Reviews (22)

New to Logic?You need this book.
My excitement at being the proud owner of Logic Pro 7 was quickly tempered by the sheer complexity of the software.I spent time with the included documentation and even bought another training book.But it was this book that unlocked Logic's power for me.
Tutorial for Beginners Only
I am new to Logic, but extremely well-versed in other DAW applications. I was looking for a book to cover hands-on issues not specified in the Logic manuals; what I found instead was a series of tutorials that mimic the information found in Logic. If the Logic Reference Manuals don't address a given topic - for example, dealing with latency issues or how to properly archive a project - don't expect it to be addressed here. You're paying for the same content covered again with better hands-on instruction, which may be of great benefit to beginners of the Digital Audio Workstation paradigm.
Recommended
Being a long time Logic user, i still like to study this book to see which areas of Logic I'm still a novice in. What I like about this book, is the Structure, with the chapters and the Tasks to fulfill. So it get's me closer to a streamlined workflow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Interactive & Multimedia    6. Stereo & Audio Equipment    7. Computer Software Packages    8. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (36)

Digging for Gems
This is such a fabulous book taking a coffee break with the who's who of big producers.If you do music, you'll know there isn't really a shortcut to everything.That is why GREAT production work is such an art and everyone's got their way to make it sound..sound off effortlessly...if they're good.
The Lightbulb Came On
I've been recording at home for 20 years.For much of that time, I relied on Recording Magazine, tips from friends, and my ears to get by.My system was fairly simple - cassette-based multi-track, simple dbx compressor, and a few mics and digital effects.Then, it was time to move up.
A Must Have Book
This book is a definite must have if you are getting started in audio recording. I produce hip-hop & R&B beats on a Protools set up. This book has helped me turn hollow sounding music into a full sounding production. The question and answer section of the book gets some of todays best mixing engineers thoughts behind mixing. If your mixes dont sound the way they should and your seriously interested in making professional sounding music then read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Recording & Reproduction    4. Songbooks - General    5. Stereo & Audio Equipment    6. Computers / General    7. Music / Reference    8. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (13)

Find another book - this one is contains too many errors to be considered credible
Since writing this negative review, I spent a lot of time going through the book in more detail.I will leave my original review because most of the points are appropriate.However, I do see that the book has more value than originally determined.In talking with other engineers, I discovered that the previous version did not have the volume of errors incountered in this version (perhaps in the rush to dump a lot of new material, these problems were introduced).I up my rating to 2.5 stars.
the best
You got questions, it has answers. You want to dive into the world of audio production, this book shows you the door and gives you the key.
Complete from basic to advanced
I am an amateur musician trying to cope with the advances in digital sound and music productions. This book is a complete guide from scratch, allowing you to learn the basic foundations, standard skills and advanced tips.
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Subjects:  1. Digital audiotape recorders and recording    2. Magnetic recorders and recording    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Recording & Reproduction    6. Recording and reproducing    7. Sound    8. Stereo & Audio Equipment    9. Electronics & Communications Engineering    10. Music / Recording & Reproduction    11. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (23)

Everyone that listens or produces audio should read this book
It is practically futile to review a book of this magnitude.The reviews on the back of the book alone let you know that: Bernie Grundman, Ted Jensen, Roger Nichols, George Massenberg and Mike Collins all think this is an excellent text.In fact it is.It may be the finest book in it's genre and it will survive format and technology changes due to it's emphasis on fundamentals and incredible depth.I highly reccommend this book.

De-mystifies Mastering!
I have been a guitar player, songwriter, and producer for many years and an engineer when I had to be. There is always a certain amount of mystery around the magic done in post production mastering.I don't say this book gets you there magically, but it gives you a real understanding of what is involved and certainly gives you all the information you need to be on your way!Most professional digital recording software contains a lot of useful post production features, but if you don't understand the basics of mastering, they are of limited use.If nothing else, this book tells you what NOT to do if you are going to have someone ELSE master your product! Very useful and easy to read and understand.

