Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters

by Gina Fant-Sáez

Book Overview

You've got the power. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars on recording-studio time anymore. Now, using Pro Tools - a digital-audio workstation - you can record demos at home on your own... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321337034
• ISBN13: 9780321337030
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Peachpit Press
• Length: 526 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.8" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Ease of learning, low frustration level

I was in the music business up until about 15 years ago. I had my own analog recording studio, and wrote and recorded many songs with other artists. Now I have recently decided to get back into it, and have discovered quite a learning curve with Pro Tools, midi, drum plug-ins, and keyboard capabilities all at once. But that's a longer story.... I have read the ProTools manual (all 700 pages), reviewed DVD tutorials, read the ProTools 101 course manual, but nowhere could I find anything that presented a learning process step-by-step that acquainted me with how to do the things I wanted to accomplish without assuming I already knew what they were talking about. But Gina's book gives me that information, shows me each screen pictorially, and moves at a pace that makes sure I understand before moving to the next step. It is far more educational than the dry presentations in technical jargon the other sources gave me. I strongly recommend this book as a straightforward ease to your mounting frustration in tackling the learning curve.

Best for Pro Tools...

If you like tutorials, (and why wouldn't you for learning material?), and you're new to Pro Tools (and there are a LOT of new users out there with the release of M-Powered Pro Tools), then this is THE book to own. Trust me, I've read them all. Gina's book goes a HUGE way in giving the user the confidence and skills to handle all but the most advanced in Pro Tools techniques. Honestly, Pro Tools is probably the easiest DAW out there (when compared to Logic Pro, Cubase, Live, Digital Performer, etc...) to master, but it amazed me to read so many books on Pro Tools written by authors who just could not write a cohesive text that truly served to educate the reader--so many seemed like English 101 plagiarisms of Digidesign's Manual rewritten just enough to perhaps fool the instructor! To prevent embarassment for other authors, I won't list them here, but just suffice it to say that if it isn't written by Fant-Saez or isn't the Digidesign 101 book, then it ain't too good unless it is deemed a "reference" book. I won't go into detail about the contents of this book, as that has already been done by other reviewers. This book has a pleasant style, well thought out tutorials, great graphics, and goes beyond the call of duty into the "intermediate user" territory towards the end. A highly valuable resource! That said, I have to disagree in a big way with some of Gina's editorial about Production techniques. From the beginning, she says to ONLY record with drummers using a click track. In fact, she goes as far to say that if your drummer will not play to a click, then get a new drummer! I think that this advice is ludicrous. She also claims that over 90% of production today is done to a click track! Maybe electronic music...but NOT rock n' roll, baby! Not at all. Ask Matt Cameron, the Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, AC/DC, Jet, etc... what they think about click tracks...it has been documented in texts by engineers and others that these guys/girls DO NOT use click tracks...I just hope that her statements in this book do not kill someone's idea or dream of drumming just because they choose to be "organic" and to have a sound that "lives and breathes" instead of rigidly following some synthetic crystal-controlled machine... Off of soapbox now, I can highly recommend this book!

The End Of Frustration

I wish I had read this book to begin my journey into Pro Tools. Extremely user friendly, it removes all the technological clutter and lets the singer/musician/even bass player get on with the process of actually creating music. Very high quality graphics, coupled with concise, friendly text, make this book a joy to read. In this new digital age, there's so much gear consciousness that we sometimes forget what our intent was. Ah, now I remember, 'playing' music.

Best Pro Tools Book Yet!

I hereby proclaim Gina Fant-Saez's "Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters" to be the Greatest Pro Tools Book Yet Written in the History of Mankind!! I am a Digidesign Certified Pro Tools instructor in N. California Bay Area and teach the highest levels of Expert Certification for both Music And Post. I must have every Pro Tools book and video every released. (including the complete set of Digidesign's 3rd Edition Certification Courseware ) I love, Love LOVE your book Gina! I love the mini modules, the constant Exercise approach. This is the way I teach. If I ever "tried" to write a book, it would be like this. But why bother because this is a Masterpiece! If I had known about this book a few weeks ago, I would have made it THE REQUIRED text book for my Pro Tools classes this semester. But I promise I will have the college bookstores order them for my Summer and Fall classes!! In fact, I think I am going to add this book to my syllabi and incorporate the content into my classes immediately! Peachpit is da 'Bomb! Their stuff is always meticulous. And editor Jim Aikin is the best. Two Big Thumbs Up! Bruce Tambling www.brucetambling.com