The Audio Expert

Abstract. The Audio Expert is a comprehensive “reference” type book covering all aspects of audio, with many practical as well as theoretical explanations. It’s written for people who want to understand audio at the deepest, most technical level, but without needing an engineering degree. The Audio Expert explains how audio really works in much more depth than usual, using common sense plain-English explanations and mechanical analogies, with minimal math. It’s presented in an easy to read conversational tone, and includes more than 420 figures and photos to augment the printed text. You can view the Table of Contents now, which includes a list of all the videos that total more than 3-1/2 hours running time.However, this book goes beyond merely explaining how audio works. It brings together the concepts of audio, aural perception, musical instrument physics, acoustics, and basic electronics, showing how they’re intimately related. It also describes in great detail many related practices and techniques used by recording and mixing engineers, including video production and computers. This book is meant for intermediate to advanced recording engineers and audiophiles who want to become experts. It’s definitely not a “Dummies” type book for beginners, though there’s plenty for beginners too.

One unique feature is explaining how audio devices such as equalizers, compressors, and A/D converters work internally, and how they’re spec’d and tested, rather than merely describing how to use them. This book is also unique because it includes much original research, such as methods to test the audibility of distortion and other artifacts using your own listening system, while explaining why many common home-made tests are not valid. It also addresses the perennial “measuring versus listening” and “subjectivist versus objectivist” debates head on, and resolves them using science, logic, and hard proof. There’s plenty of myth-busting and consumerism too. Indeed, truly understanding how audio gear works leads to smarter buying. So while I won’t tell readers what brand power amplifier to buy, I explain in great detail what defines a good amplifier, so people can choose a first-rate model wisely without over-paying.