User Profile

venya

venya@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year ago

Aspiring music and audio person. Recovering military.

Fiction: trashy science fiction and fantasy from my youth that mostly hasn't aged very well. Non-fiction: military history, popular science, music

More commonly found at: @venya@musicians.today.

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venya's books

To Read

Currently Reading

Karl Coryat: The Bass Player Book (1999, Hal Leonard Corporation)

This is the right-hand man for players who live and breathe bass, or for beginners …

Good starter reference, esp. if you don't have a teacher

One of the first books I ever bought for bass guitar, it’s basically a curated collection of articles from Bass Player magazine in the late 90s. Quite old now, but a lot of it is still very applicable, especially for those just getting started. I order a used copy to give out to new bass players from time to time.

Jonathan Feist: Project Management for Musicians (Paperback, 2013, Berklee Press Publications)

Get organized, and take charge of your music projects!

This book will help you harness …

Reference for applying project management principles to a specific domain

This is an EXCELLENT resource for how to work on your music projects (be they a song, an EP, a tour, a concert, or whatever) in a systematic and organized way. I have some background in project management, but this is applying those things in a specific context with the music-specific hazards and rewards and considerations. It’s definitely given me some things to think about before the next serious collaborative project I work on. This is the text from a Berklee music course.

Ethan Winer: The Audio Expert (2018, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group)

The Audio Expert is a comprehensive reference book covering all aspects of audio, with both …

Fantastic reference

Mr. Winer does come off a bit arrogant and dismissive in this as one might expect from the title, but if the tone doesn’t bother you, it’s a very good resource. Lots of good information and not a few sacred cows barbecued. I have been reading it through OReilly.com, but I plan to buy one.

Philip Newell: Recording Studio Design, 4th Edition (Paperback, 2017, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group) No rating

Recording Studio Design, Fourth Edition explains the key principles of successful studio design and construction …

I am not at a point in my life where I am designing recording studios. However, I am very much in the stage where I try to get the most value out of my existing space as I can, and thinking about the day ahead when I might be looking into having my own dedicated space. This book has been invaluable for helping me to see more of the factors that are at play and considerations that I might not have, um, considered.

Donald S. Passman: All You Need to Know about the Music Business (2023, Simon & Schuster)

Everyone in the business has had to adapt to the new filesharing technology, whether they're …

The text to understand mainstream commercial music business

This reads like a college textbook; I think I recall the author teaches such classes. It’s a bit more dry (it’s hard to keep royalties calculations exciting), but really explains the nuts and bolts of the modern commercial music scene. I don’t necessarily want to be part of the mass music business, but it’s really helpful to understand how it works and where the money and incentives go. Frequently updated; I bought this edition shortly after publication in October 2023.

Chas Williams: The Nashville Number System (Paperback, 2019)

In the late 50's, Neil Matthews devised a musical number system for the Jordanaires to …

Excellent reference for Nashville Numbers

If you think you might need to understand Nashville Numbers, get this book. I found it much more approachable and understandable than half a dozen YouTube videos. It comes with a bunch of great example charts with audio tracks so you can see how different people chart the same songs, and get practice doing it yourself.