After nearly two decades in print, Sound Recording Practice (edited by John Borwick) is back with a new, enlarged (to over 600 pages), edition. SRP is a mine of information: if the data you want falls under the general topic of 'recording', it's in this book. A wide variety of specialists have been brought in to write indivdual chapters, each of which provides up‑to‑the‑minute, definitive information — in fact, topics such as digital sound processing, computer control of analogue consoles, digital recorders, post production, CD processing, legal rights, radio and TV broadcasting have been revised or expanded for this edition.The latest digital technology is covered in depth, and every aspect of the recording chain gets its own chapter. The book follows a logical order, starting with some technical background, moving through hardware and recording techniques, finishing with a 'consumer product' section that covers post production, disc cutting, tape duplication and CD processing, and an 'allied media' section that ties in radio and TV broadcasting, video, film and legal matters. Illustrations, figures and charts are used extensively, helping to make the book even more crucial, and a range of appendices adds to an already full package; included here are a list of relevant standards (British, German and American as well as IEC and ISO), a short but comprehensive bibliography, glossary and comprehensive index.
The only complaint you can level at SRP is that at £49.95, the book is not cheap. However, if you only buy one recording reference book, this is the one to buy — and, coincidentally, it's available from the SOS Bookshop, order code B107. Derek Johnson