If you got to this page by mistake and you were looking for Jay Rose's online tutorials, click here. But please come back to read about the book when you're done.
Reviewer's comments about Jay's previous writing on sound for digital video:
"Jay Rose brings a wealth of experience... the book is replete with facts and useful information." Dennis Berkla, Videomaker Magazine
"...an invaluable collection of step-by-step how-to information combined with the technical reasons things do or do not work." Dominic Milano, DV Magazine
"The most comprehensive, in-depth resource for audio production in the desktop environment... a must-have resource." Randy Cates, Videography Magazine
About the Book
The Digital Video revolution makes it possible for artists, animators, filmmakers, and ordinary citizens to produce first-class video using nothing more than a desktop computer... and in fact, a lot of what you see on network tv has been assembled in ordinary offices, on Macs and PCs. (I should know. I create the soundtracks for them. My recent projects have included network-identity packages for PBS, documentaries for the A&E and Discovery Networks, and home-video rollout campaigns for Disney/Buena Vista.)
A lot of creative individuals have taught themselves how to produce and edit pictures by playing with these computer systems, and comparing what they do with what's being broadcast on tv.
But you can't teach yourself how to polish a soundtrack this way. There are too many interconnected factors. For instance, decisions you make while editing dialog can influence how effective your music score will be. And trying to improve part of a track by ear -- tweaking a knob until things seem better -- can make them much worse later on.
And while there's good hardware and software available for just about every audio task imaginable, from strengthening a voice to cleaning up noisy backgrounds from the shoot, its use is almost never intuitive.
There's an art to good sound. But there's also a science, and a body of techniques that have been developed by professionals like me, over a large chunk of the past century.
This book teaches the science and technique of studio voice and sound effect recording, editing dialog and music (the techniques are different), processing, and mixing. I don't expect you to be a scientist, so I've kept the physics and math to basics you learned in grade school, illustrated with visual analogies. And since I expect you to be primarily interested in results, the book is full of practical tips, how-to examples, and time-savers that have been proven in the field.-- Jay Rose
No stone is left unturned in the audio postproduction process. ...even producers who have substantial audio production experience will learn a few things... The technical tables, illustrations and visual examples provided throughout the book are by themselves worth the cover price, and the author's sense of humor and positive attitude throughout the text only add to the enjoyment of what could have been a very dry subject. Every serious non-linear editor should have this book. It is destined to take an honored place beside Mr. Rose's best seller Producing Great Sound. I give it four and a half out of five "cows". -- Timothy J. Allen, CreativeCow.net Read the full review.
Audio Postproduction for Digital Video is the follow up to Producing Great Sound for Digital Video. The new book basically expands on the postproduction section in the first book and as a result, some of the material overlaps. But at more than 400 pages, it contains so much essential new information that you may never notice the similarity between a few chapters. Rose is smart about not overwhelming the reader, but ... also goes beyond the basics for the reader who may be considering a career in film sound. Contains more practical advice and information about the actual process of ADR and sound effects editing than has been shared in any one book. Rose knows what is required to get the job done and presents it as if he's a consultant to your independent film company. The chapter on dialogue editing alone is worth the price of the book.
-- S. D. Katz, Millimeter Magazine Read the full review (you'll have to scroll to bottom of that page).
I have just read the best audio text on the practical and technical aspects of audio for digital video post production... a comprehensive and useful text for video editors who work with audio.
Novice editors can read this book... and have a collection of advanced audio capabilities in their bag of tricks in order to compete. The excellent chapter on dialog editing makes this book a must read for editors! There is a separate chapter for finding and editing music, and another for sound effects... If you work with audio in your timeline, I cannot imagine that you will not become a better video editor after reading it.
-- Bob Turner's The Cut, July 16, 2003 Read the full review.
Audio Postproduction for Digital Video can be used as a reference book for experienced sound professionals or university instructors, or - for new film-makers like me - can be a practical handbook for anyone who makes digital films... It's all here, shown with useful illustrations and explained in straightforward language that even a beginner can understand. ... the author managed to keep me interested through more than 400 pages of hands-on, detailed practical advice. The book's audio CD - not the typical CD-ROM junkyard of shareware that expires in 4 days - is a valuable collection of sounds and tutorials that are expertly coordinated with the text of the book.
-- Michael Pastore, Epublishers Weekly Read the full review.
...a compendium of virtually every professional audio technique that can be adapted to desktop audio. Digital video students and beginners can use the book to understand what options are available to improve a soundtrack, even after the actors have gone home. Experienced producers can learn the techniques that audio professionals use to solve technical and creative problems quickly. -- Staff, Creative Planet Communities Read the full review.
100% Recommended by our customers.
--
HallPhysic.com "The most comprehensive Physics portal"
This book is simply the best book on post-production audio out there... gets to the real nuts and bolts of the day-to-day sweetening of sound. Technical in spots going into the physics of sound, studio design, and other minutia but... for those who just want to fix things they can jump to the end of each chapter and use the cookbook/troubleshooting sections. If you are serious about filmmaking, you can't be without this book.
