Introduction -- How the war changed audio -- The V record label for US troops -- Stereo sound, multi-channel sound, film sound and more -- The physics of sound -- The advent of tape and moving coil microphones -- The development of microphone techniques -- Multi-channel Tape recorders -- The advent of the Big Studios -- The record business -- The Maverick producers and freelance engineers -- The big time with 24 track everywhere and heaps of signal processing -- How the technology changed the music -- Classical music recording is effectively broken by the technology -- Digital arrives, but something is not right -- A to D and D to A convertors and compressors in the digital domain -- High resolution Digital recording and re-sampling -- Lossless compression -- The revolution in playback technology -- The social revolution in consumed music -- The change in musicians -- How to do things properly -- The use of Digital Audio Workstations and the impact on music -- Why recordings sound worse now than they did in the 50s and 60s -- Music and Civilisation and why it is important -- Where is the future archive for serious music being produced now -- Are advances in technology always good -- Teaching Audio Engineers -- The future -- Conclusion.

This book provides a true A to Z of recorded sound, from its inception to the present day, outlining how technologies, techniques, and social attitudes have changed things, noting what is good and what is less good. The author starts by discussing the physics of sound generation and propagation. He then moves on to outline the history of recorded sound and early techniques and technologies, such as the rise of multi-channel tape recorders and their impact on recorded sound. He goes on to debate live sound versus recorded sound and why there is a difference, particularly with classical music. Other topics covered are the sound of real instruments and how that sound is produced and how to record it; microphone techniques and true stereo sound; digital workstations, sampling, and digital media; and music reproduction in the home and how it has changed. The author wraps up the book by discussing where we should be headed for both popular and classical music recording and reproduction, the role of the Audio Engineer in the 21st century, and a brief look at technology today and where it is headed. This book is ideal for anyone interested in recorded sound. “[Julian Ashbourn] strives for perfection and reaches it through his recordings… His deep knowledge of both technology and music is extensive and it is with great pleasure that I see he is passing this on for the benefit of others. I have no doubt that this book will be highly valued by many in the music industry, as it will be by me.” -- Claudio Di Meo, Composer, Pianist and Principal Conductor of The Kensington Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hemel Symphony Orchestra and The Lumina Choir.