Mix hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks with dozens of artists; and what do you get? Beautiful LEGO; a compendium of LEGO artwork that showcases a stunning array of pieces ranging from incredibly lifelike replicas of everyday objects and famous monuments to imaginative renderings of spaceships; mansions; and mythical creatures.Yoursquo;ll also meet the minds behind the art. Interviews with the artists take you inside the creative process that turns simple; plastic bricks into remarkable LEGO masterpieces.
#1786435 in eBooks 2004-03-01 2004-03-01File Name: B00FF9VSXO
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Brandon HarwoodNot a bad book good read10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Theres So Much More Here Than Where to Stick the MicBy frankp93I received a free item to review.Corbett doesnrsquo;t say; lsquo;Herersquo;s the best way to record instrument Xrsquo; and leave it at that. By focusing first on how microphones function and how theyrsquo;re complemented by signal processing tools and the physical recording environment; he teaches you not only lsquo;common practicersquo; mic techniques but; more importantly; gives you practical knowledge to feel in control of whatever recording situation you find yourself in. Whether recording your own music or collaborating with others; yoursquo;ll feel confident to make your own technical decisions with the goal of satisfying anyonersquo;s artistic vision.What makes lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; work so well in my opinion are the exercises and the audio examples. Theyrsquo;re well-considered; well-executed; and they really encourage creativity and developing your own hearing discrimination. Itrsquo;s a clicheacute; but itrsquo;s the truth: the more you put into this material beyond simply reading it; the more yoursquo;ll get out.For example; Corbett asks you to record identical sound sources using a variety of mics; positioned both close (within several inches) and further away (greater than a foot). Taking the time to do this; using whatever mic or collection of mics you have at your disposal; will teach you more about mic response; recording; and hearing than passively listening to the most sonically ideal demonstrations using the most impressive hi-end gear ever will.Many of the audio examples use identical or very similar performances emphasizing a particular variable: a mic technique; signal processing tool; recording environment; etc. Being able to A/B (and often A/B/C) these well-produced examples (many of considerable length) really gives your ears a chance to soak in subtle differences.The discussion of EQ and filtering is every bit as technical as any mixing text. Corbett strongly favors EQ as a subtractive; corrective tool rather than an enhancing effect and sweetener. To paraphrase another terrific hands-on exercise: Record identical sound sources from varying mic distances resulting in some tracks exhibiting proximity effect. Within your DAW use EQ to counteract the effect and compare the results with those tracks that didnrsquo;t exhibit it in the first place. Think you can predict the outcome? So did I until my ears delivered quite an unexpected surprise.The chapter on stereo imaging; including panning; depth and symmetry ndash; taught me some things Irsquo;d not come across in more specialized mixing books.Another slightly-off-the-beaten-path aspect of lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; I enjoy is the musical orientation. Many music production books are either MIDI/Dance Music; generic lsquo;Indiersquo; or metal oriented.Nothing against any of that but some of us come to recording with a different set of reference points. I would describe the authorrsquo;s orientation as contemporary jazz and melodic 70rsquo;s-80rsquo;s rock and pop genres influenced by jazz (some band excerpts reminded me of Supertramp). Therersquo;s an emphasis on vocals; acoustic drums and non-synthesized instruments.And least you think lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; might shortchange the bread and butter mic placement recipes yoursquo;re searching for ndash; relax; itrsquo;s all here; and plenty of it. Every instrument group and vocals are presented along with realistic variants that make the book applicable to a wide range of musical contexts:Vocals include not just solo voice but small and larger groups; lsquo;gang vocalsrsquo;; vocal with live instrument accompaniment. Pianos and keyboards include grand; upright; electronic; organ (w/Leslie) ndash; even accordion. Bass includes electric and upright. Orchestral strings and brass are covered along with instruments that are often overlooked and have their own idiosyncrasies: banjo; dobro; ukulele.In addition to the perennial discussion of the optimum number of mics to record drums; lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; is one of the few books Irsquo;ve read that distinguishes between recording rock drums and acoustic jazz drums.When Corbett does discuss mic placement he goes deep and is full of surprises: I thought I knew everything there was to know about x/y mic pairing; but Corbett not only explains the psychoacoustic lsquo;whyrsquo; of the technique but touches upon mic angling variations such as ORTF; NOS and DIN; developed by European radio and television engineers ndash; and he again provides recorded examples that take the concepts off the page and put them in your ears.Finally; therersquo;s an informative chapter of substantive interviews with professionals whose viewpoints mesh with Corbettrsquo;s.Many authors of audio engineering books keep a certain technical distance from the artistic element. A smaller number skew the opposite way: they minimize the intricacies of gear and acoustics and take an ldquo;If it sounds goodhellip;rdquo; approach. In my opinion both perspectives ndash; well done ndash; have much to offer musicians looking to produce their own recordings as well as aspiring engineers whose function entails translating someonersquo;s artistic viewpoint into effective recordings.After finishing lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; I felt ambivalent about the title ndash; itrsquo;s a shame if people assume itrsquo;s just another recipe book of mic placement ideas. Itrsquo;s far more than that and by the time I read it I understood why all those recipes evolved into common practice and I saw how to use them as jumping off points for experimentation.Yes; lsquo;whatever sounds goodrsquo; may still be the mantra but understanding why and how to emphasize/de-emphasize various sound qualities can preserve time and inspiration.lsquo;Mic Itrsquo; is solidly technical yet Corbett never sounds as though hersquo;s hiding behind it or looking to impress. Therersquo;s an overriding sense of musical passion in the book from someone well aware that the best gear and technical know how are only as good as the vision driving them.1 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Anna MaroneyIts fine. No problems.