"When the Student is Ready..."
The old saying goes "When the Student is ready the Master appears." Whether you are an engineer at a project studio or have aspirations of joining an elite group of artists known as Mastering Engineers this book is a must read. My cd's are sounding better and better with what I've gotten from it. As a composer/engineer/producer in my own little project studio my biggest gripe is, "When can I quit programming and begin creating?" This book is a big help to answer those technical issues and thus narrow my exploration and experimentation during the Mastering process. After all it's the end result that matters and no matter what Zappa says you can't"...fix it in the shrinkwrap". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Counseling - Vocational Guidance    3. Recording & Reproduction    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Stereo & Audio Equipment    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Audio processing: music & sound effects    9. Computers / Artificial Intelligence    10. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (34)

Overall great review
I have only read part of it so far. But, here is my impression so far. On the negative side, the author assumes too much technical knowledge, mainly on assuming every reader has a solid background in math just to run sound systems (?!). This book is too complicated to read at times for that reason if you are brand new to the subject. But, on the positive side, it is excellent in how it seems to cover all the bases on the subject. What if I was doing a Gospel Music and Bible Teaching Program in Pig Wallow, Georgia, population 70, and I was the only one in town who knew anything about professional sound systems? This book would be perfect in that respect. So overall, I recommend this book.

A must have for any beginner Audio Professional
This book contains almost everything every beginner in Professional Audio should know about audio itself, both from an acoustic and technological point of view. It's well written, so learning all that stuff is very easy.
VERY COMPLETE!
This book is very complete! It is also VERY technical, so don't expect a Sound Reinforcement for Dummies kind of book. This book will require you to have basic understanding of physics and math (logs and stuff like that) but if you are up to it, it will render results very quickly ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Electro-acoustics    3. Equipment and supplies    4. Instruction & Study - Techniques    5. Music    6. Music/Songbooks    7. Recording & Reproduction    8. Recording and reproducing    9. Sound    10. Sound Systems Engineering    11. Stereo & Audio Equipment    12. Music / Recording & Reproduction   

Reviews (9)

Good book!
This book is covering a lot of issues related to live sound reinforcement. I recommend it to the beginners and intermediate soundpersons. If you want to be an FOH operator this book is for you.
Basics, but not a lot more.
Well, if you are just starting out with sound, or need to fill in gaps in knowledge about sound reinforcement hardware or audio principles, this book is very plain english and explains everything in an understandable manner without being overly technical (not much math!). It covers all the topics one should be familiar with, speakers, amps, frequencies, microphones etc. and what they do. The discussion of practical techniques was rather slim, although a book to cover even a decent quantity of scenarios would be huge and expensive, and people may not want to part with knowledge for which they receive fat paychecks!As a musician and amateur soundperson for the school where I work, I was familiar with most of what was written and only found a few new ideas for doing sound reinforcement. A great book for anyone getting started.

Live Sound Reinforcement
It is a class textbook, but also very readable and easy to reference necessary criteria. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Instruction & Study - Techniques    3. Music    4. Recording & Reproduction    5. Stereo & Audio Equipment    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Computers / General    8. Music / Reference   

Reviews (11)

The Truth
The honest truth is that if you want a book telling you how to master and how to apply mastering to your work...THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU. YOU'RE BETTER OFF GETTING THE BOOK BY KATZ!!! For beginners that don't have a clue where to start this book is for you. Throughout the book Bobby O explains the entire mastering from how it's done to the equipment used, how the equipment works and precautionary measures to take before mastering your work. I see why people got pissed off with this book because they wanted to know how to master their project...but instead bobby o. tells you the theory behind mastering for example, how various equipment work, mastering for different media as well as what to buy what the equipment does and the effects they have on the mix. I would recommend this book to anyone that is hesitant about mastering or doesn't have a clue about it. This book will inform you of the process from how it's done to the equipment used and so on...so that in the end you can make your decision on whether or not you want to master your own projects. Awesome book.

