The Sound Designer's Handbook

[Ted Nicoson]

The latest special issue of Computer Music from the UK just hit the news stands in the US. It is titled The Sound Designer's Handbook, and is exactly that - a handbook for those interested in breaking into or becoming more proficient in designing sounds - both synthesized and sampled. It is not cheap by magazine standards. It is more of a "bookazine" that goes for $18 in the US, but if you just laid out $500+ for a new synth and are thinking about dabbling with sound design, it may be just the ticket for you. At least you may want to stop by your news stand when you have a few minutes and thumb through it. Most places don't charge much for that (yet, anyway).

 

[happyrat1]

Do people still buy and read magazines? I'm not even sure where I'd find a copy on a newsstand around here to begin with. I doubt the local Mac's Milk would even stock it.

Is there by any chance an URL where one could order just the one issue or would I be forced to become a subscriber?

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Hey, Gary !

Long time no chat ! Believe it or not, "real" print is still alive and well (at the moment anyway), but sometimes you have to go a ways to find it. I got my copy of Computer Music at Barnes and Noble. That's about a 35 mile one way drive for me, but at least it's a nice riverside drive down back country roads. It's Saturday, so today was shopping day in the big city for me. Even shaved and showered before I went ! The hard copy comes with a CD-ROM with some 500+ samples on it, but I usually don't find much useable for me on those things. If you have something that will display Nook Magazines, you can download a copy from:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/com...uture-publishing/1114169041?ean=2940146836782

for $4.99, but I don't think that includes the content of the CD-ROM. Computer Music offers back issues in single hard-copies, but I could not find anything for the special issues.

If you would want a hard copy, it might be easier to call your nearest B & N shop and see if they will mail you a copy. Sorry ! Wish I had a better answer for you. I know there have been a lot of books published on this subject over the years, but most of them are higher priced and pretty much outdated by now.

 

[happyrat1]

Yo Ted!

There's actually a guy on Ebay with a couple of copies for sale, but I don't do the Ebay or Paypal thing at all.

As for B&N, I'm in Canada so they don't exist at all around here. There's a major bookseller up here called Chapters however that's about 20 Km away, but I'm too lazy to make the trip on a maybe.

Maybe I'll phone them up tomorrow and see if they have a copy in stock. If so I'll ask them to reserve it for me and schlep out in the middle of a heat wave to see what's what.

Even so, after laying out a small fortune for the PC3K8 and accessories last week my Visa is so ripe it's like a pimple ready to pop!!!

Right now I think I'd rather stick red hot knitting needles in my eyeballs rather than spend another dime on my music fetish

Gary

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Yeah ! I know ! I've been on and off that financial hot seat more times than I care to admit in the past year. Every time I give myself that lecture, some new toy comes along that I just can't live without. My number one hobby is music. My number two hobby is photography. Yikes ! Can't win with a combination like that. Hang in there !