Offering real-world advice on everything from mics to mixing to coaching a nervous singer, producers interviewed include Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin), Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Alan Parsons (Pink Floyd) and more.

Here There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles

An all-access, firsthand account of the life and music of one of history's most beloved bands--from an original mastering engineer at Abbey Road
Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, and was present as a new band called the Beatles recorded their first songs. He later worked with the Beatles as they recorded their singles "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the songs that would propel them to international superstardom. In 1964 he would witness the transformation of this young and playful group from Liverpool into professional, polished musicians as they put to tape classic songs such as "Eight Days A Week" and "I Feel Fine."

Then, in 1966, at age nineteen, Geoff Emerick became the Beatles' chief engineer, the man responsible for their distinctive sound as they recorded the classic album Revolver, in which they pioneered innovative recording techniques that changed the course of rock history. Emerick would also engineer the monumental Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums, considered by many the greatest rock recordings of all time. In Here, There and Everywhere he reveals the creative process of the band in the studio, and describes how he achieved the sounds on their most famous songs. Emerick also brings to light the personal dynamics of the band, from the relentless (and increasingly mean-spirited) competition between Lennon and McCartney to the infighting and frustration that eventually brought a bitter end to the greatest rock band the world has ever known.

Behind the Glass Volume 2: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits - Howard Massey

"Behind the Glass, Volume II" presents another prime collection of firsthand interviews with the world's top record producers and engineers, sharing their creative secrets and hit-making techniques - from the practical to the artistic. In these pages you'll find Daniel Lanois ("U2", Bob Dylan) discussing the future of digital recording; T-Bone Burnett (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) sharing his unique view of creating complex low end; and Hugh Padgham ("Police", "Genesis") analyzing the state of the business today. For real-world advice on everything from home recording to mixing to coaching a nervous singer, check out author Howard Massey's conversations with Mark Ronson ("Amy Winehouse"), Tony Brown ("Reba McEntire"), Gus Dudgeon ("Elton John"), John Simon ("The Band"), Russ Titelman ("Steve Winwood"), Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson), Rodney Jerkins (Mary J. Blige), Simon Climie (Eric Clapton), Matt Serletic ("Matchbox Twenty"), and more.

Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques

Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques is a dare-a challenge for those who think recording music should be done a certain way. Sylvia Massy, engineer, mixer, and producer of such all-time great artists as Tool, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Oingo Boingo, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more, invites you to put everything you've ever known or learned about recording aside and dive head-long into the unknown. You might just find the doors blown off your conception of how great music should be recorded. If you want to take your creativity and freedom to a brand new level, open your mind and hear the sermons that Sylvia Massy preaches! She lives in a world far outside the norm, working in ways that, though frightening to some, yield results that are emotionally powerful, incredibly personal, gut-wrenching, organic, and even (based on her iconic client list) extremely commercially successful.

The Great British Recording Studios - Howard Massey

The Great British Recording Studios tells the story of the iconic British facilities where many of the most important recordings of all time were made. The first comprehensive account of British recording studios ever published, it was written with the cooperation of the British APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services, headed by Sir George Martin) to document the history of the major British studios of the 1960s and 1970s and to help preserve their legacy. Each chapter focuses on a different studio (including Abbey Road, Olympic, and Trident), with complete descriptions of the studio's physical facilities and layout, along with listings of equipment and key personnel, as well as details about its best-known technical innovations and a discography of the major recordings done there.

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio - Mike Senior

Discover how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios by applying power-user techniques from the world’s most successful producers.

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is a down-to-earth primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 100 famous names, this entertaining guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. On the way, you’ll unravel the mysteries of every type of mix processing, from simple EQ and compression through to advanced spectral dynamics and ‘fairy dust’ effects. User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries and assignments are perfect for school and college use.

