Live Sound Reinforcement, Bestseller Edition (Hardcover & DVD)

This book is exactly what I was looking for when I was trying to improve my knowledge of sound reinforcement. This edition is the hardcover textbook and so it is a little more than the paperback but what really makes it worth the asking price is the bonus DVD. I really endorse this book for anyone needing to expand their knowledge of sound reinforcement.

This book had a lot of potential. I initially purchased it as folks I knew asked if it was a good resource. My only regret in waiting to post a review is that I did not post the review immediately.I have been doing live sound since 1999 and purchased and reviewed this book in 2010.It is not a well made book in terms of information or production. Some of the information is plain incorrect. There is a balance between gain and signal that is good to obtain and this book recommends the "garage band/big-box music retail store" method of cranking your amps all the way up and then adjusting levels - which is not a good approach. If anything you'd want to start your amp gain at 50 percent and then dial it in. Amps have gain adjustments for a reason, otherwise they would make them all with a simple on/off switch and internally "jacked up to 11".The dvd is entertaining, and you can even hear in it where the fella makes adjustments but it's still horrible - especially with some of the eq examples. Because of it's comedic value I gave it an extra star. It is funny, although I am sure unintentionally.Do yourself a favor and look at Yamaha's book on sound reinforcement or find a local audio engineer/sound guy that you think mixes well and pick their brains, offer to help set up and learn, take some classes at a local community college. Heck, even teach yourself. I think you'll be better in the long run.I do audio training for groups on occasion and always make sure folks attending stay away from this book. It has a few good nuggets, but hey, you can even find scraps of food in a trash bin.

This is the Bible of live sound reinforcement. It covers every aspect of sound, from physics to mixers and outboard gear. Shame it's not suitable for touring, because it's a bit heavy and big.Each topic is deeply explained with easy-to-understand texts and many draws and pictures. I found these draws to be the best part of this book, they really complement the texts and help the reader spell out the ideas. The DVD is not as high level as the book itself. It covers topics that are better understood with movies, like mikes placement and FOH positioning. It's 3 hour long, so it covers many topics. Finally, seems the DVD was produced to help starter engineers, the opposite of the book. Great book and nice DVD.

Informative for my students

Great resource for anybody looking to improve their live sound. The DVD may be a bit dull, but it's packed with good Info. The Book goes into much more detail to reinforce what you see on the DVD.

I like this book because it also comes with the DVD.So you not only read about it .You get to see what they are talking about.What I know about sound reinforcement until now as just been trial and error.Thanks to this book and DVD I now know that at least some of what I was doing was right.And I am still learning form the book and anywhere I can pic up good info about Sound Reinforcement.

I've been looking for this book for years and I finally got it from Amazon just 2 days back. I am dissapointed on delivery as it was damaged on transit, the hardcover and the pages on the top are crumpled. I immediately repaired the damaged portion and now I am happy reading it. The contents and the illustrations are not as I have expected to be in this book. The diagrams and illustrations are rather too plain and simple. There are no colour photographs either. On the other side, the attached DVD is much better and have more depth to the subject. But I know comparing a book and a DVD is not fair. The book is fairly written well and the texts are rich. More photographs, be it B&W or colour and precisely drawn illustrations and diagrams would have made this book No 1. Overall : A must have book for any amateur or "on the road" sound engineer or any PA System rental company. A good buy after all.

no surprises

The DVD is fantastic, highly informative. Unfortunately the book is written in a very inaccessible style, like if you don't already know what the author is talking about then you'll come away scratching your head. It would seem the author as forgotten who he is writing for, unlike the DVD which is crystal clear and worth the price alone!

Although the photos are a bit dated the info is well written and relevant. Stark has a good casual style and doesn't bog you down in too much science without good reason! I still use it for reference regularly. A good buy.

good