Excellent book
There is one thing I must say here in defense of this book. Most people who have not dedicated there mind to learning the real craft of mastering may find this book boring. There are no shortcuts. This book explains every single process involved in the so called "black art" of mastering, and in great detail (with the masters). What more could you want? The techniques are there and they are plainly obvious. If you are not familiar with mastering terms and technical jargon then yes, it may be over your head. If you don't understand fundamental pitches and harmonic frequencies, then you may not understand the section on EQ. I could go on but the point is this: Save your Money for a microphone cable!!!
This book is $35.00 I'll never get back. Better off blind folding yourself and working your toe's. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Handbooks, manuals, etc    2. Instruction & Study - Techniques    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Recording & Reproduction    6. Recording and reproducing    7. Songbooks - General    8. Sound    9. Stereo & Audio Equipment    10. Computers / General    11. Mechanical engineering    12. Music / Reference    13. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (3)

Surround Yourself with Pro Tools
We have two Pro Tools rooms equipped for surround mixing. I was made aware of the book by Frank Pappalardo who is the mixer for the PBS program "Sound Stage". There is a lot of information that is referenced to the Pro Tools environment but much is related to general surround information. The book is well worth the price.

good...
straight to the point,includes basics of 5.1 mixing in pro tools, and also valuable if you already know about 5.1 mixing and want to learn more...

Definately a cool book....
This is a very useful book. Lot's of stuff I didnt know about, some cool real-world stories and examples. The DVD is a nice thing as well, although maybe a few more examples would have been nice. But its a good book for sure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Digital audio editors    2. Instruction & Study - Techniques    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Pro Tools    6. Recording & Reproduction    7. Stereo & Audio Equipment    8. Surround-sound systems    9. Music / Recording & Reproduction   

Reviews (16)

Meh-
I've seen better high end audio books. I'm certainly not a member of the aforementioned "Scientific School of Audio System Performance Analysis", the only instruments that can accurately measure sound quality are the ones on either side of your head. I listen to what my ears tell me sounds good, and generally, tubes sound good. Which is why this book is sort of a disappointment, you'd think that out of 80 projects there'd be at least one tube phono preamp, but unfortunately there are no tube amps, just a few rants about how tubes don't produce enough power. Who uses more than a watt anyway? Even the transistor amps presented aren't much better than what you could get from Rex or Circuit City, similar schematics could probably be found on the internet for free. Go ahead and buy it if that's the sort of thing you're into, but if its tubes you want, try Morgan Jones' "Building Valve Amplifiers", it doesn't have many schematics but it coversin great detail the layout and contruction of tube amps. Good schematics can be found on the intarnub.

Tubes rule. Slone drools.
A good deal of this book is an attack on esoteric audio in general and vacuum tube equipment in particular. But just because Mr. Slone hates tubes (and he does, although he can't be honest with himself, like most fundies, and so has to attempt to disguise his real motives) doesn't change reality. Measurements aside, all other things being equal, tube equipment generally sounds better.
Twaddle, stuff, and nonsense
Basically this whole book is the effort of a hayseed electronics vendor to peddle his own kits of plain vanilla grade stereo equipment. With skilled electronic assemblers in America getting $8.30/hr (and equally skilled Asians getting that per day!) and components in hobby quantities bringing a 50 to 500 percent premium over what commercial buyers pay even in 100 piece quantities, he claims a hobbyist can better commercial grade designs in his hobby workshop cheaper.
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Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Amateurs' manuals    3. Counseling - Vocational Guidance    4. Electronics - General    5. Equipment and supplies    6. Recording and reproducing    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Sound    9. Sound Systems Engineering    10. Stereo & Audio Equipment    11. Technology    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. DIY    14. Electronics engineering    15. Technology / Acoustics & Sound    16. Music   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Recording and reproducing    3. Social aspects    4. Sociology    5. Sound    6. Sound in mass media    7. Sound recording industry    8. Stereo & Audio Equipment    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Communication Studies    11. Communications engineering / telecommunications    12. Cultural studies   