ZEN and the Art of Mixing - Mixerman

In his first book, “Zen and the Art of Mixing: REV 2”, the author detailed the frustrating and often hilarious goings on during the process of recording a major-label band. Musicians, engineers, and producers laughed and cried at the crazy goings-on they’d never imagined - or recognized all too well. Now Mixerman turns his razor-sharp gaze to the art of mixing and gives followers and the uninitiated reason to hope - if not for logic and civility in the recording studio then at least for a good sounding record. With a firm commitment to art over technology and to maintaining a grasp of each, Mixerman outlines his own approach to recording success, based on his years mixing records in all genres of music for all kinds of artists, often under trying circumstances. As he states in his introduction to the new volume, even if you’re not a professional mixer, even if you’re a musician trying to mix your own work or a studio owner in a smaller market, you have your own set of pressures to deal with while you’re mixing’. Regardless of what those pressures are, it’s important to identify and recognize them, if for no other reason than so you can learn to completely ignore them. But how? That’s where the Zen comes in.

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook: Fourth Edition

Mixing music —the process of combining and shaping the component parts of a song into a polished, completed recording —was once considered an unteachable art. Bobby Owsinski’s The Mixing Engineer's Handbook: Fourth Edition destroyed that myth forever, breaking the craft of mixing down into discrete, understandable steps and showing musicians, audio engineers, and producers exactly how to get great results in the studio. The book has since become the go-to text on mixing for recording programs in colleges and universities around the world. 

Now available in a completely revised fourth edition, The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook remains the best, most up-to-date source for mastering the art and science of creating pro-quality mixes. The book also features interviews with some of the music industry’s most successful and celebrated audio engineers/producers/mixers, who share their expertise, insights, and philosophies about mixing.

Learn the art of mixing from start to finish, and pick up tips and techniques from the pros, with The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Fourth Edition.

Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science - Bob Katz

Written by an award-winning, highly respected professional Bob Katz, Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science gives you a thorough introduction to the unique procedures and technical issues involved in mastering.

Suitable for all levels of students and professionals, it is ideal for anyone who wants to increase their mastery of digital and analog audio: musicians, producers, A&R, mastering, recording, and mixing engineers.

Recording Studio Design

Using straightforward language and practical examples, Philip Newell covers the key principles of making a successful studio construction. In this third edition of Recording Studio Design, he gives you the skills you need to avoid disaster and create an efficient and effective acoustical environment to record and produce the finest audio. Learn from Newell's years of experience as he provides great detail on the practical recording application in various acoustic environments, and explores complex issues, providing real-world solutions.

This new edition expands and develops on the topics from the previous editions, updating it for the digital age, so you have all the current information you need to build, adapt or update your recording studio.

A Wizard , a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio

If you know what you want, I'll get it for you. If you don't know what you want, I'll do it for you. Todd Rundgren. Few record producers possess the musical facility to back up such a bold promise, but in over forty-plus years behind the glass, Todd Rundgren has willed himself into becoming a not only a rock guitar virtuoso, an accomplished lead vocalist, and a serviceable drummer, vocal arranger and keyboard player, but also a master of perhaps his greatest instrument of all, the recording studio. Throughout his career, Rundgren has ping-ponged between the worlds of producer and recording artist with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. After learning his craft as a songwriter and arranger, with Nazz, Rundgren gained attention for engineering recordings by The Band. His reputation was cemented by a string of noteworthy productions beginning in 1971 with Sparks, and continuing with classic albums for Grand Funk, The New York Dolls, Badfinger, Hall and Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, Psychedelic Furs and XTC. All of this alongside his own solo albums - such as, "Something/Anything", "A Wizard A True Star" and "Hermit Of Mink Hollow" - on which he played and sang virtually everything, and a series of albums by his band, Utopia. Researched and written with the participation and cooperation of Rundgren himself, "Todd Rundgren: Sounds Of The Studio" is a fascinating and authoritative trip through the land of flickering red lights inhabited by a studio wizard - and true star - who has rarely enjoyed a proper victory lap along the many trails that he has blazed. It draws upon exclusive new interviews with Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Steve Hillage, all members of Rundgren's legendary band, Utopia, and many other key Rundgren associates.

Music Theory for Computer Musicians - Michael Hewitt

Many DJs, gigging musicians, and electronic music producers understand how to play their instruments or make music on the computer, but they lack the basic knowledge of music theory needed to take their music-making to the next level and compose truly professional tracks. Beneath all the enormously different styles of modern electronic music lie certain fundamentals of the musical language that are exactly the same no matter what kind of music you write. It is very important to acquire an understanding of these fundamentals if you are to develop as a musician and music producer. Put simply, you need to know what you are doing with regard to the music that you are writing. Music Theory for Computer Musicians explains these music theory fundamentals in the most simple and accessible way possible. Concepts are taught using the MIDI keyboard environment and today’s computer composing and recording software. By reading this book and following the exercises contained within it, you, the aspiring music producer/computer musician, will find yourself making great progress toward understanding and using these fundamentals of the music language. The result will be a great improvement in your ability to write and produce your own original music!

