It was a little after 7AM when I woke up. The book I’ve been reading, The Daily Adventures of Mixerman, was lying next to my bed. I’d fallen asleep the night before after reading “Day 38 – Part Deux: Meeting of the Ages.” I decided to knock off another chapter before starting my day and was soon reading about Belvedere vodka which happens to be my vodka of choice. I discovered Belvedere during, what my friends and I refer to as, The Summer of Vodka. After three months of sampling, I found my favorite.
My mind started exploring the options of the day. Should I take the morning off, have a martini for breakfast and finish reading the book? While that sounded very appealing, I decided to forgo the martini and focus on finishing Mixerman’s diary, a book that I only started to read a few days earlier.
For those who don’t know about this book, it chronicles Mixerman’s recording sessions with an unknown band working with a big-name producer. The band was part of a major label bidding war and, to top it off, they seem to have had an unlimited budget.
Mixerman cleverly changes the names of those involved to protect the innocent (or the guilty?). Names such as Willy Show, the producer that never seemed to appear or Penny Pincher, the frugal A&R rep are used to emphasize what many claim was the downfall of the record industry as it was known.
It’s the story that makes this book. If you’re looking for information on actual mixing theories, I would suggest Zen and the Art of Mixing by Mixerman. I’m reading that book now and will post some thoughts on it when I finish. That’s not to say there is no technical advice in The Daily Adventures of Mixerman. In fact, there is plenty and by reading this book you’ll probably take away more than you realize.
This book will show you the inner workings of the recording process and you’ll see that it takes teamwork, creativity and talent to make great music. A cute lead singer and some good songs will only go so far. Whether you work in a studio, play in a band or are a music fan interested in how records are made, I would highly recommend this book. Even if you are none of the above, the story alone is worth reading.