Reviews (3)

Essential
This is a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute study of the digital music world that is unparralelled in accessibility. Read this book cover to cover and then enjoy the freedom to go any direction you like in the field, knowing that you have the fundamentals.
Extremely Useful Book!
This book is a great compendium of explanation, tutorial, product reviews, and software.In fact, for once the included disc has programs that are actually useful - not just time-limited demos of whatever software was new at the time of publishing.The author also utilizes the included software (PC and Mac alike)in his explanations and tutorials, so you're buying a multimedia learning package.Newbies and old pros will be sure to get their money's worth!

Great in-depth book
I want to say that I couldn't have gotten a better text book for my community college audio production class. Great in-depth book." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Computers - General Information    3. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    4. Digital Audio Technology    5. Interactive & Multimedia    6. Microcomputer Sound    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Stereo & Audio Equipment    9. Technology    10. Audio processing    11. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (9)

Excellent and Informative
This book contains a wealth of valuable and useful information and "demystifies" the subject of home theater with clear, concise explanations. It is an excellent resource, exceptionally well-written and extremely comprehensive, and as the book's title indicates, it offers a great deal of practical, real-world advice. The author clearly knows the subject matter thoroughly. I recommend this book highly to both novices and experienced home theater enthusiasts.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Home Theater, But ...
Mr. Fleishman has written and clear and concise primer on Home Theater.Clearly, from his years as a staff writer for Audio Video Interiors and other pubs, he has an in-depth knowledge of the ins and out of HT. Certainly, everyone who is interested in HT should buy this book and read it from cover to cover.The best of all is that this volumne is updated on a on-going basis so that its always current with the latest trends and developements from HDMI to DTS 96/24.
A Great Book Stufffed With Useful Information
Even if you think you know it all this book adds detailed information that's hard to find elsewhere. Written in an easy to read style by someone who knows his subject matter I think this book is a winner. This books presents the facts of Home Theater without any bias often seen in similar publications. Definitively worth reading if you want to get behind what goes into a good Home Theater. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Science/Mathematics    2. Stereo & Audio Equipment    3. Technology    4. Technology & Industrial Arts    5. Television & Video    6. Television - General   

Reviews (8)

Very nicely written - but needs an update
This book is a bit dated. But since I am really a dummy in this area, it has been good to bone up my knowledge, as I gear up to buy and build up a audio home theater - I skipped most of the stuff on the video chapters as I don't plan a movie theater at home.
Must read for newbie
Three months ago, my wife suggested that we upgrade our 15 year old TV to a "home entertainment center".So off we go to the local store to look at options.Spoke to a couple of salesmen who were worse than useless.In frustration, I bought this book.After a quick and pleasant read, I felt that I had a reasonable understanding of the options one has when setting up a "home entertainment center."We now have a v-e-r-y nice component system that is a breeze to use.
Great for novices
Wish I'd bought this when I first started researching home theaters.I was a novice, having purchased only a couple of 27" analog sets in the past 15 years.Rather than starting with a book like this, I researched mine the time consuming way:talking to knowledgable friends; wasting time with sales droids at electronic stores, reading home theater magazines.About two months later things reached critical mass and I could finally make an informed decision.Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Guides    2. Electronics - General    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Stereo & Audio Equipment    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Technology / Electronics / General    8. Television technology   

Reviews (53)