Digital Audio Explained: For the Audio Engineer

Have you ever wondered exactly why adding noise to a digital recording actually makes it sound better? Do you know what a phase lock loop does, and why it's important? These questions and dozens more are answered in clear, understandable English in Digital Audio Explained: For the Audio Engineer which is written for all audio engineers at all levels. It is written about topics that have been reserved, until now, for the electronic engineers, circuit designers, mathematicians and academians. No corner of digital audio is left unturned, from the basics of digital sampling and issues regarding Nyquist to the circuit design of A/D converters, word clock generators, and PLLs.

Nika Aldrich clearly explains issues as seemingly complex as convolution reverbs, Fourier Analysis, noise-shaping and floating point processing for the person who has little exposure to advanced level mathematics. He does this with a linear, methodical approach and the aid of over 600 graphics. In his conclusion, Nika unearths many of digital audio's little secrets having to do with bit-depth, sample frequency, dither, and emerging technologies such as DSD. With the knowledge gained from this book, engineers from the novice to the advanced will make better decisions and get better sounding results from their studios.

Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques - Rick Snorman

What are the differences between trance and chill out? How can you create compelling, professional-sounding original or remixed dance tracks? With Dance Music Manual, you’ll get coverage of every aspect of dance music production—from designing sounds to compression, from effects to mixing and mastering—and go even further, with advice on publishing and promoting your tracks. No matter your level of experience, this book is packed with techniques and practical tips to help you achieve professional results, whether you’re an aspiring dance music producer, DJ, remixer, recording engineer, musician, or composer.

Audio-Vision : Sound on Screen

In Audio-Vision : Sound on Screen, French critic and composer Michel Chion reassesses audiovisual media since the revolutionary 1927 debut of recorded sound in cinema, shedding crucial light on the mutual relationship between sound and image in audiovisual perception. Chion argues that sound film qualitatively produces a new form of perception: we don’t see images and hear sounds as separate channels, we audio-view a trans-sensory whole. Expanding on arguments made in his influential books The Voice in Cinema and Sound in Cinema, Chion provides lapidary insight into the functions and aesthetics of sound in film and television. He considers the effects of such evolving technologies as widescreen, multitrack, and Dolby; the influences of sound on the perception of space and time; and the impact of such contemporary forms of audio-vision as music videos, video art, and commercial television. Chion concludes with an original and useful model for the audiovisual analysis of film.

Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema - David Sonnenschein

With sound becoming more important in cinema exhibition and DVD release, Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema by David Sonnenschein offers user-friendly knowledge and stimulating exercises to help compose a story, develop characters and create emotion through skillful creation of the sound track. Psychoacoustics, music theory, voice study and analysis of well-known films expand perception, imagination and the musical skills of the reader.

Psychoacoustics, music theory, and voice study are covered through the detailed analysis of well-known films, to expand perception, imagination and the musical skills of the reader.

The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects

The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects is a complete guide to recording and editing sound effects. The book covers topics such as microphone selection, field recorders, the ABCs of digital audio, understanding digital audio workstations, building your own Foley stage, and more.

Audio Post Production: For Film and Television

Learn the essential skills to enter the audio post-production industry. Audio Post Production: For Film and Television offers a broad coverage of audio post-production, including the four basic elements: dialogue, music, sound effects, and Foley effects. You will learn strategies for working with composers, music supervisors, and dialogue and sound effect editors, and explore techniques on how to edit songs to fit a scene, record dialogue replacement, cue Foley effects for a scene, as well as many more. In addition, you will learn how to prepare for a pre-dub or temp mix (to group and sub-mix tracks into stems for the final dub), create the final dub, and prepare the mix for foreign distribution and final delivery. By learning the tools and strategies used by working professionals, you will have an advantage to participate effectively in this fast-paced environment, as well as applying these skills to independent projects.

Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures: A Guide to the Invisible Art

In Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures, Second Edition veteran film sound editor John Purcell arms you with classic as well as cutting-edge practices to effectively edit dialogue for film, TV, and video. This new edition offers:

• A fresh look at production workflows, from celluloid to Digital Cinema, to help you streamline your editing

• Expanded sections on new software tools, workstations, and dialogue mixing, including mixing "in the box"

• Fresh approaches to working with digital video and to moving projects from one workstation to another

• An insider’s analysis of what happens on the set, and how that affects the dialogue editor

• Discussions about the interweaving histories of film sound technology and film storytelling

• Eye-opening tips, tricks, and insights from film professionals around the globe

• A companion website with project files and video examples demonstrating editing techniques discussed in the book

Emmy recipient John Purcell has over 30 years of varied studio experience in picture and sound. He has edited projects ranging from documentaries and concerts to presidential campaigns and television series to feature films and classical albums. On top of editing dialogue for movies, he writes training programs for audio engineers and teaches at film schools in the Middle East and in Latin America.

Music Editing for Film and Television: The Art and the Process

Making music for the movies is a complicated, involved, and challenging process. Music Editing for Film and Television: The Art and the Process covers the practical skills needed to successfully hone your craft. Through an overview of the music editing process, this book will equip you with detailed techniques to solve musical problems encountered during editing. An abundance of interviews with well-known professionals provide a wide range of perspectives on music editing for film, while special features address an array of projects, from a low-budget documentary, to a Hollywood blockbuster, to indie projects.

Sound for Moving Pictures: The Four Sound Areas (Sound Design)

Sound for Moving Pictures presents a new and original sound design theory called the Four Sound Areas framework, offering a conceptual template for constructing, deconstructing and communicating all types of motion picture soundtracks; and a way for academics and practitioners to better understand and utilize the deeper, emotive capabilities available to all filmmakers through the thoughtful use of sound design.

The Four Sound Areas framework presents a novel approach to sound design that enables the reader to more fully appreciate audience emotions and audience engagement and provides a flexible, practical model that will allow professionals to more easily create and communicate soundtracks with greater emotional significance and meaning.

Of obvious benefit to sound specialists, as well as motion picture professionals such as film producers, directors and picture editors, Sound for Moving Pictures also provides valuable insight for others interested in the subject, such as those involved with teaching soundtrack analysis or those researching the wider topics of film studies and screenwriting.

Supplementary materials can be found on the companion website.

Recording Unhinged Coloring Book - Sylvia Massy

Shooting pianos, miking chickens, recording bass (guitar, that is) on a submarine. These are some of the unusual recording techniques examined in the book, Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques. Because we all like to "draw outside the lines," Recording Unhinged Coloring Book is a collection of Sylvia Massy's original illustrations from the book is a great way to whet your appetite for some real adventurous recording. Add your own colour and excite your imagination! Since we're all about getting a little unhinged, you might want to make it fun. Try colouring with strange materials while you're at it. Toe-nail polish and highlighter pens. Lipstick and blush. Spilt coffee. You figure it out. Enjoy! And one last tip: you'll find a few special illustrations here that aren't in Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques, including one that if you fold it a certain way (look for the arrows), Neil Peart will turn into the drummer from the Stray Cats, Slim Jim Phantom!

On The Road: Recording The Stars in a Golden Era of Live Music - David W. Hewitt

When it comes to live albums, many music fans have a wide variety of personal . A large cross-section of top choices would likely include recordings from David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Eagles and many more. These all have something in common: their live releases all had engineering help from David W. Hewitt.

Launching his career during the early 1970s at Regent Sound Studios in Philadelphia and then the Record Plant recording studio in New York, Hewitt was one of the foremost pioneers in designing remote multitrack recording studios and putting them into practice, with thousands of concert recordings from hundreds of artists all across the United States and abroad.

On The Road: Recording The Stars in a Golden Era of Live Music is a memoir/diary of that era, with stories that draw from a huge list of famous and even legendary concerts. Told from the ultimate insider’s perspective, On The Road recounts Hewitt’s involvement to preserve those moments in musical history.

If you want something which will be helpful to someone who works in a studio but isn’t directly about the tasks they perform in the studio try these six suggestions from Grammy winning producer Dom Morley.