January 3, 2007 Reviewer: G. L. Stone (Santa Clara)
Audio Postproduction for Digital Video is top-notch... a soup-to-nuts guide on how to deal with sound in postproduction. ...The book is an education in sound and, together with the numerous photos and diagrams (and Rose's good sense of humor), it's a liberation from the dry prose of most manuals on postproduction. Anyone considering directing a short or feature, anyone who wants to be even nominally involved in the sound design of their film, and, of course, anyone interested in working in audio postproduction, would do extremely well to pick up a copy... August 23, 2004 Reviewer: S. P. WARE (Los Angeles, CA)
This is an exceptional book: clear, comprehensive, and full of the kind of information you need to edit professional-quality DV sound on your desktop... Especially helpful is the 77-track audio CD... I ordered this book to help solve some specific problems in editing a short film; I'll keep it within reach of my editing station to help shape the next one. November 30, 2002 Reviewer: Max McCoy from Lost in America
This book has lots of good information for both the new editor and the experienced. Jay's techniques for dialogue editing are thorough and every time I read this section something new shows up... a very good section for cutting music to video and overall does an outstanding job of explaining the audio post process. If everyone would read this book and follow the advice there would not be so many videos with poorly edited audio out there. November 29, 2002 Reviewer: Gerald Robinson from Divide, CO USA
from Entertainment-Reviews.com
This book in fantastic. The authors voice and style make this not only easy to read but a joy to read as well. There are little tips and tidbits in each chapter that will make a good audio guy great and a great audio guy better.... The level of information includes the spectrum from basic to advanced, but through Mr. Rose's clear explanations the advanced information should not go over the heads of the reader.
via e-mail
I just wanted to say thanks and many kudos for your awesome book... good technical books are rare, but your work is a clear exception. I have been doing live sound reinforcement for over 7 years at my church and in worked as an intern broadcast engineer at cable stations, and most recently immersed myself in the world of podcasts and indie film making. So I have picked up a better-than-average knowledge of audio production, but somehow your book takes me to the next level with text that is clear, concise, rich with useful experience-based info, and even funny at times (for geeks like me at least :-). The CD is essential too. October 6, 2006 Gregory Stone
I have for some years been the sound consultant to a local video makers' club, and have also taught sound techniques to adult education video makers classes. Had I had these books to recommend years ago, my life might have been a lot easier!... I have also found plenty of information to help me personally... I must congratulate you on producing books packed with useful information for both amateur and professional, and backed up by informed opinion from someone who actually practises what they preach. May 19, 2003 Richard Simmons
Audio Postproduction was designed to be useful for the producer, videographer, and editor:
14-page FAQ, right in the front, takes you through a hierarchy of solutions for common problems with garbled dialog, sync problems, noise and distortion, and mix issues.
Comprehensive. Three chapters on setting up your audio post equipment and software. Step-by-step instructions for getting great voice-overs and ADR. More than twenty pages teaching you the fine-points of dialog editing... fifty pages on scoring and sound effects. Separate, long chapters on every aspect of audio processing, from equalization through time compression and noise reduction. Almost forty pages on mixing: controlling perspective, making individual tracks work well together, and release formats.
Lots of bulleted tips, step-by-step instructions and "Gotchas".
Plenty of illustrations that actually demonstrate concepts and techniques.
Not tied down to a particular software or hardware platform. Screenshots and tips for both Windows and Macintosh. Will remain a useful reference for years.
Written in easy-to-understand language by an audio-for-video professional who's spent years working in the field.
One-hour audio CD can be played on any stereo or loaded into your NLE. Includes diagnostic tools, examples, and sample files for tutorials.
About the Author
Jay Rose, CAS, is a Clio and Emmy-winning sound designer, and proprietor of The Digital Playroom -- a creative audio-for-video boutique. Playroom projects have included:
Rose also writes a popular audio tutorial column for DV Magazine, lectures at the DV Expo, MacWorld, and other conferences, is a member of the Cinema Audio Society and past officer of the Audio Engineering Society.
Instructors are invited to order classroom evaluation copies from the publisher.
How to buy Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
You can find Audio Postproduction at large local book and computer stores for $44.95.
Amazon may be offering a substantial discount. (They've started experimenting with their discount policy. Some days they discount this book 33%, but ask list price for my "Producing Great Sound "; other days the situation reverses. Naturally, they're keeping the logic behind this proprietary. But if you see a price you like, grab it.)
Or check the discount at Markertek.
This well respected audio/video dealer has been around longer than Amazon. I've bought a lot of gear from them, both online and from their brick-and-mortar store, and always been satisfied with their service.
They haven't offered to buy me pizza (see below), but I'd rather you got the book at the best price.
← Click for instant purchase from Amazon pop-up window.
Instant Purchase works only if you're already signed up for Amazon "1-click" ordering; otherwise, use this link.
As an author, here's why I prefer that you buy from the Amazon link:
A book like this obviously has to be a labor of love, since the publisher pays me only $2.25 royalty per copy sold.
But if you buy right after clicking on the Amazon link, they give me a commission of $4.72 on top of the publisher's royalty! Two of those and I can buy a pizza!
Amazon's commission is much less ($1.57) if you wander around their site before ordering. So if you're going to wander, please do me a favor. Once you decide to actually buy the book, come back to my site. Then click the Amazon link, or the Amazon pop-up at the top of this panel, right before placing the order. I could use the pizza.
If Amazon isn't offering a discount today, check Markertek's price.
--Jay
Audio Postproduction is now available in Russian and German editions.
Contact Jay for more information, or to license translation rights in other languages.
-- Jay Rose
The Digital Video revolution makes it possible for artists, animators, filmmakers, and ordinary citizens to produce first-class video using nothing more than a desktop computer... and in fact, a lot of what you see on network tv has been assembled in ordinary offices, on Macs and PCs. (I should know. I create the soundtracks for them. My recent projects have included network-identity packages for PBS, documentaries for the A&E and Discovery Networks, and home-video rollout campaigns for Disney/Buena Vista.)