Luxman L-570 made in JAPAN
I have Luxman L-570 which is an integrated-amplifier
Solid State Audio Amplifiers
Randy Slone writes a no nonsense discussion of the vacuum tube vs solid state controversy.He presents the rationale behind the designs presented in this book.It is fascinating reading.
Very good book, yet very complicated....
This is a very good book as far I can tell so far (not yet finished, very, very thick/complicated book).The only downside to this book, that I can find in it, is that its not made for the regular individual.You, HAVE to have a moderate knowledge of electronics!Now when I say this, I mean that you need to know what a diode, resistor, capacitor can do.Things like this.Now I only mentioned 3 things, there are dozens more than this, but atleast if you decide to get the book, you will be somewhat prepared for what your getting into.Also, you will need to learn how to read electronic schematics and such.If your the type of person that can get past this kind of stuff, than this book is for you, otherwise, for everyone else, I would recomend to try to get atleast a basic understanding of electronics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Amateurs' manuals    3. Audio amplifiers    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Sound Systems Engineering    6. Stereo & Audio Equipment    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Television & Video    10. Electronic devices & materials    11. Special kinds of photography    12. Technology / Acoustics & Sound    13. Music    14. Recording & Reproduction   

Reviews (26)

Back Dated Copy "The Third Edition " is available.
The Third edition has been out since 2004 so there isn't any need to still purchase the second edition unless you can get it cheaper!

High Quality Guide
Jarrett's Complete Guide to High-End Audio is a comprehensive treatment of the components of a high end system, delivered with humor and realism.He offers tips for putting together a system for several price ranges rather than simply the high cost system.Instead of discussing brand names the author provides a description of the qualities that make amplifiers, speakers, turntables and the like high-end, i.e. capable of delivering high quality sound.

Very informative book
If you are planning to purchase audio equipment
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Subjects:  1. Consumer Guides    2. Equipment and supplies    3. High-fidelity sound systems    4. Purchasing    5. Reference    6. Sound    7. Stereo & Audio Equipment    8. Stereophonic sound systems    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Consumer guides & advice    11. Music recording & reproduction    12. Reference / Consumer Guides   

Reviews (3)

TapeOp Rocks
Lots o' cool ideas and great insight on home recording techniques used by Elliot Smith, Grandaddy, and others.A real plus if you missed the early issues of the TapeOp mag.

Alt Recording at its Finest
A most interesting collection of articles and interviews from Tape Op (the magazine) early issues. The angle taken in this material is decidedly different from what a reader usually encounters in the world of recording technique literature (particularly the glossy monthly magazines), where the virtues of the latest, greatest, and most expensive piece of magical digital gear are extolled. This Book Is Amazingly Awesome
I cannot say enough good things about this book. I am fairly new to recording, and I just happened to find this at a large, chain bookstore. It is so good! These are not interviews where someone talks about how great it is to be using digital machines. These are creative people talking about what they love: making and recording music. For me, as a beginner, this book has served as a gateway to many other fine sources and as extra fuel to my own enthusiasm for the subject. Not only was this book great for me, as a beginner (in fact, some times i was a little confused), but my friends who have been writing/recording for over ten years loved it too - maybe even more. Some things I found particularly interesting: Quasi on the advantages of recording drums in a kitchen and "f-ed up" drum effects, The Apples In Stereo on running their studio, Brian McTear on recording independent bands in Athens, GA, Guided By Voices on why they were "lo-fi," Steve Albini on the nature of recording, Man or Astroman? on how they got started recording, Steve Fisk, Hillary Johnson, Don Dixon, Pavement, Elliot Smith, tips on basic recording, building your own pre-amp, a microphone guide, ideas like using a pair of headphones as a microphone, how to overproduce a rock record, and that's not even half of it. THIS BOOK IS CHOCK FULL OF GOOD STUFF FOR EVERYBODY WHO LOVES MUSIC. Please buy this book so that they can put out more good stuff like it. Please email me if you are into this kind of stuff, curious about the book, etc. (one other thing, my copy has an introduction by Tony Visconti, not Elliot Smith, FYI) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Recording & Reproduction    4. Stereo & Audio Equipment    5. Music / Reference    6. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (5)

Excellent book covers complicated and subjective topic...
I have been around music as a musician for years and knew a thing or two about the recording process...but, I knew very little about mics, mic placement, etc. Solid, easily accessible information
A terrific book that we rely on here at Mercy College. Understanding sound
Everything you need to know about sound is in this book.Understand sound, then you can manipulate it, according to your ear's preference.And it shows you how important it is to develop several styles of recording for different music.The recurring theme is "there's no right way".Instead, every technique is analysed, and explained, in plain enough English (with some SPF's, and dB's which are also explained anyway), and it shows that what determines the mic positioning, is what YOU want from the sound.Vague, I know, but you'll understand once you get this book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Instruction & Study - Techniques    2. Microphone    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Recording & Reproduction    6. Recording and reproducing    7. Sound    8. Stereo & Audio Equipment    9. Computers / General    10. Music / Reference   

Reviews (11)

Recommended
A good read for the amateur recordist. The book is easy to understand and covers a vast array of concepts.

Great Introduction
Just good all around info, for the novice.Much can be learned by the newbie, and this book will facilitate greater understanding, as the reader progresses to much deeper and complicated material.I highly recommend it, unless you already have a good fundemental grasp of the subject.I've been involved with it (recording) for a while, and basically bought it for friends and musicians to review.Even so, I still learned a thing or two myself.Good book, for it's intended audiance.

Very helpful
As a newcomer to the home recording scene, I would highly recommend this book.It has everything you need without weighing you down with technical recording jargon.Very well written. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Recording & Reproduction    4. Recording and reproducing    5. Sound    6. Sound studios    7. Stereo & Audio Equipment    8. Music / Recording & Reproduction    9. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (5)

Where's the beef?
Too much outdated irrelevant information.Watkinson IS extremely knowledgable on the subject of digital audio.I guess I expected something different.Too much esoteric (and much outdated) theory and very little if any practical information, unless maybe your job is to service 1980's digital audio systems.
Well written technical overview, short of the computer age
The Art of Digital Audio is well written and informative technical overview of digital audio, except that being a mid 1990s book, it almost completely omits detailed coverage of some topics (like MPEG audiocompression) that would nowadays have to be considered critical.It isnonetheless an essential component of the well informed digital audioengineer's library.There is a *lot* of stuff in this compendium that youwould otherwise have to find scattered over a dozen other books. One hopesa revision for the twenty-first century is in the works.

copyright 1894^H^H^H994.
This book has all the details of doing digital audio, starting with banging two rocks together to start a fire, and quickly progressing to the development of western civilization. ... ok, it's not *quite* that bad. Butthere is precious little relevant information to any modern project. Whenyour car's mp3 player is running Linux, who cares that Gray codes are theway to go for digital tape positioning? Who needs to be told that you mightwant to think about doing a calculation in RAM instead of with discretedigital components? There's a good chapter on "advanced digital audioprocessing". And it explains basic things about dithering, mixing,gain control, etc. But on the whole this book is very geared towardantiquated hardware, rather than presenting theories or algorithms that arerelevant to all digital systems. I guess that's why it's the"art" and not the principles of digital audio. In the index youwill find "cylinder transducer", but not "pitch" or"tempo". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Digital Audio Technology    3. Digital techniques    4. Music    5. Music/Songbooks    6. Recording & Reproduction    7. Recording and reproducing    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Sound    10. Stereo & Audio Equipment    11. Technology    12. Audio processing    13. Communications engineering / telecommunications    14. Music / Recording & Reproduction   

Reviews (15)

Very good and useful
I have poor understanding of electronics, but this book explains well all concepts, and is enough easy to follow.
tubes amps
the book is the best of two worlds
simply a must
so you have either the 1st and/or the 2nd edition of morgan jones' book and wonder wether you should really spend the money for the third edition? the answer is simple: YESSSS! why? because in the 3rd edition, morgan jones...
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Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Amplifiers, Vacuum-tube    3. Audio amplifiers    4. Recording & Reproduction    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Stereo & Audio Equipment    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Circuits & components    10. Engineering: general    11. Technology / Electronics / Microelectronics